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Doctors newspaper online, 02.08.2019
Parental leave as travel time
As soon as the child is born, the suitcases are packed: Many young families use their parental leave for long journeys. Paediatricians express concerns.
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BERLIN . To visit once extensively distant countries and continents, longer than the classic two weeks summer vacation: Many young parents fulfill this dream with baby. For when, if not during parental leave, can you travel as a family for several months at a time?
Everything seems so easy: babies overslept most of the time, can be breastfed on the way and transported well in the stretcher. And they do not make their own claims to the travel program.
BVKJ warns
But pediatricians warn. Dr. Hermann Josef Kahl, Federal Press Spokesman of the Professional Association of Pediatricians (BVKJ), considers longer long-distance travel with infants irresponsible and rejects it: "Children under the age of three should not, if possible, travel at all. It is tremendous stress for her. "
He advises that traveling with older babies is limited. For family visits, air travel over a few hours is acceptable, since family ties are important from the start.
Too tiring for babies
Kahl also sees traveling with babies critical because children feel the unrest in the preparation time, the new environment was unusual, the little ones would be confronted with many strange people and sometimes also other climatic conditions. For babies, this is too strenuous in his view.
"The little worms have to change a lot, that's often difficult even for us adults. I find such a thing reprehensible, "says Kahl with regard to travel destinations in other climatic zones.
In addition, one must consider whether a good medical care is guaranteed. "The children can also get sick in certain regions, against which you can not vaccinate," warns the doctor.
GTP: Priority of Child Health!
Not so critical Dr. Sarah Kotsias-Konopelska, Second Chairperson of the Society for Tropical Paediatrics and International Children's Health (GTP), Traveling with Young Children: "In general, I encourage every family to travel."
However, she recommends giving absolute priority to safety, health and well-being. "Parents should think carefully about what they can do for their children to protect them from danger," says the pediatrician.
Those who travel with a crawling infant who still puts everything in their mouth will have great difficulty protecting the baby from diseases caused by parasites or diarrhea.
Complete Primary Immunization
"Ideally, journeys are planned in such a way that at least the primary immunization is completed and that they fall within the period between two U-studies," says Kotsias-Konopelska.
It is also possible to have such preventive examinations carried out abroad, most easily with German-speaking pediatricians. Even vaccinations are possible in Reiseland.
"Regions without access to safe drinking water, extreme climatic conditions and infrastructure that can not guarantee safe shelter and food security should definitely be avoided," says Kotsias-Konopelska. (dpa / ths)
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