Traveling during the holidays can be stressful, especially when you have little ones. If your family has a trip planned this month, check out these airplane travel tips from Safe Kids Mid-South’s Susan Helms, director of Injury Prevention and Safe Kids, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Safe Kids Mid-South, part of an international campaign to prevent childhood accidents and led locally by Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, recommends using a child safety seat during airplane travel. Infants and toddlers are safest in an approved child safety seat with a harness, in case of turbulence. A child who rides in a child safety seat on the ground should ride in that child safety seat on a plane. While most child safety seats fit on standard airplane seats, make sure your child safety seat is labeled “certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft.”

Even though the Federal Aviation Administration allows children younger than age 2 to be held on an adult’s lap, it is recommended that families explore options to ensure that each child has his own seat. Discounted fares may be available. If it is not feasible for you to purchase a ticket for a small child, try to select a flight that is likely to have empty seats.

Belt-positioning booster seats cannot be used on airplanes, but they can be checked as luggage so you have them for use in rental cars and taxis.

The American Academy of Pediatrics also offers the following advice:
• Pack a bag of toys and snacks to keep your child occupied during the flight.
• In order to decrease ear pain during descent, encourage your infant to nurse or suck on a bottle.
• Older children can try chewing gum, drinking water or juice through a straw, or filling up a glass of water and blowing bubbles through a straw (4 years of age or older).
• Consult your pediatrician before flying with a newborn or infant who has chronic heart or lung problems or with upper or lower respiratory symptoms. Consult your pediatrician if flying within two weeks of an episode of an ear infection or ear surgery.
For more safety information, visit www.lebonheur.org/safekids or call (901) 287-6730.

With summer around the corner, your family may be thinking about vacation. Traveling by plane requires some planning and plenty of patience. Le Bonheur Children’s experts offer helpful tips for traveling with children.

First, when traveling by airplane, allow yourself and your family extra time to get through security – especially when traveling with young children.

Safe Kids Mid-South, part of an international campaign to prevent childhood accidents and led locally by Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, recommends using a child safety seat during airplane travel. Infants and toddlers are safest in an approved child safety seat with a harness, in case of turbulence. A child who rides in a child safety seat on the ground should ride in that child safety seat on a plane. While most child safety seats fit on standard airplane seats, make sure your child safety seat is labeled “certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft.”

Even though the Federal Aviation Administration allows children younger than age 2 to be held on an adult’s lap, it is recommended that families explore options to ensure that each child has his own seat. Discounted fares may be available. If it is not feasible for you to purchase a ticket for a small child, try to select a flight that is likely to have empty seats.

Belt-positioning booster seats cannot be used on airplanes, but they can be checked as luggage so you have them for use in rental cars and taxis.

The American Academy of Pediatrics also offers the following advice:

• Pack a bag of toys and snacks to keep your child occupied during the flight.
• In order to decrease ear pain during descent, encourage your infant to nurse or suck on a bottle.
• Older children can try chewing gum, drinking water or juice through a straw, or filling up a glass of water and blowing bubbles through a straw (4 years of age or older).
• Consult your pediatrician before flying with a newborn or infant who has chronic heart or lung problems or with upper or lower respiratory symptoms. Consult your pediatrician if flying within two weeks of an episode of an ear infection or ear surgery.

For more safety information, visit www.lebonheur.org/safekids or call (901) 287-6730.

Summer means one thing - vacation! Having fun while traveling is important, but planning ahead to ensure safe travels should be a top priority for all parents.

If your vacation includes a stay at a relative or friend's, make sure you talk to your host about the possibility of installing age-appropriate safety devices such as cabinet locks or outlet covers to prevent injuries to your kids. This is especially true when visiting people whose children have already grown or those without children, as safety devices may be out-of-date or nonexistent.

When traveling by car, always bring your child safety seat or booster seat for your child.

When traveling by airplane, Safe Kids strongly recommends using a child safety seat. Infants and toddlers are safest in an approved child safety seat with a harness, in case of turbulence. A child who rides in a child safety seat on the ground should ride in that child safety seat on a plane. While most child safety seats fit on standard airplane seats, make sure your child safety seat is labeled "certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft."

Children who have outgrown child safety seats should sit directly on the airplane seat and, like all passengers, keep the lap belt buckled across their thighs or hips. Booster seats cannot be used on airplanes, because they require shoulder belts and airplane seats have only lap belts.

Planning ahead also involves packing appropriate gear for your children. If they will be biking, riding a scooter, inline skating, skateboarding, etc, make sure to pack a helmet that is appropriate for the activity and fits them properly.

If you have a baby and the trip involves staying overnight, bring your own folding playpen if possible, rather than relying on borrowed cribs. In several surveys from 2001-2006, Safe Kids found many hotel-issued cribs to be defective, damaged or even recalled from the market. If you must use a hotel's crib, inspect it carefully for broken or missing parts and look up the model on www.Recalls.gov to make sure it isn't subject to any safety notices.