travelling with baby
May 6th, 2008, 07:24 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
travelling with baby
When i was in Uganda a young couple was staying where i was and they had a very young baby with them. Just curious as to whether the baby would have had all the shots required etc and what health issues you would have to consider. Have any of you travelled with such a young child, especially to Africa? If so how was it?
May 6th, 2008, 08:31 PM
#2
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 993
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi judochop
When I first took my nieces to Africa, we visited a medical travel specialist, and she said not to consider taking a child under 6, as their immune system wasn't mature enough to handle any complications. Luckily my niece was 8, so all was OK.
Maybe if the baby is breastfed, it still gets some benefit from any drugs the Mum takes.
It does seem a big risk to me, though as I only travel with nieces, I probably am a lot more careful than most!
Things can go so wrong so quickly in babies and toddlers, that you would need to be able to get to reliable medical assistance very quickly.
Kind regards
Kaye
When I first took my nieces to Africa, we visited a medical travel specialist, and she said not to consider taking a child under 6, as their immune system wasn't mature enough to handle any complications. Luckily my niece was 8, so all was OK.
Maybe if the baby is breastfed, it still gets some benefit from any drugs the Mum takes.
It does seem a big risk to me, though as I only travel with nieces, I probably am a lot more careful than most!
Things can go so wrong so quickly in babies and toddlers, that you would need to be able to get to reliable medical assistance very quickly.
Kind regards
Kaye
May 7th, 2008, 04:59 AM
#3
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 8,675
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Know a family who traveled to Kenya and Tanzania (last Mar/Apr) for a full month with two young ones... 2/yrs and 5/yrs. Parents, grandparents and the children.
The children were probably better inoculated, with their necessary shots (given at home) than the adults who had to get new or be re-inoculated.
Malarone, the malaria med is available in a child dose, if they meet minimum weight requirements, which I believe these two were. Everyone returned home fine with no problems.
During my visit to Kenya last year,, I did see at various camps/lodges, quite a few parents with real young-uns, still in baby carriers (from infants to maybe 6/mos). Whether these were locals or foreign visitors, I can't say; what inocs of meds were given.
There are many healthy children raised in Africa with proper inoculations and meds, as needed.
The children were probably better inoculated, with their necessary shots (given at home) than the adults who had to get new or be re-inoculated.
Malarone, the malaria med is available in a child dose, if they meet minimum weight requirements, which I believe these two were. Everyone returned home fine with no problems.
During my visit to Kenya last year,, I did see at various camps/lodges, quite a few parents with real young-uns, still in baby carriers (from infants to maybe 6/mos). Whether these were locals or foreign visitors, I can't say; what inocs of meds were given.
There are many healthy children raised in Africa with proper inoculations and meds, as needed.
May 8th, 2008, 03:38 PM
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
thanks for the advice Kaye and Sandy. My husband thinks it will be fine as his family are there, but i don't like the idea of taking an infant on such a long flight anyway, and then there are all the shots etc, so i think i'll put it off for a year or two unfortunately. Jo
May 8th, 2008, 04:29 PM
#5
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My wife and I were in Tanzania this past November with our then 18-month old. I insisted that we go. Our doctor said not before the baby was 6 months old. We of course went to a travel medical clinic and they figured out the details of what he needed, but they definitely gave us a big green light.
All in all, the trip was a great success, but there were definitely some lessons learned:
1 It's a LOT more work traveling with a baby than I ever imagined.
2 We could NOT have done it without the wonderful nanny that we hired to spend virtually every minute with us while we were in Tanzania.
3 Tanzanians are just simply absolutely wonderful with babies. As an example, a waiter at a restaurant held our sleeping baby in his arms so that mom and dad could have a nice dinner in peace.
4 He did get sick, but it turns out that it was ear infections - that I believe he got in London where we spent two nights. A sick baby in Tanzania made me a nervous father. All was well but it had me thinking about the wisdom of what I'd done. It also made me appreciate the health care system we so often take for granted.
5 We flew through Nairobi mostly because the flight was much cheaper. This was a mistake simply because traveling is already SO MUCH more difficult with a baby that the price difference now seems negligible and definitely not worth the savings.
6 In retrospect, I'm really glad that we did it, but I probably wouldn't do it again. It was just a LOT more work than I expected. And I expected a lot of work. (Maybe having a child in general is more work than I expected, but that's probably a different forum, huh?)
7 He picked up a cough that the dust aggravated. This is something to consider. If you are going to travel with a baby then definitely hire a nanny and leave the baby with the nanny in a nice hotel while you go on safari. That is pure bliss for you and the baby.
8 A good car seat that fits nicely was difficult to come by.
9 Bring a lot of your own medicines and ask your doctor what to do in various circumstances. Again, we fared okay, but we did have to give him much more medicine than I would have if we were here, but I wanted him to be comfortable and we couldn't get a doctor's advice so we had to use our own instincts.
10 We brought a cheap pack-n-play and that was perfect for him to sleep in. We were always able to wrap him in the mosquito net with our bed(s).
All in all, the trip was a great success, but there were definitely some lessons learned:
1 It's a LOT more work traveling with a baby than I ever imagined.
2 We could NOT have done it without the wonderful nanny that we hired to spend virtually every minute with us while we were in Tanzania.
3 Tanzanians are just simply absolutely wonderful with babies. As an example, a waiter at a restaurant held our sleeping baby in his arms so that mom and dad could have a nice dinner in peace.
4 He did get sick, but it turns out that it was ear infections - that I believe he got in London where we spent two nights. A sick baby in Tanzania made me a nervous father. All was well but it had me thinking about the wisdom of what I'd done. It also made me appreciate the health care system we so often take for granted.
5 We flew through Nairobi mostly because the flight was much cheaper. This was a mistake simply because traveling is already SO MUCH more difficult with a baby that the price difference now seems negligible and definitely not worth the savings.
6 In retrospect, I'm really glad that we did it, but I probably wouldn't do it again. It was just a LOT more work than I expected. And I expected a lot of work. (Maybe having a child in general is more work than I expected, but that's probably a different forum, huh?)
7 He picked up a cough that the dust aggravated. This is something to consider. If you are going to travel with a baby then definitely hire a nanny and leave the baby with the nanny in a nice hotel while you go on safari. That is pure bliss for you and the baby.
8 A good car seat that fits nicely was difficult to come by.
9 Bring a lot of your own medicines and ask your doctor what to do in various circumstances. Again, we fared okay, but we did have to give him much more medicine than I would have if we were here, but I wanted him to be comfortable and we couldn't get a doctor's advice so we had to use our own instincts.
10 We brought a cheap pack-n-play and that was perfect for him to sleep in. We were always able to wrap him in the mosquito net with our bed(s).
May 8th, 2008, 06:34 PM
#6
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 509
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yellow Fever vaccine cannot be given before age 6 months, and it is generally not given before age 9 months. Hepatitis A and Typhoid can't be given before age 2, putting the infant at risk for food and water-born illnesses. If your options are limited (job-dictated move), you do your best to minimize risk -- but, if your travel is optional (i.e vacation), please do your child a huge favor and leave them at home with Grandma until they're older. (I also know from personal experience while living overseas that they aren't going to have personal memories of these trips until they're older -- generally about 8 years old.)
May 9th, 2008, 04:20 PM
#7
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,669
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I don't know that I would spend the money on something the child wouldn't remember, and a trip to Africa ain't cheap. Factor in a nanny? whew!
That said, travel with your kids!! It is the greatest education they will receive. But I would wait till they will get more out of it, around 5 or 6 years old, and then start smaller, getting more expensive as they mature.
That said, travel with your kids!! It is the greatest education they will receive. But I would wait till they will get more out of it, around 5 or 6 years old, and then start smaller, getting more expensive as they mature.
May 10th, 2008, 03:58 AM
#8
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Like I said, I'm not sure I'd do it again. In retrospect, we really wanted to go and we probably didn't have much of an option for leaving him here. We obviously did not bring him so that he would have memories! But we did want him to be near us and we also wanted our Tanzanian friends to meet him.
The cost of hiring a Tanzanian nanny is extremely marginal to the cost of the trip. Anyone who goes with small children and doesn't hire a nanny is missing an incredibly valuable bargain.
The cost of hiring a Tanzanian nanny is extremely marginal to the cost of the trip. Anyone who goes with small children and doesn't hire a nanny is missing an incredibly valuable bargain.
May 11th, 2008, 04:07 AM
#10
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 116
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I travelled to Zimbabwe last year with my 3 year old son, he became sick, but like back home, there are doctors and after a few days he was fine again. No problems.. I have friends who lived in Zim for over 2 years now and their daughter was only 1 year old when they moved to Zim from Denmark. And she still alive 
So, go if you wanna go..
So, go if you wanna go..
May 11th, 2008, 04:52 PM
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
thanks everyone!!!
I've learnt alot.... thanks for the info on what age a baby can have the required shots and the first hand accounts of travelling with a young one. Once there it would be ok, but the flights, transfers, long waiting times etc would be quite difficult. I know many kids are bought up in Africa, my husband being one of them, but living there and travelling are different things. I will be a first time mum with a very young child having to travel from place to place with all our belongings. It's hard enough with a new baby in the comforts of your own home so that is one of my concerns. Thanks so much to everyone for your input, it's given me alot to think about
I've learnt alot.... thanks for the info on what age a baby can have the required shots and the first hand accounts of travelling with a young one. Once there it would be ok, but the flights, transfers, long waiting times etc would be quite difficult. I know many kids are bought up in Africa, my husband being one of them, but living there and travelling are different things. I will be a first time mum with a very young child having to travel from place to place with all our belongings. It's hard enough with a new baby in the comforts of your own home so that is one of my concerns. Thanks so much to everyone for your input, it's given me alot to think about
May 12th, 2008, 01:51 AM
#12
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 10,823
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
<<<I know many kids are bought up in Africa, my husband being one of them, but living there and travelling are different things.>>>
That is very true. I have a friend who gave birth to 2 of her children while living in Cairo. But she said she would never travel to such a place with a small baby - just for a vacation. Living there, she had the infrastructure set. She had company-approved doctors/hospitals and a company-employed nurse who was with her the whole time and who translated when necessary.
With my own kids - I knew what meds were available at the pharmacies in Cairo and what meds weren't. So I made sure I stocked up in the US on all the child-friendly meds we might need during the upcoming year.
I think travelling overseas with children is a wonderful thing (we've lived overseas for 7 years), but we never even considered doing it until our kids were old enough to remember what we did.
As for traveling with a baby/toddler - the points that Brian_in_MN made are quite valid....do-able but a LOT of work!
That is very true. I have a friend who gave birth to 2 of her children while living in Cairo. But she said she would never travel to such a place with a small baby - just for a vacation. Living there, she had the infrastructure set. She had company-approved doctors/hospitals and a company-employed nurse who was with her the whole time and who translated when necessary.
With my own kids - I knew what meds were available at the pharmacies in Cairo and what meds weren't. So I made sure I stocked up in the US on all the child-friendly meds we might need during the upcoming year.
I think travelling overseas with children is a wonderful thing (we've lived overseas for 7 years), but we never even considered doing it until our kids were old enough to remember what we did.
As for traveling with a baby/toddler - the points that Brian_in_MN made are quite valid....do-able but a LOT of work!
May 12th, 2008, 03:27 AM
#13
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 149
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I am a pediatrician who is American but lived in South Africa for 3 years. (Back in America now dealing with a lot of African refugees.) Hep A is given at 1 year. Malarone is approved down to 3 months! Cholera is useless and I have never used the typhoid vaccine as it is not that effective and typhoid is easily curable and never seen it in my travels in Africa.
Kim
Kim
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
issy
Africa & the Middle East
27
Apr 25th, 2007 03:56 AM
