Keeping Your Little One Well On Holiday

Thirty years ago, I was in St Lucia with my daughter. She was eighteen months old. Halfway through the holiday, she got a bad bout of diarrhoea. It came on so fast that by the middle of the night I'd run out of nappies. We ended up in hospital. She was on plain rice for days before she started to properly recover.

I remember exactly how frightened I felt. I've taught hundreds of parents since then, and I still think about that night whenever a family tells me they're heading off somewhere hot with a little one in tow.

So here's what I wish someone had told me back then.

Before you go Pack more nappies than you think you'll need. Then pack extra. Bugs and heat both tend to make little tummies looser than usual, and you don't want to be hunting for a shop at 3am somewhere you don't speak the language.

Bring oral rehydration sachets, like Dioralyte. They're small, they weigh nothing, and they can genuinely save you a hospital trip if you catch dehydration early.

Check what jabs or precautions are recommended for where you're going. Ideally do this six to eight weeks before you travel. Your GP or a travel clinic can advise.

Pack a small first aid kit with infant paracetamol, a thermometer, plasters, and rehydration sachets.

While you're there

Water is often the biggest risk, for drinking, brushing teeth, and even ice cubes. If you're not sure, stick to bottled or boiled water for little ones. Be a bit wary of unpeeled fruit, salads, and food that's been sitting out, especially at buffets in the heat.

Keep an eye on nappies and wees. Fewer wet nappies than usual is one of the earliest signs of dehydration, often before a child seems obviously unwell. Sun and heat dehydrate babies faster than most people realise. Little ones can't regulate their temperature the way we do, so keep them shaded and offer fluids often. Don't wait for them to ask.

Wash hands often, yours and theirs. It sounds basic, but it's the one thing that would have changed my whole trip to St Lucia.

If diarrhoea or vomiting does happen

Offer small sips of fluid often rather than a big drink all at once, which can come straight back up.

Oral rehydration solution is your friend here. Little and often is the way to go.

Once they're ready to eat again, bland foods like rice, banana, and toast are gentle on a recovering tummy.

Try not to panic if they go off food for a day or two. Fluids matter more than food in the short term.

When to get help urgently

Find out the equivalent emergency for where you are travelling to. In Europe 112 works!

If your baby or child: seems floppy, unusually drowsy, or very hard to wake

has a sunken soft spot in babies, sunken eyes, or no tears when crying

has no wet nappy for 8+ hours in babies, or hasn't weed in many hours as an older child

has blood in their stool or vomit

has a high fever with a rash that doesn't fade when you press on it

if they're drinking poorly, seem increasingly tired or unsettled, or you're simply worried and want some advice. Trust that instinct. It's usually right.

One last thing

Holidays with little ones are supposed to be joyful, and most of the time they really are. But it's worth packing a bit of caution alongside the sun cream. I promise it won't take the joy out of the trip. It just means you're ready, so you can actually relax.

Wishing you a happy, healthy holiday, wherever you're headed.

Eva x

Eva Levinson is a part-time Postnatal Midwifery Assistant & Infant Feeding Specialist for the NHS, a Doula UK trained postnatal doula, and an Ofsted/HSE compliant first aid instructor. She runs And Chillax in Anerley, South London.