Safety & Awareness Tips on Holiday Dangers – Hey Kids “look” the Ocean But No Swimming

Is travelling to a foreign destination with children still a favoured option among parents, who after being alerted on child safety abroad since the abduction of Madeleine McCann, who was snatched from her holiday apartment May 3rd 2007 in Portugal as she slept. Well this certainly gave parents a wake up call on the importance of keeping check on their children's whereabouts at all times, whether in a foreign country or their home town. However families have not been deterred from jetting off in to the sun. If you are an overprotective parent you still need to let the children breathe, wrapping them up in cotton wool is the not the way. It is natural to protect, but too molly coddle is not the answer because it can spoil the holiday for you, and the kids.

Unnecessary panic can stress you out and sadden the kids even though you mean well. Let the kids have fun, none of "Hey kids look at the ocean but you can not swim in it". Point out the dangers beforehand which cause harm; this will give your child every chance to avoid any disastrous moments from happening. Keeping your child safe while on a summer vacation can involve many factors which you as the parent and child need to be aware of.

1 Let us address the concerns involving abduction. If we have a kidnapper on the prowl, the possibility of you knowing this is slim. A person with abduction in mind will make his or her presence as less suspicious as possible to avoid being spotted for acting unusual. Be extra vigilant because kidnappers are more talented than the thespian on stage for taking on the role of Mr nice guy. Never leave children unattended even if popping along to the corner shop. Emphasise the outcome should they go off with a stranger, do this tactfully as you do not want to scare the child witless. Not all strangers are evil but must be treated as such until you are satisfied that their intentions are of the best nature. If you notice any one lurking around your hotel complex looking mistrustful causing you to doubt their reasons for being there, then report the sighting immediately. You could well be saving an innocent child from ever being held in mummy's arms ever again.

If your hotel offers a babysitting service then do not leave anything to chance and use it. Mind you as a mother who travels 3 times a year if possible, has her boys at her side when she eats drinks and sleeps. There is no better babysitter than mom and dad.

2 Never leave children unsupervised in the hotel room or permit them onto the balcony without you there. Remove balcony furnishings, children are tempted to climb and adults too when drunk. Check electric appliances in the hotel rooms, not all foreign accommodation provide the same standard of safety like what you maybe used too. If faulty wiring is detected then report this to the hotel receptionist. Ask to be moved to another room if you are worried about the safety in the room. Use bottled water for drinking. Tell the children not to drink tap water because it can cause tummy upsets which will have them laid up in bed for the rest of their holiday (They will not like that). Tell the child that certain foods can also give them stomach ache so to ask you first.

Electricity in Spain is 230 Volts, alternating at 50 cycles per second. Travelling to Spain with a device that does not accept 230 Volts at 50 Hertz will have you go in search of a voltage converter. These can be easily obtained from stores or airport outlets. There are 3 types of voltage converter. Resistor-network converters will normally be advertised as supporting something like 50-1600 Watts. They are light-weight and support high-wattage electrical appliances like hair dryers and irons. However, they can only be used for short periods of time and are not suitable for digital devices.

Another danger to kids on vacation is the hotel swimming pool; children should be under adult supervision at all times. Do not allow children to run round the pool. Refrain from giving drinks to children in a glass for fear it gets broken. Most hotels serve soft drinks in plastic beakers as a safety precaution. Also the restaurant is a no go area for children who run riot, hot foods scald. If travelling with teenagers they too should abide by the rules of the pool and behave. Usually unaccepted behaviours include playing loud music, dive bombing or use of inflatables.
Remember kids are capable even at a young age to get around the barriers created to keep them safe. An abstract of interest states the number of UK children drowning abroad was estimated for 1996-2003 using the ROSPA/RLSS press cutting database. These figures were compared with the numbers of English children travelling abroad from the International Passenger Survey from the Office of National Statistics. The outcome was sixty-eight youngsters drowned in the eight-year period: 48 (71%) in swimming pools (mainly in hotels). Allowing for exposure, the rate was higher in North US [5.2 (CI 2.9-9.4)/million tourists] than the European Union [1.9 (CI 1.4-2.5)/million tourists] p = 0.002.

On average eight British children drown each year while on holiday abroad. Most of these sadly happen in swimming pools and this needs to be compared to the one child that dies each year in municipal pools in the United Kingdom where there is adequate lifeguarding.

3 The most common danger to ones health on holiday is over exposure to the sun. Children need to sun blocked from head to toe and wear a hat. Do not let a cloudy day fool you.
Avoid exposing baby/child to the midday sun; ideally keep them in the shade between 11 am and 3 pm when the sun is at its strongest. Although ideal, this is not always possible - instead you should cover baby up with cool, loose fitting clothes. Not many people are aware but a baby's skin is much thinner than grown ups.

Choose a sun block which protects against both UVA and UVB damage; this will protect your baby's skin from surface burns and deep skin damage caused by the sun's strong ultraviolet rays. Ask the pharmacist if you are not sure what the best protection method is for your infant.

Sun lotions are categorised by their 'Sun Protection Factor' (SPF); this defines the time baby can be exposed to direct sunlight whilst smothered in sun cream before the skin will start to burn relative to the time they can be exposed without sun cream. Skin type will determine the level of protection a certain SPF should be.
Holiday insurance is a vital asset which contributes in providing peace of mind, thus allowing you to enjoy your summer vacation.