There is one thing that most families neglect to do prior to traveling internationally and that is visit the dentist. “Why bother?” is the obvious question. Dental pain can be excruciating and the last place you want it to occur is outside of your regular environment, caring for small children, let alone on a long…
In 2009 my husband, seven month old son and I moved to Cairns in far north Queensland. Our arrival corresponded with the largest outbreak of dengue fever (a potentially fatal mosquito spread infection) the far north had ever seen. Dengue is not always present in Cairns and the authorities instituted emergency procedures in response to…
Last week concerns regarding a popular travel cot, the KidCo Peapod travel bed arose. As a result of incidents involving two children, Health Canada has issued warnings to parents to immediately cease sleeping children under the age of 12 months in the cot. In the USA the Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating the…
Last week I travelled to Sydney for work with my two little boys. At departure the shuttle bus that we had requested arrived without the child restraints I had been expecting. Harried and stressed, I boarded the bus with the boys, only to have Bub 2 hit his head, hard, on a handle in…
Temperatures are heating up in Australia, and with the school holidays here families are spending more time in the sun. Parents of babies and small children often receive conflicting advice about how best to protect their children from the damaging affects of the sun. With that in mind I would like to share this…
I was very concerned recently to learn that a Queensland bat sanctuary/facility was actively encouraging visitors, including children to handle their resident bats. The reason for my concern is that bats may harbor Lyssavirus, which causes a rabies like illness and is deadly to humans. It is because of this that the Queensland government recommends…
Apologies to readers that have seen this article before. It was lost as a result of blog disruption and I am re-posting it. For those traveling internationally, an essential issue to discuss with your doctor at your pre-travel medical visit is vaccination. Vaccination often divides opinion, inciting strong emotional responses from parents and health carers…
Our four year old has asthma. His illness, as well as the disruption it causes to our daily lives, influences decisions we make about travel. For example, we will only travel to places that have access to both an emergency department and hospital ward capable of looking after him if he becomes unwell as he…
The World Health Organization states: “Breastfeeding is the best way to provide newborns with the nutrients they need. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding until a baby is six months old, and continued breastfeeding with the addition of nutritious complementary foods for up to two years or beyond.” The benefits of breastfeeding have been well documented and…
In May I was invited to be a guest blogger on Sarah Pye’s blog “Kid’s Welcome“. Sarah is the author of a fantastic book “Kids Welcome to Queensland that provides specific information to guide families in their exploration of Queensland. The following is a short excerpt from my post, that seeks to assist parents in…