Holiday season is upon us, which for many means traveling to visit family or for vacation. When thinking about an upcoming trip, it’s fun to to imagine all the amazing experiences that you will have as a family. Preparing for a medical emergency is less fun but so important!

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Tips to prepare for a medical emergency while traveling

Know before you go!

If traveling within the U.S., download the app findERnow and learn about ERs near your travel destination. FindERnow is an app (downloadable via the App Store and Google Play) that directs you to the closest ER more likely prepared for a pediatric emergency, enabling you to act quickly should an emergency arise. Please see below for additional information.

Prepare a travel first aid kit.

Having a kit on hand saves time and worry in a new city, late at night, or on the road. Be sure to include a thermometer, Neosporin, bandaids, acetaminophen, ibuprophen and Benadryl (and be familiar with your child’s dose).

Prepare an emergency pack and keep it accessible.

Be sure to have important documents and medications, as well as a change of clothes for your child, in an accessible bag. Including a card with all necessary medical information listed will alleviate stress and help both you and the hospital staff during an emergency visit.

Book a travel consult with your physician.

Discuss travel risks/need for vaccinations or medication prophylaxis (i.e. Malaria) with your family physician or pediatrician before your travels.

Extra precautions for a child with food allergies / restrictions.

To avoid miscommunication, consider writing your child’s restrictions clearly on an index card to give to restaurant and hotel staff (especially important if you don’t speak the native language well). In case options are limited, keep some snacks tucked in your bag.

Our hope is that the tips you gleam from this post merely serve as insurance and that your travels are entirely about creating beautiful memories and bonding as a family.

More info on R Baby Foundation® and findERnow

R Baby Foundation® is the first and only charitable foundation uniquely focused on saving babies’ and children’s lives through improving pediatric emergency care. R Baby has raised more than $12M to fund grants for life-saving pediatric training, education, research and equipment for doctors nationwide, impacting the care of more than one million children each year. Visit www.rbabyfoundation.org.

R Baby Foundation® encourages all parents and caregivers to download the free smart phone app, findERnow , to be prepared for a pediatric emergency – whether at home or traveling somewhere new. Using a phone’s GPS, findERnow helps app users to find the distance and directions to the closest ERs – anywhere in the United States. Users can quickly find which ERs are more likely to be prepared to care for children, as these ERs are marked with a baby icon. The app also allows users to sort nearby ERs by current driving time – including traffic – or by current driving distance. For a $0.99 subscription, app users can also access more detailed ER-specific pediatric information, such as if there is a pediatric trauma center, pediatric burn center, pediatric area, or pediatric emergency care coordinator. findERnow was created by and is maintained by the Emergency Medicine Network , a division of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. The pediatric version of findERnow is sponsored in part by R Baby Foundation® . This app is available for both iPhone and Android phones. Download findERnow today so that if an emergency arises, you are already prepared with this resource at your fingertips!

To learn more about R Baby Foundation® , visit them on their site , Facebook(@RBabyFoundation) , and Instagram (@rbabyfoundation) .