Travelling to Goa with 2 year old, any advice, tips and do we need travel injections??

[sarahandruby]

We've finally taken the plunge and booked a holiday (credit crunch and all). We have gone safe and booked the Holiday Inn, no more backpacking anymore, so hopefully food and cleanliness won't be a problem. Anyone have any helpful information to get us through a holiday in India with a toddler.
Would be very grateful.
x

We have travelled to Asia twice with dd1. Once when she was 11 months to Malaysia then when she was 2yrs 3 mths to Malaysia and Thailand.

Both times we got here her own seat on the plane and i definatley recomend this for children on a long haul flight. In fact when she was 11 months we took here car seat and she sat in that. The second time we didn't take it and i wished we had as she didn't sleep as well. oh also, if it is a night flight put on pj's before boarding.

On the flight a couple of new toys hidden in the bag went down a treat, a book etc. And of course we did a bit os singing her fav songs etc. She loved watching Pooh on the tv.

If not already used to it, try to intrduce a lot of rice based meals and mild curries.

A good supply of rice cakes, sultanas and those ella's kitchen veg and fruit smoothies. Or other snaking thing that they like.

Hope these little tips help, if i think of anything else i will add it on. If there is anything specific you want to know then pleae ask.

Hepatitis A and typhoid vaccine would be recommended; a 5 star hotel is no guarantee of safe food and cleanliness as many diseases are spread through the faecal-oral route. There is a malarial risk throughout India including Goa, below 2000m, so malarial prophylaxis is recommended.

This gives you a bit more information

Hi,
I am taking my dd, 2 years also, to Africa next month and I imagine the vaccinations are probably the same for India - she has had, yellow fever, typhoid and hep a. I also got her the single measles vaccination as she didn't have the mmr. You'll need to look into malaria protection as well, we went for malarone.
Hope you have a great time!

I'm in Africa and like Timbuktu says would imagine it very similar to being in Goa. You need to add Hep B to the vaccinations Timbuktu mentioned (you too Timbuktu, if dd hasn't already had it, where are you going btw?)and we always use paediatric malarone, expensive but it is the most effective.

Have a great time.

I don't think hep b will be necessary for a holiday to be honest, it is transmitted by exposure to infectious blood or body fluids containing blood (eg. unprotected sex, blood transfusions, contaminated syringes/needles).

We're going to the Gambia, with a trip up to Senegal, as I used to work there.

If you worked in Senegal you know too well the risks involved and as you say, you are only on holiday and not here for a long stay. However as a public health person I would still recommend a Hep B vaccine, for eg imagine the unthinkable, a serious traffic accident, exposure to infected people, upcountry hospital etc etc. You can recover from Hep A pretty easily. Hep B is a much more serious affair.

thanks for all the helpfull info?? Are these injections safe for someone so young, and malaria tablets use to knock me around as an adult let alone a just 2 year old. Would it all be worth it, maybe we should just go to France....?????????????

Sarahandruby - please just go to your dr's and ask what you need, they will give you all the information. You need to do it properly though, tropical diseases in small children aren't to be taken lightly. And they will be able to advice on malaria too. fco.gov.uk/travel will give you more advice, although not sure if covers vaccinations (Department of Health website perhaps?). Don't leave it too late as some of the courses of jabs you need will be over several weeks. Enjoy! (the holiday, not the injections that is!)

Hep A and typhoid (not sure how they will do it with yours - my ds was 5 when we went at Xmas). Malaria - you can get a syrup that you administer once a week and it is done by weight.....

You get specific paediatric malaria tablets for a child so young - malarone in particularly is not known to give side effects in the majority of adults or children. If you're worried about the amount of injections then make sure you leave enough time and space them out. Ask your doctor for a referral to a travel clinic.

No don't let it put you off, you will have a great time! All 3 dc take paediatric malarone quite often (2/3 times a year) with no side effects. It comes in a tiny pill which I pop on a spoon of yoghurt for the toddler and down it goes. It's very easy.

I agree with Timbuktu, find a travel clinic and ask for their recommendations, as local GPs in my experience, have to go away and find out and then order the vaccines, which can take some time.

Talk to your doctor, but they will almost certainly recommend Hep A and typhoid (there's a new 2-in-one vaccine for children that protects against Hep A immediately and Hep B after 6 months, I think. Or something like that). Typhoid is safe over a year and I think Hep A is OK for a 2yo. Goa is malarial so you'll need prophylaxis -- in December they were recommending chloroquine and proguanil for children going to Goa. You'd need to weigh your DD a few weeks before you go as C&P dose is worked out by weight.

But get proper advice from a proper doctor.