Altitude Sickness in Infants?

[Anonymous]

We will be going to Colorado with our 7 month old in a few weeks. We will be staying in Summit County, at an elevation of just about 10,000 feet. We are trying decide if it's worth spending the first night in Denver (5000 feet) with relatives before continuing into the mountains. The biggest drawback is that we will only be there for 3 days of skiing and the extra time in Denver would take a half day of skiing time. On the other hand, if a little time to acclimate to a lower altitude would prevent illness, maybe it's worth it?

I'm most concerned about the baby, as the rest of us have not had issues with altitude sickness in past trips as long as we are careful to stay very hydrated. Are infants more or less prone to altitude sickness? Any tips or thoughts about what makes the most sense for all of us to enjoy the trip?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Well, I am no expert, but when preparing to travel to Bolivia (and visit cities at over 14,000 feet) I was told by a physician that my four year old would probably handle the altitude better than I. We were both A-Okay, so I would assume that the advice was fine. Altitude sickness is a funny thing, becuase it affects each person differently, and you won't know till you are there. Were I in your shoes, I would NOT stay over in Denver and I would just see how the baby does.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in Colo, and can't recall ever hearing anything about infants having a harder time at altitude. I agree w/ PP - one day of acclimation in Denver wouldn't make much of a difference, IMO.

[Anonymous]

We went to Steamboat Springs for our annual ski trip with our 9 mo. old daughter last Feb.

No problems at all. We had lunch when we landed, bought a pack and play at Walmart, and headed up the Loveland Pass (?) without any issues. At the resort, we had no problems settling in or sleeping. In fact, our DD slept really well - maybe from all the fresh air. DD did drink a lot, but I think she may have been going through a growth spurt since she was also chowing down a ton of solid food too.

Have fun.

[Anonymous]

Funny - I traveled to Bolivia as well when my daughter was 9 mos. old and had the same concerns. My ped. said the same thing as the 18:19 post. Sure enough - she was fine - no problems at all. My husband and I, however, did experience some effects.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

My husband and I (more my husband) have done a lot of mountaineering and so spent a lot of time at altitude on various trips. 10,000 is just around the height that some people just start to feel the affects of high altitude. Since you probably won't take your baby to the the summit, which I'm assuming is higher than 10k, and then stay there over night, I can't imagine that any of you will have a problem. Altitude sickness is very serious though, so it couldn't hurt to at least educate yourself on the symptoms.

For anyone going higher, keep in mind that there is actually very little research on the effects of altitude and the body. There is no rhyme or reason why it affects people. There's no correlation between age, fitness level, previous trips at altitude, or any other factors. Plenty of expert, long-term climbers have died when they've previously had no trouble.

One thing I have come to realize is that VERY FEW doctors know anything about altitude sickness. Unless they're climbers or trekkers or have an interest for some reason, few of them would have had any reason to look into it. Even if they did, there's not much for them to look up. This is one of those cases where the best thing you can do is load yourself up with as much info as you can.