How to Prevent Motion Sickness in Children

 Travel sickness is a common problem, affecting around 44% of children, that happens because of increased sensitivity in the child’s inner ear. The result can be vomiting, fatigue, cold sweat, and an upset stomach. Motion sickness in a child can ruin a journey not just for the child, but for the whole family, and leave everyone in a frustrating situation. Travelling with children is often a chance to make lasting memories so it is important not to allow car sickness to taint that memory. These are some of the ways you can help to control and prevent motion sickness in children.

And perhaps we should mention that it is not just children that suffer from motion sickness. It seems to affect many adults to almost all through their lives, albeit most will have found ways to avoid motion sickness. The following tips, therefore, are useful for anyone susceptible to this unpleasant reaction to travelling.

Do not travel on an empty stomach

Ensure you have a supply of light, bland snacks suitable for your child before and during travel. They should eat easy-to-digest food to avoid the potential for stomach upsets which may be more likely than normal if the child is already feeling anxious.

You should avoid heavily sugared drinks and snacks during or before the drive. (In fairness, you should avoid these all the time, but that’s another story…!) Dry cereals, non-spicy crackers, and plain snack bars are the safest choices.

Take extra precautions and monitor your child’s food and drinks when you are close to starting the journey. Water is the best option; you can give them sips if they start experiencing stomach issues until it settles.

Where the child sits is crucial

Children over 12, or over 135cm tall, can legally sit in the front of a car, which is the best option if they are prone to motion sickness.  If they are younger, you can sit them in the middle of the back seat so that they can look out through the front window.

Where the child sits in a car is crucial in helping to reduce the possibility of motion sickness. They should be able to see through the front window rather than twisting and looking through the side window.

Consider the car seat level and lower it if there is a need.  Crack a window to allow fresh air into the car.

And unfortunately, although their screens may be thought of as a useful distraction for journeys, being glued to their screens is very likely to exacerbate any likelihood of motion sickness occurring.

Ginger calms motion sickness

Ginger has been shown to be an excellent treatment for nausea. Motion sickness is significantly linked to vomiting, but you can use ginger to ease nausea. It works by keeping the child’s blood pressure consistent and the digestive function stable.

As the NHS suggests in their motion sickness tips, ginger can be taken as a tablet, biscuit or tea. Try to ensure this is incorporated in the last snack before going on the car journey. But do remember that consuming ginger doesn’t mean you should forego other preventative measures. You still need to pay attention to where the children sit and what they eat in the car.

Why not make some of these healthy vegan energy balls, ensuring you add some ginger powder, or even chopped up stem ginger? Kids are sure to love them!

Consider medication

If your child’s motion sickness is severe, you may wish to consider using medication to help battle the problem, but do consult your child’s doctor before buying an over-the-counter drug like Dramamine which should be taken at least one hour before the travel.

Always read the label to know the appropriate dose and whether you need to prepare for side effects. Dramamine, for example, should give you six hours of protection from motion sickness. If that is not enough to get you to your destination, you will need a break to administer another dose before driving again.

Offer distractions

If you know your child might experience car sickness, try distracting them during the car ride.

You can encourage them to look outside at different things. Keep pointing to buildings, people, or nature to keep them distracted. They should not spend the car ride reading books or playing tech games.

Put on some music you can sing along to, or you all can enjoy listening to. Deep breathing can also offer quick relief from car sickness. Singing is one way to get your child to take deep breaths and help to keep their mind off the illness. You can also go through stories that will entertain and distract the kid until you get to your destination.

These 10 road trip games can help you survive those long journeys!

Conclusion

Motion sickness is a common problem, typically affecting children more than adults. Ensure your child can see through the front window and provide non-spicy snacks during the road trip. Adequate ventilation is also very critical; there should be enough fresh air circulating the car. If, by bad luck, your child experiences motion sickness, stop the car and let them walk around or lie on their back while closing eyes for some time before moving again.