travel sickness in children

[helsi]

what effective remedies doea anyone use for their children? My dd is 3 and when we go on long journeys is always physically motion sick. She has a bag to hold etc but I remember having this as a child and the feeling is awful. I just wondered if there is anything effective that people use that I could try.

[HenniPenni]

DD1 used to be sick before we left our road, this is what we did to help her overcome it:

Make sure that she is sat up high enough so that she could see the horizon (as it were).
Made sure that she didn't look out the side windows.
Made sure that she doesn't read in the car.
Gave her joy rides an hour before any journeys.
Gave her ginger biscuits/ginger sweet type things (doesn't always work).
Played word games etc to help keep her occupied.
Planned journeys to avoid twisty, bendy roads.
Lastly, and the thing that works the best is to make sure that I drive and not her Dad!!
HTH

[Bozza]

We use joy rides with DS - he has never been sick when he has had one. They are suitable from age 3.

Otherwise agree with henni's advice. Also try to avoid having small, fiddly toys to play with that include looking down. I think a personal stereo seems to help keep DS occupied.

Another thing I would say is if travelling shortly after breakfast I would give a toast type meal rather than his usual weetabix.

But really recommend you try joyrides - we got them from Boots.

[Chapsmum]

phernigan, is prescribed and is effective for extreem cases.

[swedishmum]

Sit on a ple of newspapers. Reduces the vibrations in the car. Sounds odd, but after we were told, it really worked for dd2. As a musician it makes some sense.