How to help travel sick baby DD?

[YesDearNoDear]

Baby DD is 13 months old. Due to lockdowns etc we haven't made many car journeys with her, but those we have there hasn't been a problem until yesterday. We were going to visit family she hasn't met before: 45 minutes into the journey she just started vomiting. All the signs of car sickness according to DH (also car sick as a child).

While we don't need to drive day to day, next week we're supposed to be going on holiday to Wales, which is five hours from us. Any suggestions to help DD would be appreciated.

Also, how the heck do you get the sick smell out of a car seat?

Is she forward facing? We had to turn my chronically car sick Ds1 at 5 months to try to reduce the sickness. It worked a bit. That and I sat in the back with him for every journey until he was nearly 3

My sympathies, he s still car sick aged 10 as is his 7 year old brother (sigh)

Car seat. Remove straps and cover and put in washing machine.
Should have instructions on it to do this.
Travel sickness
Have another adult sit in the back with baby, if possible.
Try to get her looking out the windows as much as possible. Not easy, I know! Then her brain will be in sync with all her senses. Her ears (balance) will tell her she is moving and her eyes will agree.
If she is looking at book/dvd/ipad/toy close up, then her eyes will be sending different messages to her brain.

I know I cant read in a car! And I know other people who cant.

I dont know the current guidelines or physical abilities of your child, but maybe forward facing would help? If she is not big enough yet, you might just have to wait.

Another option is travel overnight, so she sleeps for the journey?
Can you or DP sleep during the day before you go? Then drive through the night?
Be less traffic too.

Make sure she isnt over-fed before a journey. Her tummy will be a bit squashed in a car seat.

Make sure she isnt too warm either. Just put her in a nice comfy baby gro so nothing rubs or squashes her tummy.
Put a light blanket over her if she seems cold.

Good luck.

My youngest is car sick, it started suddenly at about 2 and a half. We find sea bands really help him. I'm not sure of the age on them so you'd need to check but he can't go a few miles down the road without them and I like that they aren't medication so I'm not giving him tablets every time we pop out in the car. Also not eating too much not focussing too hard on anything and making sure it's not too hot. We always travel (even to tesco) with sea bands, wet wipes, sick bowl, water and detergent in a bottle, a cloth and spare clothes!

Cover the window to the side so that she can't see things whizzing by in her peripheral vision (I trap a giant muslin in the window) and then encourage her to look out of the front (or back) but not the side.

Make sure she is not too warm - thin clothing and air flow help.

To protect clothing, you can put on a sleeved bib after she's strapped in - although I'd worry she might overheat.

Travelling at night is much much better!

The car seat is hand wash only and it just isn't getting the smell out

She has to stay rear-facing legally, forward-facing is not an option for a few more months. She can't see out of the rear window from her seat.

I've looked for the sea bands but she's too small for them.

There was a thread the other day that had some good tips.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/4325174-car-sickness

My daughter can still get travel sick but its not so bad now, we turned her to forward facing at about 2.5 in desperation but it definitely didn't resolve it. It's now once or twice a year rather than every trip longer than 20 minutes.

DS is 2 and is getting more and more travel sick now. I've used a shower curtain to make a sort of car seat cover with holes for the straps that we use on longer journeys to protect the fabric of the seat as much as possible. And we keep cleaning stuff in the car.

With DD we actually had a spare car seat which was a lifesaver as cleaning the covers wasn't quite so urgent.

We had an antihistamine on prescription when dd was tiny and developed motion sickness. Unfortunately she hasn’t grown out of it, and at 13 she still needs medication to travel comfortably.

Make frequent stops and time your journeys to coincide with her being asleep.

Both my kids have suffered with travel sickness from being babies. They are old enough for travel tablets now, but before then we would have them face forward and always travel with a sick bowl (giant mixing bowls) each. No toys, iPads or books, and Windows open.

My 3.5 year old is extremely travel sick, and it started at about 13 months as well.

We have tried lots of different things (sea bands, newspaper under the seat, looking out of the window), but the only thing that has worked so far is medication.

I ended up doing loads of research, and made a note in my phone so I will just dump it here, and maybe something is relevant (though I think your little one is too young, it may be helpful for the future)

1. Traveleze - Meclozine - discontinued in UK - Bonine is the alternative - age 12+ - less sedation
2. Sturgeon - Cinnarizine - age 5+ - most effective in studies
3. Phenergen - more sedation - promethazine hydrochloride - age 2+
4. Joy Rides and Kwells - Hyoscine hydrobromide - not an antihistamine
5. Avomine - age 2+ - Promethazine - more sedation
6. Dramamine - Dimenhydrinate - age 2+ - less sedation
7. Scopolamine - comes in patches - hyoscine - easier to administer than pills
8. Cyclizine - less sedation - ok for kids
9. Put her in the front seat and switch off airbag

You can get prescription medicine from the dr for young children, I forget the name of it though, my youngest had it a few years ago. If I remember correctly you had to give it about 12 hours before the journey.

Bicarbonate of soda gets the sick smell out every time!