Car Motion Sickness

[Sabrina87]

I’ve got two young kids, two and four, and both get motion sick in the car. Anything over about 20 minutes and they start feeling sick and often end up being sick. It’s gotten to the point where it limits what we can do as a family because we need to drive pretty much everywhere.

We’ve tried pressure bands and even those funny motion sickness glasses, but nothing has made much difference. Has anyone found anything that helps? And do children eventually grow out of it? Any advice is appreciated.

Do they rear face? If so, try forward-facing as often that helps. I know rear facing is generally safer but at their age, forward-facing isn’t awful and probably safer all round than having the driver distracted by them becoming unwell.

Have you tried any travel sickness tablets or medicine?

Agree with forward facing

Fresh air - mine both get a bit carsick but definitely better with the window a bit open

Not looking at anything so no tablets, books, drawing pads etc that they have to focus on. Toys generally ok though. Audiobooks were a godsend.

Medication once old enough (Kwells or similar )

Drive slower?

I would exhaust every other option possible before considering forward facing especially your youngest. I've heard various advice for motion sickness including peppermint or citrus scents either sprayed in the car or on something for them to hold like a handkerchief or soft toy, blacking out the side windows next to them, no tablets or books or drawing etc. No heavy meals and/or no dairy before a journey. Small sips of water and a bland snack like a cracker or plain biscuit (obviously taking into consideration the choking risk of eating in a car seat. Open the window a little or have air con on - a cooler environment is less likely to result in vomiting than a stuffy warm one. Encourage them to look at a fixed point outside the car rather than something moving (even if rear facing they should be able to see out the back window). Distract them with chatting or music (no screens). And if all else fails, kids Kwells or similar. Google medication for motion sickness and look for the active ingredient as you'll find a lot of them are essentially the same thing.

To add to the above try blocking the view from the side windows.

Consider getting their eyes tested as it can be an early sign of short-sightedness.

I also suffer from car sickness when I’m a passenger. Travelling with an empty stomach is fatal! I’m better if I have a reasonably full stomach - I often travel with hot cross buns which are ideal to eat.

I still get travel sickness as an adult, and yes it affects my life. I don’t drive (I couldn’t possibly!) and I can’t go on holiday anywhere that would require a long car journey. Please never force them to take a long journey, it is unbearable!

The most effective travel sickness tablets I’ve found so far are Boots’ own brand, not sure if maybe your children could take half a tablet, as they’re for adults. There’s Kwells for Kids otherwise, they might help, they might not.

I have a tendency to get travel sick as a passenger but never as a driver!

I’ve been travel sick all my life so end up driving almost all of the time because I just hate that feeling and it usually takes 20 minutes after we’ve arrived at our destination to calm down if I’ve been a passenger. Holidays abroad are always booked with the closest transfer to the airport. I do also find travelling on a fuller stomach helps and definitely nibbling on plain or ginger biscuits after ten minutes of travelling also combats the sicky feeling. Sea-legs are good but you can’t give them to young children.

I have a two children who have bad car sickness!! Although I can’t fix it, I’ve made it more manageable for everyone by buying one of those sickness bibs from Yobib! I can’t tell u how many car seats we have had to strip and put in the wash. Kids don’t mind wearing them too which is a bonus! https://www.yobib.co.uk/

I’ve been a martyr to travel sickness all my life. I can’t travel facing backwards at all. Travelling on an empty stomach makes things worse. Don’t let them read or use screens. I feel for you, it’s horrible.

We have one of these children! He’s sick within 5 mins of being in the car so for years we only went on days out on the train line. We get a family friend to bring us Kids Gravol back from Canada which seems to be the only country which sells it. It’s been used for years over there. We tried all the rest of the advice here and nothing else worked, it’s only been a few months but fingers crossed this seems to be doing the trick

I'll second having their eyes tested. DS was really car sick until he got glasses. He'd managed to pass the eye test that the Health Visitor did in his pre-school check, but he needed glasses that were -6 strength. Once he got glasses, he was never car sick again.

Both my children get very bad motion sickness- we got referred to ENT for my eldest when she was 1 - the doc prescribed cinnarizine - which* *we now buy over the counter as Stugeron 15 - we tried all the other kinds and brands (and also all the bands and gadgets) but this is the most effective for us. She is 10 now and is still sick - but can at least tell us now!

DD3 has really bad car sickness, I have to cover the windows in the back. It’s the only thing that works, if she can’t look out of the window it removes the ‘motion’ element. She still rear faces

I feel for you. I had four that were car sick and journeys were a nightmare. They were generally OK on planes and trains as long as not too much turbulence. What we did was a) mainly holiday with trains and planes b) be prepared with plastic bags, towels etc. if we had to go in the car, also travelled late at night when they mainly slept c) give them travel sick tablets (sturgeron were OK, joyrides also) d) found out that travelling on an empty stomach is worse than one that has eaten something small e) facing forward in the front seat was best f) nobody on their phones or any other reading type material. If it helps, they do eventually grow out of it, or you find coping mechanisms, but it is a long job. x