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Children's health

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Original poster

Car Sickness - Are some cars worse than others?

62 replies

Nicnocknoo · 27/03/2011 20:47

My dh has just agreed that we can get a new car. As ds1 gets very car sick, I was wondering if anyone could share their experience of whether different makes of car are worse for travel sickness?

Our last two cars have been Peugeots.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

MerryMarigold · 27/03/2011 20:50

I get quite car sick, and my Mum too. I find sitting in the front a lot better. I don't think the brand makes much difference, but I find powerful cars make me feel A LOT sicker (BIL's BMW's for example), feels like a lot more surging. A car that takes a while to 'power up' makes me feel less sick (ie. smaller engine or massively heavy to compensate for bigger engine).

purpleknittingmum · 27/03/2011 20:53

I get travel sick in any car or bus

How old is your son? I kept being told I would grow out of it and I have proved them all wrong! Much better than I used to be but at times I get off the bus and feel ill for a few hours

GwendolineMaryLacey · 27/03/2011 20:56

Leather seats much worse for me, the smell just takes it a step further. Front seat is better than back but the only time I don't get sick is when I'm driving...not very helpful, I know!

Make of car has made no difference to me over the years. All I would say is that 3 doors are much worse because of not being able to open the window and get a good blast of air if needed.

I'm 39 and am getting worse not better :( After getting off a ferry I can feel sick for several days.

MerryMarigold · 27/03/2011 20:57

I once went on a waltzer when I was 15 and I was sick for nearly a week! I don't know what posessed me. Peer pressure!

TheChewyToffeeMum · 27/03/2011 20:59

I agree with MerryMarigold - it is worse in powerful cars. That said, alot of it is down to the style of driving ie, lots of accelerating/braking, taking corners fast.

Better visibility seems to help too. My DD is much worse in my DH's civic than in my car where the rear seats are higher up.

Tiggles · 27/03/2011 21:04

Apparently diesel cars are better than petrol if you have travel sickness.

MrsJohnDeere · 27/03/2011 21:04

Honda Jazz makes me feel very sick, and dh too (and he never gets car sick). I've been a passenger in 2 different ones, and driven one myself, and it was the same each time.

purpleknittingmum · 27/03/2011 21:05

Oh yes, need to be able to have a window down, or have something I can just fan myself with

I used to be able to do some rides at the fair but in my early 20's found like MerryMarigold I couldn't do it! Oh yes, smelly leather sets me off

No reading on journeys either, sometimes even readking texts can set me off

Original poster

Nicnocknoo · 27/03/2011 21:06

DS was sick when he got off a spinning disc thingy in a soft play - well, he waited until he was in his friend's dad's car and then threw up down his neck.

DS has suffered with car sickness since he was 18 months (he also has cyclical vomiting syndrome which doesn't help anyway). He always sits in the front now, never has milk before a journey etc but I just wondered if type of car made a difference too. I had heard that french cars were worse due to softer suspension.

We discovered he suffers air sickness too - he was terribly sick on flights to and from Dubai last year (think we'll need to drug him when we go this year)!

OP posts:

purpleknittingmum · 27/03/2011 21:09

Poor boy! :(

Mine is restricted to cars and buses

MerryMarigold · 27/03/2011 21:09

Oh yes. As as kid, I remember the plane 'sick bags' very well. I am better as I don't vomit on flights, just feel a bit queasy.

AllDirections · 27/03/2011 21:09

Take an adult who suffers from travel sickness with you when looking at cars. I'm badly travel sick but some cars are much worse than others. I only have to put my head in the car and I know if it's going to a bad car for travel sickness. They smell different, well to me they do but I have a heightened sense of smell. Maybe it's this that causes me to be so bad.

MerryMarigold · 27/03/2011 21:10

Interesting about smell. I have a heightened sense of smell too. As someone said, leather seats. However all new cars (or even secondhand ones) have that kind of car air freshener smell which automatically makes me feel sick!

TheChewyToffeeMum · 27/03/2011 21:11

That is interesting MrsJohnDeere. I find the Jazz pretty good personally. Also my DD has never complained of feeling sick in long journeys in one.

Maybe everybody has a different 'perfect car' for reducing motion sickness.

mamasmissionimpossible · 27/03/2011 21:15

My ds is often travel sick in the back of my Dad's BMW, but not in our car. I'm not sure why.

Original poster

Nicnocknoo · 27/03/2011 21:15

Interesting about diesel vs petrol - currently have diesel.

Liking the idea of taking an adult sufferer with us when looking at cars. Failing that maybe ds may have a good feeling for it too as he can be quite a sensitive chap ...

MerryMarigold - Plane sick bags are so stong though, and you can get quite a lot in them (much better than the carrier bags we tend to resort to in the car where the sick runs out of the air holes).

OP posts:

follyfoot · 27/03/2011 21:19

Leather seats do for me too. I find cars with hard suspension much better than soft smooth suspension. Yes I have been sick - just after being - in a Roller. The very worst for me was a Jag - took about 1 minute to turn me green.

I've got a heightened sense of smell too - wonder if there is any connection with travel sickness?

sethstarkaddersmackerel · 27/03/2011 21:20

our Mitsubishi has quite soft suspension which is worse for travel sickness than bumpy.

purpleknittingmum · 27/03/2011 21:26

one when I was about 4 my removeable hood had to be zipped off for me!!

ningthemerciless · 27/03/2011 21:37

I used to have terrible travel sickness when I was a kid, never grew out of it until about 4 years ago when I lost a ton of weight coinciding with starting a new job that meant I had to take the bus every day. Not to say I don't still get queasy but I know that most of it is just nerves.

Anyway in my fairly long experience, smaller cars made me feel worse, 5 doors much better than 3 and having air conditioning and/or heating on makes me feel ill now (have to have a window open or at least nearby). Front seat too as everyone else has said, otherwise I had seat behind the driver which was a bit better. Dunno if any of this helps hehe.

Are diesel cars more likely to be heavier than petrol cars? Make them more sturdy?

AllDirections · 27/03/2011 23:10

MerryMarigold, I can't do air fresheners of any description but in cars they make me feel sick before we even set off. And leather seats - yuk!

I had hyperemesis in all 3 pregnancies and I think the condition is linked to my heightened sense of smell. The sickness I experienced in my pregnancies was very similar to the sickness I experience whilst travelling. And also similar to the sickness I experience when I have migraines.

Sorry OP, not really relevant to your question but interesting all the same.

Does your DS take any medication for the sickness? I've tried them all and the only one that works is Traveleeze and it's very child friendly, i.e. like a chewy sweet.

edam · 27/03/2011 23:14

Dunno about current models but it's true that some makes are much worse for car sickness. When I was a kid my Gran's Allegro had me heaving every ruddy time. Horrible soft suspension.

colditz · 27/03/2011 23:21

MUSt be a five door and let the child have the window open even if it means wearing your coats. if the child says "I feel sick" - PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY and walk the child around. There is nothing more miserable than car sickness if people are insensitive about it. My father could have saved himself a lot of vomit on the back seat had he only listened to me.

colditz · 27/03/2011 23:27

Erratic, impatient driving is hellish. My kids will ALWAYS puke if we have to spend more than 5 minutes with amale taxi driver or my mother driving. They never puke for my sister, despite her and my mother sharing a car, because my sister doesn't drive like she owns the road and everyone else is trespassing.

More likely to puke in cities than on motorways =- too much stopstart fastslow. bllleeee!

No reading allowed. Dry breakfasts only. no milk OR juice to drink - only water. No chocolate allowed, ready salted crisps encouraged, ditto chewy sweets (not too many)

So - the smoother the ride your car will give, the better it will be for the car sick person.

DeWe · 28/03/2011 11:10

dd1 used to be much more sick when we borrowed mil car.

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