Is it worth seeing a GP about car sickness?

[Thurlow]

2.4yo has always been terribly car sick. It was manageable when she was younger and more likely to sleep during a longer journey, but as she's getting older she is less likely to sleep - and so more likely to throw up. The problem is often that it's just DP in the car with her, so no one to sit in the back and help her, which I hate as the angle of a car seat always makes it hard for her to lean forward when she throws up Anything over 5 minutes or so and you can see her turning green...

We've tried fresh air, distracting her with books, not distracting her, eating very near to the journey, not eating very near to the journey... I know it's not the end of the world but it is horrible and she hates it too.

Are GP's likely to be able to help at all? We've got a 4+ hour drive on holiday on the summer, in particular it would be nice to be able to do something for her then.

I'd probably start out by talking to your pharmacist about what OTC medications might help. If that doesn't work, I'd definitely try the GP.

You need to get your dd sitting in the front seat of the car,on a booster seat, high up and get her to focus ahead. This should help the car sickness a lot.

However, having said that, is a 2 year old allowed to sit in the passenger seat these days or would you allow them to do so.

If no to the above, you could try sitting them on the booster seat in the middle of the back seat.

The solution to car sickness is for the child to focus ahead. Have you ever heard of a driver being car sick?

There are a few different medications for over 2's which you can get from a chemist. They act differently so you may need to try a couple to find one that works for her.

We are constantly looking for buses, vans, trees, planes out of the windows which seems to help a little. Also give a cracker/biscuit which helps too.

It's awful for them but hopefully won't last forever.

Thank you. Unfortunately we can't move the seat and distraction isn't working yet - she sort of zones out in the car and won't read or talk - but if medicines do exist for this age I'll try the chemist first

Children who are car sick shouldn't read or look at anything directly in front of them (toys etc) - we discovered this when looking up ways to help dd with her car sickness. We are strict about not letting her have things to look at, and have CDs for her to listen to instead, and it does help. We also do long journeys at nighttime (so leaving at her bedtime) where possible as she's more likely to sleep.

Yy to CDs, audio books and all advice about not reading. Fresh air helps. I find anti-nausea tablets pretty useless.

You could try the acupuncture travel bands (but again I've found this useless).

I consider myself an expert in car sickness as I regular suffer it at the ripe old age of 42, three of my four dds also suffer from it.

It is much worse on short, rough roads with lots of accelerating and decelerating, probably worse in a manual with clunky gear changes.

The mere smell of a car makes both dds and I sick, but that is probably the association with previous episodes.

Cn you drive a different route that may be less direct, but with less roundabouts, junctions etc?

Oh, medication exists from 3+

We used Joyrides. Dd said it made no difference and hated them, but it cut it by about 50%.
Sometimes if really having a fab time - singing, laughing, distracted she would be a lot better, but generally she just got really good at using a bucket or sick bag from an early age. The ziplock freezer bags are great as they can be sealed afterwards. She is growing out of it slowly now at 14.

Daft as it sounds, try nibbling salted crisps. Just a few, not whole family packs...! Also from the Chemist, phenergen, our dr suggested GUI for my daughter of her sleep issues at around 2 but it is meant for travel sickness. No help for sleep but my be good of you. My daughter didn't sleep until sh was six but that is another story!

there is a copper bracelet that you can wear.

www.biobands.com/motion-sickness/

We found the wrist bands worked brilliantly.

i dont think books are good, she needs to look out of the window, reading in the car Makes you Sick.

These. bands

Totally agree with nibbling a few salted crisps. My parents discovered this with me and it worked on DS as well. Also depending on how able your dd is don't underestimate the placebo affect. Ds used to get badly car sick and couldn't take a travel sickness tablet until 3. Car sickness had also become a bit of a self fulifilling prophecy. Once he realised it was the car that made him sick he was more likely to be sick than when he was too young to make that association. He hasn't been sick since the first time he took a tablet. Nobody had told him he was supposed to take one everytime he went in the car so he was convinced he wouldn't be sick again. He still feels nauseous and on one hugely long journey I have given him a tablet again just on case. So maybe a tictac or something telling dd that it will stop her being sick in the car? It may sound crazy but for ds the knowledge he had taken a tablet helped loads.

Should have said, I used to b severely travel sick, I still motion sickness in lifts and on escalators, nearly grown out of it at 47. The placebo effect does work, also air circulation could you get a little travel fan to attach to the car? Apparently it is the sodium I. The salted crisps that help.

I have two car sick kids and swear by phenergan or joyrides or kwells kids. They also eat crisps or breadsticks in the car and suck minty sweets. They have only been sick twice after having a tablet (on windy mountain road) before that it was on every journey.

Put her car seat in the middle of the back so that she is looking through the front not out the sides. Helps a lot.

I suffer and always have.

Yes to fresh air, looking out of the window (games of I spy. What can you see, can you see a red/blue/green car etc).

Phenergan tablets work really well for me and there is a childrens liquid version.

I still have to look out now and I can't look at a map for even a second when I am a passenger. Or turn around to look at the DC or I will feel sick. Hate it.

You will find ways of coping and so will your DC. But speak to the pharmacy as well. I ways needed a tablet for journeys longer than 30mins.

Btw I have NEVER been seasick even in extremely choppy/storm conditions or any type of vessel (small boats, big boats or ferries). I'm absolutely fine with it.

Or air sick. I can cope with any plane journey no problem.

Just cars. Buses are not an issue.
Go figure.

Sam here. Re boats, can't stay long on a gentle lilting canal barge but on choppy sea crossing fine. People think I am mad, pleased not to be the only one.

I always found joyrides to be rubbish, but sturgeons did the job well, yes to no eating, only water for drinks, and focusing straight ahead on the road.

Sucking travel sweets helped, but I guess your dd is a bit young?

A point to consider is maybe to see an optician and see if they can check her sight - as often kids who are very car sick might have some binoccular vision problems, or one eye being much better than the other.

Try wearing sunglasses in the car too - crazy but once i started wearing sunglasses, or green or blue glasses on the train and bus it's made a massive difference. Takes the glare off the world :)

Same not sam...

Ds is 8 and still gets car sick - but he's getting better as he gets older. What helps for us is sitting him in the front, or middle back seat so that he can see where he's going.

Keep him cool as bring hot makes him worse.

Absolutely no books, screens, puzzles etc that means he looks down

Audio books to listen to. Keeps him entertained (even if I've heard them a hundred times before)

Towel over his lap when he was younger to catch the vomit - we now have a tub with a lid as he knows when he's going to be sick and can get it in there on his own

Plain, boring snacks (bread sticks, crackers). He's far worse if he has an empty stomach

If you're going on a long journey travel at night

We've tried sick bands, tablet et nothing really worked for us

Thanks for the tips everyone. I got some phenergen liquid from the pharmacist who seemed to suggest that was all that was available at this age. Those of you who used it - did you give some the night before and then a top up before setting off as well?

I don't think we can move the car seat at all but I'll look into getting a fan to aim at her face, and also audio CDs to distract her, and giving her some plain crisps to nibble on. I think she is at the age where the whole "it's a car, I'm sick" factor is starting to kick in, so will try and talk her out of it a little.

And yes, she gets in the car wearing a long-sleeved towelling bib, a towel over her lap AND a towel underneath - and still it manages to get everywhere in the car seat

At least I know come Christmas we can look at trying Kwells or Joyrides to help, that's only another 6 months if the phenergen doesn't work too well.

Hi there. We have this too with one twin (another weird twin thing that only one of them gets it!)

We saw the GP so get generic antihistamine on prescription and that works provided you give it about 45 mins before. It also has the benefit of making her snoozy!

Will have a look at the bands as I thought they were just a gimmick but apparently not!

Because she's too wee to manouevre a bowl on her lap, I just put her in her art apron so she's fully covered, and then have a small mountain of muslins and wipes and plastic bags and spare clothes. Window open so there's fresh air. And try to drive as smoothly as possible on corners and decelerating/accelerating for traffic lights etc (if you ever sit in the back yourself that's the bit you feel most in your tummy).

FYI motion sickness can sometimes be tied to inner ear issues. She also hates swings, was a late walker etc and has constant ear infections. It turns out it's connected. It's very unlikely for your DC, but worth being aware of just in case.