Child being car sick every day - should I have health concerns?

[namechange0998776554432]

DS (6, autistic) has a car journey of over an hour to & from school and is currently being car sick most days. I'm not looking for advice on how to help this - it's a complex situation and unlikely to improve any time soon. On the plus side, it doesn't bother DS and he cheerfully tells me all about it when he gets home.

I'm more interested to know if anyone has had a similar situation with a child frequently being sick, and thinks there's any specific health concerns I should keep an eye on. I was very sick in my pregnancies and my teeth suffered. I also wonder if it contributed to reflux I got later on. I don't expect a GP to be very helpful but if there's anything specific I should look out for, I can be alert and ask for investigations or treatment if I think it's needed.

DS is a healthy weight & height, he has a restricted diet so he's been referred for blood tests to check his nutrition levels. He drinks plenty of water and doesn't seem dehydrated.

If anyone has any advice, especially based on personal experience, I'd appreciate it!

Does he take a travel sickness tablet?

My DD suffered badly from reflux as a baby and suffers with sickness when we go anywhere long distance in a car. She has to have travel sickness tablets. my other DC didn't have reflux and don't suffer with travel sickness. Maybe there is a link. Hope it gets sorted for you !

We find kwells tablets to be good.

He can't take tablets twice a day every day! We do use them for long journeys in the holidays but it's not feasible for school every day

I'm not looking for advice on how to stop the sickness, more to know if anyone else has had a child who was frequently sick and if it caused them any health problems

I was exactly the same. I couldn't be driven to the supermarket without puking. Sitting in the front seat REALLY helps. Maybe try sea sickness bands on his wrists too

He will grow out of it eventually

I am now 48 but from the earliest I can remember till about 10/11 years old I was sick every single time I was in a car for longer than 20 mins. I completely grew out of it, but the things that made it a little better for me back then was sitting high enough to properly see out of the window, having the window open and also sitting in the front seat of the car helped a lot! My mum still points out the various different locations that she had to stop the car for me to puke 😬😬

Who’s car is he being sick in everyday? Is it both journeys?

If you are worried, @namechange0998776554432, then taking him to the GP would seem like a sensible idea. I doubt there is anything to worry about - some children just are really car sick, and it may well improve as he gets older - but if it sets your mind at rest, that would be a good thing, imo.

Is he car sick on other car journeys, or just on his way too and from school, and is this in your car or is he in a taxi or minibus? If it’s not your car, is it possible that the vehicle he’s being driven in has an air freshener in it that is setting him off, or a driver/chaperone who uses a cologne or perfume that he’s sensitive to?

No solution from me but it may be trial and error.

I would make sure they are fed but not full before the drive so they are not queasy hungry sick. I find windows open can make my school age kids feel nauseous . Find a good audio book or kid friendly radio station to ocupt their minds? A couple of sweets to suck on? Try The pressure points wrist bands. Ginger is good for travel sickness apparently if they will have any form of it- tea, candy etc.

also, are they happy in themselves? Sometimes school anxiety can make nausea worse . And the worry of car sickness can bring on more sickness.

Aww bless him. I'd definitely raise with the dr as it won't be healthy for his diet or teeth to be sick that often and worth double checking nothing else is going on, but an hour is quite a long drive so if he's susceptible to car sickness it's not surprising it's happening often, I'd be more concerned if it was a short journey.

I'm not try

Damage to his teeth from the acid I'd guess is the biggest problem, like in bulaemia

I'm not trying to understand why he's being sick or how to stop it. It's normal car sickness and only when he's in a car for over an hour. I have no control over the situation which is upsetting and not something I can change. I know he will grow out of it eventually, as I did as a child. In the meantime I'm just trying to decide how much to worry about the impact on his health and whether there's anything I can do to help (not to stop him being sick, but to somehow counteract the effects). I'm thinking more whether frequent vomiting could affect his stomach or windpipe or teeth, and whether I can do anything about that. If no one has any ideas I will just ask the GP, but from my experience so far I'm not expecting them to be very helpful

Yes that's what I wondered. I suppose not much I can do though? I know for adults you can use specific toothpastes to help repair the enamel but they say not for children. Something to ask the dentist at his next appointment

Yes, it can wear away teeth enamel. A specialist toothpaste might help. There are ways to make vomiting less likely - why don't you want to stop it happening?

Sea bands work for my son. Not sure if it’s psychological but he’s only ever sick when he’s forgotten to put them on.

www.amazon.co.uk/Sickness-Wristbands-Adults-Motion-Bands-Anti-Wristbands-Nausea/dp/B0B79FXJ2D/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?keywords=sea+bands&qid=1667494456&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI0LjQ0IiwicXNhIjoiMy44MyIsInFzcCI6IjMuNzAifQ%3D%3D&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&smid=A1TKLORWZUI2EZ

Oh, poor him. I had awful car sickness when I was a child. I'm still not brilliant 🤣 What helps - sitting in the front, the car being COLD (over heated cars or hot days make me worse), not having a headache or being hungry before I get in the car and only looking out of the car, not looking down. I still can't sit on the upper deck of a bus, or on those seats that are sideways on, they make me feel dreadful.

It's the way some of us are made!

If you're concerned about potential long term effects why not try to find a remedy?

I'd speak to the GP either way.

Don't get me wrong, of course I want to stop it happening! But i don't really need a thread on that specifically. I've had lots of experience with car sicknesses so we've tried all the obvious things, and others are out of my control. I will keep trying to reduce the sickness, but if I keep failing I at least want to see if there's anything else I can do.

There's a slightly higher risk of esophageal and laryngeal cancer in people with bulimia. This is the issue I would be most concerned about.

Based on what evidence?
I'm 50. Can't wait until I grow out of it!

To answer a few questions: we've tried sea bands. I try to insist on open windows, facing forwards, sitting in the front but this is not always under my control (which is upsetting but there are reasons why). These things don't always work anyway. He is very often sick after an hour in the car, regardless of the type of car or time of day etc.
Anxiety probably is a factor but part of many much bigger issues so not something I can 'fix'. Food is difficult: it's an early morning pickup and he has significant issues around food with a very restricted diet. Its not as simple as giving him something to settle his stomach.
I suppose this is why I didn't want to focus on the sickness itself - he has many many issues outside of this, so what might work for other children is just not so straightforward for us. There's no way I would choose to send him to a school so far away if I had any other choice.

Thank you - hasn't made me feel any better! But this is a good idea, I will look up health issues related to bulimia as I suppose the effects could be similar. I hadn't thought of that before