Travel sickness becoming problematic - 2 year old

[Motherof1and2dogs]

My little one started to get travel sickness a year ago. He is now 2.5 years old and it seems to be getting worse. It can even happen when we drive to our local supermarket which is only 15 minutes down the road. It is now resulting in me being so anxious about it that I don’t want to take him anywhere in the car that is over 15 minutes. I have a fear of being sick myself so I feel very distressed when he is sick, I hate the thought of him feeling unwell and uncomfortable.

I was declined Kwells for kids as he is under 4 and they suggested to try anti sickness bands which I bought today but I don’t think they will work.

we have friends and family an hour away as we moved away last year to a more rural location and I would love to be able to visit them without my little one being car sick.

any suggestions or tips would be much appreciated!!! Thank you

I was plagued with this as a child and still can be as an adult although it’s better now. Is he forward facing? I’d try that if not.

@backintothemeadow yes he has been forward facing for a while as he is really tall and we had no choice. I just hate to put him in a situation where he feels sick but we cannot not go anywhere 😩

DS is like this - we had to get a 15 minute taxi ride the other day and he was sick. We don’t go anywhere without sick bags and a change of clothes. We generally don’t go anywhere by car although we are very much helped in that by the fact that we live in London. We do have to drive sometimes on holiday and we tend to just accept it’s going to happen. I always sit in the back next to him so I can help when it happens. Sometimes he’s able to go to sleep which helps.

@mynameiscalypso do you know if it is a one off thing? So once they have been sick is that it over for the rest of the journey? I just get so stressed when he is sick and want to turn back and go back home. I need to drive with him next weekend which is a 50 minute drive and I am dreading it! It is just awful isn’t it :( and he still doesn’t understand it very well either at the minute

It depends. If DS manages to fall asleep, it’s usually okay. We have had multiple vomits on a car journey though. It’s really stressful, I totally get it. Can you travel at night? We often try to do that if we can.

If he is tall ( close to the size of small 4 year old) I'd be tempted to try the Kwells for a long journey travel sickness is horrible.

We are suffering with this too as DD (also 2.5) has been getting car sick from 9 months. We just don’t travel by car very often and I sit next to her with sick bags handy. She is still rear facing but was forward facing on holiday and was still sick loads. I think there is some medicine available from 3 years. If she has been sick once she is usually sick again unfortunately so long car trips are grim. We tried a 2.5 hr trip once and we stopped for sickness at least 8 times and the trip took ages. Travelling at nap time works for longer trips but no good for a day trip once she was on one nap and we don’t always want to travel at lunch time. I totally understand the anxiety though, I also feel it every time we get in the car.

@mynameiscalypso we can travel at night on occasions if we are staying somewhere for a few nights, but we have friends and family we like to visit just for the day which is very problematic 😩

@Neurodiversitydoctor he weighs 2stone 6 pounds and is 97cm tall which I think is slightly over average for 2.5 years. Is this medication done by weight?! If that’s the case I would 100% try this as long as it’s safe

Poor him, and poor you. Try the wrist bands - I believe there is some evidence they do work if positioned correctly. And even if they don't you've got nothing to lose by trying.
Edited to say "some evidence" rather than "good evidence"!!

Wrist bands did less than nothing for my DC.
We couldn't go more than three miles from the house for a year.

The answer: Dramamine Kids.

Sourced from either eBay or Kingdom States. i was worried at first but honestly, half a tablet half an hour before car and NO PUKE since. Didn't make him too sleepy either. IIRC it was licensed in USA but not UK. I was desperate. Still keep some in the bag for long journeys and he's 5 now.

My DS is exactly the same, tall, big lad and severe travel sickness. Next time we need to do a long car journey I will 100% be trying the medication. Its not worth it. He is always sick multiple times and he gets so distressed. I will try anything at thus point. If you feel comfortable then I would definitely try the meds x

https://www.dramamine.com/products/motion-sickness-medicine/dramamine-kids

My ds was the same. The doctor recommended using liquid piriton ( the original sleepy version). That worked quite well. Now he is older he uses the antihistamine varieties of travel sickness tablet as Kwells doesn't work for him. He also uses boarding glasses https://boardingglasses.com/en?srsltid=AfmBOop06afskgZnnlmhpvRMoe4T0slAMmxFpszmbL8Ehez5orT3WmVb

I feel your pain, my eldest gets really carsick, my youngest isn’t great either (although weirdly the middle one is fine). You used to be able to get Joyrides for 3+ but they seem to have stopped them. Kwells have been great though from 4yo. Meanwhile, a chemist advised me that a particular type of Piriton can help (although it’s not officially licensed or whatever) and it seems to work reasonably well for longer journeys, so I’d definitely recommend having a chat with the chemist for options. Other helpful things for us have been opening a window (obvs not on the motorway) and keeping them occupied (no screens or books but chat/games etc). We also have an emergency bag with wipes, febreeze (to mask the god awful smell) and ziplock freezer bags (to store any soiled clothes) plus several tupperware pots with lids. Mine weren’t reliable with their aim until a but older but it’s good to train them young! Good luck, I find the whole thing stressful and horrible but it does get easier as they get older.

Sitting in the front seat and making sure he hadn’t eaten/drunk anything dairy based was the answer for my son. He suffered from being a toddler right up until being a teenager. Always carry spare clothes/wipes/something to catch it in!

This was me as a kid. I’m not much better at the age of 50 to be honest. Can you put his car seat in the middle of the back seat so he can see out of the windscreen? No screens or books whatever you do. It might sound counterintuitive, but my travel sickness is far worse on an empty stomach. A light meal before travelling helps.

I still get travel sick and it isn't a one-off thing, unfortunately. The nausea can continue after the journey is over too.

Air on the face helps, so an open window or air vents. No looking down at books or toys, but a screen at eye level might be fine for entertainment on a long journey.

Phenergan Elixir should be available from the pharmacy, suitable from age 2. You give the dose of syrup the night before, so it does need a little more planning, but is usually very effective.

Yes, as PP said, a light meal, nothing too sweet is a good idea. (A marmite sandwich was my go-to when younger.)

Forward facing, cold car, piriton and window open all have helped us. No luck with the bands sadly.