Sea Sickness on ferry to France???

[Listmaker]

We are going to France in August taking the overnight ferry from Plymouth to Roscoff. It's the first time for me and my dds and I wondered how likely it is that they will suffer from sea sickness. I hadn't really thought about it til someone mentioned yesterday that her dd suffers really badly. What are your experiences? What should I do in case - sea sickness tablets?

Do your dds get sick in the car? I get really badly seasick, and have done everytime I've been on a boat to France! But I also get really car sick, so it might be a clue. Don't know what's available for children - we always used Stugeron, but your pharmacist would be able to advise.

Thanks tortoiseshell. No they don't get car sick and never have. Their father was a submariner and was never sea sick even though apparently they pitch really badly on the surface so I'm hoping they've got his sea legs and not mine that can be a bit dodgey at times!!!

plastic bags

my children have always been OK. Ive banned tactless relatives from mentioning the SS word in front of them!

Yes NN I had already thought that I would make no mention of such a thing existing in front of them so there's no psychological angle going on!!

I don't get car-sick, but I get horribly sea-sick, even on the cross-channel ferry. I find that sitting outside helps; I'm always much worse when I'm inside the boat. If you want to try a travel sickness tablet, Traveleeze are good - dd uses them for car sickness and they're gentler than some of the others you can get.

we went on same ferrie trip about 4 weeks ago, we gave the girls a tablet 30mins b4 we got on boat the was fine i wasnt to bad at night but on way back on day sailing i was sick as dog but kids was fine, they went to sleep as soon as we boarded at night but during day they played in kids area

My daughter and myself get terribly sea sick, but my cure is a stodgy cheese sandwich, salty crisps and a lager, always works! I had heard about ginger being very effective so I take a pkt of gingernuts and she was a band on her wrist, buy them in Boots, they have acupuncture points and seem to help alot.

Some people recommend Phenergan for travel sickness, however.... it causes drowsiness and in our case "Child from Hell" syndrome!! I gave it to my dd on a long-haul flight and when she woke up (after 1 hour) she turned into a monster... so beware! For adults, acupressure bands that go over your wrist are meant to be good, but haven't tried them personally.

I had some of those wrist bands when I was pg - useless then! Wonder if I;ve still got them...! We will be boarding late at night so hoping we'll all just sleep and not notice! Same on the way back! It worked when I went to Dublin many years ago! Will get some tablets just in case though - take one myself if nothing else!!

I had some travel sickness pills last year when we went from Hull to Zeebrugge (also overnight). They most definitely did cause drowsiness, which was a definite plus in my book! My dds were 2 and 4 and went to bed a bit later than normal (c. 9.00-ish) and slept right through till we were woken up at about 6 the following morning. On the way home it was quite rough, but no problems. Can't remember the brand, sorry, but when I asked in the chemists they said that these were the only ones suitable for kids that age anyway. Will check medicine cupboard to see if we still have them.

I'll be on the same boat next week and have been on it at all times of the year and in all weathers. I get sick really easily but the only thing that has ever worked for me is to lie down on the floor and shut my eyes at the first dodgy list, and to stay like that for the rest of the journey. Maybe you could get the kids to practise a bit between now and August? It's a 6+ hour journey btw so best try to get them to build up to it.

My kids don't get carsick and never been sick on the ferry.
Me, I get bad car sickness and was sick on the ferry to the Isle of Wight So we're flying to the Channel Islands next month!

I get really carsick, [feel deathly, don't actually vomit now] so when I needed to spend many hours in a van, then crossing the St George's Channel part of Irish Sea [meant to be the roughest part] to collect a large old rocking horse from Wexford then back on the same ferry 2 hrs later, I knew I'd need to be well protected.
Transderm Scop...marvellous.
They stick behind your ear, like a tiny elastoplast, but need prescribing by your GP.
Stick the patch on before the journey as per instructions, and you should be ok.
I didn't feel the slightest twinge of nausea..the ferry was 'moderate to rough' on the forecast..well worth it.
Motion sickness is very wretched..best avoided.

I bought the ''Sea bands'' beforehand, but luckily tested them out as a passenger in a car..within 20 mins of being in my friend's rapidly accelerating Beemer I felt the familiar kernel of nausea begin to build.
The bands were correctly positioned.
Complete waste of money, but some find them effective [placebo effect?].
Kwells work for kids and adults, but must be taken before the journey.
Once nausea kicks in, they aren't effective- not sure why.

We have done that night crossing.
None of us are remotely car sick but we felt sick on that crossing.
No one actually threw up though.
We all went to be pretty much straight away but laying in a rocking bed is not fun.

There are paper bags everywhere on board-great tips I picked up were to snack on green apples and give a spoon or two of antihistamine. Also saw people with the seabands and they seemed to work too