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Original poster

Travel sickness

18 replies

jimmychoos · 17/02/2004 14:32

Anyone got any tips? My ds has suffered ever since we took him out of his baby seat and put him in a booster. The only thing that seems to stop it is having him in the front seat, but it's a pain on long journeys, especially at night when he invariably falls asleep and DP and I are left trying to shout a conversation between the drivers seat and the back. Also - not sure if it's legal to have a small child in the front (he's almost 4). I was wondering if any of the anti-travel sickness pills work, and if there are any homeopathic remedies we could try. And whether one of the more deluxe boosters - with the head rest - would be better for him than the version we have.

OP posts:

prettycandles · 17/02/2004 15:42

Try putting him in the middle of the back, so that he has a clear view out of the front of the car. Distraction tactis that still work for me are to play music that he will sing along to - and encourage him to do so by singing yourself if nec! - or play stories that you know engross him. If you have the energy and if he likes this sort of thing, get him to join in a talking game: I Spy-type things, building stories etc. A booster with a back/head rest might be more supportive and he might relax more. There is a homeopathic travel-sickness remedy, but frankly I've never found it to work on me. I have used my Tens unit successfully, but I don't know whether it would be a good idea to use it on a child that young.

prettycandles · 17/02/2004 15:43

What about doling out tiny bits of ginger biscuit to him throughout the journey?

suedonim · 17/02/2004 18:27

I would use one of the proper seats for bigger children and put him in the centre back. I found a booster seat just isn't supportive enough for children at the smaller end of the age range, they get joggles around too much. The best thing we've found for car sickness is a personal stereo. Having the sound playing into the ears seems to stop whatever it is that makes them sick. Also, have you tried anti-nausea Sea Bands? Good luck!

Original poster

jimmychoos · 18/02/2004 09:47

Thanks - I'll try some of these ideas. I think the idea of putting him in the middle is good but we only have a 'lap' seatbelt in the middle rather than an over the shoulder one so that wouldn't work. I think I'll have to upgrade the seat and see if that improves things.

OP posts:

musica · 18/02/2004 09:55

jimmychoos, no suggestions I'm afraid,but my mum used to feed me .........cold liver!!!! She says it worked. I don't recommend it, but thought you might smile about it!

mears · 18/02/2004 09:56

I find that 'Joyrides' travel sickness pills work with my kids. Can't remember minimum age mind you.

Original poster

jimmychoos · 18/02/2004 11:46

Musica...that's unbelievable! I'm presuming it was cooked?!

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handlemecarefully · 18/02/2004 12:42

Yes, the travel sickness pills work. And there is no law about him being in the front as long as you don't have a passenger air bag there. I would be tempted to put him in the front (and put up with shouted conversation with dh)....poor kid, travel sickness is the pits.

I used to suffer from travel sickness as a child. My evil granny dismissed it as 'all in the mind' - so imagine my great sense of personal satisfaction when I chundered my breakfast up all over the back seat (where she was sitting next to me)

hmb · 18/02/2004 12:54

I have sufferend from awful travel sickness all my life. It only realy started to improve when I started to drive myself.

Things that helped me:-
Lots of fresh air (parents were chain smokers )
Don't look at anything inside the car, but keep your eyes on distant objects.

Eat very lightly, mum used to try to feed me cooked breakfast! Barf!

Try to stick to nice straight roads, motherways are better than twisty back routes (not always possible I know)

Make the trip as smooth as possible, so avoid sharp turns, fast pull aways from lights etc and they make things a lot worse.

Singing helped me, and anything to keep your mind off how you are feeling, so book tapes that you can listen to, while looking out of the window are good.

Sitting in the front always helped me.

hmb · 18/02/2004 12:58

HMC! I did the same thing. My mother accused me of only feeling sick when we were going somewhere I didn't like. About 3 minutes later I vomited all down the back of her!

Serves her right she was hateful over my travel sickness. She never took it seriously, she would never open a window (these were the days before back doors in cars with their own window), because she didn't like a draft, and she and my father would chain smoke. And she would force me to eat greasy cooked breakfast before we went anywere.....she almost did everything that made things worse to be honest. And then she would shout at me for making a fuss. I used to feel so ill. Sometimes I wanted to pass out to avoid it all

handlemecarefully · 18/02/2004 13:02

Awww hmb poor you,

At least my mum was sympathetic!

hmb · 18/02/2004 13:09

I've quite surprised myself by how bitter I feel about it I haven't thought about this is years. But it was awful and she was so horrible about it. I would feel like death, knowing that we would be ages in the car, trying not to mention how ill I felt, because I knew that she would just tell me off. When it got very bad we would have to stop for me to be sick. I remember her standind next to me shouting at me for being silly and making a fuss. God, but she could be foul! No sympathy at all, and I was a kid for god's sake!

roisin · 18/02/2004 13:38

Jimmychoos - our ds1 only started suffering from travel sickness when he was 3: possibly because of a newer/smoother car; possibly because we moved house and now have to travel on non-straight roads more often! Tips that have helped for us:

Travel wrist bands - I was very sceptical, but they have been very effective.

Encourage him to look out of the window, rather than at others in the car.

We didn't get on with the joyrider drugs, they are very powerful. Knocked him out completely for about 40 mins, but then afterwards he would go very hyper ... not conducive to a good journey.

Also a tip for minimising the mess is a large (empty!) margarine tub lined with a nappy sack!

Finally - don't try travelling on an empty stomach, that can make the sufferer feel very poorly indeed. But avoid rich foods, fatty foods, and fruit. A light bread-based snack works well for us, followed by at least an hour before setting off.

Original poster

jimmychoos · 18/02/2004 13:40

Poor you hmb. Makes me feel bad now for moaning about having to put ds in the front! My friend used to be car sick and her dad always used to take a photo of the spot - he had a whole collection which he then tried to give to her when she left home.....

OP posts:

hmb · 18/02/2004 13:52

ROTFL

Mine would have run to about 10 volumes!

It must have been a drag for my parents, but I don't think they every realy usderstood who ghastly it used to make me feel. I would want to be sick, because then things would be better for a little while! It was the most awful feeling.

Ds is a bit sicky in the car sometimes, but he never seems to feel ill. He just pukes up! Yum!

prettycandles · 18/02/2004 14:13

Jimmychoos, we have a Britx Eclipse, which is designed to fit with just a lapbelt. It just occurred to me to wonder whether the 'Morningwell' audiotape that you can get for morning sickness would work? I must try it on myself - I've never used it because by the time it was delivered, so was my baby!

Slinky · 18/02/2004 14:31

Roisin

Interested to read your comments about Joyrides.

My DD1 (8) suffers from travel sickness on coaches, so usually I give her a Joyride before her trip, then pack one extra for her to take on the way back.

My younger 2 (ages 6 & 4) suffer from seasickness so both of them have a Joyride before our boat trips.

Have to say, none of them are affected with Joyrides - doesn't make them sleepy/hyper/feel ill.

Things that have helped DD1 (and myself as I suffer from travel-sickness) are plenty of water to drink, fresh air, and plain dry biscuits.

roisin · 22/02/2004 11:47

Hmb - just wanted to say thanks for your posts here. Ds2 was travel sick again this weekend, and I found myself thinking of your posts, and remembering how I felt as a sometime travelsick child ... and was consequently more sympathetic and understanding towards him, which I'm sure was much better for all of us. (Not that I'm usually uncaring, you understand )

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