Toddler sick in car all the time - is there a miracle car out there that helps

[Mama1028]

We are in the process of changing cars and have a two and a half year old who can't seem to go longer than ten minutes in the car without throwing up. I'm probably looking for a miracle but has anyone come across a car which has helped travel sickness in children. We have quite a small drive so can't have anything too big. At the moment we have an older BMW X1 which I thought would work as it is higher up but no luck. Any advice would be welcome.

You have my sympathies. Our DS used to be sick on journeys over 30mins! We used to buy liquid phenegran if doing longer journeys, not sure if it still sold. Did used to space him out a bit and make him drowsy. No messy / liquid food before trips so less mess to come up. Spare clothes and clean up stuff always in the boot. Did make removeable washable covers for the car seat straps and try and cover his lap - worst was when bits got stuck in the straps (sorry - tmi).

Have you tried the glasses they wear which have liquid in? Haven’t myself but a friend said they work for her DS.

are they forward or rear facing car seat?

You have my sympathies. Years ago my eldest son was like this and it was awful. He couldn’t eat or drink before going in the car and even if he hadn’t he was still sick. In any car whether it was a big suv type one or a small car
moving to forward facing (reluctantly) before I wanted to seemed to reduce much of the sickness it still happened now and again especially on a journey involving too favour or stopping and starting a lot in traffic.

Are you sure it’s the car and not your driving? I say this not to be insulting, but because I grew up with my parents thinking I was just a terribly carsick child. Endless puking on the side of the road. Turned out (after my mother learned to drive so I had a basis for comparison) that it wasn’t the car but my father’s driving. He was a very stop-and-start kind of driver, tending to speed up and slow down a lot in traffic, which made me sick.

It came into my head again many years later when my toddler started to be sick if driven anywhere by my dad…

Yes, it’s called Gravol and for some reason it’s only available in Canada, luckily I have a friend who buys it for me. We couldn’t go 5 mins down the road without projectile vomiting, now we can drive for a couple of hours if needed

To add, we also forward faced early (made no difference), tried the wrist bands, holistic remedies, fasting him etc. Nothing helped

My son and daughter were both like this when little, eventually grew out of it thought my daughter says she feels icky when travelling hungry.

i never went anywhere without a change of clothes for everyone it was a nightmare.

i found that to give them a dry biscuit 1/2 hour or so before travelling helped, I would also keep some ginger biscuits in the car to nibble on if they felt icky ( I use to get packs from Amazon couple of biscuits in a pack this way they stayed fresh for when needed )

daughter says being hungry still makes her travel sick.

Acupuncture worked when my ds was little. The point is middle inner wrist,you get Acupressure bands which cover this area. Definitely not my driving
Passed the advanced test with a police examiner, the instructor used to put a packet of polos and keys on the dash board.

Dramamine in the UK, suitable for other 2s. But it's a drowsy one (might not be good for short journeys).

As someone who gets very very travel sick there’s nothing you can do to cure it. Have an empty stomach, sip water, keep cool, take kwells and try and sleep as soon as you get in the car can minimise effects but nothing works, sorry!

Ah thanks @OtterMummy2024 I’ll pick some up if we’re in a fix. The Gravol doesn’t make him sleepy (well no more than being in a car makes a toddler sleepy anyway)

My middle DC was like this and was much better in the front seat than the back, so my DH sat in the back always (i'm the driver).

oh gosh people who drive like this still make me feel sick as an adult!! OH moans about me telling him off when he accelerates too suddenly and then brakes really hard but it makes me feel so ill, and I've one friend I just can't get in the car with because of the way she drives!

Yes, exactly! It’s awful! I’ve spoken to my father about it more times than I can count since DS started feeling carsick when driven by him, but he can’t seem to grasp that other ways of driving are possible, and indeed preferable! I deal on the rare occasions I’m in his car by just having the window down, even in freezing or wet weather.

I’m the worst in my family and I can’t sit facing reverse in a train or sit in the back in a car! I need to be in the front - even in an uber!!
try the front seat with airbag off

Also when test driving, I’d check for car sickness. BMW x1 was the worst one and so was x3. Went with a quashqai for this reason!!

My son is now a teen but has been car sick since a baby so you have my sympathy! What worked for us was a ford galaxy and subsequently an s-max he has the middle seat and that seems to have made a huge difference

Biscuits for our DC too, we tried other remedies but ginger biscuits or maybe a rich tea or Jacob's cracker have had the best success rate.

Oh wow, thanks for all your responses. To answer a few questions:
It seems to happen whoever is driving: mum, dad, grandparents. I try to drive as smoothly as possible.
He is (reluctantly) in a front facing seat but it doesn't seem to have helped.
I have tried wrist bands, not eating before going, eating before going, only having a snack before going - there seems to be no rhyme or reason. Sometimes he is okay but often not. Even if he falls asleep in the car he can wake up and vomit.

This is interesting to know for longer journeys. I didn't realise anything was available for two year olds.

Interesting. My mum drove an X3 and I often felt sick in it.

How is his balance? If you take him to the playground does he enjoy climbing high or going in the swing really fast or does he hate it?

At this age you can, usually, cure car sickness by regular outdoor play that has him climbing and spinning / swinging and testing his balance.

Dammit. I was going to recommend Kwells for kids but googled and it's only for ages 4 and up.

Check with your pharamcist? There might be something they can recommend and even if not over the counter you can know what to ask for at the GP.

best of luck. I have a car sicky teen and it can be awful.

I really hope he's still not suffering in his teens.