We don't own a car, so my daughter doesn't spend a lot of time in vehicles, but lately whenever we are in one, she throws up -- in a friend's car, in a zip car 10 minutes after she got in, on a plane back from Christmas vacation, again in the taxi home from the airport...
We are traveling again for spring break in two weeks. I don't think we are even going to rent a car because everything should be within walking distance, but I'm really concerned about the plane rides. They are long: we take off at 2 p.m., switch planes, and don't arrive at our destination until 8 p.m.
Any advice? It is doubtful she will sleep during the trip.
Get the motion sickness bands--bracelet the is medicine free. They worked great for my 3 year old when we were on a boat.
Some great thoughts below. I will just add the things that worked well for me with morning sickness, the only time I ever had motion sickness as well...smelling something "sharp" like a slice of lemon or peppermint oil, helped immensely.
Things that may help
Make sure she is not over heated. Warm clothing with a jacket in a car seat with the the heater on, may be too warm for her. Crack a window every so often she can have a bit of cool air every once in a while.
Maybe see if you can find a clip on fan to blow on her while she rides in the back seat. On the plane direct the air to blow on her.
Sips of ginger ale.
plain crackers
Mints
And a cool wash cloth behind her neck are things that will help.
My husband had terrible motion sickness in cars because he was in the back seat. Once he was allowed to ride up front and see what was in front of him he was fine.
He never sits in a back seat. Even in a cab, he asks to sit up front.
As someone who dealt with motion sickness throughout childhood (NOT fun) everything Laurie A said is spot on.
In addition, reading or even just looking at books, watching a screen (DVD, video game, etc.) makes it WORSE.
Good luck, poor thing, I feel for her, and you :-(
I was that child. Bonine (meclizine) has made a huge difference in my discomfort flying. I don't believe it is approved for kids as young as yours. However Dramamine (related) is approved for kids ages 2-12. I would talk to your pediatrician. ALL motion sickness medications work way way way better when taken prior to travelling.
Other recommendations - window seat, flat ginger ale, dry saltines, barf bag.
The doc might give you a prescription for one of those disks that people sometimes stick on their body when traveling. Poor kiddo.
I have suffered motion sickness for years. There is a product I use called motioneaze. It is WONDERFUL. It is an oil you use behind your ears and it is all natural so there are no side effects. It enabled me to do a dolphin cruise with my daughter for her birthday. You can reapply as often as you need. I haven't had to buy any for a long time because a bottle lasts.
My girlfriend used it because she gets sick on flights regularly and it worked well for her. She picked hers up at Whole Foods. Amazon also sells it.
If you don't want to try it, I would second the Dramamine.
Blessings!
L.
My husband was horribly sick when we flew north when we were engaged. Every take off and landing. The motion sick medicine just made him sleep. So it is possible that if you can find a child's version it WILL make her sleep.
Good luck.
My youngest boy suffered from motion sickness when he was little. His first year in kindergarten,I had to drive him to school because the bus trip was so long he would throw up as soon as he got to school. We tried the bracelets, Dramamine, nothing helped. He just had to grow out of it. By first grade we were lucky enough that his ride on the bus was shorter, but he was less likely to have motion sickness in general. He still has the weakest stomach of anyone I know and tends to be a perfectionist, so we know that some of it is just "nerves". But he also was my ear infection kid, he had a lot of them, and the doctor told us that might have something to do with it because his ears weren't draining right. (eventually we figured out his infections were the result of allergies)
Laurie A has good suggestions, see if you can try them out on short trips before you go.
Ask your doctor for his/her advice on how to deal with the trip. There were stronger meds than Dramamine that we would have used for a trip like that, but didn't want to use every day he went to school, kwim?
I have heard poor eyesight can play a role in motion sickness. It won't hurt to have her eyes checked.
Other than that no advice. Good Luck with it.
Talk to her doctor. There are several different meds available, but you really need to find out what's approved for children.
I have taken Dramamine, but it makes you really sleepy. Even the "less drowsy" version stayed in my system for 24 hours.
A friend of mine had good results with the bracelts. If they are approved for children, that could be a great solution.
Other than that, sipping soda and eating saltines or pretzels. Maybe put a little ginger in her drink?
The best solution that works for my daugher is the nausea free cloth bracelets. You can usually find them near the pharmacy or have her take kids travel sickness pills. good luck..
Sea Bands work well for my daughter.
http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/sea-band-wristband/ID=pr...
Hubby and I used the bracelets when we were on our Alaska cruise. They worked great. Also, having her sit by the window so she can look out the window may help.
Get a set of kid's size Sea Bands. Put them on her properly. They're fantastic. http://www.amazon.com/Sea-Band-Child-Wrist-Pair/dp/B004Z8...
I second the Sea Bands. I used them myself during bouts of morning sickness. Whatever they do, they work!
