Children who are susceptible to motion sickness can find long car journeys and family holidays almost too uncomfortable to manage. Fortunately, there are ways to try to manage this, or if that’s too difficult, then prevention is definitely possible.
Here are 10 tips that can help your child to overcome travel sickness:
Limit Consumption Of Food & Drink
Eating and drinking too much, especially of the wrong thing (such as strong-smelling or fat-rich foods) can make a child feel more nauseous. Light meals and snacks are much less likely to make symptoms of travel sickness any worse.
Put Them In A Seat Where They Move The Least
Try to choose a seat where they experience the least motion. The middle of a plane is best, for example, while on a ship the same logic applies, so a cabin near the centre of a ship usually works best.
Reduce Sensory Input
If you’re travelling by car, try telling your child to focus on things outside. They’re often more likely to feel sick if reading a book or watching a movie while the car is moving. When flying and in the air, put your child in the window seat so that their eyes have a better chance of understanding the motion their body is feeling.
Consult Your Doctor About Medication
Motion sickness medications focus on controlling nausea and vomiting, often causing drowsiness as a side effect. While this certainly shouldn’t be your first option, it can be an effective measure when nothing else seems to work and will usually do the trick.
Make Sure Your Child Is Hydrated
Particularly if they’ve been ill as a result of their travel sickness, ensure that they remain properly hydrated through small sips of water. Becoming dehydrated can worsen the effects that they’re feeling, though going too far the other way can negatively impact their condition too — so be careful!
Attempt To Relax And Distract Them
A lot of success can often be found by simply distracting your child from how they feel. Try putting on some music that they like, or keep up a conversation with them as you travel to keep their mind focused on other things. You might be surprised at the results this can bring!
If In The Car, Sit In The Front Seat
Sitting in the front seat can genuinely do a world of good as it vibrates less than those at the back. An added benefit is that your child will be able to see out of the front of the car, which lessens the disorientation that their body is feeling.
Apply Pressure To The Wrist
For some people, applying light but firm pressure to the inside of the wrist can make a difference, as using the pressure point in this spot can help to relieve nausea and vomiting.
Pack Some Lollies Or Sweets
Lollipops or sweets can be helpful as they not only taste nice but will help to distract from the motion sickness. Sweets containing ginger or peppermint can be especially helpful, with there being a variety of travel sweets designed to settle stomachs.
Use A Cool Flannel Or Ice Pack
In particularly uncomfortable episodes of sickness, pressing a cold facecloth to the forehead can dramatically reduce feelings of motion sickness. It can also have a calming effect which is never a bad thing when attempting to ease nausea.
While motion sickness can be a tough one to combat, with it not always being possible to reduce the symptoms of it effectively, most kids do tend to outgrow their car and plane sickness at least by the time they’re 12 years old. In the meantime, these methods and medication can help to alleviate or prevent the effects felt so your family can get back on the road and travel again.
What are your top tips for travel sickness?
Always a big issue here – distraction is the key for us – havent tried sickness bands – might help