What To Do If Your Child Suffers From Motion Sickness

Motion sickness is something that many children get from time to time when they spend an extended amount of time in a vehicle.  However, for some children, motion sickness can occur in very short trips as well.  The type of road that you are traveling on usually makes a difference.  Generally, motion sickness occurs more often on roads that are curvy than on roads that are straight. Motion sickness can also occur with other types of travel or on amusement park rides.

So what can you do to help your child if they suffer from motion sickness?  There are actually several things that you can do.  Try to choose alternate routes that are not as curvy, if that is possible.  Don’t allow them to play handheld video games, read or do any kind of activity that involves using their eyes in close up range in the car.  This can actually bring on a bout of motion sickness.  Instead, encourage your child to look off into the distance.

There are other preventative measures that you can try.  There are over the counter and prescription medications that can help with motion sickness but you should always talk to your pediatrician before making any changes in your child’s medications.

My two children suffered from motion sickness for years and we found several tricks that helped that did not involve medication.  One was simply stop the car and let them get out and get some fresh air and feel the solid ground again.  Another measure we took was to roll the windows down a bit and let the fresh air come in as we drove, if it was weather appropriate.  The last trick we used was Sea Bands, which is a product that you wear on your wrists, like a bracelet.  It applies pressure to a point in your wrist and controls your nausea and worked great for my children.

You may also find this article on motion sickness by Healthychildren.org to be helpful.

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