“Motion sickness in children?”
My son experiences motion sickness whenever we travel, sometimes to the point of vomiting. I don't want to give him medication, so what can I do?
21 Answers
Don't feed him before travel. Plan to start early morning
It is relatively common for children to have motion sickness. The most important thing is to hydrate your child well before and during travel. A trial of Benadryl might help, too. Dramime tends to have more side effects and is not recommended for children. A behind-the-ear patch is sometimes needed.
Motion sickness is somewhat common in young children who travel long distances in the back seat of the car. Dramamine frequently in small doses may remedy this problem. Also you may consider driving an SUV with a third seat facing the rear of the car, specially on a long distance travel.
To prevent motion sickness and minimize the symptoms, you can try the following:
1 Reduce Sensory input
Encourage your child to look at things outside,rather than focusing on books,games or movies.If your child naps,traveling during nap time that may also help
2 Carefully plan pre-trip meals
Don’t give your child spicy or greasy foods or a large meal immediately before or during travel.If your travel time will be short,skip food entirely.If the trip is long and your child needs to eat,give him or her a small bland snack such as dry crackers,and a small drink
3 provide air ventilation
Adequate ventilation may help prevent motion sickness. Try to keep air clear of any strong odors
4 Other Distractions
You may try distracting him/her by talking, listening to music, or singing songs
If all these don’t work, you have no choice but to give your child older than 2 preventive medicine. Over-the-counter medicine like Dramamine is approved for kids over the age of 2, or Benadryl can be used for older than 6 years age. Give only the appropriate dose for body weight. The medicines are absolutely safe in correct dose and do not have any long-term side effects.
Always consult your pediatrician at regular visits if he/she has any other suggestion. The preventive medicine always work in my experience.
1 Reduce Sensory input
Encourage your child to look at things outside,rather than focusing on books,games or movies.If your child naps,traveling during nap time that may also help
2 Carefully plan pre-trip meals
Don’t give your child spicy or greasy foods or a large meal immediately before or during travel.If your travel time will be short,skip food entirely.If the trip is long and your child needs to eat,give him or her a small bland snack such as dry crackers,and a small drink
3 provide air ventilation
Adequate ventilation may help prevent motion sickness. Try to keep air clear of any strong odors
4 Other Distractions
You may try distracting him/her by talking, listening to music, or singing songs
If all these don’t work, you have no choice but to give your child older than 2 preventive medicine. Over-the-counter medicine like Dramamine is approved for kids over the age of 2, or Benadryl can be used for older than 6 years age. Give only the appropriate dose for body weight. The medicines are absolutely safe in correct dose and do not have any long-term side effects.
Always consult your pediatrician at regular visits if he/she has any other suggestion. The preventive medicine always work in my experience.
You can try special pressure point bracelets that he can wear to help with motion sickness if you do not want to give him medication.
Do not give him a heavy meal. Distract him with games he's fond of. Use a Belladonna patch as a lsat resort.
Give him lemon juice prior to travel and keep him seated in the middle and do not make him look sideways.
Keep ac running to hit his face, avoid wating prior to trip and make child look out to horizon so eyes are fixated. Keep cool.
You can give him smelling salts before travel
Consult your child’s doctor
- Don’t eat shortly before riding a car
- Don’t read in the car
- Sing while you ride
- Chew a gum
- Don’t read in the car
- Sing while you ride
- Chew a gum
Depends on the age. If he is in driving age he is better off driving. If he is younger he should sit in the front seat. Reading and watching on the Iphone not good. He should try to sleep. Eat less if possible. Don't forget the Barf bag!!
Generally people who suffer with motion sickness benefit from sitting in the front seat of the car and looking straight ahead. However, in general, we do not recommend having children younger than 13 in the front seat, and many states prohibit having children sit in the front. Medications can be effective. Motion sickness can also be a sign of migraine headaches.
Assure that your son initially sits in the front seat. Have him avoid looking at any form of screens or print material. Avoid travelling after he eats and assure that he is well hydrated. Important that the driver avoid certain forms of terrain such as excessive curves, any form of a 'roller coaster terrain', roads that have significant variance of car speeds. Having accomplished all these features, when riding have your son focus on a distant structure.
Trust these interventions will help, but have a small emesis basin available, clean immediately and use deodorizers to refeshen the car environment before continuing if he does happen to vomit.
Trust these interventions will help, but have a small emesis basin available, clean immediately and use deodorizers to refeshen the car environment before continuing if he does happen to vomit.
There are a few things you can try. Ginger is excellent for motion sickness so try ginger candies. Also there are several homeopathic motion sickness formulations you can try.
Anil Rickhi
Emergency Physician
This really depends. How old is your son? Is there some reason you are reluctant to treat your son with medication?
There are many diseases that can present with motion sickness and these need to be ruled out. Most commonly, it is treated with a patch you put behind your ear called scopolamine. I would suggest following this up with your paediatrician. Thank you for your question.
There are many diseases that can present with motion sickness and these need to be ruled out. Most commonly, it is treated with a patch you put behind your ear called scopolamine. I would suggest following this up with your paediatrician. Thank you for your question.
How old? Sitting in front is an option for kids over 12. No reading or watching screens.
Car sickness is a type of motion sickness. Motion sickness occurs when the brain receives conflicting information from the inner ears, eyes and nerves in the extremities.
Imagine a young child sitting low in the back seat without being able to see out the window — or an older child reading a book in the car. The child's inner ear will sense motion, but his or her eyes and joints won't. The result might be an upset stomach, cold sweat, fatigue, and loss of appetite or vomiting.
It's not clear why car sickness affects some children more than others. While the problem doesn't seem to affect most infants and toddlers, children ages 2 to 12 are particularly susceptible.
To prevent car sickness in children, you might:
Reduce sensory input. Encourage your child to look at things outside the car — rather than focusing on books, games or movies. If your child naps, traveling during nap time also might help.
Carefully plan pre-trip meals. Don't give your child spicy or greasy foods or a large meal immediately before or during car travel. If your travel time will be short, skip food entirely. If the trip will be long or your child needs to eat, give him or her a small, bland snack — such as dry crackers and a small drink — before it's time to go.
Provide air ventilation. Adequate air ventilation might help prevent car sickness. Try to keep the air clear of any strong odors, too.
Offer distractions. If your child is prone to car sickness, try distracting him or her during car trips by talking, listening to music or singing songs.
Use medication. If your child is older than 2 and you're planning a long car trip, ask your child's doctor about an over-the-counter medication to prevent car sickness. Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) is approved for kids 2 and older, and diphenhydramine (Benadryl) can be used for kids 6 and older. Read the product label carefully to determine the correct dose and be prepared for possible side effects, such as drowsiness. Nondrowsy antihistamines don't appear to be effective at treating motion sickness.
If your child starts to develop car sickness, stop the car as soon as possible and let your child get out and walk around — or lie on his or her back for a few minutes with closed eyes. Placing a cool cloth on your child's forehead also might help.
If these tips don't seem to help or your child's car sickness makes travel difficult or impossible, ask your child's doctor about other options.
Imagine a young child sitting low in the back seat without being able to see out the window — or an older child reading a book in the car. The child's inner ear will sense motion, but his or her eyes and joints won't. The result might be an upset stomach, cold sweat, fatigue, and loss of appetite or vomiting.
It's not clear why car sickness affects some children more than others. While the problem doesn't seem to affect most infants and toddlers, children ages 2 to 12 are particularly susceptible.
To prevent car sickness in children, you might:
Reduce sensory input. Encourage your child to look at things outside the car — rather than focusing on books, games or movies. If your child naps, traveling during nap time also might help.
Carefully plan pre-trip meals. Don't give your child spicy or greasy foods or a large meal immediately before or during car travel. If your travel time will be short, skip food entirely. If the trip will be long or your child needs to eat, give him or her a small, bland snack — such as dry crackers and a small drink — before it's time to go.
Provide air ventilation. Adequate air ventilation might help prevent car sickness. Try to keep the air clear of any strong odors, too.
Offer distractions. If your child is prone to car sickness, try distracting him or her during car trips by talking, listening to music or singing songs.
Use medication. If your child is older than 2 and you're planning a long car trip, ask your child's doctor about an over-the-counter medication to prevent car sickness. Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) is approved for kids 2 and older, and diphenhydramine (Benadryl) can be used for kids 6 and older. Read the product label carefully to determine the correct dose and be prepared for possible side effects, such as drowsiness. Nondrowsy antihistamines don't appear to be effective at treating motion sickness.
If your child starts to develop car sickness, stop the car as soon as possible and let your child get out and walk around — or lie on his or her back for a few minutes with closed eyes. Placing a cool cloth on your child's forehead also might help.
If these tips don't seem to help or your child's car sickness makes travel difficult or impossible, ask your child's doctor about other options.
Seat in the front and open the window to get fresh air.
Hi, there are a few options depending on the age of your child. Dramamine is safe for children >2 years of age. The dose is weight based (1 mg/kg) typically, but be sure to read the package label. Diphenhydramine, also known as Benadryl, is another option that parents find effective. The dose is again weight based (1 mg/kg) typically, but be sure to read the package label. You may also want to plan breaks during the trip knowing that he is sensitive to motion.
You may just keep your child's stomach empty 2 hours prior to travel.
- Dr. Afaneh
- Dr. Afaneh
