Karen in SC Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 My dd has terrible carsickness, and we live 20 minutes from *everything* which spells TROUBLE. Other than moving her to the front seat, which is a problem because of an airbag, any other suggestions? BTW, this is throw-up all over everything kind of sickness, not just 'my tummy hurts'. She is mortified each time, and I really need to search for some good options. I've heard of some kind of wristbands, but don't know anything about them... anybody have experience with them, or ANY OTHER IDEAS? Thanks in advance! Karen in SC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 Well, I still get car sick if I can't ride in the front seat. Yes, the throw up all over everything kind. :) The only things I know of, besides the dramamine, which I'm not sure you can give to kids, is to make sure you don't go anywhere on an empty stomach, and try to let her ride where she can see out the front of the vehicle. If you have a middle seat belt in the back, that would be better than on either side, behind front seats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 Have you asked the dr? This sounds excessive. There are many things (medically) that could cause car-sicknesses that might be treatable: migraines, visual development, allergies (sinuses upsetting her balance system), etc. Cold air blowing directly into my face helps me, but that is hard to do in the back seat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeanestMomInMidwest Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 I have very few memories of car trips 'cus I was so doped up on dramamene (sp?). I still get terribly carsick. I cannot swivel my head around to speak to anyone in the backseat, cannot look down at a map or book even for a second and cannot lay my seat back. My ds6 has this problem and I do give him the *best* seat in the van, where he can see out, and a booster so he can see more. Ds8 can read while traveling, ds6 cannot. We have the sick bags from the airplane stashed in his cubby just in case. I also let him listen to music or stories so he can look out & not be bored. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5knights3maidens Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 I would take her to the doctor. Katie gets car sickness but not as near as much as when she was still drinking milk. Found out about the allergy stopped it and most car sickness went away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruth Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 I'm in my thirtys and still get car sick, so does my son. Using a booster car sear really helps, being up higher helps. My son used one until he was 9, just because it helped him from getting sick, (he called his seat "the anti-puking device". I still can't ride in the back of cars. We also use the wrist band for motion sickness and they really help! you can find them at Walgreens. My mom gave me crystalized ginger (its like a gum-drop)as a kid and now as an adult I take ginger in a capsual form. this helps all things queezy. Soda crackers or other salty crackers help settle things. We can't read or watch a movie, look at maps or do crafts in the car, just sit, talk and look out the window. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in SC Posted September 12, 2008 Author Share Posted September 12, 2008 Thank you for your ideas. She doesn't really show any other symptoms that would make me think allergies (no sinus, rash, usually never even complains of her tummy hurting until POW!). It's been a while since we've done the allergy testing thing. Are there any new easy ways to test for this, besides the needle pricks? I would just watch/restrict her diet, but this is not an every day thing and I think would be hard to track down. (Happened yesterday, then once the week before, then about 3 weeks ago, then about 5 months ago...) Thanks again for your help. We're planning a long (10-12+ hour) trip over Thanksgiving, and I need to look into options now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 You can give her Dramamine. It has to be the regular formula, not the nondrowsy kind. Read the label, I believe you give 1/4 to 1/2 tablet for a child that age. And it comes in a chewable tablet also. Dramamine was a lifesaver for us. Some people say that their children get really sleepy when taking it, but we didn't have much of a problem. But if you're going on a 10 hour car trip, what would be the harm in her sleeping through some of it anyway? Avoiding milk before a car ride would help my daughter too. Try having her look out the window as much as possible. Our doctor said there wasn't much to do for the carsickness other than the Dramamine, but she did say that children who suffer from carsickness are likely to have migraines later on in life, that carsickness can actually be a form of migraines, so that's something to watch for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 My dc get carsick on long trips if they drink milk before we leave. They are not allergic to milk, but for some reason, it just doesn't work well with long travel. So whenever we take a long trip (in their case, more than 1/2 hour), we do not give them milk at all before we leave. This summer we were camping and dc picked up a stomach bug from one of their cousins. They were still struggling with it on our trip home, so we stopped for dramamine (the chewable form, 1/4 or 1/2 tablet, per instructions, like a previous poster said). It was labeled on the front as being safe for kids. We were hoping it would help them sleep, as the box indicated drowsiness might occur, but we didn't get as much help in that area as we wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 Well, I still get car sick if I can't ride in the front seat. Yes, the throw up all over everything kind. :)The only things I know of, besides the dramamine, which I'm not sure you can give to kids, is to make sure you don't go anywhere on an empty stomach, and try to let her ride where she can see out the front of the vehicle. If you have a middle seat belt in the back, that would be better than on either side, behind front seats. Me too! Dramamine is my friend. Other things to remember is Ginger Ale, doublemint gum, circulating air is very important and sitting so she can see out the front window. I have the bands and they help for mild cases. If you ever fly make sure she has the window seat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 plus 2 Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 I have the same problem with my 4 yo daughter although it is sporadic. Mints, gum, and a dvd player seem to help her. My doctor also suggested dramamine, but we haven't tried that yet. When I was young I got carsick, and looking out the window was a really bad idea. I've considered placing a towel/blanket over my dd's window to aleviate it too because in my case, my eyes couldn't seem to focus on the fast moving things (ground, trees, signs, ec.) going by. Being able to focus on the horizon is helpful too, so putting her in the middle seat is an option. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 I have the same problem with my 4 yo daughter although it is sporadic. Mints, gum, and a dvd player seem to help her. My doctor also suggested dramamine, but we haven't tried that yet. When I was young I got carsick, and looking out the window was a really bad idea. I've considered placing a towel/blanket over my dd's window to aleviate it too because in my case, my eyes couldn't seem to focus on the fast moving things (ground, trees, signs, ec.) going by. Being able to focus on the horizon is helpful too, so putting her in the middle seat is an option. Hope this helps! That's funny, because my daughter is the opposite: Looking out the window makes her better, and the DVD player makes her worse. We have a dvd player for the car now that never gets used because it makes her sick. I guess it depends on the kid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 You can also tyr www.tapping.com. If nothing else it helps to calm one down. Emotions can be a major contributor to any medical problem. Try it a couple of times without the car running, then try it with the car running, then again with the car moving. After that, use it on an as needed basis. When it has already been done, it is good to change up the phrasing when you state the problem. (mind-body connection). We have successfully used this technique for asthma attacks, anemia and a food allergy. It frequently helps me with insomnia and colitis. Not a cure-all like some might claim, but it does help!! FWIW I have not tried it for DDs carsickness ::duh:: We turned the airbag off. There is a way to do it in your owners manual. She sits in front. She does not vomit, and tends to use problems to get her way. I am sure she enjoys being up front as much as it helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 There are a few types of the wrist bands, but the most commonly available is Sea Bands. They do sell a children's version, which is available at drugstore.com (maybe locally as well, but I couldn't find them around here). They work extremely well for me, and cost about ten to fifteen dollars. Also: *no milk before travelling *middle seat *handheld, battery operated fan to blow air on her face (if she wishes) *mints or other hard candy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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