Car Sickness

My son has hated the car since he was born. We thought he was getting car sick. As horrible as this is, we bought a DVD player for the car and it made a total difference. Maybe it wasn't car sickness but boredom....who knows....but he used to scream like you wouldn't believe until we got that!

My daughter is 11 yers old now and since being a baby we have been going through this. One thing is always give a window seat they do not feel enclosed and the seconed thing that m DR sugested is get them a dvd player or there own head phones this keeps them focused on something rather than the car ride itself

Hi V.,

My nephew got car sick on every ride. My sister tried everything. One day she gave him a lollipop for the ride. It worked and he didn't get sick. She did that for a couple months then stopped slowly. He's fine now. I know it sounds silly, but it might be worth a try. Good luck.

It could be a number of things.

1. When I was young my father drove inconsistently (fast, slow). My mother drove steadily. We'd get sick when my father would drive, but not my mother.

2. Could be an inner ear problem. I developed that a few years ago (BPPV). A physician can diagnose that. I'm still dizzy but not as bad. Dehydration can make it worse, I think. BPPV is more common in older people so it might be an inner ear problem other than that probably.

A brand of accupressure wrist bands is called "Sea Bands." It's a soft wrist band with a plastic bead which is to be placed on a wrist pressure point. My mother finds them helpful when she goes sailing. I didn't notice it do anything for me.

3. New car smell makes me nauseous. I requested the car dealership NOT spray my car with it when I bought a new car. Yes, it comes in a spray can. I don't use air "fresheners." If something stinks, it needs to be cleaned not masked.

4. Ask/tell his pediatrician.

It would probably be hard to keep sunglasses on your child, but I was thinking of blocking his vision of outside the side windows of his car with sunglasses that have blinders on the sides of them. They were popular back in the '80s I think it was. Of course they probably only came in adult sizes. Maybe tape something on the sides of his sunglasses so that he can only see forward. If that doesn't work, if he feels nauseous, ask him to cup his hands around his eyes so that he can only see forward or close his eyes. Maybe that'll help or make it worse.

Good luck!

I experienced car sickness as a child and still do as a passenger as an adult. I believe my car sickness began that early. I would ask your pediatrian if you can give him ginger snaps or ginger tablets which are supposed to help. There are sea bands that I use too which sometimes help for all motion. Good luck

My son was like this as a baby. My acupuncturist friend recommended soothingly to press inside his wrists for carsickness. It seemed to alleviate some of the stress. Also we were given a "Baby Tad" leapfrog doll with lights and sound, and the "night" button plays up to 6 minutes of classical music with lights, and this was a lifesaver in the backseat when he was a baby!

OMG! my daughter was the same way. we had to keep a large tupperware bowl with a tight fitting lid in the car just to go to the store! thankfully she grew out of it. so will your son.
be patient, let him sit in the middle seat so he can see out the windshield. If he's near the window he'll get almost "dizzy" seeing the view peripherally. thats whats making him throw up.
also try to have him watch for red lights. that helped my daughter keep focused on looking straight ahead.
good luck

Sea bands: you can find them at the pharmacy. They stay on the acupressure point for motion sickness. I use them when I fly.
Have you had his hearing checked. Motion sickness occurs when the brain receives conflicting messages. Such as sitting still in the car and seeing everything moving by you. It can be made worse by extra fluid in the inner ear - our balance center.

is the tv on in the car? a friend of mine found out that was the problem for her son. good luck

this would happen to my now 5 year old, it started when she was about 2 as well. We would limit her food intake expecially if it was going to be a long trip, we also would try to limit her activity in the car, we didn't let her have a book as sometimes the moving car and looking at a picture book can make you whoozy. She has now thankfully outgrown it but it just may be one of those things that can not be helped right now but will figure itself out in the future.

My little sister (10 years younger) used to get carsick like that. My parents finally told her she just had to try to keep herself from throwing up, and that helped a lot. She never did get over it - she's 18 now and still feels carsick but obviously has more control over it now. There are carsickness bracelets you can buy that use acupuncture, I'm not sure how well they work but it's worth trying. Something that I know helps is to have kids look at the horizon - something far away down the road, mountains (if you have them), etc. Good luck!

My son gets car sick too. So I think it is car sickness. I am not sure it doesn't happen all the time but it does happen I am getting nervous. Today it happened but it wasn't a huge gush like yesterday but it did happen. Like I said it is not all the time but now it has happen 2 days in a row, and this is how it goes and now it won't happen for say a week or so. But after todys incident we had to run into CVS and his lips were like turning this brite color orange but my husband wasn't concerned. So I had to just believe him because I am a constant worrier. But now he is fine. So I am not sure what causes it either.

Where is you car seat located in your car? Middle or side?

Sheila B's advice (and others) was right on. Carsickness is often caused by a disconnect between the motion your child's brain (feels) and what he sees. So looking at something that's not moving when YOU are, which we might think as a "distraction", actually makes it worse. Middle seat position, face forward, and "active" brain work that forces the child to look outside of the car in the direction you're moving is best(i.e .looking for the car in front, what color is it, etc.). Books, DVD's in the car, and looking to the side = disaster.

The other gadgets may help minimize symptoms, but you want to start with the reason why he gets it to begin with.

Good luck!

Hi V.
When I was prego I was nauseous all the time. My husband was in the military and to keep motion sickness in control he wore these little bands on his wrists that had a little button that fitted to a pressure point on the inside of his wrists. I wore them all the time and it really helped. I don't remember the name of them but you can find them in the pharmacy. Good luck!!

My daughter is prone to car sickness... We finally figured out that she gets sick if she eats anything within an hour of getting in the car... So if we are going out, we make sure she has enough time to let her tummy settle before we hop in the car. It also helps her to sit in the middle of the back seat, so she can see straight out the front window.

A friend at work is experiencing this with her four-year-old...it just started happening within the past few months. I just told her about an advertisement I saw in the catalogue "OneStepAhead" (children's gear and safety products) :an ad for child-sized wrist bands made for air and car sickness...much like they sell for adults, they apply a pressure point at a certain area on your wrist for equilibrium. It may sound hokey, but, from personal experience with "boat-sickness", the bands have helped me in the past. Also, these bands may indeed give your child a "placebo effect", making him feel the confidence that he won't get sick if he's wearing them.

hi V..... not sure if this is extreme or not.. I get car sick and it developed as an adult. have his vision checked. Also, the type of windsheild in a car depends on if I get sick or not..must be the angle of the windsheild. Not sure if this will help you, although I know what has helped me. Good luck!

T.

Hi V.,
My 12y.o. has been getting carsick since he was 2 1/2, so I can relate. We used to give him Dramamine every time we took a long road trip, but I hated doing that, so we tried Sea-bands, which really seemed to help. You can get them for about $10 at most pharmacies. Also, if you have a van, make sure he's sitting in the middle row, not the way back, which vibrates more. Also, the center seat of the center row is the best, because then he is looking primarily forward, which seems to be better than sideways. We have to make sure not only that he doesn't have a full stomach, but also that it's not completely empty, because that seems to set it off, too. And, we always travel with bags. Good luck.

Dear V.,
Car sickness is usually due to the emotional feelings of "Fear. Bondage. Feeling of being trapped." 2.5 years is when the child realizes that s/he is not part of the mother anymore. You must have a very sensitive son. It would help if before getting on the car to reassure him, by telling him that he moves with ease through space, it is a safe journey, only love surrounds him on this journey. You may have to repeat this several times, it is best if he can repeat after you, like a game.
Love,
B.

Making sure he has not just eaten helps and the rest of the suggestions are good ones as well. Looking out the side windows was a sure bet for me to get car sick and cracking the window helps as well.

Ah yes, the dreaded car ride. Our 2 1/2 year old daughter also experiences car sickness. We use the Hyland's motion sickness tablets for rides longer than 30 minutes. We also carry crystalized ginger that she can nibble on if she starts to feel icky. We get by fine on rides under 30 minutes. We also plan our trips so that we can stop after about an hour and get out into the fresh air for an hour. We travel long distances mostly when the weather is nice so that has worked out well. Good luck! I keep hoping this wil pass!

Hi V.,
My daughter has been getting car sick since she was a baby. Long trips, short trips, it didn't really matter. Although I did notice she would get sick more often when my husband drove. The only advice I can give is to try and keep him occupied. Have him bring a book to look at, coloring books, or even a small dvd player, might do the trick. Or evena cd he likes to listen to in the car, so you can both sing a long. For long car rides,(an hour or more) I give my daughter a 1/2 tablet of dramamine. But for short trips I use all of the above mentioned. And I always make sure I have a plastic shopping bag in the car, in case she gets sick. It's not an easy thing, also, ginger helps with the stomach, maybe some ginger snap cookies as a snack. And try to keep meals light before going out. Hope this helps!

Hi V.,
I get car sick I always have. Now my kids get car sick sometimes too. My advice is make sure he doesn't get too warm that always made me really sick same with my kids. Opening a window a crack can let in fresh air and the air will move around too. Good luck.

My daughter will be 3 in April and has been getting car sick since she was 5 mos old. If I am only going for a 20 minute ride or so then I just make sure she isn't too bundled and that I always have my window cracked a little. My pediatrician told me to give her a little benadryl before we go anywhere more than that. Last year when we went to Canada I put half a dramamine pill in her juice half an hour before our trip and that worked well. Good luck.

hi there do you feed before you go out maybe the motion of the car so close to him eating is what make him car sick do you take him out in the schooler? if he can go in the schooler and not get sick take him for longer and longer trips in the schooler

Oh dear oh dear you are in for interesting times. Carsickness can be debilitating and can change your social life. Both my kids have it, I have it, and for years when they were little I could hardly go anywhere.

Carsickness happens when what your inner ear tells you about the ground you're on doesn't match what your eyes see. Some people are more sensitive than others to the "where am I" feeling that results. Understanding the cause can help you with the solution. Here are some tips:

- Drive at night. If your child can't see the ground, no disparity can result between eyes and inner ears.

- Learn how to drive around corners without "whooshing" your car. When you feel the g-forces swing to one side or the other as you turn, so does your child's inner ear.

- Learn how to stop so that you don't swing your passengers forward. You can practice this by putting an apple on the floor of the passenger's seat. If when you stop it slides forward, so does the liquid in your child's inner ear.

- Feed salty snacks in the car. The crunching of pretzels as well as their salt can help keep car-sickness at bay. Best of all--green olives. But most children don't like them ;).

- Don't allow reading or video game playing in the car. In fact, even watching a movie in the car can make a child carsick.

- If your child becomes carsick, stop and get some fresh air. Cold wind on a clammy forehead is one of the few things that can help carsickness go away.

- Choose carefully what kind of smells you have in your car. That "new car" scent so many people like can trigger carsickness. The best thing I've ever smelled in a car is an air freshener that sits in a little bottle and gets released by the heater. You can choose the scent to be one that isn't overwhelmingly cloying.

Hope that helps!

Good luck,
S.

Hi V. ...
My son, who just turned 13 y.o., was like that when he was little, too. I don't know if I really have any advice other than the obvious ... we always carried a bowl in the car and let him sit near a window ... we opened the window for him. Also, it gets worse when he focuses on something INSIDE the car ... like reading ... that would set it off, even as he got older. The GOOD NEWS is that he seems to have grown out of it, for the most part. He still gets green now and then, but it's usually because he was playing cards or reading in the car.
Good luck!!!!
B.

Ahhh, yes. My 5 year old son gets car sick all the time (it's been since he was less than 2 yrs old). Our "puke bucket" (an old tupperware-type bin fitted with a ziploc bag) goes everywhere with us! It is definitely worse when he's too hot- so in the winter we usually take his coat off when we go in the car. And fresh air really seems to help (yes, even when it's 20 degrees outside!). It doesn't get better, but it gets much more manageable with age... he just asks for fresh air and his puke bucket now. Long rides= Dramamine!