9 Helpful Remedies For Carsickness

Hi moms!

Last week we went to grandma’s house. We were in the car for awhile,
when mom said she was glad we don’t get carsick. I didn’t know about
that, so… you guessed it!

When I got home, I had to do some research. Wow! I’m sure glad I
don’t have to go through that misery.

In this post, I’ll share exactly what it is. Also, the symptoms, 9
remedies to prevent it, and what you can do if your child has car
sickness in the car.

What It Is

Car sickness is common motion sickness, especially among children
aged 2 to 12 years.

While there are other forms of motion sicknesses like park sickness
and seasickness, car sickness is the most common among kids.

Imagine you are taking your little angel to grandma’s place and before
you even get there, your child starts vomiting in your car.

This could be at times devastating because you have to stop your car
to change your baby’s clothes and even get rid of the vomit all over the
car.

At times, you might not also have other clothes for baby, and you have
to buy some new clothes.

Other than the vomit, car sickness might cause pain and discomfort to
your child.

If your child goes through this every time you travel, don’t worry cause there
is hope for you. You can prevent and treat car sickness through various
remedies.

Motion Sickness

Motion sickness is what takes place when the brain gets conflicting signals
from the inner eyes, ears, and nerves. Often, when a parent sees that their
child is car sick, they think that the car causes it.

However, it’s all about the brain. When you ride in a car, a majority of your
body parts should give a signal to the brain.

For example, “we have a forward movement.” However, this does not
happen in a child. The different body parts give differing signals to the brain.

The signal provided by the eyes might differ from that given by the ears.

For example, if you make your child sit low in the car, in a way that they can’t
view anything through the window; the inner ears of this child sense motion.

On the other hand, the child’s eyes will not sense any motion and will send
signals depicting that the child is still in a stationary position.

This confuses the brain and in turn, results in car sickness.

I wonder if this happens to some cats too. I have an aunt with a cat that
she says goes crazy in her car!

What are the symptoms of car sickness?

How do you know that your little one is suffering from car sickness?

Often it begins with stomach upsets, fatigue, sweating, and appetite loss.
After these initial symptoms, the child later gets nauseated and starts
vomiting.

You know your child is having stomach upsets when your little one cries,
yawns or becomes restless and pale. In some cases, the child will get
irritable.

Give her light snacks or crackers before you start your journey: You should
avoid giving greasy or very spicy foods with strong smells.

Ideally, give your child some crackers and some water; this will help avoid
her having stomach upsets. Crackers are a great snack that settles an
upset stomach.

If your child has an acidic stomach, ensure you give him some crackers.
They help reduce acidity.

Stomach acidity largely contributes to stomach upsets. However, if your
journey is short, it is advisable not to give your child anything until you get
to your destination.

For toddlers, it would be hard to travel with them on an empty stomach and
could possibly result in car sickness rather than prevent it.

To avoid such a scenario, feed your toddler easily digestible foods like
vegetables, scrambled eggs, or oatmeal.

Remedies For Child Car Sickness

1. Give Your Child Snacks Containing Ginger

Multiple types of research have revealed that ginger treats all types of
motion sicknesses effectively. It slows down the movement of the stomach
walls. This helps to prevent nausea and vomiting.

2. Elevate Your Child Car Seat

You can give your child a higher sitting position by elevating the approved
booster seats or his safety seat.

This makes them use the windshield to have a glimpse of the horizon, or
the back window if still facing to the rear.

3. Entertain Your Child

Entertaining your little one prevents them from facing downwards.

Make them look forward by engaging them in various activities. This
means that you should not just give your child some reading materials.
You can have them watch some videos or listen to entertaining music.

4. Make Regular Stops On Your Trip

While planning your trip, ensure you allocate time for occasional stops.
This gives baby time to rest after constant motion.

Additionally, doing this will give time for baby’s senses to reset. Ideally,
give your child a 15 minute break after an hour of driving. In these 15
minutes, it is advisable to make your child lay still and prone.

5. Allow Car Ventilation

Allow fresh air in the car by opening the windows. A stuffy car increases
car sickness in children. You should also ensure that there are no strong
odors in the car.

6. Engage Your Child’s Sight

This means that you must ensure that your child keeps her eyes open
throughout the car ride. Do this if they continuously suffer from car
sickness.

You can do this by playing games with your child. Ensure you learn as
many games as possible if you are planning to have a long trip.
This will help you keep her sight engaged.

7. Use Pressure

You can reduce child car sickness by applying pressure on the child’s
inside wrist. This remedy might not work for all children, though. You do
this by placing your right hand’s ring, middle and index fingers on the
wrist.

Apply pressure for about 5 seconds. It may help ease their car sickness.

8. Have Your Child View Things Outside

Rather than reading books encourage your little one to view things outside.
Doing this reduces sensory inputs, thus helping in combating car sickness.

9. Through Medication

If your child continually suffers car sickness, you can give her medicine
that can prevent it.

Though some of these medicines are readily available in many stores, it
is best to consult your baby doctor before giving it to your child.

Some of the drugs have side effects, including fatigue, drowsiness,
blurred vision, and dry mouth. The guidance of a pediatrician makes you
aware of such effects and to also choose suitable medicine for baby.

Medicine Types

Dramamine/ Dimenhydrinate

This drug is sold over the counter. It is used to prevent and treat vomiting,
dizziness, and nausea resulted from motion sickness. Use this for a child
above 2 years old.

Side Effects

Dramamine has various side effects, that is; dry mouth, drowsiness, and
constipation.

How It’s Given

Have baby take it by mouth and ensure you use a measuring device to
measure the quantity she should take.

Of course, follow doctor’s prescription if the doctor prescribed it to you.
You can also follow the guidelines on its package.

Benadryl/ Diphenhydramine

This drug is used to treat nausea and is available over the counter. It is
best for children who are 6 years and above, though.

Side Effects

Has the following side effects; weakness, headache, dizziness, dry
mouth, and sleepiness.

How To Give It

Benadryl comes in various forms; some are taken by mouth while
others are applied to the skin.

Steps To Take When Your Child Suffers 
Car Sickness

-Once you notice any signs of car sickness in your child, you should let
her out of the car as soon as you can.

-Make Your Child Rest.

Do this by letting your child lie down. You can also place a cloth on
baby’s forehead as he lies down. Ensure that the cloth is cool.

-Have your child take deep breaths: Deep breathing may relieve baby
from their car sickness.

Making your child sing is a great way to help her take a deep breath.

-Give a carbonated drink or some water to your child: Water helps curb
nausea. Do not give him any beverage that has caffeine because it
can worsen nausea. Apple juice or milk is a good choice too.

-You can give your child chamomile tea. Chamomile reduces acid,
stomach upset, and also relaxes the stomach walls.

-Give your child a vomiting pan. Often the child will vomit, and it is good
to prepare for it. Your child might vomit not just once, but multiple times.

The car sickness symptoms tend to go away within five hours after
motion is stopped. If symptoms persist after 8 hours, make sure you call
a doctor for help.

Natural Treatment For Carsickness

Aromatherapy

This is where you use scents to treat nausea resulted by carsickness. In
this case, scents from lavender, ginger, or mint are used.

Additionally, essential oils can also be used. While using essential oils, you
have to buy a diffuser, ideally one that is portable to carry during trips.

Acupressure

Buy wristbands for your child to help you treat their motion sickness.

This method is not only affordable, but it also involves minimal risks while
treating car sickness.

Ginger

Ginger treats car sickness by lowering the movement of the stomach wall.
Additionally, it treats nausea and vomiting.

The next time you plan to travel; do not allow the motion sickness of your
child to ruin your trip. You can use the remedies in this article to prevent
any future occurrences of motion sickness in your child.

OK moms, hope that helps! Have a nicer trip!

                                                                                   courtesy IntermountainMoms@youtube.com

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