Dealing with Carsickness

Keywords: car, sickness, travel

By Stacy DeBroff

If possible, travel at night to avoid car sickness. It helps to have a booster seat, so your child can see out the front window. The kids are worse in bad traffic and bad weather: stops and starts make them sick. One thing that helps is telling them not to look at things inside in the car. A trick to keep them looking out the front window is to play I Spy. —Rosemarie Turner, mom of Bryce, 5, and Margot, 3

• Watch what your child eats before traveling. Big meals, rich or spicy foods, and hunger can all contribute to travel sickness and crankiness.

• Open your child’s window and have him breathe in the fresh air. Don’t let the car or your child get too warm.

• Tell your child to watch the horizon. Try to keep him busy and focused on the front window by looking for exit signs and watching license plates ahead of you.

• Do not use reading books, drawings, or handheld toys.

• Put the car seat in the middle of the back seat so your child can see out the front window.

• Ginger ale and pretzels can help ease queasiness.

• Drive slowly and, if you can, stick to flat and straight roads without many stops and starts.

• Do not smoke in the car.

• Try acupressure: Squeeze the spot between your child’s thumb and forefinger gently for about ten minutes.

• Many over-the-counter medicines, like Dramamine, are available for children. Always consult your pediatrician first.

• Accept that for some children it’s impossible to prevent carsickness.

• Sometimes the only cure, once a child becomes nauseated, is to let him get sick.

• If you know or suspect that your child is prone to carsickness, keep towels, plastic bags, and cleaning supplies in the car.

• When your child says he feels like he might throw up, pull over as soon as it is safe, preferably not in the breakdown lane. Have your child walk outside for a few minutes. Make more frequent stops along the way.

Stacy, heralded as a “parenting guru” by the Wall Street Journal, authored four best-selling parenting books (Simon & Schuster) and launched Mom Central, Inc. (www.MomCentral.com), a company devoted to providing savvy advice to simplify and enrich the lives of busy Moms and their families. Stacy appears as a regular parenting expert on national TV show, including NBC’s Today Show, CNN, The View, Tyra Banks Show, CBS’ Early Show, The Daily Buzz, Mike And Juliet, Fox & Friends, and the Rachael Ray Show. Stacy also serves as a corporate spokesperson, trendspotting for the media on behalf of over 30 national brands.

In the 1990’s, Stacy founded and ran as an attorney the Public Interest Office at Harvard Law School. Stacy lives with her husband, Ron, and happily engages in imperfect parenting of their two teens, Kyle and Brooks, in Boston, Massachusetts.