This is a Guest Post.
When my girls get car sick, I feel for them. I just want to hug them till they feel better or sometimes I just want to turn around and go back. But you can’t really stop the trip on account of car sickness, because the nausea and dizziness goes away immediately after the ride.
If you’ve suffered from car sickness before, then you know firsthand what it feels like. Your head wants to pop open, you feel dizzy, sick and want to puke all over the place, whether you have a new vehicle or not!
I’ve put together some of the all natural remedies I use on my girls when they get cars sick when travelling. Try them out and let me know how well they worked!
Try not to eat anything before the trip. No spicy or greasy foods or a large meal immediately before or during your road trip. If it’s a short drive, don’t eat at all! If the trip will be long or your child gets hungry provide a small, tasteless snack — such as dry crackers and water.
Mint Candies. Peppermints and other mint candies seem to work. It must be the soothing menthol content. Keep some in the car, especially on long trips!
Reduce or avoid sensory input. Tell your child not to read, play video games or do other things in the car that requires intense focus and prolonged staring. This will help with the vertigo.
Seabands. I haven’t personally tried one myself, but my eldest one says it works! Seabands are wrist bands with a small round metal button that presses into the inside of the wrists and providepressure to the pressure points, kind of like acupressure.
The middle seat is the cool seat. Tell your child a story about the middle seat being the coolest in the car because he/she can look directly in-front, like a second driver. This way, they can avoid looking at the sides, which will appear all blurry and make them more nauseous.
Ginger snap cookies or ginger tea. Consume some before and after the trip. You can also put the tea in a thermos and have your kids drink it while it’s warm. Stop the car first before making them drink though. This will help calm their rolling tummies and ward off nausea.
Open the windows. Flowing air may help prevent car sickness. If it doesn’t work, at least the car wont smell like food (or worse) anymore!
Breathe Deep. Tell your child to take deep breaths using their mouth and not their nose.
Ice Ice Baby. Bring an ice pack with you and when the sickness begins, place it in the back of the neck for 10 minutes until they feel better.Wet Face towel. Get a hand towel or a handkerchief and wet it with cold water. Put it in front of the AC for a bit and have your child put it on their forehead.
Sleep tight. Ask your child to try and get some sleep. Bring his favorite blanket, pillow or stuffed animal (the one he can’t sleep without) and turn off the music or keep it down. Sleep will do wonders.
Distract them! If your child suffers from car sickness, try the art of distraction. Talk to them, listen to music or sing a few songs.
I hope these natural car sickness remedies works for your little ones and that they feel much better after the trip. The best part of all this, is car sickness can be outgrown and your child will get used to a moving car. Good luck and safe journeys!
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