Travel sickness remedy recommendations please!

chivers1977

My 5 year old has developed motion sickness specifically when we are on the motorway. He is fine on normal roads but every time we go on the motorway he gets ill. I can't put him in the middle of the back seat so he has more of a view as it only has a lap belt. I get sea sick and know how horrible it is for him - poor thing.

I have tried Joy Rides but he won't tolerate the taste or texture. The pharmacist recommended phenergan liquid which is meant to be orange flavoured (I know that this stuff is reknowned for makign children sleep on planes!) but has anyone tasted it? Does it taste OK - he loves
orange nurofen so if it is anything like that I should be OK! Otherwise any other recommendations for remedies (rather than bracelet type options) would be great!

Thanks in advance

Glamazon

I took some Nelson herbal things which helped not sure if they are recommended for kids though.

Helped me when I had to sit in the back of a 7 seater for 8 hours

pennypusher

Go to a good Sports shop or Chemists and ask for Sea Bands. You put them on the child's wrists and they work by accupressure. Our daughter used to be sick in the car but never was again after finding these. She has used them for over 20 years now. It's best if you get the adjustable bands then you can fit them to your child's wrist better.

pigpen

Mine get sick going into town.. we use stugeron .. they work by changing the pressure in the inner ear whereas usual pills.. such as joy rides work on the stomach, and do not work at all with my children. These are the only things i have ever found to work with mine.. and I have 5 super-sickers!

The only problem we have found is about 15 minutes after taking them they start working and you spend 10 minutes feeling a ittle nauseus and dizzy.

xmaslolly76

Ive used phenergan it doesnt taste to bad but then its no treacle syrup either It is orange flavoured but doesnt taste like nurofen more like some of the orange anitbiotics you can get. It will make a child drowsy infact my doctor used to prescribe to the kids as a sedative to help them sleep when they were poorly. However to have a proper sedative effect the doses are much higher than just for use as a travel sicknes aid. It does work though but i would be more inclined to try the wrist bands first.

I'm surprised the chemist recommended it to be honest alot of them now seem to put you off if you ask for it these days ( well at least round here they do).

Mrs_Imp

I feel his misery. I can even get sick in lifts

As a long-term sufferer of travel sickness, I've tried many things. The pressure bands have absolutely no effect on me at all (this may be down to funny tendons on my left wrist so I can't get it in the right place). I have only ever found 1 tablet that works for me, and it's no longer available in this country.

If you do try tablets, I would suggest one that makes him drowsy so that even if it doesn't do much for the sickness he'll sleep through the journey. If you find something that works, stick with it, as there will be a certain psychosomatic effect.

Make sure he has nibbly things to eat to keep his sugar levels up. Something sweet for an instant boost and then something with a longer release like breadsticks.
Is he getting too hot and stuffy? Try opening his window a little and taking a layer off. There's nothing that revives me better than cold rain on my face if I'm feeling travel sick.
Can he see the horizon?
Do not allow him to read in the car at all.
Play games to keep his mind off it - I spy, count things and have him guess what you're counting etc Sing songs, listen to books on tape.
As a last resort for emergencies, use the 'huh?' approach. Tell him that sitting on a paper bag stops travel sickness. This has two benefits - he will think that it works, so it will to some extent, and he will also spend the whole time thinking "Huh! How does this work?" which will keep his mind off feeling sick
Similarly (this only worked once for me) telling him that eating 2 strawberries will stop the sickness.

Have sick bags in your car, but be aware of problems with using them. We had them when I was younger. They were handed to me when I felt ill. I associated them so strongly with being sick that the sight and smell of them used to be enough to make me sick almost instantly (still does 20 years later). Have them where he can reach them, but don't force them on him.

He will either grow out of it, or he will learn his own ways of combatting it. I have learned how to fall asleep within a few minutes of sitting in a moving vehicle.

HTH

pandora205

I occasionally get travel sick, especially on coach trips and my son is a bad traveller. We've found that Traveleeze is the best cure - These are chewy sweet like tablets which taste of strawberry (or rather strawberry sweets). They last up to 24 hours which is good for long trips. I think they're okay for children with half a 'sweet' for under 6s.

chivers1977

Mrs_Imp wrote: »

I feel his misery. I can even get sick in lifts

As a long-term sufferer of travel sickness, I've tried many things. The pressure bands have absolutely no effect on me at all (this may be down to funny tendons on my left wrist so I can't get it in the right place). I have only ever found 1 tablet that works for me, and it's no longer available in this country.

If you do try tablets, I would suggest one that makes him drowsy so that even if it doesn't do much for the sickness he'll sleep through the journey. If you find something that works, stick with it, as there will be a certain psychosomatic effect.

Make sure he has nibbly things to eat to keep his sugar levels up. Something sweet for an instant boost and then something with a longer release like breadsticks.
Is he getting too hot and stuffy? Try opening his window a little and taking a layer off. There's nothing that revives me better than cold rain on my face if I'm feeling travel sick.
Can he see the horizon?
Do not allow him to read in the car at all.
Play games to keep his mind off it - I spy, count things and have him guess what you're counting etc Sing songs, listen to books on tape.
As a last resort for emergencies, use the 'huh?' approach. Tell him that sitting on a paper bag stops travel sickness. This has two benefits - he will think that it works, so it will to some extent, and he will also spend the whole time thinking "Huh! How does this work?" which will keep his mind off feeling sick
Similarly (this only worked once for me) telling him that eating 2 strawberries will stop the sickness.

Have sick bags in your car, but be aware of problems with using them. We had them when I was younger. They were handed to me when I felt ill. I associated them so strongly with being sick that the sight and smell of them used to be enough to make me sick almost instantly (still does 20 years later). Have them where he can reach them, but don't force them on him.

He will either grow out of it, or he will learn his own ways of combatting it. I have learned how to fall asleep within a few minutes of sitting in a moving vehicle.

HTH

Thanks you for this, unfortunately the window doesn't help, he can't see the horizon as he can't sit in the middle and he already doesn't read or play or eat in the car due to this making it worse. I think that I might try the stugeron (I forgot how good these were for seasickness) and/or the bands. Where do you buy sick bags from? Although the aiming into a plastic bag was not successful today - everywhere but!!

I agree that the smell of a P&O sick bag or indeed the thought of it now takes me back to misery of childhood ferry journeys. I keep putting off going on a day trip to France because of it. One good thing about the euro being expensive means that it is not worth going any more so no ferries for me!!!:rotfl:

Mrs_Imp

Try getting him to eat 20 mins before the journey then. Nothing sweet, just a sandwich or something similar. It'll either help stop him feeling sick, or it'll give him something in his tummy to get rid of (nothing worse than being sick on an empty tummy).

Try Boots or a pharmacy for sick bags, or use large freezer bags - they have no smell which is a bonus.

Keep trying things. Something will work. Failing that, just plan your journies to avoid the motorways

chivers1977

Mrs_Imp wrote: »

Something will work. Failing that, just plan your journies to avoid the motorways

Got to be foolproof:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Thanks all!

mary_mungo_+_midge

We drove to Ireland last summer ( from Essex) which was a very long journey. I knew my youngest 2 were travel sick, but didnt realise just how bad....one or other was sick every 20 mins for the entire trip,not much fun for the other 2 kids sat next to them lol. Chemists in Ireland could offer no help really so in desparation I gave them Medised that I had with me as I'd brought it with me as DS gets severe ear infections and dr recommends it to help him sleep at night when he has pain. Whether it was psychological or what I dont know but gave it to both of them as we set off and then another dose as we got off ferry and they were both fine, not even a mention of sickness x