Motion sickness happens when the body, inner ear and eyes experience motion in different ways and send conflicting messages to the brain. This usually results in feelings of nausea, dizziness or vomiting. A tendency towads car sickness can run in families but most children will outgrow it by the time they reach their teens.

If you know your children suffer from car sickness, advance planning can reduce the possibility of them feeling unwell.

TIPS

Try travelling at night or early in the morning when children are more likely to sleep through the journey.

Give children a light snack such as crackers, fruit or carrot sticks and avoid a big meal beforehand or fried snacks. Chocolate 'sick' is horrible to clean up!!

Keep car windows open so that fresh air is constantly circulating.

Don't smoke in the car. Avoid wearing heavy perfume or aftershave, or anything else with a pungent smell.

Pack items which will distract your child from feeling unwell: a favourite game, a new toy or a special treat she wouldn't get at home.

Keep children occupied. Tell them stories, talk to them about things they are interested in or have been studying lately.

If children are small, make sure you boost the height of their chair so that they can see out of the front window and keep their mind on other things.

If children start to feel uncomfortable, ask them to pick out a landmark on the horizon and keep watching the spot. Looking into the distance should send a message to the brain that he or she is moving and can help ease any feelings of nausea.

Above all, make sure children do not read in the car as this will only increase car sickness. Focussing on a page while moving sends the mixed messages to the brain which cause motion sickness. If a child is keen to read, buy them book CDs instead.

Share This...

Keeping Children Entertained On Long Flights

Packing For A Holiday With Baby

Travel Advice

Money Saving Tips for the Summer Holidays

Top Tips for Travelling With Children

Top Tips To Take the Hassle Out of Summer Driving

Packing Checklist for Baby

Travel With Kids

more....

Hotels And Holiday Reviews

Marwell Hotel Zoofari Getaway

The Retallack Resort in Cornwall

A Special Family Break at Center Parcs Longleat

Brilliant Canvas Holiday in France

A Week At Martinhal Resort

more....

Travel

Travel Advice

Hotels And Holiday Reviews

Popular...

Latest Articles

What Causes Bleeding During Pregnancy?

Around 1 in 10 women experience some bleeding while they are pregnant.

British Mums Put Fashion Before Safety

UK 's mums are far more likely to spend money on designer baby clothes and the latest toys than they are on essential safety equipment such as smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms.

The Doctor Who Experience - Brilliant!

A day out for father & son at The Doctor Who Experience!

Center Parcs in Sherwood Forest

Center Parcs - an oasis of calm and tranquillity in an otherwise hectic world.

7 Money Saving Tips for Mums

This year the term 'credit crunch' was added to the latest edition of The Oxford English Dictionary which just goes to show how much the current financial climate is affecting everyone.

Rose Tinted Glasses and The Thin Blue Line(s)

The boys are seven months and at the ready steady stage of crawling....

Preconception

Preconception refers to the period leading up to a pregnancy - starting from the decision to have a baby to the point of conception (becoming pregnant).