Travel Sickness

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Travel Sickness
Car sickness is really common in 3-12 yr-olds.

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

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

Bullet 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!!

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

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

Bullet 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.

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

Bullet 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.

Bullet 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.

Bullet 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.

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