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Breyla.com Parenting Tip #3:
How to Help a Motion Sick Child by
Carsickkids.com
As the mother of a
little girl who suffers terribly with motion sickness on any car ride
that lasts longer than about twenty minutes, I have become intimately
familiar with the battle cry of "mommy I feel sick!" I've spent
countless hours combing the internet, books, and medical journal
articles looking for help and have quizzed every adult I know who has
suffered from motion sickness about how to help her. Here's what I've
learned...I hope that it helps you and your little one.
Motion sickness is the
result of the brain receiving conflicting messages from the inner ears
(which control balance and equilibrium) and sensory receptors in the
body and what the eyes see. The greater the conflict in signals; the
greater the chance of distress. For example when a child reads a book,
watches a video, or plays a handheld game in the backseat of a car,
they feel the motion of the car in their inner ear and body but since
her view is focused on the printed page or screen the eyes are sending
the message that they are stationary. This conflicting sensory input
causes confusion in the brain that triggers nausea, vomiting and other
symptoms of motion sickness.
Most doctors say that
motion sickness peaks between the ages of 2-12, however it can develop
in infancy and some people never outgrow it. If your baby is
unusually fussy on long car rides it could be caused by motion
sickness. Our daughter had her first episode of vomiting from motion
sickness at 10 months old, which is when we realized that her
fussiness on car trips was a symptom of feeling car sick.
Each child is different
and finding the right combination of therapies is usually a matter of
trying different things until you hit on the combination that best
helps your child. Remember that motion sickness remedies are most
effective if you begin using them before nausea starts rather than
waiting until your child is already feeling ill. The following
suggestions should help you to find the right combination for your
child.
Open
the windows. Fresh air
seems to help reduce nausea as does keeping the temperature cool.
Overheating and stale air seem to worsen symptoms, so crack the
windows open as much as the weather allows.
Avoid
strong smells. Strong
smells can trigger or exacerbate nausea and vomiting. So try to avoid
smoke, heavy perfume, exhaust fumes, factory smells etc. If possible
use the "recycle" setting on the ventilation system to keep road
smells outside.
Aromatherapy can sometimes
help, you may want try a few drops of natural citrus, lavender or
peppermint essential oil on a cloth that can be sniffed as needed.
Stop
frequently. Since many
kids don't get sick during the first 30
minutes or so
of a car trip, frequent stops can reduce the likelihood of becoming
ill. Be sure to let your child get out of the car for some fresh air
and physical activity at each stop. This will help them to get their
equilibrium back before getting back in the car.
Sit
you child as far forward in the car as their age allows.
For children younger than 12
sitting in the first row of rear seats rather than in the back row in
a van is usually best. Encourage them to look at cars and scenery out
ahead of you or have them look at the horizon. This helps to reduce
the conflicting signals between the eyes and inner ear and the rear
seats tend to experience the most motion. Try playing some games such
as "I spy" or "license plate letter hunt" to keep them to looking out
the window and keep their mind occupied. For children over 12 who are
big enough to sit in the front seat safely this position should help
to reduce motion sickness.
Put
your child in an approved car seat or booster.
Not only is a car seat critical for your
child's safety, but it also helps to prevent nausea by letting them
sit up high enough to see out the front window.
Avoid
reading or playing video games.
Reading, coloring, playing handheld games
or even watching videos in the
car can trigger
motion sickness or make it worse. Books on CD or games focused outside
are a better bet for entertaining your child without increasing
nausea.
Eat a
light snack before hitting the road.
When motion sickness symptoms start one of
the things that happens is that digestion slows. Heavy or greasy meals
before traveling or along the way can make nausea worse. Starting with
an empty stomach may cause trouble too a light healthy meal or snack
is likely to be your best bet. Rather than relying on fast food on
the road bring healthy snacks such as crackers, fresh veggies, fruit,
or cheese sticks.
Bring
a cold pack. Placing a
cold pack or even a cool washcloth on the back of your child's neck
the moment nausea begins to set in can be very soothing.
Try
Ginger.
Have your child eat a few pieces of
crystalized ginger or strong ginger candies
before you start the trip and then periodically during the trip. For
those old enough to swallow pills
ginger capsules can work wonders as well.
Try
accupressure bands.
BioBands, are adjustable Velcro wrist bands
with a small round bead that presses into the P6 acupressure point on
the inside of the wrist. BioBands have been shown to be so effective
in treating motion sickness (and other types of nausea) that they have
received FDA marketing clearance.
Keep
plenty of lollipops on hand.
Sucking on a
lollipop in flavors known to reduce nausea can work wonders and it is
one treatment that your child will love! CarSickKids.com carries
Queasy Pop Kids which are specially
formulated to help relieve motion sickness and also
Yummy Earth Organic lollipops in flavors
known to ease nausea for those children whose parents prefer organic
product and those who cannot eat products containing corn syrup. (As
nearly every other lollipop on the market does.)
Be
prepared for the worst.
No matter what
treatments you try it is still important to be prepared for unexpected
vomiting. Knowing that they have a safe place to get sick if they need
to will help to keep your child calm and will in turn keep everyone
else in the car more comfortable as well. Keep a supply of sturdy ,
leak proof, bags in the car for emergencies, plus wet wipes for
cleanups and a fresh change of clothes in case it is needed. The
Red E Bag is a perfect solution for
unexpected (or not so unexpected) vomiting. It is a reusable sickness
bag with disposable, leak proof, liners and space to store the rest of
your motion sickness supplies.
CarSickKids.com offers a full range of
products to prevent and treat motion sickness. Check out their
Motion Sickness Starter Set: a complete
self-contained kit that will keep you organized and prepared to help
any family member who is prone to motion sickness.
We would love to hear
from you.
How did this tip work for your child's bathtub fun time?
Contact us today with your
stories, comments or suggestions.
View more Breyla.com
Parenting Tips:
Breyla.com Parenting Tip #1
Breyla.com Parenting Tip #2
Breyla.com Parenting Tip #3
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