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How to Stop your Children from Getting Travel Sick
Family road trips can help you make memories that last a lifetime. Car sickness is the most prevalent type of motion sickness among children. However, the car isn't the main cause of car sickness. It has to do with the brain's capacity to interpret messages based on what it perceives. Continue reading to find out if you need travel sickness tablets for kids before you travel.
Why do children get travel sickness when they travel?
Given that children often cannot see over the seats in front of them, it is not surprising that they experience car sickness more frequently than adults. While a child's eyes may be fixed on a book or a digital screen in front of them, their inner ears may be able to detect the motion of the car. Although their body is stationary, their inner ears are in motion, giving conflicting signals to the brain that can result in motion sickness - hence symptoms like nausea, vomiting, chills and more.
It's difficult to explain why some children may have motion sickness while others may not, even when travelling as a family and under the same circumstances. Luckily, you can take precautions to avoid travel sickness in your children.
Preventing travel sickness in children without travel sickness tablets for kids
You can try the following methods to keep children from getting car sickness:
Reduce sensory input
Instead of focusing on books, games, or screens, encourage your child to look out of the window while you drive. Travelling while your child is napping may also be beneficial.
Plan your pre-trip meals carefully
Never feed your child a big meal right before or while driving. Give your child a bland snack, like dry crackers and a little drink, before it's time to leave if you are going to have a long trip or if they need to eat.
Ensure there is proper ventilation
Travel sickness might be avoided with sufficient air ventilation. You can do this by opening your car windows for air circulation.
Provide diversion
If your child is prone to travel sickness, try talking to them, listening to music, or singing songs to keep them occupied.
Travel during sleep hours
Start your trip late at night, early in the morning, or during your children's regular nap periods so that they will be asleep for a significant chunk of the journey if your road trip is all about getting to your destination, rather than seeing sights along the way.
What travel sickness tablets for kids should you buy?
Ask your pharmacist about giving your child an over-the-counter antihistamine, like Kwells Kids Tablets, dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) or diphenhydramine (Benadryl). This can help avoid travel sickness if you're going on a road trip. The drugs perform well when taken an hour or so before travel. To determine the proper dosage and be ready for any adverse effects, such as sleepiness, carefully read the product label.
If your child begins to experience travel sickness in the car, pull over as soon as you can, get your child out, and allow them to walk around or rest on their back for some minutes while keeping their eyes closed. They may also get relief from having a cool cloth applied to their forehead.
Kwells Kids Tablets (Travel sickness tablets for kids)
Sea-Band Wrist Bands
You can find out more on how to prevent travel sickness in our previous blog post here:
This blog post was written on behalf of Chemist.net by Pharmacy Mentor.