Car Sickness - Brentwood, TN

Have you tried giving her ginger before the car ride? It can help with motion sickness and since it seems that it is daily, maybe she can take it before you even leave the house. Or, the nausea wristbands that you can buy at the drugstore.

This is a very real problem for many children. Perhaps he thinks that since she has not presented symptoms before that this is not a real problem. Does she like ginger? Ginger helps settle the stomach and you can make ginger tea from ginger root if you want to avoid dramamine. Also, there are some type of bracelets that can be worn that have helped people.

Hi S.,
I experienced quite a bit of car sickness as a child. My problem was mostly due to doing "motionless" activities in a car backseat, such as reading, playing with toys, etc. It something to do with her ears sensing motion, but the eyes sense no motion. It causes the queasiness. Having said that, look up some information on the Internet on motion sickness and give it to him. Hopefully, this will convince him.

Let her vomit on him. It was effective for me :-)
I carried soda crackers in my purse and kept them in the car for years for my little brother. My dad was not a believer, until... Motion sickness is not fun, nor is it a product of the imagination. Sometimes it's a disfunction in the inner ear, or middle ear. I have an adult friend that must ride in the front seat or drive whenever we go to the mountains. She doesn't take dramamine or Benydryl unless she MUST sit in the back and won't have to be alert for several hours.

I know what you are going through! My son has always dealt with this. We tried the sea bands and they helped a little but did not eliminate the car sickness. Here are some tips that have helped him somewhat. First, make sure she has cool air blowing in her face. Second, don't allow her to read or do activities in the car where she is always looking down. Looking out the front window helps. Third, get her an iPOD (she will love me for that) or some other music device that has the in ear earphones. Something about the vibration inside the ear seems to help. Car sickness is an inner ear/balance issue so the vibration inside the ear helps to disrupt the messages to the brain. My son says this really helps him. If your state will allow it, let her ride in the front seat. And if you don't want to use dramamine, try letting her sip on a Coke. Hope some of this helps. As you know, she will eventually outgrow it but it is hard to watch her suffer now. BTW, ask your pediatrician about physical therapists who specialize in inner ear and balance issues. There are actually special exercises they can do with her to help balance the fluid in her ears. Hope this helps.
C.

who cares about convincing your husband take care of your daughter. call the doctor and tell them whats going on and ask if there is anything that wont make her sleepy. have her suck on something sour like a lemon drop that helps or even sour patch kids. there are also pressure pint wrist bands that help. there is one otc med that is supposed to help but i cant remember if it makes you sleepy or not. (learned all this while pregnant with my first lol) good luck!

My daughter, who is 19 now, was always getting car sick as a child. We never had her in the back of the van because it was worse back there. It seemed to help if she was closer to the front where she could see out the front window.

One thing we found that helps a great deal is ginger tea. There are some teas called Tummy Care or Ginger Aide that are wonderful to drink before and during your car ride. It helps her & even helps our family when we are queasy.

One thing we use to do was give her some food before we left, usually toast. Seemed a full tummy helped too. Later we found out she had celiac disease (in December '06) so that explaned why the toast didn't help as much as other foods, the gluten was making her feel poorly too. It's really hard to realize your 'cure' is making them sicker. BUT I digress.

Dramamine made my daughter extremely sleepy & I would only recommend it for long trips or boat rides, that's just personal experience. Also reading in the car makes me sick and her too, which is a bummer as long trips with a book would be great. So letting her listen to her music on a CD player or color may be a better choice for those long trips.

So look into the teas, give her something to eat before you get in the car, move her to the middle of the van, so she can see out the front and tell your husband to shut up, LOL. It's not in your head, it's in your gut. Car sickness is common and just because he doesn't experience it doesn't mean yall don't.

Best of luck to you.

Magnetic Bracelets are awesome. They are great for Motion sickness as well as Carpel Tunnel and morning sickness. I use mine for the Carpel Tunnel, but I know many people who use them for everything. Its worth a try instead of using any sort of drugs that we really don't need in our systems. Good Luck!

The exit 407 Flea Market in Kodak/Sevierville, sell them pretty cheap and they last!

My daughter is 2 1/2 and gets car sick too. Usually it is only on our way to Fla and after about 8 hours, she throws up. Last week we went to Nashville and after 45 mins she threw up. It was stop and go traffic and I think that it what upset her stomach. I, too, get sick on long trips. I get a tight feeling in my neck and throat and have to keep moving around in my seat. I feel better with the window open so maybe you can try that. The stop and go may be hard for her so do your best to keep her out of traffic times. Make sure her belly is full before leaving home. I recently bought dramamine for our daughter for our long trips. They do have a children's dose, 1/2 a pill, that she can take. Maybe a small pillow in her car seat behind her head so she can rest if she needs to. Stop often and get out and let her walk around. Fresh air and her whole body moving will help other than just the car moving. Maybe keep snacks in the car and let her snack when she starts to feel icky....it is not a nauseous feeling, it is more of an icky feeling, a tight throat kind of feeling.....try and explain it to your husband that way. Almost like being closterphobic (sp)...... Good luck! W.

Try this. http://www.hylands.com/products/motionsickness.php

Motion sickness is an inner ear problem, and related to sinus troubles. I've had it my entire life, all 3 of my children have it to varying degrees. My pediatrician told me Dramamine is too powerful to use on a continual basis. I get motion sick even when I'm driving! It's pretty bad, and I've never been able to enjoy roller coasters, and have trouble swimming as well. It's real and you don't even need to convince your husband. That's his problem, just treat you child she needs help to cope with this. It's not fun to be motion sick. I've gotten so bad a few times it took me a couple days to get well.

Hugs to your baby girl.

~P.
www.momentsbypaula.blogspot.com

My daughter has gotten car sick on long trips in the past. I looked into braclets that stimulate pressure points on the inside of the wrists. Supposedly, they relieve the queasiness. I've seen them at drugstores like Walgreens. Ginger also works. However, even the candied ginger has a very strong flavor. My grandmother used to swear by peppermint. I don't know if they work or not. Good luck!

S.,
My son was very car sick when he was small too. We used very small amounts of Dramamine and he did just fine. It only took about an 1/8 to 1/4 of a tablet to do the trick. He alson had trouble with fluid on his ears most of the time and as he outgrew his ear trouble he also outgrew his car sickness. You may want to have her ears checked to see if she is carrying a bit of fluid on them as car sickness comes along with a dizzy feeling. The swaying of the car may be disturbing her balance and throwing off her equalibrium. She may need an antihistimine for a while to clear it up.
In the mean time, don't be afraid to use the dramamine. It may make her sleepy, but at least she wont be miserable on the ride.
Lora

You may want to try Seabands or Travel-Eze bands. These are bands that put pressure on a known pressure point in the wrist that helps relieve nausea. They are cheap and can be reused and washed. You can find them at walmart in the pharmacy section.

I too was car sick as a child. I could never do anything but look out the windows or I would get sick. I used to chew clover gum and that would help me.

Also I do not know if you have ever heard of the Hyland's teething tablets, but Hyland's make a line of natural remedies that have NO side effects. They have one for motion sickness. I can not get the link to pop up for some reason but drugstore.com carries Hyland's motion sickness. It is perfectly safe for a 6 year old to take it. (I would even give it to my babies)

My family is thr 4th generation of using it style of medicine, which is called homeopathy. Here a a rule of thumb to how to use it. Try not to eat 15 before or after. Also it is not like tylonal with a 4 time increment. Notice your child symtoms. IE maybe she gets dizzy when the car moves and she thows up etc. give her a dose. See if she improves. do not give it again until he gets worse again (which could be in a few minutes or a few hours or never! It is safe to take a few minutes apart) the back of the bottle will say you can give it up 10 times in a day. If you do not see a change after giving her 3 doses. then it is not the correct remedy for her. the body will discard the medicine and it does not harm anything.

I hope it helps!

H.~mother of three and loves natural remedies!

I will mirror some other responses you've received the pressure point wrist bands worked wonders for me and my extreme motion sickness! I have been able to wean myself off of them as I have reached adulthood, but asa child, I was miserable until I found them.

I wish I had advice for your husband. Does he get sea sick? (Same principle, if he does). I'll bet he's never been pregnant either, but I am sure he knows it is a real 'condition'. :-)

I have a son that's 3 and he gets carsick all the time. I have found one thing that really seems to work for him. They are wrist bands that he wears in the car and they put pressure on the nerve in your wrist to keep you from getting motion sickness. I found them on OneStepAhead.com and they are really really cheap. He just puts them on before we get in the car and I gotta say that he hasn't threw up not one time since he started wearing them. But with him I'm not really sure if it was the motion sickness or just in his mind, because now sometimes he doesn't wear them and he doesn't complain about getting sick. I hope that helps.

I used to get carsick when I was younger. Someone told me to keep packets of salt, and put some under your tongue when you start to get sick. I never used salt like that, but I used to hold salty potato chips on my tongue. It helped me. Hope it helps your child.

You should not have to convince your husband; it should be pretty obvious if the child is car sick. Not to be ugly, but let her vomit on him once and that's allthe proof he needs! Carsickness is not in her head; it's quite common actually.

Hi, I was one that always got car sick when I was little. I would lean against the window and close my eyes and it would go away. BUT, I would like to see you try Ginger Snap Cookies. They Help if you have an upset stomach. WE have a dog, that everytime she gets in the car she would get car sick. Now we give her a couple of the cookies and she does not up chuck. Ginger Snap Cookies are very cheap.I get mine at a Family Dollar Store for only $1:00.
Hope it works for your little one. Oh, have her eat them about 15 or 20 minutes before you leave the house. Take some with you also. M. B

I have always got car sick, always have and still do. The curvy roads or long trips get me. Even the short trips if I am not in the front seat and I have been known to ask my husband to stop the car so I can drive. It seems to be better when I drive instead of ride. The only thing that helps me is riding in the front and having the air blow right on me.
As far as making him realize that it is real... I don't have a clue unless she every throws up... make sure she does it on him and then he may realize it.
But I can vouch for her. It is real and not in her head. There may be something that you can look on the internet and get info about, I don't know. What causes it is the water that is in your estachian tubes in your ears. There is water that is in there naturally and when you move that water is supposed to move and somehow it is there to stablize you and when it isn't moving the way that it is supposed to, it makes you sick.
They make the bracelets that put pressure on your wrist but those things never helped me. The front seat, and air is the only thing that ever helped me and if I went on a long trip and got sick, the whole day was shot because I felt yucky the rest of the day. (I guess that is why I never traveled to much). I don't see anything wrong with giving her dramamine ONLY if the dr or pharmacist says it is alright and won't hurt her because of her age. Check with them and get her some. It sure beats feeling sick and then when she feels like she is dragging the rest of you down because she doesn't feel good then she has guilty feelings. I would have gladly taken dramamine and would have begged for it when I was little.

Surely there's SOMETHING that your husband over-reacts to (almost everyone has a 'phobia' or 'hyper-sensitivity' to or about SOMETHING)! If you can think of one or two things that affect(s) him more strongly than it does the average person, point that out to him and ask him if it's just 'in his head'. Even if he says, "Yes", ask him if he can simply quit it just because he knows it's irrational. (And I'm NOT saying that carsickness is being 'irrational', he just needs some human 'sensitivity' issue that he can relate to!) Life -- and especially parenting -- demands that we be sensitive to other people's sensitivities, does it not? LOL

Blessing 2 U!

At the risk of sounding totally crazy, you might try taking a piece of a brown paper bag (no writing) and place it on your childs stomach against the skin while riding in the car. I don't have a clue why it works but I know it does as I was terrible car sick as a child.
I doubt you'll ever convince your husband but maybe you can alleviate your childs discomfort.

Hi S.,
This is going to sound a little "out there" if you have never heard of Sensory Processing Disorder.

We actually have seven senses: sight, touch, auditory,
Taste, tactile (touch), proprioceptive (where our body is in relationship to itself) and vestibular (where our body is in relationship to the environment/balance).

Motion sickness is caused by the senses not being perceived accurately by the brain. That's why we feel somewhat dizzy and "off quilter" when we are car sick. Sometimes giving the body sensory input to offset the sensation of movement is helpful.

My daughter has a difficult time on windy, up and down roads too. We used to carry a weighted vest (I picked up an old vest at Goodwill and then put little bags of rice in the pockets and sewed them across the shoulders.) My daughter would then put the vest on (It shouldn't be any more than 10% of your child's weight) before we took a car ride. We also had one of those very heavy balls that people use to exercise (but any heavy object will do) that she kept in her lap.

She still needs to look out the window and not try to read etc in the car, but she no longer gets car sick on windy roads.

We were able to get rid of the vest as she got older and her neurological system matured, but we still keep the ball in the car and she uses it on roads that are hilly and/or windy.

I hope this helps...it beats the heck out of medication. :)
V.
PS The body gets used to the extra weight after about 20 minutes...but the benefits of the weight should last up to an hour. After 20 mintues, your daughter can take the vest off and in 45 minutes to and hour put it back on for the same effectiveness on those long car rides.

Hi my mother has the same problem, she cannot ride in a car or boat or airplane without getting extremely sick, she bought these little bracelets that have two metal balls on them that push on a pressure point in the wrist, she puts them on before any kind of travel even a 5 minute car ride. They are not uncomfortable, and work amazing according to her.

As for your husband you can do a google search for car sickness or motion sickness and he will see that in most cases motion sickness is actually in inner ear imbalance and definetly not in your heads! My mom found out 2 years ago that she has minears and this is the cause for her motion sickness, the bracelets and chiropractic treatments have helped with the minears and motion sickness....

i hope this helps

E.

I always get car sick.Something that I have found that works is motion sick wrist bands. They are not magnetic. The use pressure points to keep you from feeling sick. I get mine at Wal-greens, but I have seen kid color ones on the website One Step Ahead.

Try getting kid songs and have her sing along it might help

Boy..do I know what she is going through. As a child I use to do the same thing and my oldest son did to. I really don't know how to convince your husband that it is real, but maybe, if he sees that more than the two of you have ever had motion sickness , then he might believe it. I still can't go on real curvy roads. So maybe if you show him that people responding to your letter, has the same problem. Good luck! J. B.

Convincing your husband? Have HIM take her on errands and make HIM clean it up. Then maybe he'll get it. I got carsick as a kid, too, as do 2 of my kids. It's miserable and embarrassing, and he shouldn't try to make you or your daughter feel as if you've done anything wrong. I've learned to carry small buckets/large plastic cups in the car just in case- and baby wipes to clean the sick ones and water to rehydrate.

I am so sorry your baby girl has this problem. I am 34 and still have a terrible time with car sickness. I don't have a problem with planes or theme park rides, just the car. As long as I am driving and have something to occupy my attention I do ok. If i'm not driving I close my eyes and try to relax. Does she like to sing along with the radio or cd? You might try occupying her attention on your errands by turning the music up and jamming along. Or try the close your eyes and relax trick. If neither of those work, talk to your doctor to see if there is anything other than drammamine knocking her out that would be helpful for little short jaunts. I wish you the best, it is an awful feeling and it makes getting in the car a nerve wracking experience (for both of you).

I’m not real sure how you can convince your husband, but I do have a few suggestions that might help your daughter. Go to any “Motherhood” store and get “preggy pops” they are natural suckers/candies that definitely have helped my son, as well as myself. Gingersnap cookies or anything w/ ginger in it also works well. My mom has also found out that you can give car sick puppies gingersnaps too. I definitely feel your pain. Some mothers have said she might grow out of it. Maybe, but unfortunately I haven't. Good luck!