This has happened twice now. I believe my son is getting carsick! We recently switched to a convertible carseat for our 17 month old son. It sits more upright than his infant carrier carseat. Also, it doesn't sit properly in the middle of the back seat where we had the infant carrier, so we had to install it next to the passenger side door. As a result, he can see out the window much easier now and I think all the motion is causing him to get sick :( Both times it has happened have been in the daylight. The first time, I was sitting in the back with him and I could see his eyes darting from watching everything pass by the window. It doesn't seem to be a problem after dark, when he can't really see much out the window anyways. We do have the seat rear-facing, and I would like to keep it that way due to the safety recommendations, but I don't want him to throw up everytime we take a car ride during the day!! Is there something I can do to prevent this?
I would go to you closest fire dept where they have can have your seat installed for free and they could suggest ways to get your seat to fit properly in the middle. Worth a try. If not it's a great excuse to see his face light up at the big trucks!!!
Yikes, my husband says he always had car sickness when he sat in the back seat as a child and that was facing forward.
Maybe see if you can put shades over the side windows it will help block all of that movement. Also open a window slightly.. air blowing on his face may help. Ginger ale can sooth an upset stomach due to motion.
Your son needs to be able to see things staying stable in front of him. Maybe try to always have toys for him to hold. This can keep him distracted from what is going on outside.
FYI, My husband still has to be in the front seat of a car so he can see straight ahead, or he becomes really ill.
A sunshade on his window?
S.,
My daughter gets carsick. Usually when we're driving more than 45 minutes. Which makes trips into the big city a bit of a problem since we live an hour away.
We do several things to combat it. First, we bought those sea sick bands - they're just like sweatbands - at CVS. That has seemed to help a bit. We also keep the car cool. The open window usually helps a lot. Also we don't use the DVD player or let her hold books any more. I think it's when she's trying to focus on a set non-moving point (like a book or a toy) with all the scenery whizzing by. So she doesn't hold anything, doesn't read anything. Basically, a pretty boring ride for her. We play some music to take her mind off of it. And try to get her to sleep if we can.
Good luck with this one. And keep some plastic bags handy for just in case!
both of my daughters for awhile got car sick.. I kept the oldest one (the one with the bigger problem with car sickness) backwards facing for 3½ years before we finally gave up and moved her forward facing..
What we always did was keep the car cool, turn on the AC and blow it towards the back so that they get plenty of cool air, put shades over the window to try to block the sun as much as possible, we always had something for them to snack on (I don't know how old your son is, if he is snacking on stuff or not) we had crackers or something that was fitting for their age, it seems like if they get to munch a little it settles their stomach more.. If you can plan your trips around nap time of course helps a lot.. It was always better if they had a little bit in the stomach before.. We tried both with eating something smaller and eating nothing before trips and they seem to do better with a little something in it.. We would give them toys to play with that they could move around and play with. A lot of people say don't have anything for them to do, but we found they did better if they could get their minds off of the scenery going by. If there is someone extra in the car it's good if they can sit back there with him.. you can sing to him and try to keep his attention and entertained, plus you can tell when he isn't feeling good and then take a break.. get out of the car and get some fresh air.. better that a trip takes a little longer than having to stop anyways to clean up puke.. Always keep some wipes and bags close at hand and an extra pair of clothes in the car..
Some recommend those Sea bands, I could never get them to stay on their wrists, so I cannot say if they work or not, but a lot of people that swear by them.. I got some medication for my daughter from the doctor but she was over 1 year old and I'm living in Sweden so I'm sure there are differences in what you can get a hold of.. but you could always talk to your doctor and see if there is anything you can do..
Good luck I hope you can figure out what works for you..
I use "Seabands" I got them at walgreens. They are wristbands that have a little bead on the inside that pushes a little on their wrist (it tells you where to place it) and it has worked for us. Maybe its just a coincidence, but everytime we have used them he has not puked. He does fine on short car rides...even up to 2 hours, but any longer and he usually gets sick and the seabands have done the trick for us. Good Luck
