Does your child get car sick? We tested 9 tips to limit the damage

Emetophobes, I understand you. Having a phobia of throwing up and having children is the worst thing in the world (at least). Also, these little things have a tendency to return their stomach contents for anything, completely impromptu, and without additional warning, the deceivers.

And baby + car = vomit all over, too often. So yes, the legend says that not all children are affected, that some parents, considered unicorns in the sweet world of parenting, never have to clean the gastric contents multiple times per trip, sometimes even in the face of the urgency of the situation, using my hands as cups to collect the precious drink (I am disgusted that I myself write these lines, believe me).

To save you some hassle during these upcoming holidays, I have dedicated myself (yes, it is altruism) to giving you techniques that I have been able to test and approve (or not) since I have a nearly 6-year-old who has such intense motion sickness that he even manages to get sick just by swinging.

For some children, simple tricks work. For others, sadly, you will have to bear your troubles with patience until you no longer have to take them on vacation, around their 18th birthday. Good luck, we are in the same boat (and we also get seasickness).

1 – Open the windows

So, for that, it must not be minus 7 degrees outside, otherwise you will have to choose between ” which is less worse: vomiting or bronchitis? “. If the weather is mild and the child begins to show a desire for decoration in the passenger compartment, you can open the windows and make good drafts to let him breathe a shot. He usually calms down a bit. If that doesn’t work, stop if possible. and let him take a break outdoors to renew his oxygen a little and calm his stomach.

2 – Acupuncture bracelets

These cloth bracelets that would press on acupressure points have never worked on my daughter, but having them reassures her, convinced that they are magical bracelets. But I admit, I don’t want to break the myth, even though she had a lot of evidence throwing up in the first round, which didn’t work on her.

3 – The plaster on the navel

As effective as homeopathy, the legend of the navel patch to calm nausea can work as long as you believe it. But who believes it?

4 – Roll over when the baby sleeps

The solution that helps a lot is to pedal during the hours of rest. I have never heard of a child having motion sickness while slamming his little dodo into the car seat. He tries to tune into his sleep times and prays that he sleeps loooong.

5 – Essential oils

Lemon and mint, this magical (and fragrant) combination. Attention all the same, the use of essential oils must be well controlled and should not be used on children under 3 years (and never pure, directly on the skin). Once we know this, my technique has been to confuse it a little lemon EO and little of mint essential oil in a bottle containing sweet almond oil, and put a few drops on your wrists. When she got nauseous, she smelled her skin and things got better. But unfortunately, this trick only lasted a while, since she now identifies the smell of these oils with the smell of the car, and makes her throw up just by smelling them.

6 – Feed him

If we think that the baby will not vomit because he has an empty stomach, that is wrong. Sure, the content will be less, but it’s even more painful to throw up, thanks bile. The trick is that you have to find a middle ground: if it’s a departure in the morning, avoid giving the baby a bowl of milk, but you can offer him fruit or cookies, history has something in his stomach. While traveling, as surprising as it may seem, occasionally giving him treats or even a lollipop (or candy) can calm the onset of nausea. Cavity, yes, but vomit, no.

7 – Change your mind

This is the thing that can be a little tricky for the non-driving parent, but it can really keep the child from focusing on their own nausea. The trick is to make him think of something else, inventing games, turning around to do a thumbs-up battle, a rock-paper-scissors, a “see …”, a game that consists in making the child look for objects or animals outside the room. passenger compartment. Example: “You see…. a red tractor? And soon, the kid is looking for a red tractor. Yep, it’s not complicated, we never said we work in board games, huh.

8 – Set a point on the horizon

Once the child is a little older, you can explain to him how the highway code works, make him recognize signs, ask him to focus on the car that is far, far ahead, all to force him to focus on the distant period, which will help calm his nausea. Setting a point on the horizon is actually one of the only tricks that works, but it’s sometimes hard to hold for a little one who has the concentration skills of a cake pan.

9 – Medicines, when you have to go, you have to go

After a while, when nothing works and you want to go on a trip without having to deal with nausea and vomiting, there remains the solution of the drugs available in the pharmacy. We tested the Nausicalm, unsuccessfully, we ended up betting on the Nautamine, which currently saves all of our holiday departures. Well, he puts some gas on her, but at least she less stresses herself from throwing up and relaxes a little (and so do we). Well, since it’s a medicine, ask your pharmacist or doctor for advice, of course.

In any case, do not forget to have with you a bowl or vomit bags, a towel, wipes or cotton balls with cleansing milk to wash the baby and remove the odor, as well as a small change or two with you, for each eventuality.

I hope these tips can help you take trips that don’t taste like moldy Parmesan and that you arrive at your destination more peacefully, without having to whiten the entire car upon your arrival.

Photo credit image of one: djedzura