Hello!

My almost 7 year old seems to go through periods where she gets quite car sick. At times, any drive over 45 minutes is at risk of her feeling nauseous and at times vomiting. What have you done to help that’s worked?


Want more real mum questions sent to you?

You'll need to check this email to complete your signup.
  • I get severe motion sickness and one of the things that helps a lot is to put an earplug in 1 ear. I still feel off but I can at least function. Sticking my fingers on the edge of the windows so the get cold.


  • I have 4 kids who get motion sickness and at some stage have all vomited in the car, both as babies and older. Both my husband and I have had motion sickness since we were kids too.

    I make sure they don’t eat at least half an hour before we go anywhere, even if it’s to school! I definitely do not give them milk. I always carry salty crackers (jatz, or something similar) so they can nibble on it. I ALWAYS have puke bags and towels in the car prepared just in case. Also I usually pack changes of clothes for the same reason to just leave in the car.

    I will also wind down the windows for plenty of fresh air for them.
    Now that they are older, (youngest is now three), if we are going on a longer trip or I know the road will be a bit windy, I ask them to close their eyes and rest until we are there. A lot of the time they will go to sleep. I know that won’t always work, but I found for myself as a kid and even now, sleeping works for me.

    Hope you’re able to find a solution that works for your daughter. ????


  • The scent of Peppermint works. Get some pure Peppermint essential oil and put in one a tissue or cotton ball and put it in the back section of the car. Breathe it in.


  • Ginger seems to be a good stomach settler. I have a knob of ginger in water that I drink. The kids prefer ginger beer, preferably flat


  • NO reading, Plenty of fresh air, Ginger,ginger biscuits or good ginger ale, NO milk, and a good view of outside the car. And if all this fails over the counter meds and wrist bands :(SEABANDS) or visit your friendly Dr.


  • fresh air, cool air, lots of it, on the face, make the ride as smooth as possible especially careful on bendy roads, go a bit slower. ginger helps a little, sucking the crystal cubes for baking – scrub sugar off if necessary.


  • This is 1000% my daughter. Whenever the car ride is any longer than 35mins or so she starts feeling ill. She’s small so can’t see past the window very well which i think is the main issue. Don’t let them look down or stare at a phone. Best thing is to look out the window and follow the motion of the car moving that helps and dont get in the car too soon after a meal


  • I feel so sorry for your daughter, I have suffered from motion sickness my whole life. My top tips are keeping the car cool, looking forward at the road (sitting in the middle of the back seat is best), sipping on cool or iced water and not reading, watching videos etc.


  • Ooh that sounds like me as a kid! At that age you can’t sit them in the front but the next best thing would be the middle seat so they can look ahead. Get them to focus on an object in the distance and stay on it until it gets closer before shifting to another distanced object.


  • Yes, sitting in the front and following the traffic does help and so does ginger !


  • I remember when I was a kid, (50-60yrs ago) I got car sick every time we went on a trip. My Mum always gave me Ginger Ale to drink and it worked. Strangely, I vaguely remember that it only really happened if I was sitting in the back seat and usually didn’t if I sat in the front.


  • Following! Sea bands really helped with my travel sickness so I would give them a try?


  • My daughter used to get travel sick and it was worse if she couldn’t see out the window, So maybe a cushion would help? Also make sure you have good airflow ( open window or aircon) and that your child isn’t reading etc as that can make travel sickness worse. Also ginger or sucking on a peppermint can help. If nothing else works and for really long trips you might also want to try an antihistamine or kids travel sickness tablets.


  • Make sure your child sits in a position whereby it can follow the direction of the road. For longer drives we always used a over the counter product against travel sickness. You also have motion sickness bracelets on the market, worth a try when it is so severe.
    See some more tips here
    https://www.healthline.com/health/motion-sickness-remedies#medication


Post your reply
Add a photo
Your MoM account


Lost your password?

Enter your email and a password below to post your answer and join MoM:

↥ Back to top

Thanks For Your Star Rating!

Would you like to add a written rating or just a star rating?

Write A Rating Just A Star Rating
Join