Dealing with travel sickness
Children who suffer from travel sickness will often feel unwell regardless of whether or not they sit facing forwards or backwards. Travel sickness is not a new phenomenon which is caused by rearfacing child car seats – this occurs even when children sit in a car without any protection whatsoever.
Be patient and try different solutions. This is a small price to pay in respect of gambling with the safety of your child. You should remember that it is 5 times safer to sit facing backwards.
BeSafe TIP
Open windows – take breaks
Frequent breaks are good for you. Stretch your legs and get some fresh air. We simply have to accept that journeys can take longer when we have children in the car.
Temperature
A lot of children feel better if the temperature is not too high and if you remove their outer clothing.
Driving style
You should remember that aggressive driving with erratic acceleration and braking can more easily cause travel sickness.
Food
You should ensure that Your child has not had too much to eat either before or during a car journey.
Food while travelling
Keep your children away from milk, dairy products and sweets. Acidic drinks are not good for unsettled stomachs either. Dry food such as biscuits or other types of snacks are suitable for travelling. Here are a few more tips about suitable food:
- Lemon drops and lemon-flavoured biscuits
- Peppermints
- Foods rich in carbohydrates
- Food that is covered in salt, e.g. salty biscuits
Looking out
Children should be allowed to sit where they can see out of the windows. Another good idea is to play a car game – for example, counting red cars. This gives the child something else to think about instead of feeling nauseous and dizzy. BeSafe’s rear-facing child car seats are fitted to ensure that children can see out of most car windows. Read about funny here
When is it OK to administer medicine?
Ginger is a Natural product which can combat travel sickness and which some people swear by. It can be obtained either fresh or in capsules and should be taken approx. 1 hour before starting your journey. Travel sickness medicines can also be obtained from pharmacies without a prescription. These have a preventative effect and work by stabilising the balance nerve in the ear. They need to be taken one or two hours prior to travelling. The side effects include drowsiness. Peremesin and Postafen can be taken by children over the age of 1. Marzine and Trihistan can be taken by children over the age of 2. For younger children you should contact your doctor before administering such medication.*
(*Sources: www.Mozon (which is now called DinSide Helse) and www.lommelegen.no (Medical advice)
