Travel or motion sickness - how to help (and get rid of the smell from the car!)
Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant
In the last year, while we have been in lockdown, we haven’t been travelling long distances or using transport as much as we might have previously. This means that a lot of our babies and children are not used to travelling in a vehicle and we have recently had lots more parents asking us about motion sickness. As this is a situation lots of families are dealing with at the moment we thought that we would put a blog together all about it!
What is motion sickness?
Motion sickness is caused by movement when travelling in vehicles such as cars, trains, planes, buses or boats. Most babies and children can grow out of motion sickness over time, however for some it can stay into adulthood – I am one of those and so speak from very personal experience! I have suffered with motion sickness since I was very young and can still get it now, I was always worried when I was going in a car with other people in case I got sick, even as a child, so I can really empathise with the babies, children and parents who are experiencing this right now.
Why do we get it?
It is thought that motion sickness occurs when messages from the inner ear send different signals to the brain to what your eyes are seeing. These confusing messages are what can then make you feel sick and unwell.
When we are in the car, for example, the messages in our brain are that we are moving - we know that is what happens when in a vehicle. However if we can’t see out of the window properly or we are looking down, our eyes are giving a message to the brain that we are sitting still and, for example, looking at a book or a device. The theory is that this confusion overloads the brain and results in the feeling of motion sickness.
It is unclear why motion sickness affects some people and not others, but for many people can be quite severe and make journeys really difficult.
Motion sickness is less common in children under 2 years old.
Symptoms of motion sickness
The symptoms of motion sickness can vary from person to person but some of the common ones to look out for in your children might be:
Suddenly becoming upset or distressed
Becoming sweaty or pale
Restless
Going very quiet and may look worried
Saying things such as “my tummy feels funny”, “my mouth has gone funny”
Feeling dizzy
Feeling sick
May start dribbling more than normal due to the excess salvia what is produced.
What can we do to help?
Possibly the most obvious tip, but the first one is to reduce the motion where possible for example trying to keep journeys short. However this is not always possible or practical and so it is a good idea to break up long journeys with regular stops and get your little one moving around so that they have had a good break from their car seat.
Stop as soon as your child shows signs that they might be feeling unwell. We can have a tendency to see if we can get a little further before we stop and this can often be that 1 or 2 miles too many when it comes to motion sickness. If you spot any signs of motion sickness in your child (see above) then try to stop as soon as possible as this will help!
Don’t have strong smelling things in the vehicle you are travelling in such as food, air fresheners etc. The senses of someone who suffers with motion sickness can be heightened. If you think that the messages from your eyes to your brain are confused by the motion, it is likely that your other senses may be heightened as well and so the sense of smell can be more sensitive than normal.
Fresh air where possible. This can link to the point above - try to have a good air flow, which is of course easier to achieve in a car as you are able to put the window down. When travelling in trains and planes etc. see if you can sit where there is an air flow or where you have access to cool air such as air conditioning.
Keep your child cool with what they are wearing as getting too hot can increase the feeling of nausea.
Make sure you have an appropriate car seat for your child’s age, weight and height. If your child is in the wrong size car seat or in a seat which means that they are not able to see around them, this can trigger the nausea. For older children if they are able to see out of the window this can help.
Consider what your child is eating prior to travel so avoid things which are heavy, greasy or sugary. Giving bland things can help, such as crackers or toast.
Don’t travel too close to mealtimes, try to leave it at 30 minutes after a meal before travelling so that it gives your child chance to digest their food before moving again.
Encouraging your child to look straight ahead can help – tell them to avoid looking down, reading or watching something on a phone/tablet as this continues to provide confusing messages to the brain. Things such as listening to music or an audio book, playing games can help to encourage them to keep looking ahead.
Products* which can help (which work for some people) include:
Motion sickness tablets
Patches (these tend to be for children of 10 years and over)
Acupressure bands
*always speak to a pharmacist to get advice on what is best for your child
Ginger is often suggested as something which contains properties to help relieve the feelings of nausea. This can be found in tablets, drops, biscuits etc. This is of course always dependent on the age of your child as to what is appropriate to offer them.
Essential oils are also believed to help some people, so (again depending on the age of the child) you could try ginger or peppermint, or there are some essential oils that can be mixed in order to help with the feeling of nausea.
There are be people who recommend putting your child forward facing in their car seat or even in the front seat of the car. It is very important that you follow the manufacturers guidance for both the car seat and also your car (air bags etc have to be considered) before doing this. Your child’s safety has to be paramount and following the guidelines and legislation (depending on the country you are in) must always be a priority.
For babies
Think about what they can see from their car seat – do you have things hanging which are moving when going around bends etc? This can make it difficult for your baby to focus and also cope with the motion of the vehicle – look to have more static objects for them to look at.
Try to travel at baby’s nap times
If possible, avoid big feeds just before getting into the car. If they are sick in the car you can offer them a little drink of breastmilk, formula or water (if age appropriate) but avoid a big full feed if you need to get back in the car again.
Put a sunshade at the windows or move them away from a window if the sun is shining through and causing them to get hot.
Make sure that your baby’s head is well supported in the car seat, if their head is moving a lot from side to side when going around winding roads etc this can cause them to get motion sickness. Always adhere to manufacturer’s instructions and make sure the car seat is working for your baby.
What do I do if my child is sick?
Sometimes it is unavoidable that your child will be unwell. Here are some tips for this:
Have a container of some sort which you keep in the car that you can use for your child to be sick in to. If you are on a plane or train or in a bus keep some zip lock bags and wet wipes in your bag so that these can be used if needed.
If you know that your child is prone to motion sickness try to be prepared by packing 2-3 changes of outfits (they may be sick more than once!), a couple of towels or sheets and then bin bags which you can put everything in and seal up so that you are not having to deal with the smell for the rest of your journey.
If needed, you can put towels or sheets around the car seat to protect the car’s upholstery, but never put it underneath the car seat as this could affect the safety of the car seat.
It is also a good idea to pack some changes of clothes for you as you also don’t want to be caught without something to change into.
Have water and a light snack available for your little one as they may need to have this (depending on their age) to help with the light headiness that some children can feel from the motion sickness.
If your child has a comforter (teddy, blanket etc) which they have in the car, look to have a spare or 2 in case they are sick and the comforter is not then able to be used. Always have back up!
Always make sure that you offer reassurance to your child - it can be scary for them as it can happen very quickly and they may not understand why they are feeling like they are. Motion sickness can also make children feel embarrassed (this was one of the emotions I felt a lot) and also feeling nervous about travelling in the future.
How do I get rid of the smell of sick from the car?
Try to clean up the sick as quickly as possible before it has time to soak into the car upholstery.
Use baking soda directly on the area, sprinkle it all over and leave it for 10 mins to soak up. Baking soda is high in alkaline so it helps to break down the acids in the sick and to remove unpleasant odours.
Get a clean cloth and soak in white vinegar and scrub where the sick stain is. The vinegar will react with the baking soda and this will then help to work on the smell.
Continue to repeat this until you have eliminated the smell - it might take 2-3 times depending on the extent of the sick.
Finally vacuum up the baking soda from the car once it has completely dried.
Unfortunately there is no magic cure for motion sickness - for some children it will only happen a handful of times, for others it might be a regular occurrence. Hopefully some of the hints and tips above will help you and your little ones to enjoy your journeys.
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