What can I do about travel sickness?

Have you noticed your 10-year-old child complaining of feeling queasy during journeys that have never fazed him or her before? This onset of nausea could be being caused by a peak in motion sickness susceptibility, which it’s said we all experience in the run up to our teenage years.

Travelling with your children can be challenging at the best of times, so the addition of motion sickness brings along with it some additional considerations. With a little planning and some thought you can hopefully minimise the impact of travel sickness upon your journey.

Should children take ill during your travels it’s crucial to help them stay well hydrated with water, clear juices, coconut water or rehydration treatments – pack a few sachets in your first aid kit just in case.

Managing motion sickness

With a few tried and tested techniques you may be able to help ease travelling woes for nauseous children who are struggling to cope with the up and downs of the road:

  • Ask children to delay reading or looking down at their lap while travelling
  • Factor in time for a light snack before travelling – peanut butter, crackers or turkey
  • Ask them to focus on the view from the window, ideally on the horizon
  • Stabilise their head with a neck pillow to avoid jolts
  • Circulate fresh air or use air-conditioning – above all stay cool
  • Downplay the possibility of motion sickness to avoid unnecessary anxiety

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    For more advice on how to handle motion sickness, visit – https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/motion-sickness/