Travel or Motion Sickness

Practicalities Health Other Possible Problems Travel or Motion Sickness 

Travel or motion sickness is rare in under twos and seems to strike from around three to 12 years, more often in girls than boys. It seems to strike more in the morning than later in the day. The cause appears to be conflicting signals between what the eye sees, and what the inner ear, which detects changes in movement, feels.

Measures to Alleviate

• Avoid the conflicting signals between eye and inner ear by lying down with (so avoiding vertical movement as much as possible) with eyes shut, or by looking at the horizon. Also helpful may be anchoring the head for example with a neck pillow or bracing against a chair or wall.



• Transport which allows you to move around, for example on a train or a large plane, can be helpful.



• Try to be positive, and if packing bucket, rolls of paper towels and more, try to do so out of sight.


• In cars and coaches it can be helpful to ensure that the child can look ahead rather than out of the side ideally looking at a fixed point, classically the horizon. This second gives a greater sense of movement and therefore nausea. This means ensuring that the child's seat is high enough for this to be comfortable.



• Sit a potential sufferer in a part of the vehicle which moves slightly less if this is at all possible. Particularly on small aeroplanes it can be helpful to sit between the wings on trains or coaches in the centre, not over the wheels. On a ship try to move to a position where the motion is least. On a ship generally aim for somewhere near the middle on a low deck.



• On trains try to ensure any potential sufferers sit facing the direction of travel and away from smoking carriages and the buffet car.



• Avoid meals up to two hours before travel and if possible all food in transit. If food has to be given pick something easily digestible and nothing gassy, fizzy, or milky. Apples, barley sugar and dry biscuits are suggested instead. At meals before travelling stick to starchy food.



• Avoid reading and colouring and instead encourage distractions like group word and travel games.



• Avoid Aspirin which can disturb the inner ear (though it is in any case not advised for under 12s).



• Ensure plenty of fresh air, for example turning on the air jets above the seats on an aeroplane.



• Refresh the face with a damp flannel.



• Paradoxically holding a bag to the mouth may be helpful. At least it removes the fear of where to be sick if it happens.



• Various drug-based treatments including Junior Kwells which contain hyoscine which can make the mouth and eyes dry. Drugs should be given two to three hours before travel and if you want to use these you may have to try various types before finding one which works for your case.



• Seabands and Naustrips which work on the Chinese principle of acupressure and are reported to have been shown effective in clinical trials (and by Family Travel when whale watching). They are simple to use and there are none of the side effects of drugs. To encourage their use by children, there are special child-size ones available in brightly coloured sets. Available from chemists including Boots at around £7.50 a pair. [Suppliers]



• There are a growing range of suppliers of magnets to help with the problem, apparently by children as young as three and a half. [Suppliers]



• Traditional remedies reported useful are ginger, available for example in capsules such as Noquease from Cirrus Health Care [Suppliers] or in homemade ginger biscuits, fresh mint leaves, or peppermint essential oil sprinkled on to a tissue and inhaled (also peppermints - preferably sugar-free), or lemon drops.



• Homeopathic remedies may also be useful.

Practical Measures

• Consider taking strong, lockable plastic bags in case a child is actually sick.



• Alternatively use disposable nappy sacks which, if you can stand their ‘perfume', offer some disguise of the original problem.



• If the vomit does spill, for example in the car, kitty litter is reported good at absorbing the smells, or a damp cloth sprinkled with bicarbonate of soda.



• Also useful after the event is a damp flannel or wet wipes for face and hands.