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Expert Q&A
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| By Jenny Lewis, M.D. Pediatrician | ||
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What can I do about car sickness besides giving him medication?
When we were kids our parents had the instant solutionto carsickness -- you got to ride in the front seat. Thatis still effective, but we now know it carries with itincreased risks of injury to the child if the car is involved in anaccident. No child under 13 should travel in the front seat unless your garage has deactivated the passenger airbag andthe child is belted into a car seat/booster seatappropriate for both height and weight. It is always safer for yourchildren to be in the rear seat.
Motion sickness is caused by a combination of themovement of the vehicle and visual disturbance. Nausea is oftenworsened if your child attempts to read a book, or play with atoy or game which, due to the movement of the car, cannot be heldstill. Staring out the side windows is likely to create more nauseathan focusing on the forward horizon.
We would advise:
- Don't let your child use games or read whileriding in the car
- Don't feed your child immediately before or duringrides
- Use shades on the side windows to keep yourchild's vision focused forward
- Use music or story audio tapes which can belistened to with eyes closed if your child gets bored
- Take your longer journeys at night
Medications such as Dramamine (dimenhydrinate) orBonine (meclizine, only approved for children over 12 yearsold) show variable effectiveness from one child to the other.They often cause drowsiness and dry mouth, but may make a longtrip more tolerable.
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