How to help a kid who gets headaches only in the car
July 27, 2017 7:39 AM Subscribe
My five-year-old complains of headaches only while in the car. We are taking a long road trip next month. Have you dealt with this? How can we minimize the level of miserableness for everyone involved?
My kid is five and a half and has some sensory issues. Lately she's been complaining of severe headaches while we're driving. It's not every car ride - let's say 35% of the time. It's more common in my car (a Honda Civic) than my husband's pickup truck. Some intensive googling has suggested this is a form of sensory disconnect - the eyes say "we're moving" but the body, sitting still, disagrees, and the result is a headache or motion sickness. Having windows down helps some (she reports that windows down makes it hurt "a little less"), but that will be unpleasant for the seven hours we'll be in the car next month and will result in a headache for me. Suggestions online have also included holding an ice pack to the back of the neck, which seems to help somewhat but might just be enough of a distraction to keep her attention for the ten-minute ride home.
We'll talk to her pediatrician about it as well but I'm hoping to hear from people who have dealt with this either personally or with their kids. Would motion sickness bands help? Assume that I've already googled every combination of these words I can think of.
My kid is five and a half and has some sensory issues. Lately she's been complaining of severe headaches while we're driving. It's not every car ride - let's say 35% of the time. It's more common in my car (a Honda Civic) than my husband's pickup truck. Some intensive googling has suggested this is a form of sensory disconnect - the eyes say "we're moving" but the body, sitting still, disagrees, and the result is a headache or motion sickness. Having windows down helps some (she reports that windows down makes it hurt "a little less"), but that will be unpleasant for the seven hours we'll be in the car next month and will result in a headache for me. Suggestions online have also included holding an ice pack to the back of the neck, which seems to help somewhat but might just be enough of a distraction to keep her attention for the ten-minute ride home.
We'll talk to her pediatrician about it as well but I'm hoping to hear from people who have dealt with this either personally or with their kids. Would motion sickness bands help? Assume that I've already googled every combination of these words I can think of.
Best answer: You could try her on Dramamine and see if that helps -- if it does, then the motion sickness bands might help, but if it doesn't I doubt they'll do anything except as a placebo. Is she sitting in the middle seat? When I was her age I had terrible motion sickness, and sitting in the middle so I could see straight out the front helped. (Sitting in the front was even better, but this was in the dark ages of the mid-80s, when carseats for 5 year olds were only a myth). Things she can do with her eyes closed, like listen to audio books, may help. Air circulation probably isn't very good in the back of a sedan, and being overwarm always makes me feel sick. Some friends of mine got this for traveling with their baby, who is heat sensitive, so if heat seems to contribute to your girl's issues it might help.
posted by katemonster at 7:47 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by katemonster at 7:47 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Best answer: (Also, as a child I frequently couldn't distinguish between stomach discomfort and head discomfort. I had abdominal migraines but I can totally believe it would go the other direction as well.)
Forgot above -- does she wear sunglasses? Darkness may help too, and it's a low cost/low risk intervention to try.
posted by katemonster at 7:49 AM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Forgot above -- does she wear sunglasses? Darkness may help too, and it's a low cost/low risk intervention to try.
posted by katemonster at 7:49 AM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Best answer: Can she sit so that the AC vent is blowing directly at her? Also could you get one of those car shades to put on her window to break up the view?
posted by florencetnoa at 7:55 AM on July 27, 2017
posted by florencetnoa at 7:55 AM on July 27, 2017
Go for a walk for 10 minutes every hour by stopping at a rest stop?
Audio books and closed eyes. Suggestions: Hank the cow-dog, Ramona Quimby, Winnie the Pooh, Nate the Great. Audio books really make the miles fly by: We once drove for 6 hours and when we stopped for gas, the kids wouldn't get out of the car 'til the chapter ended.
Singing. One suggestion is David Jack, https://davidjack2.bandcamp.com. Take a listen to "Miranda the Panda" off his Gotta Hop album. I'm tearing up just thinking about those days; thanks for making me recall David Jack!
posted by at at 8:05 AM on July 27, 2017
Audio books and closed eyes. Suggestions: Hank the cow-dog, Ramona Quimby, Winnie the Pooh, Nate the Great. Audio books really make the miles fly by: We once drove for 6 hours and when we stopped for gas, the kids wouldn't get out of the car 'til the chapter ended.
Singing. One suggestion is David Jack, https://davidjack2.bandcamp.com. Take a listen to "Miranda the Panda" off his Gotta Hop album. I'm tearing up just thinking about those days; thanks for making me recall David Jack!
posted by at at 8:05 AM on July 27, 2017
Ask your doctor if you can give her Bonine. I have a severely motion-sick-prone adult in my life, and can have issues myself, and Bonine is significantly better for us than Dramamine (which is just Benadryl at twice the price) without making us zombies.
On the airflow front, this USB/rechargeable fan has been a tremendous boon to my hot flashes and heat-related nausea.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:07 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
On the airflow front, this USB/rechargeable fan has been a tremendous boon to my hot flashes and heat-related nausea.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:07 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Is there something unique to your car that she may be allergic to?
My nasal allergies often manifest as sinus congestion first, which bring about sinus headaches. The fact that you say it happens in your car more so than your husband's pickup, and the fact that rolling the windows down lessens it, makes me wonder if it's a specific allergy to something in your car.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:30 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
My nasal allergies often manifest as sinus congestion first, which bring about sinus headaches. The fact that you say it happens in your car more so than your husband's pickup, and the fact that rolling the windows down lessens it, makes me wonder if it's a specific allergy to something in your car.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:30 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
How old is your car? Is it in good repair? How about the rear suspension and the tires - all good?
Maybe take a ride in the back seat and see for yourself what a ride is like from that angle. If there are mechanical or maintenance issues that need to be addressed, do that before the trip.
posted by crazycanuck at 8:41 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Maybe take a ride in the back seat and see for yourself what a ride is like from that angle. If there are mechanical or maintenance issues that need to be addressed, do that before the trip.
posted by crazycanuck at 8:41 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
These are all good suggestions. I wish my parents had thought of audio books when I was a kid -- I tended to just read until I felt bad and then fall asleep until I felt better. Rinse and repeat.
Have you tried driving the truck or having your husband drive the Civic? My motion sickness has gotten worse as an adult, and now my dad's driving pretty consistently makes me carsick regardless of the car, so it may also be the driver and not the car.
posted by natabat at 8:41 AM on July 27, 2017
Have you tried driving the truck or having your husband drive the Civic? My motion sickness has gotten worse as an adult, and now my dad's driving pretty consistently makes me carsick regardless of the car, so it may also be the driver and not the car.
posted by natabat at 8:41 AM on July 27, 2017
Best answer: Can/does she wear sunglasses?
Is she reading/watching videos/engaging any sort of visual stimulation that isn't connected to the motion of the car?
What time of day and what kind of scenery are you travelling through?
I used to have similar issues when I was younger. Even now, certain situations cause me to get car sick, mostly it has to do with light flickering, particularly through tree lines, combine with the car swaying, that caused horrid migraines and nausea.
A lot of my issues went away when I started driving myself, as I have to focus on the road and tend to travel during times when the lighting doesn't cause migraines. Car sickness meds didn't really work for me, so I mostly tried to sleep as much as I could, or listen to a lot of audio books and tree watch.
Since you don't want her driving quite yet, I would second audio books. You may need to test out if closed eyes makes her feel better or worse.
posted by RhysPenbras at 8:45 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Is she reading/watching videos/engaging any sort of visual stimulation that isn't connected to the motion of the car?
What time of day and what kind of scenery are you travelling through?
I used to have similar issues when I was younger. Even now, certain situations cause me to get car sick, mostly it has to do with light flickering, particularly through tree lines, combine with the car swaying, that caused horrid migraines and nausea.
A lot of my issues went away when I started driving myself, as I have to focus on the road and tend to travel during times when the lighting doesn't cause migraines. Car sickness meds didn't really work for me, so I mostly tried to sleep as much as I could, or listen to a lot of audio books and tree watch.
Since you don't want her driving quite yet, I would second audio books. You may need to test out if closed eyes makes her feel better or worse.
posted by RhysPenbras at 8:45 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Sunglasses and a ball cap, and if the fan can't point at her, a small battery powered fan (alternatively, from an RV shop a fan that plugs into the 12v outlet and clips to her carseat or window to point at her.
posted by tilde at 8:49 AM on July 27, 2017
posted by tilde at 8:49 AM on July 27, 2017
Sunglasses or one of those sleeping eye covers help my nephew. He did outgrow it but he had a lot of weird hallucinations/ sensory things between about 5 and 10. A lot of people in my family have migraines which can manifest weirdly in kids so that's always what they thought it probably was.
posted by fshgrl at 8:50 AM on July 27, 2017
posted by fshgrl at 8:50 AM on July 27, 2017
Response by poster: Thanks, all, for the responses so far. We first noticed this after she switched from her high-back-and-sides carseat to a backless booster, and it's more common on the ride home in the afternoon (flickering light through trees) than the morning ride in, so I'm pretty sure it's related to the motion sickness stuff rather than allergies to my car. We're taking the truck for our trip and there is an a/c vent that we can point right at her and I'll try to find a small handheld fan for her too, as well as audiobooks. I'll ask the pediatrician about Bonine and see if that helps any. Lots of things to try here - I'm feeling hopeful!
posted by SeedStitch at 9:00 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by SeedStitch at 9:00 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
When I was a kid I had this, and my parents would always put me in the front passenger seat, this was the thing that helped the most.
Also, a bit of air from an open window, fan or a/c also helped. Finally, as a kid who loved to read books in the car, when I was feeling sick it was better to just gaze out the window.
posted by nanook at 9:02 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Also, a bit of air from an open window, fan or a/c also helped. Finally, as a kid who loved to read books in the car, when I was feeling sick it was better to just gaze out the window.
posted by nanook at 9:02 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I use Pepto-Bismal for motion sickness. It works better than anything else I've tried. I figured this out as a kid on long car rides and boat trips.
Also, now that I think about it, used to get bad headaches until about six, when I got glasses.
posted by Crystal Fox at 9:05 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Also, now that I think about it, used to get bad headaches until about six, when I got glasses.
posted by Crystal Fox at 9:05 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
As a kid who was always substantially happier with long car drives when I could sleep through them--I have sensory issues myself and motion sickness was always a huge problem with me--I agree with the idea of doing Dramamine or whatever else. I know that when I was around this age, on multiple occasions we took trips that involved leaving at insanely early hours of the morning to try to improve the chances that my brother and I would sleep through as much of it as possible. I was able to stay awake for larger portions of trips without being utterly miserable by the time I was closer to 9 or 10 but I still have serious problems with long drives and plane trips and will absolutely take the opportunity to sleep through them now if I can.
posted by Sequence at 9:06 AM on July 27, 2017
posted by Sequence at 9:06 AM on July 27, 2017
I am the queen of car sickness, so I can relate to your kid.
- Try to get them to close their eyes and replay their favourite memories or movie or whatever. Eyes shut and something else to focus on helps. Light blocking eye mask isn't a bad idea either.
- encourage them to sleep on the drive. For long drives keep them up super late the day before and wake them up early that morning.
- hat, sunglasses, shade on the backseat windows. Limit their view.
- see if watching a movie or playing something on an iPad during the drive works, preferably in combination with the blocking out the view of the road solution.
- Sometimes my son (who doesn't have trouble with car sickness) will hide under a jacket or blanket or something while using the iPad on drives just to block out the bright sun and glare on the screen.
- Unlikely, but make sure all the windows are closed all the way. I personally am EXTREMELY sensitive to low registers and the "whompwhompwhompwhomp" air pressure thing that happens sometimes when just one window is open a bit causes me a great deal of discomfort/pain. The fact that it helps when the window is open all the way may be taking away the whompwhompwhompwhomp.
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 9:06 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
- Try to get them to close their eyes and replay their favourite memories or movie or whatever. Eyes shut and something else to focus on helps. Light blocking eye mask isn't a bad idea either.
- encourage them to sleep on the drive. For long drives keep them up super late the day before and wake them up early that morning.
- hat, sunglasses, shade on the backseat windows. Limit their view.
- see if watching a movie or playing something on an iPad during the drive works, preferably in combination with the blocking out the view of the road solution.
- Sometimes my son (who doesn't have trouble with car sickness) will hide under a jacket or blanket or something while using the iPad on drives just to block out the bright sun and glare on the screen.
- Unlikely, but make sure all the windows are closed all the way. I personally am EXTREMELY sensitive to low registers and the "whompwhompwhompwhomp" air pressure thing that happens sometimes when just one window is open a bit causes me a great deal of discomfort/pain. The fact that it helps when the window is open all the way may be taking away the whompwhompwhompwhomp.
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 9:06 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Child sits in front passenger seat,
child wears dark sunglasses,
window next to child is down and/or air conditioner is on.
posted by Murderbot at 9:10 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
child wears dark sunglasses,
window next to child is down and/or air conditioner is on.
posted by Murderbot at 9:10 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I get headaches too when the pressure is screwed up. I cannot have one window open. I need to have one on each side or none. To me, the best solution is one that gets your child comfortable enough to sleep. Then hope she sleeps of a few hours at a clip.
posted by AugustWest at 9:13 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by AugustWest at 9:13 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Oh, then I'd suggest switching back to a non-backless booster. Unless she's crazy tall or heavy, there are a few that will fit her for quite a while longer. The wings provide a good "blinder" effect.
posted by tilde at 9:16 AM on July 27, 2017
posted by tilde at 9:16 AM on July 27, 2017
Best answer: I agree that the best solution is for her to fall asleep, which might be aided by dramamine.
As someone who has gotten severely motion sick easily since I was a child: Suggestions like rolling down a window, being careful with seat position, cranking the AC, and so on help a little-- but not nearly enough. Seven hours while motion sick in a car would have been absolute torture. It's not a minor annoyance.
see if watching a movie or playing something on an iPad during the drive works
I don't think you should do this. Watching a movie or using a screen commonly provokes motion sickness and it's not worth the risk. However, a book on tape (something engaging like Harry Potter?) might be a good idea to distract her.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 9:21 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
As someone who has gotten severely motion sick easily since I was a child: Suggestions like rolling down a window, being careful with seat position, cranking the AC, and so on help a little-- but not nearly enough. Seven hours while motion sick in a car would have been absolute torture. It's not a minor annoyance.
see if watching a movie or playing something on an iPad during the drive works
I don't think you should do this. Watching a movie or using a screen commonly provokes motion sickness and it's not worth the risk. However, a book on tape (something engaging like Harry Potter?) might be a good idea to distract her.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 9:21 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Things that helped me as a kid with sensation processing problems avoid carsickness in a car sunglasses, front seat and air blowing on her face. While the front seat can be a problem because of airbags now a days you might find it useful to hang a towel over her side window or one of those shades to reduce the incoming visual stimuli. Sunglasses are a big help even now a days for me in the car, also cool cloths to wipe my neck & face with at regular intervals (I keep damp facecloths in the cooler with cool water to sip on long trips now a days). I also find sucking on hard candies or chewing peppermint gum can help. Being well hydrated before setting out can help as my symptoms feel worse if I'm dehydrated.
posted by wwax at 9:32 AM on July 27, 2017
posted by wwax at 9:32 AM on July 27, 2017
New car off-gassing hit me really hard when I was small, especially in Summer. Try driving with all the windows down.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 9:34 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Mr. Yuck at 9:34 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I am not normally subject to headaches or motion sickness but have gotten a couple of killer migraines from flickering light when driving past spaced trees, even when the light is coming from the side so being in the front didn't help. Maybe switch the seat to the other side of the car.
posted by Botanizer at 9:38 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Botanizer at 9:38 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Light strobing through evenly-spaced trees can be a migraine trigger for some people, and migraines can present in a variety of ways. I used to get a bad headache from one stretch of road at certain times of the day when the sun would be going flash flash flash through the trees. Finding an alternate route solved the issue for me.
posted by dws at 9:41 AM on July 27, 2017
posted by dws at 9:41 AM on July 27, 2017
We first noticed this after she switched from her high-back-and-sides carseat to a backless booster
Can you put her in a high-backed booster? My almost 7 year old is still quite comfortable in his. The head and side support might hold up her body better and alleviate neckaches that could turn into headaches.
and it's more common on the ride home in the afternoon (flickering light through trees)
My kids complain about this in a couple of very specific spots on our commute. In your case it sounds like some good dark uv-filtering sunglasses would be worthwhile.
posted by telepanda at 9:43 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Can you put her in a high-backed booster? My almost 7 year old is still quite comfortable in his. The head and side support might hold up her body better and alleviate neckaches that could turn into headaches.
and it's more common on the ride home in the afternoon (flickering light through trees)
My kids complain about this in a couple of very specific spots on our commute. In your case it sounds like some good dark uv-filtering sunglasses would be worthwhile.
posted by telepanda at 9:43 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I don't get motion sickness or migraines but do have a lot of road trip experience. A couple suggestions, then, on some of the solutions suggested above that you may wish to test out before the big road trip:
* Sunglasses are often open at the sides and don't cut down on flicker eg. from trees a whole lot, I find. A sleep mask would be better at this (plus audiobooks for entertainment).
* It also sounds like the kiddo is still too small for the front seat, so maybe test out some alternatives first and try to avoid that solution if other things work instead.
* Having the windows down on a long road trip may be a bit infeasible (for noise, temperature regulation, and fuel efficiency), especially if you'll be doing a lot of highway driving, so the fan suggestions might be more reliable.
Maybe also look into noise canceling headphones? I do have minor sinus issues that are affected by changes in pressure when flying and such, and the noise canceling headphones I have (Bose, several years old) seem to balance out the pressure on my ears in a very helpful way. Also, if the headache is related to too much background noise or car noises at the wrong frequencies, the noise canceling feature will help. (Eg. spending too long in big box stores also gives me a headache, but when I was trying on the noise canceling headphones in the store, that gave me immediate relief.) It may be hard to find noise canceling headphones that fit/work effectively on a child, of course, so that'd be another thing to test ahead of time.
posted by eviemath at 10:00 AM on July 27, 2017
* Sunglasses are often open at the sides and don't cut down on flicker eg. from trees a whole lot, I find. A sleep mask would be better at this (plus audiobooks for entertainment).
* It also sounds like the kiddo is still too small for the front seat, so maybe test out some alternatives first and try to avoid that solution if other things work instead.
* Having the windows down on a long road trip may be a bit infeasible (for noise, temperature regulation, and fuel efficiency), especially if you'll be doing a lot of highway driving, so the fan suggestions might be more reliable.
Maybe also look into noise canceling headphones? I do have minor sinus issues that are affected by changes in pressure when flying and such, and the noise canceling headphones I have (Bose, several years old) seem to balance out the pressure on my ears in a very helpful way. Also, if the headache is related to too much background noise or car noises at the wrong frequencies, the noise canceling feature will help. (Eg. spending too long in big box stores also gives me a headache, but when I was trying on the noise canceling headphones in the store, that gave me immediate relief.) It may be hard to find noise canceling headphones that fit/work effectively on a child, of course, so that'd be another thing to test ahead of time.
posted by eviemath at 10:00 AM on July 27, 2017
Have you changed your cabin air filters yet? Dirty filters = massive sinus headaches for me and have since I was super little.
posted by Hermione Granger at 10:01 AM on July 27, 2017
posted by Hermione Granger at 10:01 AM on July 27, 2017
I'm seconding the idea of off-gassing and the accompanying smell as a possible cause of headaches. Is it all cars, or just yours, or just newer ones? Rentals give me headaches either because they are still newer, or because of the cleaning chemicals used.
posted by Knowyournuts at 10:41 AM on July 27, 2017
posted by Knowyournuts at 10:41 AM on July 27, 2017
Best answer: Definitely try to put the kid in the front seat. My grandma was notorious for being a perfect passenger in the front seat, and horribly carsick in the back seat - even on flat level terrain at constant speed.
Here's the likely reason that the back seat is worse, to this engineer: Ever wear a heavy backpack and turn side to side? It's disorienting - your center of gravity (and thus the axis you turn about) is no longer inside your body. Likewise after you get used to it and then take the pack off. In a car, the center of motion (not necessarily the center of gravity), due to front steering, is somewhere near the front of the passenger compartment. The farther back in the vehicle you are from that point, the greater the disconnect between the motion you're seeing, and the motion your inner balance feels. (I'm a pretty good back seat passenger, but third row seating fucks me up.)
In a pickup truck, the bed is out there over the back wheels, and pushes the passenger compartment toward the front of the vehicle (in a passenger car, the back seat usually sits over the rear wheels). So even in the back seat of an extended-cab pickup, you're closer to the turning center of the car, so the disparity between your eyes and your ear (balance) is reduced.
posted by notsnot at 10:47 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Here's the likely reason that the back seat is worse, to this engineer: Ever wear a heavy backpack and turn side to side? It's disorienting - your center of gravity (and thus the axis you turn about) is no longer inside your body. Likewise after you get used to it and then take the pack off. In a car, the center of motion (not necessarily the center of gravity), due to front steering, is somewhere near the front of the passenger compartment. The farther back in the vehicle you are from that point, the greater the disconnect between the motion you're seeing, and the motion your inner balance feels. (I'm a pretty good back seat passenger, but third row seating fucks me up.)
In a pickup truck, the bed is out there over the back wheels, and pushes the passenger compartment toward the front of the vehicle (in a passenger car, the back seat usually sits over the rear wheels). So even in the back seat of an extended-cab pickup, you're closer to the turning center of the car, so the disparity between your eyes and your ear (balance) is reduced.
posted by notsnot at 10:47 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I would add mints to this list of things to try.
posted by rabidsegue at 10:56 AM on July 27, 2017
posted by rabidsegue at 10:56 AM on July 27, 2017
Ginger helps me when I'm feeling motion sick, and it also helps me with the nausea sometimes associated with headaches. In which case: ginger candy.
My mom used to give us gum in airplanes during takeoff and landing. I never had any trouble with my ears popping, so the gum didn't really help anything, but I loved that there was a special treat associated with those moments in flying.
posted by aniola at 12:18 PM on July 27, 2017
My mom used to give us gum in airplanes during takeoff and landing. I never had any trouble with my ears popping, so the gum didn't really help anything, but I loved that there was a special treat associated with those moments in flying.
posted by aniola at 12:18 PM on July 27, 2017
I've had this problem since I was a kid (and still prefer to ride my bike than drive, because I'm uncomfortable in cars). Smells like air freshener make it worse. Reading makes it worse. Certain drivers and sunlight make it worse.
Sitting in front, not reading, and fresh air can help, like other people have said. Also, Sea-Bands TOTALLY help me with carsickness. I still feel mildly silly every time I wear them, but I'm noticeably less sick if I do.
posted by jeweled accumulation at 3:16 PM on July 27, 2017
Sitting in front, not reading, and fresh air can help, like other people have said. Also, Sea-Bands TOTALLY help me with carsickness. I still feel mildly silly every time I wear them, but I'm noticeably less sick if I do.
posted by jeweled accumulation at 3:16 PM on July 27, 2017
Best answer: Ah poor kid, I was really car-sick all the time as a kid and it sucked. Still happens to me as an adult but I have lots of strategies to manage it:
1. Put her in the middle seat of the backseat, so she can see out the front window. Facing straight ahead helps SO much.
2. Get her to look out the front windshield (ideally) or window (not quite as good) any time the car turns or reverses. Trick her into looking out if you must- "Look, a butterfly!" Or invent some kind of game to get her to do it. This will make sure she's using her eyes to orient her brain to the changes in motion.
3. The first few minutes of each ride are when motion sickness starts for me, and once it starts it's there for good. So take extra care to get her looking out the front windshield as each drive gets underway. Within the first 5 minutes of most trips, there are a lot of extra direction changes that my brain finds distressing: reversing out of a parking spot, making turns in a parking lot, turning several times on small residential streets before hitting longer roads, etc. The other key time for me to be looking out the window is when getting on/off highways because the speed changes and there may be twisty ramps.
4. Encourage games like "count the red cars" or "read the road signs" or "I spy" or "look, horses!" Keep her attention OUTSIDE of the car whenever possible, so her eyes register the car's movement.
5. Drive smoothly. Really try to avoid jerky accelerating and braking.
6. If she really wants to watch a screen, mount it on the back of the front headrest so her attention is UP towards the windows and she can see out the windows with her peripheral vision... don't let her hold a screen down in her lap where her head will bow down and shut out the view.
7. Try to make sure sun-shades, hats, long hair, car-seat sides etc, don't block her peripheral view out the windows. If she's too hot put a white cloth over her body to keep the sun off, but don't cover the window.
8. Open windows or AC on will also help- the movement of air is another cue that the car is moving.
9. Drinking cool water or eating juicy things helps a bit too. Orange wedges or watermelon might be good.
10. Avoid strong smells in the car like air fresheners, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, perfume, etc- they make it way worse. Air out the stinky hot car smell before starting the trip if you can. If your car smells like dogs or smoke, get it shampooed. Smells make it much worse.
11. Limit any pressure on her belly and front of her chest. Loose pants waistband, and keep seatbelt low on her hips if possible. (But don't compromise safety of course).
12. Once she feels carsick, the best remedy in my experience is a little bit of very cold Coke (maaaaybe ginger ale, but to me Coke is really the magic medicine)- like 3 big sips should help. After pretty much every cab ride I end up buying a Coke, drinking a few sips, and throwing out the rest.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 4:01 PM on July 27, 2017
1. Put her in the middle seat of the backseat, so she can see out the front window. Facing straight ahead helps SO much.
2. Get her to look out the front windshield (ideally) or window (not quite as good) any time the car turns or reverses. Trick her into looking out if you must- "Look, a butterfly!" Or invent some kind of game to get her to do it. This will make sure she's using her eyes to orient her brain to the changes in motion.
3. The first few minutes of each ride are when motion sickness starts for me, and once it starts it's there for good. So take extra care to get her looking out the front windshield as each drive gets underway. Within the first 5 minutes of most trips, there are a lot of extra direction changes that my brain finds distressing: reversing out of a parking spot, making turns in a parking lot, turning several times on small residential streets before hitting longer roads, etc. The other key time for me to be looking out the window is when getting on/off highways because the speed changes and there may be twisty ramps.
4. Encourage games like "count the red cars" or "read the road signs" or "I spy" or "look, horses!" Keep her attention OUTSIDE of the car whenever possible, so her eyes register the car's movement.
5. Drive smoothly. Really try to avoid jerky accelerating and braking.
6. If she really wants to watch a screen, mount it on the back of the front headrest so her attention is UP towards the windows and she can see out the windows with her peripheral vision... don't let her hold a screen down in her lap where her head will bow down and shut out the view.
7. Try to make sure sun-shades, hats, long hair, car-seat sides etc, don't block her peripheral view out the windows. If she's too hot put a white cloth over her body to keep the sun off, but don't cover the window.
8. Open windows or AC on will also help- the movement of air is another cue that the car is moving.
9. Drinking cool water or eating juicy things helps a bit too. Orange wedges or watermelon might be good.
10. Avoid strong smells in the car like air fresheners, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, perfume, etc- they make it way worse. Air out the stinky hot car smell before starting the trip if you can. If your car smells like dogs or smoke, get it shampooed. Smells make it much worse.
11. Limit any pressure on her belly and front of her chest. Loose pants waistband, and keep seatbelt low on her hips if possible. (But don't compromise safety of course).
12. Once she feels carsick, the best remedy in my experience is a little bit of very cold Coke (maaaaybe ginger ale, but to me Coke is really the magic medicine)- like 3 big sips should help. After pretty much every cab ride I end up buying a Coke, drinking a few sips, and throwing out the rest.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 4:01 PM on July 27, 2017
Sitting in the middle seat and being able to see the road helped me a lot. That's probably why she's ok in the truck but not in the backseat of the car. Driving myself is really the only thing that totally helps it now but you have a ways to go before you can use that solution.
posted by TheLateGreatAbrahamLincoln at 4:03 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by TheLateGreatAbrahamLincoln at 4:03 PM on July 27, 2017
Eyes closed makes it MUCH worse for me- I see it suggested a few times here but just a data point that it's definitely not universal. Much better for me is to look straight ahead out the windshield and see where the car is going. Looking ahead down the road is really the ideal for me.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 4:07 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by pseudostrabismus at 4:07 PM on July 27, 2017
My motion sickness manifests as headaches and peppermint essential oil on the chest, behind the ears, back of neck, and inner wrists REALLY helps me. Dramamine too, when it's really bad, but the peppermint defeats nausea and immediately kicks a headache's butt.
posted by raspberrE at 9:12 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by raspberrE at 9:12 PM on July 27, 2017
Best answer: People seem to have a lot of suggestions and knowledge. All I have is a story. When I was maybe seven, maybe six, I would feel sick when we'd take a trip in the car. My father decided to stop and get me some comic books, and I happily read them the rest of the way. His take was "the kid was faking all the time," but looking back on it, I think it just distracted me enough that I never noticed any discomfort.
So, you might try whatever distraction your child would find attractive. Can't hurt, anyway. Good luck to him.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 5:46 PM on July 31, 2017
So, you might try whatever distraction your child would find attractive. Can't hurt, anyway. Good luck to him.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 5:46 PM on July 31, 2017
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By any chance does she sit up taller in the truck than in the civic? The angle she's sitting at, her view, etc, can all certainly impact how okay she does or doesn't feel riding in a car.
posted by phunniemee at 7:45 AM on July 27, 2017