5 surefire tips to prevent motion sickness in children

Motion sickness is one of the most worried parents when taking their children on long trips. Yes, motion sickness in children can make them uncomfortable and cranky along the way. Relax, you can easily prevent motion sickness in children. Come on, find out what are the ways to avoid motion sickness, so that your little one stays comfortable on the trip.

Tips for preventing motion sickness in children

Motion sickness occurs when signals from the eyes, ears, muscles, and joints are mixed to the brain. Information from the body is not in this rhythm, causing an unpleasant response in the body. These symptoms will disappear no later than 4 hours of getting off the vehicle.

Preventing motion sickness in children is actually not much different in its application in adults. The difference is, children still need help from others while adults can handle it well on their own. Some tips for preventing motion sickness in children include:

1. Make sure the sitting position is appropriate

Did you know that people who drive vehicles rarely experience motion sickness? It turns out that this is influenced by how to sit correctly. So, children can apply this sitting posture to prevent motion sickness.

The trick, let the child sit in the middle of the rear car seat. This sitting position makes his gaze straight ahead. Then, ask the child to lean his head against the chair. The goal is to prevent the head from moving forward or backward. A constantly moving head can cause dizziness and discomfort with bumps.

2. Avoid playing gadgets or reading books

Spending hours in the vehicle must make you bored at small. So that this does not happen, you deliberately bring his favorite book or give him a gadget. Instead of making your child calm, this can actually make the motion sickness symptoms worse.

Reading books, looking at pictures or movies while on a trip creates excessive visual stimulation that can confuse the child's perception with motion. As a result, the body signals sent to the brain will vary. Then what should I do?

It is best if you distract him with a chat, play on words, listen to music while looking at the streets, or sing a song together. Letting children sleep can also distract from motion sickness.

3. Take medication if necessary

Anti-nausea drugs can be a solution to prevent motion sickness in children. You can choose the antihistamine diphenhydramine (benadryl) or dimenhydrinate (dramamine) which are safe for use by children. Give this medication one hour before traveling and read the instructions for use of the drug.

4. Make sure the air is always fresh

Too strong an odor, be it sweet or smelly, can trigger motion sickness symptoms. For that, always keep the air in the vehicle fresh. Do not bring food or anything that could spread bad odors in the car.

5. Pay attention to the food supplies you carry

Food greatly affects children's health during the trip. Traveling on an empty stomach can make it easier to get nauseous. So, to prevent motion sickness in children, make sure your little one has eaten enough portions so that their stomach is more comfortable.

Then, for travel provisions, prepare foods that are easy to digest, not spicy, don't contain a lot of oil, and don't have a strong aroma. Always have chewing gum, lots of water, ginger candy on hand to prevent nausea.