Via Mom Voyage: Natural Motion Sickness Remedies For Children

For some vacations, driving to your destination is ideal, especially when there’s prime scenery along the way. Unfortunately, there are some kids that just can’t tolerate long rides in the car or van, and motion sickness rears its ugly head. When this happens, there are ways kids can get some relief that don’t necessarily mean popping pills or being drowsy. Here are some natural motion sickness remedies for children.

Limit Their Use of Hand Held Electronics

Instead, have them look out of the car window off into the horizon, maybe even play a game of “I Spy.”

Make Frequent Stops

This may not work well with your plans to get to your destination in a timely manner, but making stops will reduce long periods of time in the car, thus decreasing the length of time that they feel “yucky.”

Drive as Smoothly As Possible

Making a number of turns and causing the kids to sway back and forth, as you can imagine, can make them feel even more horrible.

Travel During Nap Time

If your child is able to close their eyes and fall asleep, they will often feel better, and the trip will go a lot faster (for everyone).

Offer Them Dry Crackers, Like Saltines

This can help settle the child’s stomach. An empty stomach is the absolute worst when it comes to motion sickness. This, along with a carbonated beverage such as ginger ale or lemon-lime soda, sometimes does the trick!

Let in Some Fresh Air

If the weather’s nice, this can be ideal. Even if it’s a little chilly outside, allowing some cool air to hit the face and some fresh air in the lungs can make a kid feel a lot better.

Try Natural Herbs

Ginger: Studies have shown that ingesting crystallized ginger helps to ease discomforts of the stomach. This can be found in most health food stores. Or, as mentioned above, try sipping ginger ale as a motion sickness remedy. Peppermint: This natural plant whether its in the form of tea, oil or candy serves as a great way to alleviate some symptoms of motion sickness.

Breathing Techniques

Taking slow, deep breaths can sometimes help. Have them to also try counting their slow breaths. This does work for some, but if nothing else, it can help reduce anxiety.

If you know your little one is prone to motion sickness, be sure to have at least some of these things on hand before your next road trip adventure. Some of these motion sickness remedies can even be used in advance to hopefully prevent your child’s motion sickness.