How to travel when my kid gets motion sickness. The lessons I've learned in 2.5 years.
My child is a vomiter. This means this is one of our particular struggles with her. I'm not complaining. Some kids are anxious, or super drooley, some are renegade climbers or asthmatics others are prone to ear infections. Our struggle is vomit.
As I write this, in fact, I am surrounded by the wafting smell of vomit in the air. Is it from my shoes? Perhaps from when she threw up on the skybridge last night just as we had gotten off the airplane. Or is it that I write this in the car and her carseat has witnessed countless vomiting episodes and one is slowly drying from last nights in flight service?
This is the story of our lessons learned from having a daughter who is a "vomiter." And since we travel a lot I thought I would put together the lessons I've learned.
When your kid has motion sickness:
-Before you get on the airplane/in car try to get your kid to eat a tums (we've had some sucess with this but you never know when your kid isn't sick) or ginger candy or ale or maybe even some pressure point bracelets or baby Dramamine??
-We are very pro bringing the carseat on the airplane. Our kid knows how to sit in it, sleep in it, and be in it. It's a pain to haul around but we think it is worth it. It also adds a nice buffer between the airplane upholstery and vomit.
-Pack two more outfits for transit than you think you'll need.-Layer your clothes. You are unlikely to have enough arms for a lot of carry on luggage and a child so bringing a bag with your stuff ain't gonna happen. But if you have on two layers you can at least clean yourself up after the first one and be careful for the second one.
-Whatever you do don't stop the crying with food. If you must feed the tears do not bring out a bottle and juice. I beg you!
-Once you think your kid is done with the whole feeling like crap thing (this would be hours after the initial episode- like if you have a whole day of travel) let them have a small drink of water ever 10 minutes (like a couple tablespoons)
-Watering mouth is a sign of throwing up in young and old alike.
-If you are flying- after the throwing up ask a flight attendant for two plastic bags. 1 to put the vomit covered clothes in and the second one to line the carseat with.
-Whatever you do don't think about how gross it is to strip your child down and give them a sponge bath in whatever place you are having to do that. Just do it.
-Take a full pack of wipes. Note the travel size. The whole 100+ refill pack. No hippy-dippy homemade wipes either. Use generously.
-Resign yourself to smelling like vomit sometimes. No one died of smelling bad.
As I write this, in fact, I am surrounded by the wafting smell of vomit in the air. Is it from my shoes? Perhaps from when she threw up on the skybridge last night just as we had gotten off the airplane. Or is it that I write this in the car and her carseat has witnessed countless vomiting episodes and one is slowly drying from last nights in flight service?
This is the story of our lessons learned from having a daughter who is a "vomiter." And since we travel a lot I thought I would put together the lessons I've learned.
When your kid has motion sickness:
-Before you get on the airplane/in car try to get your kid to eat a tums (we've had some sucess with this but you never know when your kid isn't sick) or ginger candy or ale or maybe even some pressure point bracelets or baby Dramamine??
-We are very pro bringing the carseat on the airplane. Our kid knows how to sit in it, sleep in it, and be in it. It's a pain to haul around but we think it is worth it. It also adds a nice buffer between the airplane upholstery and vomit.
-Pack two more outfits for transit than you think you'll need.-Layer your clothes. You are unlikely to have enough arms for a lot of carry on luggage and a child so bringing a bag with your stuff ain't gonna happen. But if you have on two layers you can at least clean yourself up after the first one and be careful for the second one.
-Whatever you do don't stop the crying with food. If you must feed the tears do not bring out a bottle and juice. I beg you!
-Once you think your kid is done with the whole feeling like crap thing (this would be hours after the initial episode- like if you have a whole day of travel) let them have a small drink of water ever 10 minutes (like a couple tablespoons)
-Watering mouth is a sign of throwing up in young and old alike.
-If you are flying- after the throwing up ask a flight attendant for two plastic bags. 1 to put the vomit covered clothes in and the second one to line the carseat with.
-Whatever you do don't think about how gross it is to strip your child down and give them a sponge bath in whatever place you are having to do that. Just do it.
-Take a full pack of wipes. Note the travel size. The whole 100+ refill pack. No hippy-dippy homemade wipes either. Use generously.
-Resign yourself to smelling like vomit sometimes. No one died of smelling bad.
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| A photo from the University of Wisconsin Geology Museum. |
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