Natural Remedies To Prevent Motion Sickness In Kids
Motion sickness is the situation in which we feel nausea or a headache caused by motion, especially when traveling by car, airplane, train or boat. Most travellers are at risk of motion sickness when moving; however, this situation occurs more often with kids. According to a study, the percentage of children at the school age tackling is 43.4 % in the car, 43.2 % on the bus, 11.7 % on the park swing, and 11.6 % on Ferris wheel. Up to now, the scientists have not found any exact reasons for this problem. Coming to the doctor is not a smart choice as they only give you the prevention, not the treatment. However, it is reported that the natural remedies can help the kids feel more comfortable when traveling. Therefore, in this writing, we will give you some common ways to help you prevent the travel sickness in children. Keep reading this article to discover many new methods from our blog.
1. Nibbling Ginger Or Drinking Ginger Tea
For many years, people have used ginger in medical care. It is a common and safe plant for kids. According to some newspapers, ginger is recognized to be useful in preventing motion sickness and dyspepsia. Nowadays, ginger is available in most stores, groceries or supermarkets.
The remedy with ginger is very straightforward and takes a little time to do. You only need to purchase some fresh gingers, cut them into small slices and hold them in your children’s mouth during the trip. Furthermore, you can make ginger tea and let your kid enjoy 30 minutes before starting. In case it is hard for your children to drink ginger tea, you can replace by eating some ginger candies.
2. Using Essential Oil
Besides ginger, essential oils can also help to get rid of the motion sickness while traveling. The scientists admitted that the scent of essential oils could calm the nervous system or the contraction of the stomach. In the market nowadays, there is a wide range of essential oil to repel the motion sickness; therefore, depending on the favorite, it is very straightforward for you to buy an essential oil for your baby. Some popular scents from the essential oils are ginger, peppermint, lavender, chamomile, fennel, etc. To use it, you only need to add some drops into your baby’s stomach, shoulders, feet or the pillow. The relaxing scent will help you repel the awful odors inside the car and let you enjoy the trip happily.
3. Drinking The Chamomile Tea
The experts found that the chemical called flavonoids presenting in this plant played a vital role in treating a wide range of diseases. For many years, chamomile tea has been considered the traditional remedy, which can not only cure the skin disorders but also diabetes and even cancer. Chamomile tea can also help you get rid of the motion sickness. It helps your babies reduce acids, relax stomach muscles and relieve the anxiety while traveling. To make the chamomile tea before each trip, you only need to take a tablespoon of the dried chamomile and put them in the infuser. After that, pour boiled water into this infuser and let it steep for a few minutes. It is also possible to add honey or peppermint oil to this tea to make a strong scent and flavor.
4. Eating Before The Trip
What your kids eat and drink before the trip has a significant impact on the motion sickness. The doctor revealed that with an empty stomach, your kid could have the higher chance of facing up with many symptoms of travel sickness. Therefore, you can give your children a small meal with low-fat and high-protein foods such as peanut, snacks, and turkey 40 minutes before the trip. Moreover, it is also necessary to drink a large amount of purified water. Another crucial point that you should bear in mind is avoiding spicy or greasy foods while traveling, as they can make the travel sickness get worse and worse. In case the distance is short, it is OK to keep your stomach empty.
5. Choosing The Suitable Seat
Seat plays an essential role in reducing the motion sickness. If you do not pick the appropriate one for your kids, it is easy for them to get a car sick. The most recommended spot in the car is the front seat, next to the driver. It is not a good idea to seat in the back, because this area can cause strong motions and affect your kids’ mental health. In case you are in the plane, choose the one near the wing instead of the front or the back. For the ones who use the bus or the train, find a seat facing the way you are going as a replacement for facing the backward.
6. Avoid Reading Or Using Smartphone
Reading has considered the culprit that ruins your trip. Looking through a few pages of the book or some websites can make your baby feel motion sickness immediately. If their eyes have to regulate continuously, your babies can easily feel dizziness. These are the reasons for making them suffer from nausea and headache. Therefore, to avoid it, you can let your children sleep or encourage them to close their eyes. If not, have a small talk with them instead of giving them the phone or book.
7. Opening The Windows
Some people have already use medicine or plants such as ginger or garlic to avoid travel sickness, but everything turns to failure. The reason might be from the smell inside the car. When we close the windows, the air can get trapped inside the vehicles. Moreover, in combination with the smell from food, sweat, air conditioner, and some other factors, it will produce an awful odor that can completely “kill” the ones who are scared of travel sickness. Therefore, if possible, open all the windows to remove the strong smell and get the fresh air from outside. It will make your baby feel comfortable and reduce the motion sickness.
8. Listening To Music
Psychology is one of the main reasons for motion sickness. Therefore, you can prepare for your children the iPod to give them some music to unwind their mind while traveling. According to some researches, it was admitted that the tone and melody could stimulate the production of cortisol, dopamine, and serotonin in the body to relieve stress and boost the happiness during the trip. Consequently, consider their favorite categories of music for your babies to repel the qualmishness and stimulate other senses to throw away all the symptoms of motion sickness.
To sum up, here is the list of 8 natural – workable remedies to prevent motion sickness in kids. Instead of overthinking or being scared of the vomiting and nausea, keep your children’s mind relaxed and comfortable. Besides our tips, it is necessary to provide your body with enough nutrients to maintain the best health condition. If you have any questions, let’s comment on the box below to get the useful advice. All content provided is for informational and educational purposes. You should consult a healthcare professional to determine which method is appropriate for you.
Author Bio:
This guest post is by Emily Pham, a blogger with many years of experience in searching the best natural & effective remedies for health and beauty issues.
View Comments (22)
Hi Jhilmil,
Well this post is God sent and I will try them all! Eating less and sitting on the front really helps! I also try to deviate my attention via music. That’s covered bybyou aswell
I get motion sick even now. I guess for some people it is something that doesn't go away. I try nibbling on something tangy and trying to sit by the window seat - this really helps me a lot.
These points are very useful and I will certainly use them next time I take a road trip with my son. However I would never recommend seating your child in the front seat of the car, as it is the most dangerous seat from the point of view of accidents.
I will try these home remedies as this season kids are really getting affected so soon .. thanks for sharing
My kids are the most carefree travellers and by the grace of God, they don’t face motion sickness at all but it’s me who has it & this post is going to be bookmarked for me!
After all even I’m my parents kid ?
I didn't know about these tips for motion sickness. You come up with real great points for the well being of kids. These articles are really helpful.
This is very helpful, Jhilmil. My kids are fine at present but I have started feeling motion sickness since some years. Seating arrangements play an important role and yes what we eat.
Unfortunately my 4 years old generally suffer from motion sickness while traveling and orange juice definitely helps him. Will try out other tips too. Thanks for sharing
Moderate Eating before the trip and keeping Mobile away during journey has helped my kids and me to minimize motion sickness.