Some kids cannot ride in the car without getting queasy. And even if your kids have strong stomachs, almost all families have days when the flu or a bug strikes during a ride in the car. As bad as this is at home, it’s much, much worse when it happens on the road.
The easiest thing to do is to use a washable car seat covers like the NIKO. Once that’s in place, there’s still a lot you can do to minimize the mess and smell that comes with carsickness. In this situation, an ounce of prevention is definitely worth a pound of cure.
Our list will help you prepare for your next ride in the car (short or long). The list is long—you can pick and choose which things seem right for your child:
Before you leave the house:
- Don’t let your kid eat or drink too much two or three hours before you leave, and opt for easy-to-digest foods like yogurt, applesauce, and bread.
- Try not to give them any food in the last hour before you leave.
- You can give your child a chewable Dramamine for Kids tablet 30 minutes before departure. Be sure to check out the recommended dosage for your child’s weight. (Note that Dramamine makes kids drowsy, which some people see as an added bonus.)
- Have the child wear nausea bracelets on both wrists.
- Important and often ignored: take a look at your route. Make note of any sections where the altitude changes quickly, or where you go through tight curves and turns. Consider restricting food and drink in the hour or so leading up to those spots, and be sure you’ve given Dramamine or put the nausea bracelets on in time to help.
Pack a bag with your car sickness necessities:
- A roll of garbage bags
- Cleaning rags
- Multiple changes of clothes
- Wipes for cleaning. If you don’t like wipes, you can bring a sealed bag with washcloths and a spray bottle of water.
- A spare car seat cover (like the NIKO), because the kid might still be messy, or disaster could strike twice.
Car Preparation—Materials You Need Within Reach
- Stash these things in the seat-back pocket (because you might not get much warning before nausea strikes):
- A heavy-duty garbage bag or two.
- A plastic pitcher to capture the mess. Some kids are old enough to hold the pitcher themselves, but you want it handy for you or the child to grab at a moment’s notice. (Pitchers capture liquid better than bowls, which can splash. So sorry for the vivid image, but we’re really trying to help.)
- At least one roll of paper towels, or a stack of rags.
- Put the backpack of supplies nearby, but keep it away from the area that could get hit with the mess. You don’t want one incident to wipe out all of your supplies.
Once You’re In the Car
- Put a bib on the child. The bigger the better. The silicone ones with little catch troughs are great.
- Give your child a water bottle with a straw, which can encourage smaller sips.
- Try to distract your child with music or games for as long as possible before you give them food and drink. We don’t have any data on this, but it seems like kids are less likely to get car sick if they’ve had some time to get used to the drive before they start eating.
- Don’t give your child open access to all of the car snacks. As much as possible, you want to give them small amounts of food and drink, multiple times. Lots of small snacks tends to work better than a few large snacks.
- On the road, it’s even more important to stick to simple, easy-to-digest foods. Plan and pack your car snacks with weak stomachs in mind.
If Disaster Strikes:
- Find a safe location to pull into, where you can stay parked for a while.
- Clean up the initial mess using the paper towels, which you can contain in a trash bag.
- Remove any clothing that has gotten messy, as well as the washable car seat cover. Fabric items can go in a second trash bag (so you don’t have to pick apart trash from laundry later).
- Help the child clean up and change, clean up any parts of the car that need work. Put a clean car seat cover on the car seat (just in case).
- See if you can figure out the things that led to your child getting sick. Unfortunately, children can get carsick multiple times in one day:
- For example, if they got sick during a really twisty route, is there a different road you could choose?
- If they were sick after eating, it might be good to limit food for a while.
The good news is that you can learn what works for your child and what doesn’t so that future trips are easier, happier, and cleaner. Remember—preparation is key!
As not-fun as car sickness is, it’s common when traveling with kids. Follow a plan to make things go as smoothly and quickly as possible, and your trip doesn’t have to be derailed. And always have an extra NIKO car seat cover so your car seat isn't ruined forever!
Happy travels!