Question for the parents

[Timewaster]

I have a shite related problem with my darling 15 month old daughter.

She is an absolute delight, but gets horribly horribly car sick

Its not too bad in Mrs. Tops 206, she can get 40 or 50 miles but in my Octavia it is more like 10 or 20 miles.

I've never dared put her in the Cosworth and Im not allowed to put her in the Transit.

 

I'm starting to consider an Xm or Xantia, possibly even a Cx or Bx on the theory that the smoooooth french ride might be a solution.

Anyone got any experience or advice?

Vomit stories, not too graphic please

[Cheggers]

It's a tough one, as it may not be just down to ride quality (especially as she's happiest in a 206). It could be down to light, sound or (used to get me every time when I was a kid) smell. However, if you're after an excuse for a bit of floaty Citroen action...

[myglaren]

I found that none of my kids ever got car sick in the GS.

They are much flaotier than a BX or Xantia though but were said to make a lot of folks car sick

[Father Ted]

Sitting in the front or the back?

 

Motion sickness in cars and trains is caused by the eyes telling the brain you are moving (at speed) but the balance centers of the middle ear telling the brain you are sat still. This differs to motion sickness caused by being on a boat (ears telling the brain that you are rolling about all over - eyes telling the brain that everythings quite still)

 

Many people find that sitting in the front with good forward vision help.

 

Low doses of a drug called Stemetil help as this reduces the information coming from the balance centers to the brain - though I dont think its recommended for children under 3 or 5 (no BNF to hand so I cant comment).

 

It does usually inmprove with age. But Im not sure that an XM would help vastly.

 

Sorry - not a lot of help

[DSdriver]

There are two reasons for travel sickness, the first is psychological but she is probably too young and the other is motion sickness which is something to do with the body's balance mechanism, might be worth getting her ears checked if she's old enough. In the mean time make sure she is getting plenty of fresh air and can see where she is going when in the car. Is her seat rear facing? If it is might be worth trying a forward facing seat in the centre at the back.

What am I saying... You NEED a Citroen as soon as possible. (although a DS is sometimes too wallowy for some people).

Adding to Father Ted's info, what about those pressure wrist bands for sea sickness, no drugs involved so worth a punt.

[garethj]

Nope, no problems with any of my old cars, the kids have been fine in a 1961 Volkswagen, 1980 Land Rover with rusty leaf springs, stiffly sprung Ginetta and floaty Volvo.

 

Car sickness is more to do with your brain getting different signals - looking at the car interior they know the should be stationary but the noise and movement says they're not. Can you make their seats higher so they're more forced to look out of the windows? Head restraints in the way blocking their view?

 

EDIT: I loooz at the internet

[maxpower]

i used to give my kids travel sickness stuff called "sea-legs" they were never sick again..

 

though your kid maybe too young for it....

[worldofceri]

I'm no expert but at 15 months she seems a little young to be getting conventionally car-sick. Infants are used to being slung around in prams, buggies, slings etc and don't get sick. In most cars kids can't see out of the windows until they're 2 or 3 because even in a car seat they're too long down.

 

I would try tiring her out before a car journey whenever possible in the hopes that she'll fall asleep. I've been lucky with my lad so far in that he's almost always fallen straight to sleep in the car; He's moving into the 'are we nearly there yet' phase now though.

[outlaw118]

I was fine until Ma & Pa Outlaw bought SMM347S, a Citroen GSpecial in 1977, when i was 7 or 8.

Used to manage about 30 minutes before my previous meal made a reappearance, and have always tried to avoid being a back seat passenger since. Didn't suffer nearly as badly in other family cars that followed - Renault 18 Estate and then 2 Montegos - I passed my test in the second one, and then either drove the family car everywhere, or went places under my own steam. Werird.

[catsinthewelder]

We haven't had any car sickness trouble with our kids but the Mrs has some comment's

 

Good forward vision is a bonus but another factor could be the angle that she is sitting. We've noticed that our youngest child's seat ends up at various different angles depending on which car it's in. If she's laying right back it could make her feel sick because of the un-natural angle and wouldn't help with forward vision either.

 

Maybe they just like floaty suspension, Hydrolastic FTW

[Craig the Princess]

Maybe they just like floaty suspension, Hydrolastic FTW

 

"Dad, please sell you Audi S4, we need an Austin Ambassador"

[DSdriver]

If you know you're going to be sick... eat tinned pineapple, it tastes exactly the same coming up as it does going down.

[KruJoe]

When I was of primary school age, some friends of the family bought one of those new-fangled BX estates, but had to get rid of it a fortnight later because all three of their kids vommed copiously and uncontrollably.

Pass the 1001.

However, the current Mrs KJ never complains of sickness in our BX whereas is was not uncommon in the other motors we've used. She just isn't shaken around so much.

[Father Ted]

If you know you're going to be sick... eat tinned pineapple, it tastes exactly the same coming up as it does going down.

Apparently so do oranges.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Bizarrely enough, as a child I was only ever carsick while passing thorough Angmering. The solution was a bypass, but alas too late for sickly Peter.

[trigger]

You want to fit one of these.

 

 

I haven't got a clue if they really work but i remember all the cars in the 80's would have one attached to their rear bumper.

 

I remember doing work at Colchester zoo once when a Montego estate pulled up and the owner asked me if we knew where he could wash his car, It turned out this lad at thrown up down the whole side of the car as it was traveling at speed, It wasn't a pretty sight!

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I thought they were to prevent you getting a static shock off the door?

[michael1703]

I used to get carsick as a kid, seeing where you are going is a big help, certain air fresheners made things worse, fue orange was hideous

 

Is the sickness only car related? garden swing etc ok?

[KruJoe]

I got one for the BX off ebay because the car zapped us both at least once, usually twice, every time we stepped out! I had to fit the static strip on a hinge to avoid damage, because it is quite stiff and the car goes up and down. I'll have to get another though - it has shortened significantly in 3000 miles.

[Cavcraft]

My son was violently sick in the back of a Sierra twin cam I briefly owned. He'd been drinking Lucozade and the car absolutely reeked of a strange mix of this drink and pavement pizza for ages and we never got rid of the smell.

Did the honourable thing and sold it to a mate (who had a bad cold at the time) for twice what I'd paid for it.

[KruJoe]

I know a 'lady' who, erm, (how can I say this politely?) 'came' every time she rode in a certain twin cam Sierra.

[trigger]

I thought they were to prevent you getting a static shock off the door?

 

Really?, Well don't i look the tit now.

[Cavcraft]

For the benefit of the internet access at my bird's works I'd just like to point out it wasn't the Sierra that I owned.

 

As you were...

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I thought they were to prevent you getting a static shock off the door?

 

Really?, Well don't i look the tit now.

 

I didn't know, but it was the filename of the photo you posted.

[retrogeezer]

pound shop motion sickness wrist bangle?? My mum swears by them on cruises.

[Timewaster]

Thanks for the thoughts so far. She is in a forward facing seat in the back.

It may well be genetic as I have memories of hurling in my dads Renault 12 and her mum still isn't much of a traveller.

 

An excuse for some floaty Citroen action? Maybe

[dieselnutjob]

I have three kids, 8, 10 and 12.

The 12 year old is the only one who gets sick and with her it's definitely in her head. If she's distracted (with music that she likes, or an interesting conversation) she doesn't get sick.

None of them got sick so yound as 15 months though. I think at 15 months their balance isn't very good anyway.

[M'coli]

Thanks for the thoughts so far. She is in a forward facing seat in the back.

It may well be genetic as I have memories of hurling in my dads Renault 12 and her mum still isn't much of a traveller.

 

An excuse for some floaty Citroen action? Maybe

With lovely wipe-clean vinyl seats?

[myglaren]

I have just read in a completely unrelated book that Ginger capsules can reduce or eliminate nausea and vomiting in some people/circumstances including motion sickness.

 

There are though some counter indications, mainly concerned with long term daily usage.

 

Loads of places have them, including the fairly ubiquitous Holland & Barret.

 

Might make you look like that ⇒

Which can only be a good thing:)

[MrDuke]

Just to muddy the waters further:

 

I get carsick if I try to read anything while moving, even looking at a map will make me nauseous, as well as giving me an evil headache. If I travel a long distance in the back seat, I'll also feel quite ill, HOWEVER when I'm on a bus/coach, I can read for hours with no ill-effects.

When I was a wee lad, a friend of mine would reliably vomit every time he took a journey in Fatha_Duke's plush Granada, but was fine in his Dad's rattly old Commer camper. Eventually we just kept plastic bags on the back seat all the time.

Ginger does help to alleviate sickness, especially in raw form - when I have a stomach bug, I sip a glass of water with a piece of chopped ginger root in it, tastes awful but does work.