How to Prevent and Treat Your Kids’ Car Sickness

    Are you planning a family road trip? As well as mapping out the route, packing suitcases, and bringing enough snacks and toys to last for the duration, you should also brush up on your best techniques for tackling an onset of car sickness. Even if your children have never suffered before, motion sickness can strike at any time, so you should make sure you are well-prepared. An episode of car sickness has the potential to ruin the start of your vacation, or turn a happy day trip into a nightmare.

Before a recent tripThe brain receives conflicting signals to Wales from Cambridgeshire with my two young children, I stocked up on sweets, coloring books, pencils, and stickers—spending a whopping £28 to ensure we had a smooth trip. But an hour into the four-hour journey, while I was driving at full speed down the highway, my two-year-old suddenly became extremely sick. I couldn’t see what was happening in the back or do anything about it, the children were crying, and I started feeling an overwhelming sense of panic. Needless to say, we weren’t exactly maintaining our calming vacation vibe. It turned out I was not as prepared for every eventuality as I had thought I was.

After cleaning my windows, car seats, seatbelts, and both children’s clothes with baby wipes on the side of the highway, I decided to research what could be done to prevent or reduce the chances of the children suffering from motion sickness on future trips, especially on our return trip from Wales a few days later!
What causes it?

Motion sickness occurs when the brain receives conflicting signals from the motion-sensing parts of the body—the ears, eyes, and nerves in all of the extremities. This subtle confusion can activate a response that can make you feel very sick.

If your child starts to develop the symptoms of motion sickness, the best approach is to stop the activity that’s causing it as soon as you safely can. If you are in the car, pull over somewhere safe, and let the child get out and walk around. For severe cases, it may be necessary to do this several times. If you’re taking a long trip, plan to break up the travel time. Schedule these stops in advance to avoid the stress of finding a suitable place to stop.
Tips & Tricks

If the kids haven’t eaten for two to three hours, give your child a light snack before the trip. This relieves any hunger pangs, which seem to add to the symptoms. Always keep a pack of ginger cookies in the car, as ginger helps combat nausea. Other great snacks include cheese sandwiches, breadsticks, or other plain but filling food. You don’t want any sort of milkshakes, sweets, or chocolates going around in their tummies if they’re on the brink of sickness!
Open the windows for fresh air

Try to ensure they are not buried in a book, DVD, or iPad. When their eyes don’t sense the motion that the rest of their body is feeling, the confusion can result in motion sickness. Try to play games which involve looking around the car or outside of the car, like I Spy or looking for unusual license plates, trucks, or red cars, depending on their age and attention span.

If they do become queasy, open the windows for fresh air until you’re able to stop the car and go out for a walk. Regardless of the temperature, just sticking a hand out of the window can alleviate some of the symptoms. Try to distract them from the queasy feeling—listen to the radio, sing, or talk.
If the Worst Should Happen

If your kids do become sick, stop the car and let them either take a walk around in the fresh air or, if possible, have them lie down on their backs for a few minutes. Placing a damp, cold cloth (you can keep it in a freezer bag) on their foreheads can lessen the nausea. Always keep a change of clothes, towels, plastic bags, and some Febreeze in your trunk just in case. No one wants to have to sit in dirty clothes or be surrounded by a lingering smell for the rest of the journey—that will only make everyone feel worse!

If your child is known for bad episodes of car sickness, consider asking your doctor about suitable medication, such as Dramamine or Benadryl.

The Benefits of Parent Involvement: What Research Has to Say

   Researchers have evidence for the positive effects of parent involvement on children, families, and school when schools and parents continuously support and encourage the children's learning and development (Eccles & Harold, 1993; Illinois State Board of Education, 1993). According to Henderson and Berla (1994), "the most accurate predictor of a student's achievement in school is not income or social status but the extent to which that student's family is able to:

1. Create a home environment that encourages learning
2. Express high (but not unrealistic) expectations for their children's achievement and future careers
3. Become involved in their children's education at school and in the community (p. 160)

Henderson and Berla (1994) reviewed and analyzed eighty-five studies that documented the comprehensive benefits of parent involvement in children's education. This and other studies show that parent involvement activities that are effectively planned and well implemented result in substantial benefits to children, parents, educators, and the school.

Benefits for the Children

• Children tend to achieve more, regardless of ethnic or racial background, socioeconomic status, or parents' education level.
• Children generally achieve better grades, test scores, and attendance.
• Children consistently complete their homework.
• Children have better self-esteem, are more self-disciplined, and show higher aspirations and motivation toward school.
• Children's positive attitude about school often results in improved behavior in school and less suspension for disciplinary reasons.
• Fewer children are being placed in special education and remedial classes.
• Children from diverse cultural backgrounds tend to do better when parents and professionals work together to bridge the gap between the culture at home and the culture in school.
• Junior high and high school students whose parents remain involved usually make better transitions and are less likely to drop out of school.

Benefits for the Parents

• Parents increase their interaction and discussion with their children and are more responsive and sensitive to their children's social, emotional, and intellectual developmental needs.
• Parents are more confident in their parenting and decision-making skills.
• As parents gain more knowledge of child development, there is more use of affection and positive reinforcement and less punishment on their children.
• Parents have a better understanding of the teacher's job and school curriculum.
• When parents are aware of what their children are learning, they are more likely to help when they are requested by teachers to become more involved in their children's learning activities at home.
• Parents' perceptions of the school are improved and there are stronger ties and commitment to the school.
• Parents are more aware of, and become more active regarding, policies that affect their children's education when parents are requested by school to be part of the decision-making team.

Benefits for the Educators

• When schools have a high percentage of involved parents in and out of schools, teachers and principals are more likely to experience higher morale.
• Teachers and principals often earn greater respect for their profession from the parents.
• Consistent parent involvement leads to improved communication and relations between parents, teachers, and administrators.
• Teachers and principals acquire a better understanding of families' cultures and diversity, and they form deeper respect for parents' abilities and time.
• Teachers and principals report an increase in job satisfaction.

Benefits for the School

• Schools that actively involve parents and the community tend to establish better reputations in the community.
• Schools also experience better community support.
• School programs that encourage and involve parents usually do better and have higher quality programs than programs that do not involve parents.