By Dani Greer
Our theme all month has been “traveling with children”, and I’ve been amazed at all the online resources from planning every step of your family-friendly vacation online to apps and gadgets to keep kids amused throughout the journey. But there’s one aspect of traveling with little ones we haven’t discussed, and it’s one I’m very familiar with, because you see, I’m one of those people who suffers from motion sickness. Travel always makes me feel a little green around the edges.
Getting carsick as a kid is one of my most dreadful memories of childhood. We traveled a lot, by car and by airplane, and it was inevitable that I would get sick. I was a teenager before I figured out three techniques for saving myself from a fate worse than anything I could imagine at that point in life. Oh, the embarrassment! Here are my tips:
- Focus on one stationary spot on the horizon
- Breathe slowly and regularly and focus on your breath
- Take small sips of water throughout the journey
That’s a lot to expect of a six-year-old though. It’s probably best to not make a major drama out of an accident, and maybe even prepare for the worst. When I searched the Internet for ideas, I was delighted to find the Barf Boutique. Okay, maybe “delighted” isn’t exactly the right word. But it’s an interesting business and story as explained at the website:
When Kelli Lee was 8-years old, an accidental blow to her head resulted in a lifelong battle with chronic nausea and motion sickness. The Barf Boutique® began as a "gallows humor" joke that popped out of an emotionally charged, late night conversation between Kelli, her mother Rose, and God. Kelli's artistic talents, long-term disability, unemployment , and questions like "Why me?" and "What can I do?" were all topics discussed that night. Suddenly out of nowhere, Rose flippantly suggested selling barf bags. To her shock and dismay, Kelli took the idea seriously and ran in every unexpected direction with it.
Today, the company has a wide selection of bags for every occasion with original artwork and humor, including these for little travelers. Cute aren’t they? A little extra special preparation and humor might be just the ticket to defuse another layer of anxiety in your little ones, and this collection is on sale right now for only $7.50.
Dare I ask here, parents? Do you have any special suggestions to deal with upset tummies in cars? Are there children in your family prone to motion sickness? Tell me I wasn’t the only over-sensitive kid on the plane!
6 comments:
On our way to Stinson Beach one fine spring day, my then 4-year-old reported that her tummy didn't like the twisty road. We started to straighten out our turns to the extent possible. Well, that strategy didn't work. She soon thereafter emptied the contents of her stomach all over our Volvo SUV. Luckily, I had a baby wipes, a plastic bag, and a change of clothes in the backpack that lived in the back of the Volvo. All I can remember is that even after having the car cleaned numerous times, we could not lose the residual stench, so we sold it! Thanks for the memories, the laughs, and the candor, Dani.
Haha Dani you weren't kidding when you said that you were writing a post about barf-bags. While I don't suffer from motion sickness I do have a similar problem with sea sickness, which didn't reveal itself until a week-long stay on a yacht in Catalina. From my experience, it makes all the difference to have someone who is supportive with you. Thank you for this humorous post!
No wonder the poor child got sick - SUVs have the mushiest rear-ends in the car world! There's a story amongst car enthusiasts - "SUVs will eventually do what you ask them to, but they won't like it". Trying to straighten that boat out probably made the vertigo even worse. This brings up a point about the parents in the front seat though - it's the back seats that are the carnival rides! Why aren't the parents back there having some fun? LOL. I'm advocating for the kids today!
"Getting carsick as a kid is one of my most dreadful memories of childhood." So true. I had horrendous experiences as a kid.
While I have mostly come to control it there are certain measures that guarantee success: Sitting in the front seat (I don't believe kids are allowed to do that these days), cool air (a hot vehicle is a sure sign I'll be sick, or extreme flipping between hot and cold), not doing things like reading in the vehicle (even trying to read a map can send me into a tizzy, I have to look outside the vehicle, the front, sides make me dizzy), saltines (an empty stomach can bring on quizziness. Saltines are a major calmer. I actually had to down a half a pack of saltines a few months ago when we went to Toronto for an eye appt. My DH had to search for a store as the sickness was unexpected.), avoiding jerky stopping and starting. And I always have back up children's gravol (not the chewables that is a whole other kind of gross. The new ginger is pretty good). I can't take adult gravol because I end up sleeping for days and then I feel like I have a bad hangover so I break up the children's dose and just take a quarter/half to take the edge off.
Ginger chews are a good idea for adults or older children who can handle a little "bite". I like candied ginger better than the chews. But I'm with you, Moe. My childhood experience were so bad that I'll do anything to NOT vomit as an adult. My husband says, "just do it - you'll fee better." My response, "I can't." It's just so miserably ingrained that urping ruined the trip for everyone. Sigh. It's just a normal body function - why such a big deal?
What cute illustrations for the bags!
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