Nothing can ruin a vacation more quickly than dealing with carsick kids before you even arrive at your destination. If you’re looking for safe and natural ways to keep your child’s tummy calm on your long car trips you are in the right place.
Ginger
Ginger has been proven time and time again to be one of the greatest natural remedies for calming upset tummies. Keep some ginger candy like Organic Hard Candies from GoNaturally on hand to keep motion sickness under control. Ginger is a strong flavor, so be aware that some kids might not like the taste of it. Try allowing ginger infused juice or water if you find that your child doesn’t like the taste of ginger. Or think about getting Ginger Tummy Drops from Enteral Health and Nutrition for something with a lighter ginger taste.
Peppermint
Peppermint can have a calming effect on upset tummies. You can try to allow peppermint candies or peppermint patties. If you feel you child is old enough, try a dab of 100% Pure Therapeutic Essential Oil from Eden Pure on his wrist or under his nose.
Acupressure Wrist Bands
Acupressure wrists bands like Sea-Band Wrist Bands utilize pressure points in your wrists to ease motion sickness. These can be a great natural option since your child doesn’t need to ingest anything for them to work. Order a pair for each car and keep them in the glove box to keep them from getting lost.
Face Forward
Keep kids, who are old enough, facing forward in the car. Watching the horizon out the front window can be a very effective way to curb nausea. Play car games to keep kids focused on the horizon. Look for far off signs and vehicles, or play I Spy.
Snack
Allow children to have small snacks. Sometimes travel can cause extra acid in the stomach leading to nausea. Eating crackers or other bland snacks in small amounts can absorb some of that acid helping to neutralize traveler’s tummy.
Take Pit-Stops
Stop often, allowing enough time to stretch and move around a bit at every stop. The shorter between stops, the less chance there is for motion sickness to occur.
Sleep
Encourage sleep. A child who is asleep is less likely to become sick. Especially if they are in a deep sleep. Think about traveling longer distances at night, making trips seem shorter to your motion sick children.
Look For Signs
Watch for warning signs. They can differ from child to child but some warning signs might include a dry cough, gagging or belching. If you notice your child doing one of these things it’s a good time to pull off the road for a little break.
Red Tea
Red Tea has been shown to calm an upset stomach. Head to your local health food store to find some and see our recipe below for a kid tested, delicious, anti-nausea tea perfect to help get you to your vacation on time.
Ginger Infused Red Tea Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Organic Apple Juice
- 1 cup Water
- 2 TBS Loose Leaf Red Tea
- 1 inch peeled Ginger Root
- Honey (optional)
Directions
- Bring juice, water and ginger root to a boil.
- Remove from heat, discard ginger, and steep loose leaf tea for 4-5 minutes.
- Enjoy warm or over ice.
- For a sweeter drink you can add a bit of honey or steep in 2 cups of juice and omit the water.
Photo credit: Little Miss Eclectic Photography
Thanks for this article. I’ve always suffered from car-sickness, and now my 3-year-old daughter does too 🙁 so sad!
I really hope these work for your daughter! I have 2 kids that used to get car-sick every time we went on a trip but these have helped us tons. Thanks for reading Stephanie!