The Car Seat Lady

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Page 9 of 9

Motion Sickness

The Car Seat Ladies are very familiar with this nasty problem--Alisa still gets motion sick in cars! While no cure exists, it may help you to learn why motion sickness happens and what has worked for us and our clients.

What is Motion Sickness?
Motion sickness occurs when your brain senses motion while your eyes don't, or when your brain and eyes sense different types of motion. For example, a child who is unable to see out the window will sense motion in a car but won't be able to see any movement occurring--and may therefore feel sick. A child looking out the side window may also feel carsick, because the scenery out the side window appears to be flying by, at speeds much faster than the car itself is moving. This disconnect, between perceived speed and real speed, can cause the feeling of motion sickness.

Will turning my rear-facing chld forward-facing help to prevent motion sickness?
No! Unfortunately kids who are prone to feel car sick are going to feel that way no matter what. A study of several hundred children in rear-facing and forward facing car seats found identical rates of “car sickness” – about 2%.

How can I prevent motion sickness?
While there is no cure, there are a few trick to try before declaring defeat. Here's what's worked for us and for our clients.

Installation help for preventing carsickness
Because one of the major causes is a disconnect between real and perceived motion, help your child's senses allign. Many kids and adults with motion sickness find relief when they look out the front or rear windows and see traffic and scenery moving at the same speed as their bodies. Their brains sense movement at 30mph, and their eyes verify that they are moving at that speed. Looking out the side window, where scenery flies by and appears to be moving much faster, should be avoided.

For rear-facing kids: Use a car seat that allows your child to sit up high and see out the rear window. Remove the rear seat head restraint (for the seat the child occupies) if possible to give the child an unimpeded view. Make the car seat as upright as possible (still following the manufacturer's instructions of course). Talk about what you see out the rear window to encourage your child to look out.
For forward-facing kids: Install the child's car seat in the middle of the back seat. The child will be able to see out the front window more easily. Talk about what you see out the front window to encourage your child to look out.
For all kids: Use a car seat with a deep seat back and big side impact protection, like the Britax Boulevard or the Recaro Proride. A child who is properly strapped into these seats will not be able to lean over far enough to see out the side windows and will therefore be less likely to feel sick.

Lifestyle help for preventing carsickness
Does your child vomit on some ride but not others? Changing your routine before a big car trip may help to ease symptoms.

Avoid feeding your child for an hour before your car trip
Avoid dairy before the trip.
Travel at night or at naptime when your child will be tired and more likely to sleep
Don't allow older kids to read in the car.

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