My 6 year old boy usually does really well in the plane, but the long bumpy ride we had back from Caveman did him in numerous times. We have a few trips like JC and Smiley Creek planned and I wanted to see if there was something that might help. He loves flying, but obviously not when feeling like that. Is there anything you guys recommend giving to kids to help with the airsickness and do they typically cause a lot of drowsyness? Thanks in advance for any tips.

Trader joes ginger candies. Ginger is great for stomach

Look for the elastic wrist bands. They work for some folks, including my wife.

MTV

If you have side by side, get him in the front on a booster so he is high enough up to see outside easily. If tandem and he has to be in rear, boost him up high also. My son struggles with queazzy feeling in bumpy air, and getting him up high in the aircraft so he can see out helps. He does much better in front especially when he can see over the dash. Also giving him "flying lessons" while on the trip helps, as he tends to get distracted with moving the controls and thinks less about his stomach. Try flying early/late in the day when air is the smoothest and coolest. Have used the ginger with no real results. I dont think there is an easy answer. I struggled with airsickness from the time I was 5 right through my training in my 20s. didn't think I would ever get over it and then suddenly one day it just disappeared. Put me in the back of a small tandem on a bumpy day with no controls and I start getting green.

mtv wrote:Look for the elastic wrist bands. They work for some folks, including my wife.

MTV

Agreed ;

http://www.sea-band.com/

Drammamine or wrist bands usually work for most people, mild cases ginger cookies or ginger ale. If none of that works get some Stugeron. It's not legal to prescribe in the US, but it IS legal to import for your own personal use. you can buy it without a prescription in mexico, or some online pharamcies from canada will ship it to you. It was developed by the Brittish army right after the Falklands war, when they had a large boatload of seasick marines.

I also agree that having someone fly the airplane makes their brain concentrate on things other than airsickness. So if it is do-able, have your son learn how to fly, or more accurately have him think he is flying, and that may help the problem.

Rob wrote:

mtv wrote:Look for the elastic wrist bands. They work for some folks, including my wife.

MTV

Agreed ;

http://www.sea-band.com/

X3

The single very best "cure" is this: http://www.aeromedixrx.com/Reletex-Anti ... evice.html. It absolutely works. It's a trifle pricey, but because it works so well, it's well worth it.

Cary

Bands worked well for my kids, the other is qeez ez (sp) from sporties

Dramamine makes a chewable tablet that always worked well with my kids. It tended to put them to sleep, which also helped.

Good luck!

A buddy's girlfriend always got airsick if it was bumpy. She hated to take dramamine "just in case" because it made her feel dopey, but after she started feeling shitty it was too late. She got a set of those electronic wristbands & they did the trick.

Scolopax wrote:Trader joes ginger candies. Ginger is great for stomach

I agree. Get a jar of crystallized ginger in the spice section of the grocery store. Take a few pieces before going up and you'll no problems. I got nauseous over something last week and my wife brought a few pieces to me in bed. Later, I got up and went back to work. Don't know if it was the ginger or the cold rags on my head and neck. Could have been the hour and a half nap.

Thanks for all the tips! Hopefully one of them will do the trick.

flyingpile wrote:Thanks for all the tips! Hopefully one of them will do the trick.

Consider using several of the above suggestions at the same time if you don't see good results with individual treatments.

I used to spend time on dive and fishing boats; I hated stepping foot on them because I'd get sick every time. By trial and error I came up with a solution that relieved most of the misery. It included wrist bands, Bonnie, and chewable Dramamine beginning about 2-hours before boarding. Any of these by themselves were simply not effective enough; together they worked pretty well. I could substitute Ginger for Bonnie and still have acceptable results.

blackrock wrote:

flyingpile wrote:Thanks for all the tips! Hopefully one of them will do the trick.

Consider using several of the above suggestions at the same time if you don't see good results with individual treatments.

I used to spend time on dive and fishing boats; I hated stepping foot on them because I'd get sick every time. By trial and error I came up with a solution that relieved most of the misery. It included wrist bands, Bonnie, and chewable Dramamine beginning about 2-hours before boarding. Any of these by themselves were simply not effective enough; together they worked pretty well. I could substitute Ginger for Bonnie and still have acceptable results.

Who's Bonnie?

Fisherman wrote:Who's Bonnie?

The redhead from the local rub-n-tug?

I ran a charter fishing vessel for 10 or so years. Dealt with a lot of motion sickness. I saw everything from apples to ginger to sea-bands to prescriptions. Once people get it in their heads they are going to be sick, they indeed are going to blow. My suggestion is to take a Dramamine the night before, and another the morning of. For MOST people, only the first one makes them sleepy.

Lots of good advice so far, two things that I didn't yet see mentioned.

1) Make sure he eats. Empty stomachs are the worst for motion sickness. Just a light snack, of course, not a giant plate of asparagus casserole.

2) I guess someone did hint at this, but make sure he can and does look outside the plane. The kids I've seen that read or play video games seem to be the worst off.