Car-sick kids?

By mudlark • August 1st, 2008

My first-born had a little issue with car sickness when she was a baby. It started right around the time we turned her carseat around to be forward-facing, and it continued about a year. During that time, I developed some creative solutions to cope with messiness on our outings.

Keep an ‘emergency box’ in the trunk – complete with clean clothes, a plastic bag for soiled clothes, a small bottle of water, and a packet of crackers. If your child is old enough keep a can of ginger ale there too.
Keep a cleaning kit in the trunk too – paper towels are easier than cleaning rags when you’re on the go; baby wipes, and a disinfectant that will fight odors – something with lavender or eucalyptus.
Line the floor and seat with towels just in case.
Every kid loves a lollipop. The preggo pops they sell at maternity stores have ginger in them and may help with non-pregnancy related nausea too.
Mine was too young, but older kids may benefit from the motion sickness wristbands.

The key to cleaning up the mess is getting to it quickly and using plenty of fresh air. Heat will accelerate the ’stinkifying’ so keep the car out of direct sun until it’s all well cleaned.