In our family, I am the driver.
It always surprises me when it surprises other people see me take the wheel while my husband heads over to the passenger side. Why men seem to be the default drivers in our society is a mystery to me, and an issue for another time.
For us, the reason is twofold. Number one, I'm a horrible back-seat driver, so it's just easier to let this control freak take the reins.
Secondly, I get horrible car sickness when I'm a passenger…when I drive, it doesn't bother me one whit.
Sadly, however, my son has inherited this lovely trait from me. He's got a few years until he's a driver (and I'm already gearing up for arguements as to which car sickness sufferer gets to drive), so I've had to accumulate an arsenal of ways to battle his sensitivity to motion.
As many of us are tightening our belts and will be driving to our holiday destinations this year, I thought I'd share with you what has worked for us:
- Look forward, out the window. Try to focus on the horizon, or clouds in the sky. It fools your body and is the best way to beat motion sickness.
- Open the window…that fresh air does wonders to help alleviate the nausea.
- Have snacks in the car. I find that crackers, hard peppermint candies, ginger cookies, and sipping on water steeped with fresh mint can be a great help.
- Stop frequently; don't let that nausea get to the point of no return. Nip it in the bud and give your car sickness sufferers a chance to recalibrate while stretching their legs.
- Sit as in front of the car as possible and safe, and NEVER face backwards.
Don't let motion sickness ruin your next road trip…gas prices are enough of a pain, we don't need to add nausea to the mix!
Dr. Diva, aka Christine, can be found (sometimes) at her second home Watch me! No! Watch me! She is also the proud editor of this Healthy Bliss channel, and welcomes any and all comments and questions! Oh, and one other thing that helps alleviate car sickness…let your kids play with your cell phone and take pictures as you drive. Dr. Diva's four year-old daughter took the horizon picture on a recent family jaunt.
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As a fellow carsickness sufferer I can vouch for all your tips. Another thing I do is to avoid reading. Even scanning the newspaper is a surefire way to get me feeling woozy.
From personal experience with both my son and my niece, I would in addition to your tips suggest trying the elastic wristbands with a small knob on the inside that puts pressure on a point that helps with nausea. With my niece, we stopped to get her some when she was already feeling woozy and I was amazed with how quickly they worked for her and how consistently they have helped since then.