Motion sickness is thought to happen because your brain can’t reconcile differing inputs from your visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive systems – when your eyes tell your brain that you’re moving, but the proprioceptors in your skin tell your brain that you’re sitting still. Unfortunately, the default when you can’t reconcile these inputs is to feel nauseated. Ask any adult who gets motion sick while riding in a car (and is obviously riding forward-facing) there is no magic cure for preventing motion sickness. However, there are things you can try doing to reduce the chance of your child feeling sick – and ways to make their car seat easier to clean if they do vomit.
In this article we discuss where the child should sit in the vehicle, which direction they should face, when to travel, how to entertain a child while avoiding exacerbating motion sickness, natural and medicinal remedies, vehicle features that reduce motion sickness, and how to manage and clean up vomit messes.
Nausea may be the first recognized symptom of motion sickness, but the nausea is almost always preceeded by other subtle symptoms, such as a sensation of fullness in the stomach area, malaise, drowsiness, and irritability.
Looking out the side windows is the last thing you want to do if you’re prone to motion sickness. Trust us –Alisa can ruin an entire car trip by looking out the side window for 30 seconds. Why? Things appear to be moving much faster when you look out the side windows, compared to when you look out the front or back. The faster things around you appear to be moving, the more your brain gets mixed signals about whether YOU are sitting still or moving fast. This is something to keep in mind if you have a child who gets motion sick — don’t ask them to play games like “I Spy” where they have to look out the side windows.
For most kids, a view of the horizon makes them feel less sick.
For rear-facing kids, this means a view out the back window. Try to sit the child more upright (while staying within the car seat’s limits), remove the vehicle head rest if possible, and select a car seat that sits high up to give the best view out the back (we recommend the Clek Foonf for this, as it sits the highest). However….we know some rear-facing children who do better when sitting lower and more reclined, and we think this is because they can’t see out the rear window or side window. It’s hard to predict what one child may prefer.
For forward-facing kids (and adults), the center of the back seat is the best spot in the back seat, since it gives the least obstructed view out the front window. You can see in the photo here that Alisa sits in the middle seat when she rides in the back, because she can look out the front window and feel less sick.
For SUV’s and minivans, keep motion sick kids in the second row, since the 3rd row is bumpier and more likely to cause nausea.
In our decades of experience, we have found that turning a child forward-facing usually doesn’t do much to change the motion sickness, but it always decreases the child’s safety.
If forward-facing were a cure for motion sickness, then no adults would get motion sick in a car. As an adult who still gets horribly motion sick, even when sitting in the front seat, Alisa says “How I wish that forward-facing cured motion sickness!”
Music: Great for all ages! For older children we recommend musicals with a storyline to follow — these are especially entertaining and distracting.
Audiobooks: A fantastic option for preschoolers and school age kids. Your local library likely has lots to borrow for free. Emily’s family has listened to many, many audiobooks over the years, and her motion sick prone child highly recommends them for entertainment.
Podcasts: There are tons of podcasts created specifically for kids. Common Sense Media has some helpful suggestions for podcasts for children along with some recommendations to get you started. KidsListen is an app that aggregates podcasts geared towards children and continues to add new episodes and podcasts.
Games: If you’re going to play games that require looking out the window, like I Spy or license plate games, make sure the child is looking only out the front or rear windows, not the side windows, since the side windows will make them feel sicker.
For obvious reasons it’s best to avoid feeding a child who is prone to motion sickness while they are riding in a car. But just like feeling really full can make you more prone to vomit, so too can being really hungry. So if you can, offer your child a snack before the car ride, so they’re not hungry and also not super full.
Some recommend eating ginger to prevent motion sickness. However, a search of the literature shows there is no evidence that ginger is effective in preventing or treating motion sickness. But, if your child likes ginger there likely isn’t much of a downside to having them eat ginger in the car.
Sleep is a magic pill for motion sickness. It’s the only time you’re guaranteed to not feel sick. Therefore we suggest trying to travel during naptime or bedtime.
Drowsy driving is real and very risky. So make sure that when traveling at bedtime, the adult driving is wide awake. Drowsy driving puts everyone in the car at risk, as well as everyone else on the road. If there are two adults in the car, it’s ideal for them to take turns driving every few hours so each gets a chance to nap while the other is driving.
Your child’s motion sickness is likely NOT related to an eye problem. It is extremely uncommon for motion sickness to be related to eye pathology in children.
Pediatric ophthalmologists recommend the following:
Again, if your child has motion sickness, they most likely DO NOT have a problem with their eyes. Amblyopia, strabismus, and refractive error are common eye problems in children that can lead to problems seeing clearly. Nystagmus is uncommon in children, but perhaps more likely related to motion sickness.
Strabismus: Any misalignment of the eyes. Crossing (esotropia), outward deviation (exotropia), or vertical misalignments (hypertropia) are the most common forms.
Amblyopia: A decreased vision in one or both eyes due to abnormal early childhood development of vision. This can be due to strabismus, focusing issues, or obstruction of vision (ie cataract, droopy eyelid).
Refractive Error: The eye works much like a camera. If the image is not in focus when it gets to the retina (the “film”) of the eye, there is a refractive error. Near-sightedness (myopia), far-sightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism are common refractive errors.
Nystagmus: An involuntary shaking of the eyes.
AAPOS.org is an excellent resource for those concerned about their children’s eyes.
Note: Behavioral Vision Therapy which is touted as a cure for many problems, is not scientifically proven, especially for reading issues, learning disabilities, and motion sickness.
Medicines work best when given before travel. They won’t work as well, or at all, once the child already feels sick. Please discuss with your pediatrician BEFORE giving your child medicine.
Scopolamine: This is the most effective medication for the prevention of motion sickness. It’s typically applied as a patch several hours before travel. However, scopolamine is typically not recommended for children under 10 years of age. The most common side effects are a very dry mouth and dilated pupils (which makes it hard to read and makes you sensitive to light, like when you get your eyes dilated at the eye doctor).
1st Generation Anti-Histamines: Although sedating, these medicines can be effective at preventing motion sickness.
Moderately effective: Promethazine (Phenergan), Cinnarizine
Least effective: Meclizine (Antivert), Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine), Cyclizine (Marezine)
Before giving your child medicine, please discuss with your pediatrician.
Non-sedating antihistamines (Claritin, Zyrtec), Ondansetron (Zofran), and ginger root are not effective in the prevention or treatment of motion sickness.
A recent study of adults with nausea in the Emergency Room found that sniffing rubbing alcohol pads was just as effective as Zofran (the anti-nausea medication Ondansetron) at reducing nausea. On average the patients rated their nausea as 5 out of 10, with 1 being very little nausea and 10 being the worst, before treatment, and 2 out of 10 after sniffing the alcohol or being given the Zofran. It is not known if alcohol can help with motion sickness, but it’s worth a try since alcohol pads are cheap, available at local drug stores, and easy to keep handy in the car. Just make sure the child doesn’t try to eat or suck the pad.
Vehicle Temperature: Make sure to keep the car on the cooler side.
Clothing Choices: Don’t overdress your child, since an overheated child is more likely to feel sick.
When choosing a car seat: Avoid black or other very dark colors which absorb heat and make the child feel hotter. Avoid fabrics that feel like they will easily wipe down, since these are more likely to make the child sweat.
Cooling Towels: An evaporative cooling towel can easily and quickly keep your child cool. The Frogs Toggs Chilly Pad cooling towel is inexpensive and does a great job. Wet the towel and it will still feel cool an hour later (or more). Even though the towel is wet, it won’t make the child or car seat all wet. We use these ourselves on hot days during car seat appointments and we think they’re great.
Air Conditioning Diverter: Many vehicles have no air vents in the back seat and as a result have very poor airflow in back. A Noggle is a great solution. It uses dryer vent tubing, covered with fabric, and connects to one of the air vents in the front seat. It brings cool air straight from that vent through the tubing directly to your child in the back seat. You can either hang the Noggle from one of the handles on the roof of the car, or allow your child to hold the end and direct the air where they want it to go.
Here are the two most important features to look for in your next vehicle to reduce the chance of your child feeling sick.
Functional 2nd row center seat
Since a forward-facing child will feel best riding in the center seat, you’ll want to be sure to get a vehicle that has a center seat in the 2nd row. This means you’ll want to avoid captain’s chairs in the 2nd row.
But just because the vehicle has a center seat doesn’t mean you’ll be able to put your motion sick child there. Surprisingly, the center seat of many vehicles is too narrow to accommodate a forward-facing car seat, and many are too narrow to accommodate even the narrowest backless booster. In our family vehicle buying guide we’ll tell you whether a narrow backless booster fits in the center seat. If it doesn’t you’ll want to pass on this vehicle. If a narrow backless booster won’t fit in the space, a forward-facing car seat won’t fit either.
It also matters whether the center seat has flexible or rigid seat belt buckles, and how wide the center seat is. The wider the seat, and the more flexible the buckles, the more likely it is to fit a forward-facing car seat or booster in the center.
Does the center seat have a head restraint? If it doesn’t, your child in a backless booster can’t sit in that position, since backless boosters require head restraints to prevent severe whiplash (caused by the lack of a head restraint.) If there is a head restraint, is it removable? Some head restraints protrude and interfere with the proper fit of forward-facing car seats and high back boosters. Removing the head restraint, if permitted by both vehicle and car seat manufacturer, can eliminate this issue.
Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go
This is available on a growing number of newer vehicles starting around 2014. It’s one of the early steps towards autonomous driving. Just like regular cruise control, with ACC you set the speed you want to maintain. The difference is that with ACC you also set your following distance, basically telling the car how aggressive a driver you want it to be. ACC not only maintains your set speed, it also slows your car down if the car in front of you slows down, to maintain your desired following distance. Once the ACC detects that there is sufficient following distance, your car will accelerate to go back up to your desired speed.
Those who get motion sick will be the first to tell you that some drivers make them feel much sicker than others, particularly due to how the driver accelerates and brakes. ACC is the most gentle driver of all, because the car can accelerate and brake more smoothly than a human can. And a gentle ride is a ride where you are less likely to feel sick.
ACC works differently in various vehicles. Many versions work only at set speeds above 25 or 35 mph. This means that many will not work for driving around town. Many versions also shut off when the car goes below a certain speed, meaning that if you’re on the highway and run into stop and go traffic, the ACC won’t work.
However, some versions, called ACC with Stop and Go, will continue to work even in the worst highway traffic jam where you are sometimes at a complete standstill. If you’ve felt like losing your lunch in stop and go traffic with all the lurching forward and back as the driver speeds up and slows down every few seconds, you need ACC with Stop and Go. It won’t get you out of the traffic jam, but it will decrease the lurching your body experiences because it provides a much smoother ride. We think its a godsend for folks who get motion sick.
Our Family Vehicle Buying Guide includes a column indicating whether or not the vehicle’s ACC comes with Stop and Go.
Because cleaning vomit out of car seats, particularly the straps, is a parenting nightmare, we suggest having your motion-sick-prone child wear a bib/smock OVER the car seat straps, to keep the car seat and themselves clean. AFTER your child is buckled snugly, put the bib or smock on them. If the grossness happens, the gross part only gets on the bib.
Bibs and Smocks we’ve found to be useful:
Neat N Cozy: We affectionately call this the “puking poncho.” It’s made of soft terry cloth, cleans easily in the washing machine, and is comfortable for kids to wear even on long rides. The Neat n Cozy snaps around the child’s neck and has a snap up pocket to help catch any vomit that might try to run down. Many families tell us how indispensable these have become in their travels with a motion sick child, letting them know that their vehicle and their child will stay clean even if the child vomits. All you have to do (if it gets dirty) is roll it up, unsnap it, and throw it in the washing machine.
Bumkins Super Sized SuperBib: Inexpensive and does the trick nicely. Also has a small pouch that may help catch some vomit that tries to run down.
Bib-On: A full coverage bib that you can use without the (detachable) sleeves to keep your child neat and cool in the car. Comes in larger sizes so it’s perfect for older children.
We have a whole page about this! How to Clean your Car Seat
Nausea may be the first recognized symptom of motion sickness – but the nausea is almost always preceded by other subtle symptoms such as a sensation of fullness in the stomach area, malaise, drowsiness, and irritability.
Looking out the side windows is the last thing you want to do if you are prone to motion sickness. Trust me – I can ruin an entire car trip by just 30 seconds of looking out the side windows. Why? Things appear to be moving much faster when you look out the side windows, compared to when you look out the front or back window – and the faster things tend to appear to be moving, the more the brain gets mixed signals about whether you are sitting still or moving fast. This is something to keep in mind if you have a child who gets motion sick that you aren’t asking them to play games where they are looking for things they can only see out the side windows.
For most kids, a view of the horizon line will make them feel less sick.
For rear-facing kids, this means a view out the back window. So try and sit the child more upright, remove the vehicle head rest (if possible), and select a car seat that sits higher up if possible (the Clek Foonf sits the highest and gives the best view out the back). However, we know of some rear-facing kids who do better when sitting lower and more reclined (they likely don’t see much out the rear window or the side windows). It is hard to predict what one child may prefer.
For forward-facing kids (and adults), the center of the back seat is the best spot in the back seat, since it gives the least obstructed view out the front window. You can see in the photo here that I sit in the middle seat when I rides in the back, because I can look out the front window and feel less sick.
For minivans & SUVs, keep motion sick kids in the 2nd row – as the 3rd row is bumpier and will make them feel sicker.
In our decades of experience, we have found that turning a child forward-facing typically doesn’t do much to change the motion sickness, but it ALWAYS decreases the child’s safety.
If forward-facing were a cure for motion sickness, then no adults would get motion sick in a car. As an adult who still gets horribly motion sick – even when sitting in the front seat – how I wish that forward-facing cured motion sickness!
For most kids who get sick, activities that require them to look down – like books, movies, or games – will make them feel sick.
Music – but especially musicals where there is a storyline for an older child to follow – is great for kids of all ages.
Audiobooks are a great option for older pre-schoolers and school age kids.
There are also a growing number of podcasts created for kids. CommonSenseMedia has some helpful suggestions on navigating podcasts for children along with some recommendations to get you started. KidsListen is an app that aggregates podcasts geared towards kids – and continues to add new episodes and podcasts.
If you are going to play games that require looking out the window (like I-spy or license plate games) make sure the child is only looking out the front or rear windows, not the side windows since the side windows will make them feel sicker.
For obvious reasons, it is best to avoid feeding a child who is prone to motion sickness while they are riding in a car. Just as feeling really full can make you more prone to vomit, so too can being really hungry. Therefore, if you can, try and have the child eat a snack before the car ride so they aren’t hungry and aren’t super full.
Some recommend eating ginger to prevent motion sickness – however a search of the literature shows that there is no evidence that ginger is effective in preventing or treating motion sickness. But, if your child likes ginger there likely isn’t much of a downside to having them eat ginger in the car.
Sleep is the magic pill for motion sickness – as it is the only time you are guaranteed to not feel sick. Therefore, we suggest trying (whenever possible) to travel during nap time or at bedtime.
Drowsy driving is real and it is very risky. Therefore, make sure when traveling at bedtime that the adult who is driving is wide awake as drowsy driving puts not only the driver at risk but everyone else in the car and those sharing the road. If there are 2 adults in the car, it is ideal for the adults to trade off every few hours so that each gets a chance to nap while the other is driving.
Could an undiagnosed eye problem be the cause of your child’s motion sickness?
www.AAPOS.org is an excellent resource for those concerned about their children’s eyes.
Note: “Behavioral Vision Therapy”, which is touted as a cure for many problems, is not scientifically proven–especially for reading issues, learning disabilities and motion sickness.
Medicines work best when given before travel – as they won’t work as well, or at all, once the child already feels sick.
The most effective medicine for the prevention of motion sickness is Scopolamine – typically administered as a patch that is applied several hours before travel. However, Scopolamine is typically not recommended for kids under 10 years of age. The most common side effects are a very dry mouth and dilated pupils (hard to read, sensitive to light – like when you get your eyes dilated at the eye doctor).
Although sedating, these medicines can be effective at preventing motion sickness.
Moderately Effective: Promethazine (Phenergan), Cinnarizine
Least Effective: Meclizine (Antivert), Diphenhydramine (Benadryl), Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine), Cyclizine (Marezine)
Before giving your child medicine, please discuss with your pediatrician.
Non-sedating antihistamines (Claritin, Zyrtec), Ondansetron (Zofran), and ginger root are not effective in the prevention and treatment of motion sickness.
You can read more about what is and is not effective for motion sickness in this review article here.
A recent study of adults with nausea in an Emergency Room found that sniffing rubbing alcohol pads was just as effective as Zofran (the anti-nausea medication Ondansetron) at reducing nausea. On average the patients rated their nausea as 5 out of 10 (1 being very little nausea, 10 being the worst) before treatment and 2 out of 10 after sniffing the alcohol or being given the Zofran. It is not known if alcohol can help with motion sickness – but its worth a try since alcohol pads are cheap (get them at your local CVS, Rite Aid, etc) and easy to keep handy. Just make sure the child doesn’t try to eat or suck the pad.
Below are the 2 most important features to look for in your next car to reduce the chance of your child feeling sick:
Since a forward-facing child will feel best riding in the center seat, you’ll want to make sure to get a vehicle that has a center seat in the 2nd row. This mean’s you’ll want to avoid captain’s chairs in the 2nd row as you’ll lose out on the best seat in the house (2nd row center).
But… just because the vehicle has a center seat, doesn’t mean you’ll be able to put your motion-sick child there. Surprisingly, the center seat of many vehicles is too narrow to accommodate a forward-facing car seat – and many are too narrow to even accommodate the narrowest backless booster. In our family vehicle buying guide we’ll tell you whether a narrow backless booster fits in the center of the vehicle – if it doesn’t, you’ll want to pass on this vehicle as there won’t be any way for a forward-facing child to ride in the center seat. We’ll also tell you how wide the center seat is and whether the seat belt buckles are flexible or rigid – the wider the center seat, and the more flexible buckles there are, the greater your chance of fitting a forward-facing car seat or high back booster in the center. We’ll also tell you if there is a head restraint in the center seat – as if there isn’t, you can’t put a child in a backless booster or an older child/adult there as they are at risk for severe whiplash. If there is a head restraint, we’ll let you know if it is removable – as some head restraints protrude and interfere with the proper fit of forward-facing car seats and high back boosters, but you can get around this issue if the head restraint is removable.
The video above shows a Volkswagen Golf with Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go (for traffic jams).
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) is available on a growing number of newer cars (starting around 2014) and is one of the early steps towards autonomous driving. Just like regular cruise control, with ACC you set the speed you want to maintain. The difference is that with ACC you also set your following distance – basically telling the car how aggressive of a driver you want it to be. ACC not only maintains your set speed, but if traffic in front of you slows down ACC will slow your car down to maintain your desired following distance. Once the ACC detects that there is sufficient following distance, your car will accelerate to go back up your desired speed.
Those who get motion sick will be the first to tell you that some drivers make them feel much sicker than others – particularly due to how the driver accelerates and brakes. ACC is the most gentle driver of all – as the car can accelerate and brake much smoother than a human can. And a gentle ride is a ride where you are less likely to feel sick.
All car manufacturers’ ACC works a little differently. Many versions of ACC only work at set speeds above 25-35mph. This means that many will NOT work for driving around town. Many versions also shut off when the car goes below a certain speed – meaning that if you are on the highway and find yourself in stop and go traffic, the ACC won’t work. However, some versions have ACC with Stop and Go – which means that the ACC will continue to work even in the worst highway traffic jam where you are sometimes at a complete standstill.
Ever felt like losing your lunch in stop and go traffic – with all the constant lurching forward and back as the driver speeds up and slows down every few seconds? We can’t get you out of a traffic jam, but ACC with Stop and Go can decrease the lurching your body experiences in stop and go traffic because the car is a much smoother driver than a human. ACC with Stop and Go can be a godsend for those who get motion sick.
Make sure to keep the car on the cooler side. Don’t overdress your child as overheating will make your child more likely to feel sick.
When choosing your child’s car seat, try and avoid black as black will absorb heat and make the child hotter than lighter colors. Fabrics that feel like they will easily wipe down are also likely to make the child sweat more than some of the other car seat fabrics.
An evaporative cooling towel is an inexpensive and easy way of keeping a child cool. The Frogg Toggs Chilly Pad cooling towel costs about $10 and does a great job. Just wet the towel and it will feel cool for an hour or more. Even though the towel is wet, it won’t make the child or the car seat all wet.
Many vehicles have no vents for the back seat and as a result very poor airflow in back. A Noggle is a great solution. It uses dryer vent tubing (that they cover in fabric so it isn’t hideous) that connects to one of the air vents in the front seat and brings the cold air from the A/C directly to the child in back. You can either hang the Noggle from one of the handles on the roof of the car, or allow the child to hold it so they can better control the air blowing on them.
2-year-old rear-facing using Noggle to stay cool
Because cleaning vomit out of car seats – particularly the straps – is a parenting nightmare, we suggest having your prone-to-puking child wear a bib/smock OVER the straps to keep the car seat and themselves nice and clean should the grossness happen. AFTER your child is buckled snug, put the bib/smock on them… then if the gross stuff happens, the gross part only gets on the bib.
The Neat N’ Cozy (what we affectionately call a “puking poncho”) is made of soft terry cloth, cleans easily in the washing machine, and is comfortable for kids to wear even on long car trips. The Neat N’ Cozy snaps around the child’s neck and has a snap up pocket to help catch any vomit that might try to run down. Many families tell us how indispensable these have become in their travel with a motion sick child – letting them know that the child and car seat will stay clean even if the child vomits – as all they have to do is roll it up, unsnap it, and throw it in the washing machine.
The Bumkins Super-Sized SuperBib is under $10 and should do the trick nicely – and has a small pouch that may help catch some of the vomit that tries to run down.
Another full-coverage bib is the Bib-On. We’d suggest using it without the sleeves (they are detachable) to keep your child cooler in the car. 
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Accupressure bands worn on the wrist – like