We know travelling with children isn't always easy, but we've got heaps of travel advice to make your journey as enjoyable as your holiday. Need to know how to prevent motion sickness? What to pack for your holiday? Or maybe you're just looking for games and distractions to prevent the dreaded 'are we nearly there yet' Whatever you need, we've got it covered!
You can even download a free ebook containing the tips to peruse at your leisure.
P.S Trunki owners - don't forget to register your Trunki passport to access even more fun downloads.
Motion sickness occurs when your brain and your body get confused. Your brain thinks that you’re still because you’re inside a car, but your body senses balance through your inner ear and knows that you’re moving. This conflict produces a chemical which your body tries to reject, and this is what makes you feel ill.
Below are a few ways to help prevent motion sickness as well as some recommended travel sickness remedies.
As soon as your little one starts to feel queasy advise them to look outside the car and focus on the horizon.
Open a window to get some fresh air in, sometimes overpowering air fresheners, or that ‘new car smell’ can make sufferers feel even worse.
If your tot is prone to motion sickness they should avoid reading or hand held games, instead try entertaining them with audio books, or games – See our Travel Games or Fun section for some suggestions!
If your little one is still in a car seat make sure they are positioned so they can see outside.
When packing snacks for the journey avoid strong smelling or greasy hard to digest food. Stick to dry snacks, and water or squash over fizzy drinks or orange juice.
On longer journeys it could be worth avoiding the winding scenic route in favour of smoother straighter motorways.
Sit them in the front, they’ll have more window space and it sometimes means a smoother ride.
Advise sufferers to close their eyes, if you can’t see it removes the cause of the sickness, and they may even nod off.
If all else fails, most chemists sell highly effective little wrist bands that touch the magic pressure point on the inner wrist and stop motion sickness.
There are certain things that you can eat which may help to prevent motion sickness in the first place...
Ginger is widely recommended. Try ginger biscuits, ginger sweets, ginger beer, ginger tea or ginger tablets.
Fresh mint works wonders - getting your toddler to eat mint leaves is not an easy task so try hiding it in soups, salads or sandwiches. Alternatively try giving the kids peppermint sweets to suck!
If mint and ginger are not an option, try lemon flavoured boiled sweets instead.
