Halloween And Carsick Kids

Halloween is just days away. Do you have a plan in place? Oh sure, you have the kids’ costumes, or at least an idea of who’s going to be what. Maybe you know where you’re taking the littles to trick-or-treat. But do you know how you’re going to keep them from getting sick on the night when children gorge themselves on candy? Is that particular plan in place? We have a few ideas: Walk to your designated trick-or-treat neighborhood. When little kids are in the backseat of a car, sweating in their costumes and full of sugar, even those who don’t normally get carsick are likely to get carsick. People ask us if kids can use Reliefbands to treat nausea, and this is what we say: Yes, if they are old enough to understand how to control the device and have big enough wrists to wear the device. Use of Reliefband for kids around 12 or older likely is most appropriate, but often children as young as 8 years of age also meet these criteria. In any case, however, we still suggest that you consult with your child’s pediatrician before using it on him/her. Make sure to keep Reliefband away from young children under 8 years of age. Limit the amount of candy each child can consume before bedtime. Once that agreement is reached, pluck the bags of candy out of the hands of the littles and hide the bags until the next day. Most parents feel that bags stuffed with candy are best hidden in the parents’ bedroom. This allows them to keep a stern eye on the goods. Insist that a healthy meal be eaten before any trick-or-treating is done. Fill up their tummies with solid, non-sugary food. Find a way to ditch at least half of the candy in each bag. If the kids start howling in despair, put it in a freezer bag and shove it way, way back in the freezer. The top shelf is always good. Tell the kids that after they finish what’s not in the freezer, then eat all of the December holiday candy sure to make an appearance, they can circle back around to frozen Halloween candy in the spring. There’s a 50-50 chance they’ll have forgotten about it by then. Good luck!

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Surviving Your Family Road Trip

Family road trips. Ah, yes. Three little words that elicit both nostalgia and . . . a sense of doom. Remember the kids singing and giggling during the day, and then later, the quiet murmurings of the adults in the front seat as wee ones drifted to sleep in the back? Precious days. Oh, and do you remember this? “Dad, I don’t feel so good,” followed by the sound of a wee one barfing all over the backseat and probably the back of a sibling. Doom need not be your traveling companion during family road trips. Whether you’re headed out on a meandering vacation, or going to grandma’s for the holidays, we have some tips on how to keep the nostalgia and ditch the doom. Fill a pack or a sack for each child with age-appropriate activities, stuffed critters, and snacks. It is theirs to carry and keep close. Place a small cooler on the floor behind the front seats and fill it with drinks. Tuck packages of wet wipes and paper towels around the vehicle’s interior. Encourage games that require kids to look out the windows. Reading or watching a screen may create a circumstance where the child’s inner ear feels the car’s motion, but his eyes do not see the motion, and that sets up a potential for carsickness. Direct cool air to flow toward the kids, either from open windows, or the vehicle’s ventilation system. This helps tamp down feelings of nausea. Wearing a Reliefband will help ward off symptoms of carsickness, once your child is old enough to know how to control a Reliefband, and his wrists are big enough to wear it. Your child’s pediatrician will be able to help you make that determination. Food eaten during the trip should be of a healthy variety, and not too spicy or greasy. And finally, naps are encouraged. Have fun! In the end, you’ll be glad you went.

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Kids And Carsickness. Ugh.

Little kids are prone to carsickness. Not all of them (thank goodness), but some, and it’s important to know the symptoms so that you can head off disaster. When your otherwise healthy child is riding in a car and is pale, beading up with a bit of sweat. complaining of nausea or simply cranky, yawning a lot, and of course most evident, vomiting, then chances are he or she is experiencing motion sickness. The problem is, small children aren’t tall enough to see the horizon while sitting in a moving car, so their eyes tell them they’re not moving, but their bodies know that they are doing so. That contradictory feeling trips the nausea trigger in them and they feel carsick (motion sickness). If you know your children are prone to carsickness, it may help to feed them some crackers and water or other nonsugary beverage before getting in the car. Getting something in their tummies helps with the nausea. Keep cool air blowing on the children’s faces, and don’t let them focus on books or electronic games. It’s better if they listen to music or a story rather than stare at fixed objects in the car. If symptoms persist, stop the car and let the kids walk about, get a drink of water, and have a light snack. There are medications to counter motion sickness in children, but always check with the child’s provider before administering anything. If you have any tips for other parents, please share in the comments!     Image courtesy of flickr/raissaviza

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