Kids and Motion Sickness

[Buzya]

On 9/24 my two daughters (5 and 3) will be taking their first cruise with my wife and I on the Carnival Miracle. Does anyone have advice on the possibility of motion sickness, despite the Miracle being a large ship it will be making the rough NY-Caribbean trip. Also does anyone have any remedies besides Drammy or patch/wristbands?

 

Thanks

[CabinForFour]

My kids have never needed the motion sickness meds on a cruise, although they MUST have it for long car trips of 30+ minutes. (DS has been on 5 cruises, DD on 2.) I always take along some meds on a cruise, but we've never had to use it. We use Children's Chewable Dramamine because it tastes decent, is scored for easy dividing, and has no side effect (at least none for my kids). I use Bonine for myself, but it's not approved for use in kids under 12. Non-drowy Dramamine is the same thing as Bonine. The regular Dramamine is okay for kids over 2, but it's quite bitter if your little ones can't swallow a pill yet.

 

Some people swear by ginger. My cousin tried ginger for herself and her DD (then 4). We hit rough seas, and they had to take some meds because the ginger wasn't working. I've never tried it myself.

 

I have tried the wrist bands when I on a cruise while pregnant with DS. They worked fairly well, but I had a really difficult time keeping them in the proper location on my wrist to be effective. I never tried them on my kids because I assumed we would never be able to keep them in the right place.

 

Hope you have a great cruise!

[Karysa]

Ginger Capsules worked great for me last December when we hit really rough seas and we were at the front of the ship. I am not sure but I think the capsules I took were too large for small children. A pharmacist may be able to help you with your question.

[jlfros1]

i bought my 5yr old childrens bonine,it said for 6 and up but the pharmasist said she would be fine taking it. But the day of the 14 ft waves she did not even need it,but I sure did.........lol

[Onessa]

Our DD has no problem on the ship (even in very rough seas) but has problems on the small boats (no matter what the conditions!) She uses candied ginger ('nibs' by the Ginger People or The Spice House). They have lots of sugar on them so she finds them quite palatable. She's never needed anything else.

[Terpnut]

While many parents will tell you how their kids did fine and didn't need the motion sickness remedies, please remember that if you or a child start to feel the nausea, it's already too late to take the remedy. You must take the Bonine/Meclizine or Dramamine/Dimenhydrinate at least an hour before it can take effect and help you. So if you think there is more than a small chance of motion sickness, then you are well advised to take precautions.

[rebeccalouise]

My son and I both felt queasy and I went to the gift shop on board and bought Chewable Bonine. We were both better in 10 minutes. The chewable are fine for little kids. I gave him 1/2 of one when he was 5. Neither of us needed it again on the trip.

[crusinmama06]

Get some children's formula bonine or dramamine just in case. My kids never had any problems before this last cruise...one night was a little rough.

 

And we DID take it after we started getting sick and it DID work. ;)

[Raider07]

Young kids do not get sea sick. They can get car sick, but not sea sick...strange isn't it.

[Terpnut]

Young kids do not get sea sick. They can get car sick, but not sea sick...strange isn't it.

Children, young and old, can and do get sea sick just like adults. In fact, in our experience, they are more likely than adults!

[emrmom]

Hi, We just got back from the NY-Caribbean run on the Miracle and the seas were a little rough the first two days out. Both my daughters, 15 and 7, got a bit queasy. I gave them each half of the chewable dramamine and it worked great. It didn't make them too sleepy and took care of things right away. I'm sure there was a bit of a placebo effect, but that works too, right?;)

They only took a couple of doses over the two rough days and they were totally fine. By the time of our return, even though it was choppier than the previous few days, they didn't need a thing.

 

Have fun!

Cindy

[crusinmama06]

Young kids do not get sea sick. They can get car sick, but not sea sick...strange isn't it.

 

Yes they can. Many of the young kids (7 and under) were complaining of their "belly hurting" one night on our last cruise. Even my 3 year old told me her belly felt weird.

[rebeccalouise]

I don't know where people get the idea that children are less apt to become seasick.

If your only experience with cruising is in the Caribbean- then you might not have a good perspective on seasickness.

 

Not only does my little guy get queasy- I got sick when I was a kid. Much worse than I do now. In fact, I always had to take Dramine and have seemed to outgrow this seasickness. My older sister used to get terribly airsick and has outgrown it.

 

I think it has something to do with the development of the ears and equilibrium.

 

Just bring the Bonine. Chances are that you won't have to use it but it is better to be prepared.

[lizi116]

Don't know if it works, but I heard a local radio station advertising a product called MotionEaze. It's a natural remedy and supposedly it works wonders. Check out the website - www.motioneaze.com. I'm planning on trying it, because its not a pill, its an oil (I think) and you dab it behind your ears and is supposed to provide instant relief. Anybody heard of it?

[gkrnjlr]

We are leaving for our cruise soon and it's the first time the kids will be sailing. My kids are ages 2 and 3. What is available for children that age? Dramamine didn't give dosing information for children....under 6, I believe it was.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks!

[anglinnatemom]

We are leaving for our cruise soon and it's the first time the kids will be sailing. My kids are ages 2 and 3. What is available for children that age? Dramamine didn't give dosing information for children....under 6, I believe it was.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks!

 

Just got back from the pediatrician for my DD's 3yr visit and she reccommended Benadryl for motion sickness if we need it (DS is 5). She said that only 1/2 dose should work, and not make them sleepy, and since we already bring it with us for allergies, we will hopefully be all set (not that I hope to use it)!

[gkrnjlr]

Is this the Elixir that I can get and take for them?

 

Thanks!

[anglinnatemom]

It is liquid, I always buy dye-free. Check with your kids' MD if it is ok, and get the dosage for them...it is based on weight not age. You can even ask if they have any samples, they come in little bottles that are easy to keep in your bag. We are leaving 7/1/07, hopefully we won't need it but I'll keep you posted!

[hyperplanner]

Thanks for the advise on the Benadryl, I bought the regular Bonine today only to have the pharmacist tell me half a dose for DS(5) was too much. I am glad I asked. But the Benadryl makes sense. He has never been on a cruise before, so I want to be prepared. Also leaving July 1, 2007 So excited!

[gkrnjlr]

Our doctor was out of the country on a mission trip.....I'll try calling tomorrow though. Hopefully he'll be back by now.

 

Thanks for the advice!

[Terpnut]

For those of you thinking about using diphenhydramine (aka Benadryl), please remember that, while it can be effective against motion sickness, it's active ingredient is also specifically marketed as a sleep aid. It is the EXACT same active ingredient in Nytol and Simply Sleep. So don't believe anyone that says that it won't make you drowsy because that's what it's specifically used by millions of people for!

 

Diphenhydramine (Benadryl), dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) and meclizine (Bonine) are all somewhat related antihistimines that each has drowsiness as a possible side effect. For us, we don't want to be drowsy so I avoid Benadryl except at night and prefer splitting up Bonine tablets for our kids. It seems to help.

[anglinnatemom]

For those of you thinking about using diphenhydramine (aka Benadryl), please remember that, while it can be effective against motion sickness, it's active ingredient is also specifically marketed as a sleep aid. It is the EXACT same active ingredient in Nytol and Simply Sleep. So don't believe anyone that says that it won't make you drowsy because that's what it's specifically used by millions of people for!

 

Diphenhydramine (Benadryl), dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) and meclizine (Bonine) are all somewhat related antihistimines that each has drowsiness as a possible side effect. For us, we don't want to be drowsy so I avoid Benadryl except at night and prefer splitting up Bonine tablets for our kids. It seems to help.

 

I agree that it will make you drowsy, as we have to give it to our children often for allergies we know the effects. I think that is why our pedi has told us to use it, we also know the dosage for our kids. We have never used Bonine, how easy are they to split?? I strongly suggest to anyone that is going to use Benadryl to check with their MD to see if it is ok to use for their children and to ask for the EXACT dosage for their weight. Hopefully none of us will need to give our children anything but ice cream and cookies on our trips!!!

[gkrnjlr]

I did call our Pediatrician today and they gave me the dosing for Dramamine for my 2 and 3 year olds. I asked about the Benadryl and she said that is also an option.....but she didn't say to give the half-dose instead. She did tell me 1tsp. for the 2 year old and 1.5 tsp for the 3 year old.

 

I agree though.....lets hope that the "medicine" they'll need will be ICE CREAM!

[Terpnut]

We have never used Bonine, how easy are they to split??

As it's a very small pill, it's not very easy to split. I was told to give each kid half a pill so I take it and grind it up with the back of a spoon. Then I take half the powder and mix it into either apple sauce or ice cream.

I agree though.....lets hope that the "medicine" they'll need will be ICE CREAM!

As you can see, for us, sometimes the ice cream IS our medicine!