Motion sickness is frequent around here. It never fails, every time we leave the house with our children, at least one ends up miserably car sick and often vomiting.

After many years and many events like this in the van (that were less than fun), we’ve come up with a few solutions to make a trip in the van more manageable with children who are sensitive to motion sickness.

Grab the FREE Road Trip Planner and fun Scavenger Hunt PDF by filling out the form below!

How To Handle Motion Sickness With Children

Gut Health – In the days leading up to a road trip, give your children a high-quality probiotic to ensure their gut health is at its best! We use and love Tummy Tune-Up from Beeyoutiful. They have a children’s chewable option, too.

Peppermint/Spearmint Essential Oil – For older children, bring a bottle of it and have the sick child sniff it or put some in a car diffuser (my favorite option). It works as a car freshener, too! My favorite place to buy essential oils is Beeyoutiful. You can also get kid-safe essential oils for young children.

Singing – Believe it or not, getting the whole family singing together does wonders for keeping the sickies away. We have noticed a huge difference in how sick our kids get when we intentionally get them to sing some fun songs. Perhaps it has something to do with them not paying attention to the moving scenery outside of the window, but whatever the reason, we’ll take it! Try it next time and let me know if it works!

Fresh Air – If possible, keep the windows rolled down a few inches or open a back window a couple of inches to let in fresh air. Unless you are driving in congested traffic, the outside air can help yucky smells from contributing to motion sickness.

Top Tips For Any Road Trip

Be Prepared – Last, but not least, simply being prepared can go a long way in making car drives more enjoyable. I’ve compiled a list of items you should keep in your car for times when car sickness hits or other emergencies come up.

Gallon zipper bags to catch the vomit. Then seal and toss at the next garbage you find.
Baby wipes. Whether you still have babies or not, always keep a package of wet wipes in the van for wiping mouths, spills, etc.
Extra diapers. If you do have children in diapers, then be sure to have a few extra stashed in the van. When your potty-trained toddler needs to GO with no restroom in sight, you can use the diaper for them. Yes, it is weird but better than an accident!
Emergency Kit filled with medical supplies, flashlight with batteries, jumper cables, roadmap, a roll of paper towels, garbage bags, and whatever else you can think of that might help if you get stranded!
Snacks like protein bars and meat sticks!
Extra clothes – including undies. This is for when the vomit misses the bag or an accident happens!