Ideas for sea sickness and kids

[LeibforthFamof6]

We will be traveling in April on the Conqest for our first cruise. We have four children 15, 13, 10 and 7...along with the two of us and grandma (wheelchair). My question is....if we want to keep the "sickness" down for the kids what types of meds can they take? I know that Bomine and Dramamine is recommended for adults, but what about the younger group can they take that as well? Also, I read about splitting the pill in half.....is that okay?

 

We just so want to enjoy this trip, but I am getting a bit nervous that we will all be in our cabins!!! :(

 

Thanks!!! Cathi

[familycruzer]

I went to a nature food store and asked the owners what would be best for my children because I did not want them using Bonine or Dramamine because of the side effects. They were very helpful and lead me to three items to use ....

 

ginger

sea bands

and

motion sickness pills that are totally natural with no side effects and work for all ages

 

We ended up going with the pills and used them one day. No side effects and they worked.

 

If you have a nature food store near you, I would suggest you go there and ask the experts.

[Deb in Cali]

Cathi,

 

When my son was 15 months old we discovered that he got car sick. This was not a good thing, because we were already scheduled to fly to Tahiti. I started imaging a 8+ hour flight with a vomiting toddler. (Not my idea of a good time).

 

When I talked to my ped. he agreed with me the the dramanine (sp) wasn't an option. He did inform me that benedryl worked real well. We have now been using the benedryl for 13 years to keep him from getting car sick. even tho he is able to take anything at this point. We still use the liquid since it is readily absorbed through the system. We give him around a quarter to less than half the required dose for his size/weight and no more car sickness. He does not fall asleep while we are on the trip.

 

Please ask your ped. about this before giving it to your children. It is an idea for you to check into since many people don't know about.

[LARGIN]

Bonine says age 12 and older. I would ask your doctor about the 7 and 10 year. He/She is best for this question, not us. BTW buy the generic Bonine. It is called Meclizine HCL. You can buy it at any drug store, Target, Walmart, Costco. Cheapest I found was Costco. $4.99 for 100 compared to $6.99 for 8 Bonine's.. Big savings and pills have 4 year shelf life.. Have a great cruise.

[ckrobyn]

We took our DD to the Pediatrician before our cruise for her annual check up and while there I asked about meds for possible seasickness in children? He said that kids rarely get seasick because they do not have established equilibriums like adults do, and therefore adapt to their environment much better than we do! My daughter was 100% fine the whole cruise and had no issues with seasickness. We brought along children's gravol just in case, but we never needed it. ;)

[LeibforthFamof6]

Thanks so much for the ideas.....I hope that one of them may work. Is it true that if you take the Bomine or Dramamine you need to take it well before you are sailing or it will not help. Or can you take it after if you are feeling sick?

 

Cathi :rolleyes:

[kg66]

We recently sailed the Disney Wonder, and I was also very nervous re: motion sickness with our girls 7 & 4. Like one of the other posts said, rough seas didn't seem to bother the kids, any of them. They were all running around and it didn't fizz them. We put sea bands on when we left Disney heading for Port Canaveral,(all 4 of us), and didn't take them off until we woke up the last morning. Did they help? We'll never know, but we had a great time, and nobody got sick. We were queasy the first night and the captain sent us to guest services for "sea calm". It worked quick and not drowsy. I don't know if you can buy it anywhere, but it was great. We also brought from home, gingersnap cookies and gingerale for our stateroom.

[noelbows]

Of my past 4 cruises, I got seasick once and only felt slightly queasy. It was an old ship (newer ones have the most awesome stabilizers) and the seas were rough. They were so rough, that the staff placed sea sickness bags along the railings in all the corridors for people to use. They placed one about every 15 feet on both sides. Some were missing so I know they were used. Since then, I have not felt even the slightest twinge. Both of our children (5 & 9 at the time) were absolutely fine as well.

 

All ships have something that you can use if you need to. Do check with the pediatrician on what to bring, but don't use it unless you need to.

 

You may be surprised at how little motion you feel. I still miss the days of the old ships with the constant rocking and rolling. It was fun to try to walk straight and to watch people weave all over the place as they walked. It made for easy conversation starters when someone bumped into you or a wall, etc.

 

Summary: plan for the what if's for the children, but don't use it unless you need to. Most people don't need the stuff and when they use it thinking they will, they often regret it due to the side effects.

 

Enjoy cruising!