Sea Sickness in Babies (?)

[danyelle]

Anyone have experience with this? Were you able to use the standard fixes that an adult would use?

 

I read somewhere (here I think) that seasickness doesn't impact babies who don't walk because of....something with their sense of balance (?) I forget.

 

My son will be 11.5 months when we travel, He's 9 months now and already walking a little bit so I figure he'll be walking a bunch more by then... though mostly in arms or in a stroller

 

The ship is the Grandeur so it's a bit small and reviews have said people feel the motion of the ocean.

 

Any experience here w/ babies and seasickness?

 

What do you think

[Mrsdigi]

Anyone have experience with this? Were you able to use the standard fixes that an adult would use?

 

I read somewhere (here I think) that seasickness doesn't impact babies who don't walk because of....something with their sense of balance (?) I forget.

 

My son will be 11.5 months when we travel, He's 9 months now and already walking a little bit so I figure he'll be walking a bunch more by then... though mostly in arms or in a stroller

 

The ship is the Grandeur so it's a bit small and reviews have said people feel the motion of the ocean.

 

Any experience here w/ babies and seasickness?

 

What do you think

 

We are cruising in July with our son who will be one. At this age, I don't think there is anything we can give them for seasickness other than benedryl, which would make them sleepy. We have a 9 month appointment in 2 weeks and that is one question I plan on asking.

 

Is your baby good in the car? If so I doubt your little one would be sick on the ship, either. ;)

[danyelle]

We are cruising in July with our son who will be one. At this age, I don't think there is anything we can give them for seasickness other than benedryl, which would make them sleepy. We have a 9 month appointment in 2 weeks and that is one question I plan on asking.

 

Is your baby good in the car? If so I doubt your little one would be sick on the ship, either. ;)

 

Oh our lil guys are the same age!

 

Yeah, in the car he zonks out. I sure hope he doesn't sleep the whole week of cruising! :)

 

Plz let me know what your doc says.

[Onessa]

Sea sickness and motion sickness is unusual in infants but not impossible. DD got very uncomfortable as an infant on winding roads and small boats, but never got sea sick on a cruise ship. So how your child "handles" things may vary. With modern ships and technology, the sensations on a ship will be considerably different.

 

OTC remedies are not recommended for very young children. Ginger is a natural remedy but i cannot think of a form of it that a very young child may like. . . perhaps just natural candied ginger?

[nyer]

When my granddaughter took her first cruise we bought liquid ginger. I found it in a health food store. Her pediatrician said that she could take it right off the spoon (yucky taste), she could mix with applesauce, or even drop it in some water. My daughter never had to give it to her though since she was fine for the whole cruise.

I would check with your pediatrician to be sure your baby is not too young to take ginger.

[danyelle]

Ginger!! Why didn't I think of that? That's my family's go to remedy for any tummy troubles. (ginger and mint)

 

I'll check with the ped. I hope he handles everything well. Thanks you all!

[Mack2]

Sea sickness and motion sickness is unusual in infants but not impossible. DD got very uncomfortable as an infant on winding roads and small boats, but never got sea sick on a cruise ship. So how your child "handles" things may vary. With modern ships and technology, the sensations on a ship will be considerably different.

 

OTC remedies are not recommended for very young children. Ginger is a natural remedy but i cannot think of a form of it that a very young child may like. . . perhaps just natural candied ginger?

 

A LOT of OTC remedies for motion sickness are not indicated for children under the age of two. Everything that will be commercially available specifically for motion sickness will state that it is not to be used for children that age.

 

The best thing to do is ask the pediatrician. The only remedy that can be used, which is surprising to most people, is Benadryl.

http://www.drugs.com/benadryl.html

Benadryl is also used to suppress coughs, to treat motion sickness, to induce sleep, and to treat mild forms of Parkinson's disease.

 

The dose of Benadryl has to be determined by the pediatrician for kids under the age of two. It's determined on a milligram per kilogram basis.

 

 

Still, for a cruise on a kid who just started walking a few months ago? I don't think the inner ear is developed enough for the motion of the ship to cause sickness. Unless you're in the middle of a hurricane whilst crossing the Atlantic, you'll find the motion of the ship will barely affect the baby.

 

We took my younger son on a cruise when he was two. It was the Explorer of the Seas. We were a little worried, took the Dramamine with us (he was two, after all), because even to this day he gets motion sickness on amusement park rides. He's 11 now. Eleven, and still can't handle a carousel. :confused:

 

Yet, my younger son is eleven and has been on eight cruises without too many issues with sea sickness. We all got a little sick once, aboard the Carnival Legend... we passed through the tail end of a hurricane after leaving Belize... in November.

[dsrdsrdsr]

Babies are very used to motion. Does he get sick in his pram? Does he get sick when you carry him round? The rolling of the sea, if there is any, is smoother than either of those things. It's more like a rocking cradle. (Most adults aren't seasick lying down, either.)

 

My sister's problem was on a North Sea ferry, when she, her husband, and the 5 year old were all lying groaning in bed, while 2 year old wanted to play. It's true, babies don't as a rule get seasick.

[carygirl]

We got a a little seasick on a rocky cruise out of Charleston. Our 10 month old son, happy as a clam. Remember, babies like being rocked to sleep after all. He actually seemed to enjoy the rocking. He also zonks out in the car, but had no issues keeping his regular sleeping schedule on the ship.

 

I agree with the previous poster. If your son doesn't have issues with the pram, the car, or being rocked I wouldn't worry too much about him getting motion sickness on the ship. You can always travel to less rocky parts of the ship if you think there's an issue.

 

It's only natural to worry when taking a little one on a cruise. But take a deep breath he'll be okay :-)

[SecretSK]

The sea was VERY rough coming down the Atlantic coast on the Enchantment. It was pretty obvious on the first day at sea that my 17 month old daughter was having trouble with getting used to the rocking of the boat. We took her to the Windjammer for breakfast and it was clear she was not feeling well.

 

We just waited her out. She eventually, luckily, got the hang of it, but definitely didn't eat as heartily as she normally would.

[MAJPLO]

Our daughter has gotten motion sickness ever since I can remember. I wouldn't believe anything I heard or read that says babies don't get motion sickness. We didn't know it was motion sickness when it first started happening, but once we realized what it was we knew she'd been that way pretty much all her life.

 

Despite the motion sickness primarily in the car on long or windy trips, she seemed to have no trouble on a cruise when she was two and a half. I took along an arsenal of natural remedies from mint gum, gingerale, ginger candies, candied ginger, ginger snap cookies, homeopathic motion sickness remedies, ginger gum, mint candies, a chewable and liquid version of a product called Nauzene, and probably more. She didn't need any of it.

 

Now we try to use Benadryl if we need to use anything. Although I hate to give it to her, it is the most consistent and reliable way to avoid her getting sick. The pediatrician has told me I can give her quite a bit more than I would have thought. Instead of his recommended dose, she only gets a half a teaspoon (she's four and a half and about 38lbs) and it rarely makes her drowsy.

 

Good luck! Hopefully you won't need it!

[Mack2]

Now we try to use Benadryl if we need to use anything. Although I hate to give it to her, it is the most consistent and reliable way to avoid her getting sick. The pediatrician has told me I can give her quite a bit more than I would have thought. Instead of his recommended dose, she only gets a half a teaspoon (she's four and a half and about 38lbs) and it rarely makes her drowsy.

 

Good luck! Hopefully you won't need it!

 

At the age of 4 and a half, 38lbs, you should be able to use the Dramamine Original or Dramamine Kids... (Stay away from the Dramamine Less Drowsy - its not recommended for kids under 12)

 

It's chemically related to Benadryl (Dimenhydrinate vrs Diphenhydramine) but may perform a teeny bit better if the motion sickness is bad.

 

Thankfully, she doesn't get sick on cruises... just like my kid who gets nausea on merry-go-rounds... Cruises are A-OK!

[danyelle]

Babies are very used to motion. Does he get sick in his pram? Does he get sick when you carry him round? The rolling of the sea, if there is any, is smoother than either of those things. It's more like a rocking cradle. (Most adults aren't seasick lying down, either.)

 

My sister's problem was on a North Sea ferry, when she, her husband, and the 5 year old were all lying groaning in bed, while 2 year old wanted to play. It's true, babies don't as a rule get seasick.

 

We got a a little seasick on a rocky cruise out of Charleston. Our 10 month old son, happy as a clam. Remember, babies like being rocked to sleep after all. He actually seemed to enjoy the rocking. He also zonks out in the car, but had no issues keeping his regular sleeping schedule on the ship.

 

I agree with the previous poster. If your son doesn't have issues with the pram, the car, or being rocked I wouldn't worry too much about him getting motion sickness on the ship. You can always travel to less rocky parts of the ship if you think there's an issue.

 

It's only natural to worry when taking a little one on a cruise. But take a deep breath he'll be okay :-)

 

 

Great.

He does well in his stroller, and is great in the car and being held/rocked.