kids and seasickness...

[MamaParrotHead]

For those who have cruise with kiddos...I guess it didn't occur to me to plan for this, LOL. Good thing I was reading some other posts that broached the possibility. LOL

 

Please tell me how many kids you have, what their ages were when you started cruising, if they got seasick at all and what you used to help.

 

Thanks!

[lowestar]

Hi,

 

My kids went on their first cruise when they were 6 and 3 (just turned). They had no seasickness at all.

 

I get seasick, so I take Bromamine (sp? the name is slightly different in Canada).

 

They are going on their second cruise in less than two weeks (YIPPEE!), and will be 8 and 5 (just turned). I am taking Gravol chewables for them just in case. I don't anticipate them getting seasick since they were fine the first time, but since I know how lousy it makes me feel, I want to be prepared!!

 

Tara

[Cruisin' Chick]

My girl hasn't gotten seasick in six cruises, including our Hawaiian one, which involved rough seas. She must take after her dad.;)

[Desertbelle]

We cruised last year with 4 grandchildren, 5, 4, 3 and 3 months....no sea sickness of any kind.

 

My daughter's pediatrician said that it's unlikely that very small children get motion sickness since they are being held, rocked, swung around and what not.....but if they did, a child's dose of benadryl was his recommendation.

[SadieQ]

My son, who was/is (I think he's about outgrown it) prone to motion sickness anyway, got very queasy one night on our first cruise when we had some rough seas. We gave him Dramamine and we had also brought sea bands. He ended up wearing those for most of the rest of the cruise, just in case.

[mjmalino]

On our first cruise this past June with my 2 DS ages 9 and 8 my 8YO did get a bit green on our first sea day due to some moderate seas. I gave him a child dose of regular Dramamine--it helped, but made him very sleepy. For our upcoming cruise this summer, I bought Children's Bonin, just in case, as I heard that it doesn't have the same effects.

[superdooooo]

Between my two kids (9 & 12yo) the young one is very prone to motion sickness, as am I -- and the other has no problem. I buy Meclizine - which is the active ingredient in Bonine - but soooo much cheaper. You can buy it over the counter, but it's usually not on display and you have to ask the pharmacist for it. On the bottle, it says not recommend on kids younger than 12, but when I asked the pharmacist about that, she said it would be ok to give the children 1/2 a pill without any problems. For my family, it works like a charm.

[Suzanne74]

Rarely do kids get motion sickness. My advice to you is don't even bring it up or tell them you can get it or have - this sometimes gets kids saying they are sick too when they might not be. We have very rough seas one night and even I was a little light headed but that kids club - every child ran around without a care in the world!

 

If they complain of nausea or dizziness, give them a children's Bonine but I still wouldn't tell them what it is for - just say it will help settle their stomch. The last thing you need is a child scared of the seas! :)

[Onessa]

DD has only ever had problems on small boats (excursion boats and/or tenders). We just use candied ginger -- a bit while waiting in line and some while on board and she's fine.

[MomtoCCC]

I came looking on this board to ask this very question. We are thinking of taking 4yo dd on cruise this Fall. She doesn't get car sick at all so she will probably be fine. However, do they have Children's Bonine OTC? I don't think I've ever seen it? I take Bonine for myself the first day or 2 and then I'm fine for the rest of the trip.

 

Thanks.

[georgiacruizer]

Yes, they do make a children's Bonine. The main ingredient is cyclizine. I'm not really sure how it differs from meclizine.

 

We cruised when my DD's were 4 and 7. My 7 yo, who is prone to car sickness, complained of headaches and some mild nausea on the cruise but my 4yo was just fine. I'm going to try some children's Bonine on our next car trip and see how she does.

 

Having a completely empty stomach can also make seasickness symptoms worse. But it's never hard to find a good snack on a cruise ship :D .

[allesonwonderland]

We're heading on our first family cruise in March and I think I will have a whole arsenal of drugs. LOL I, too, have read that kids do better than adults when it comes to feeling seasick, but DS has gotten carsick before, so I want to be prepared. I've read lots of good things about ginger, so I might try to pick some of that up. The ones I saw at Walmart were ginormous though, so I'll have to find something smaller for the kiddies. They also had the children's bonine. (DH and I used the adult version for our first cruise and had no problems--quit after a day or 2) Like a previous poster said, it's a different drug, so I'm unsure of the differences. I did see that it's not a 24 hour version like the adult kind. The Pediatricians office recommended Dramamine...I'll need to read more posts to see if that drugs the kids up too much--we don't want that. Finally, in that same area I saw something called Motion Eaze, it was something you rub behind your ears when you start feeling queasy...looked kind of interesting. Oh, and I have a pair of seabands just in case as well. :D See, I'll need an extra bag for all the meds! LOL Whatever I decided to give them, I thought I'd try to pass it off as 'we're taking cruise vitamins' so I don't even put the thought of getting sick in their heads.

 

Looking forward to reading other's input!

[MamaParrotHead]

thanks for all the replies!

[lovemylife]

Our kids were 6 and 9 on their first cruise, we couldn't find children's bonine where we lived, so we gave them 1/2 adult pill the first day. THEY were fine, never took another one, I used it the whole cruise!!

 

Dramamine makes my kids sleepy and crabby, not good for cruising.

PS we have allergies at our house, benadryl is only good at night, it will definitely make them sleepy.

[Desertbelle]

No one in the world could have had more problems with car sickness than me. As a child I would throw up on most car trips and my only defense was to sleep....so I missed almost all the scenery when we drove anywhere. My parents wouldn't allow me to sit in the front seat, where the problem was remarkably better....the front seat was for adults only. :(

 

To this day I can't be in the back seat of a car, I can't read in a car, and I still tend to fall asleep while riding as a passenger, even in the front seat. I also have had problems with being on a small deep sea fishing boat.

 

But, on cruise ships, even in the worst of weather and very high waves, I am good. If I do get a little sea sick, it usually makes me very tired and I sleep a lot. If I noticed that I am sleeping more than normal I will take a Bonine or wear my sea bands. Never have I thrown up on a cruise or been unable to eat or drink or watch a show or anything, because of being motion sick.

 

Just because your child has car sickness or problems with a small boat, don't assume that being on a ship will cause them a problem. And, honestly, I can't imagine drugging my child even before he has any symtoms!

 

I would agree with the poster who said not to even talk about being sea sick to the children. Assume they will be OK and if that isn't the case then deal with it. :)

[crusinmama06]

I have 2 kids (ages 3 and 7)...they have been on 5 cruises and only on one night of one of those cruises (during rough seas) did my oldest say her belly "felt funny"

 

I take children's bonine on the ships with us. But we only had to use it that one night.

[crusinmama06]

I have 2 kids (ages 3 and 7)...they have been on 5 cruises and only on one night of one of those cruises (during rough seas) did my oldest say her belly "felt funny"

 

I take children's bonine on the ships with us. But we only had to use it that one night.

[crusinmama06]

I have 2 kids (ages 3 and 7)...they have been on 5 cruises and only on one night of one of those cruises (during rough seas) did my oldest say her belly "felt funny"

 

I take children's bonine on the ships with us. But we only had to use it that one night.

[crusinmama06]

I have 2 kids (ages 3 and 7)...they have been on 5 cruises and only on one night of one of those cruises (during rough seas) did my oldest say her belly "felt funny"

 

I take children's bonine on the ships with us. But we only had to use it that one night.

[Onessa]

. . . I've read lots of good things about ginger, so I might try to pick some of that up. The ones I saw at Walmart were ginormous though, so I'll have to find something smaller for the kiddies.

 

I've had mixed results with the ginger "pills" -- like many alternative remedies I fear the amound of actual powered ginger they may contain vary greatly (no oversight, so there are always those mfgs out there ready to rip you off!). The strips or cubes of candied ginger used in baking is what we've taken to using. My DD likes the taste (hey the are coated in sugar, what's not to like!) -- dosing can be a little problematic (they tend to be odd shapes), but there really is not any side effects or overdose issues. With my DD, I think the process of concentrating on nibbling the ginger also helps the situation by taking her mind off of the seas.

 

PS if you have leftovers, minced candied ginger is terrific mixed in with apple muffin batter! and I have a recipe from an old Gormet magazine for pork medallions in a gingered pear sauce that is also terrific! Hmm, might be lunch time!

[crusinmama06]

Geesh I guess my point was REALLY important that CC posted it FOUR times. lol :D

 

I knew the board was acting funny this morning. I swear I didn't post it 4 times. ;)

 

Sorry...lol

[Suzanne74]

Crusinmama06, can you go over that one more time for me??? :D

 

The boards are crazy today!

[citcatt1]

My son gets car sick even on short trips, but since I found seabands he's cured. He's been on four cruises and has never been seasick.:D

[lovemylife]

And, honestly, I can't imagine drugging my child even before he has any symtoms!

 

I would agree with the poster who said not to even talk about being sea sick to the children. Assume they will be OK and if that isn't the case then deal with it. :)

 

I suffer from pretty significant motion sickness. If I "wait" until the symptoms show up, it can ruin a whole day. I start my meds before I get on the ship, and stop them after I'm off.

This was the reason I gave my kids medicine on the first day of their first cruise. Both of my kids have suffered (yes, suffered!) from motion sickness triggered by varying events. They didn't need it on the cruise, which was terrific, but if they had, a head start on the medication would not have been such a bad thing. I don't think one dose of bonine will affect their future health. :rolleyes:

[Desertbelle]

This is what confuses me. If you give your child sea sickness medicine before the cruise and the next day he's feeling fine, how do you know if the medicine is working, therefore you keeping giving it to him, OR, that the medicine isn't needed so you stop giving it to him??:confused: