Cruising with a motion sickness prone child?

[MommyMK]

My oldest gets motion sick, but not in the traditional sense, she has never thrown up or complained of belly pain, but instead complains of headache when she feels motion sick. She gets sick when we are driving on hilly/curvy roads and when we cruised two years ago she spent quite a bit of the cruise feeling miserable. She had the most trouble in the kid's club which was in the bow of the ship (Carnival) and in the restaurant which was in the stern. I didn't realize the Dramamine we had brought along at the time was a pill which she couldn't swallow, so instead I just gave her benadryl for a large portion of the cruise. She spent many hours lying in her bed watching cartoons.

We are about to book a 4 day cruise on the Dream for next fall and she is very excited about cruising on a Disney ship and obviously we don't want a repeat of what happened on our last cruise. For those of you who have kids prone to motion sickness, how do you handle cruising? I have since found children's Dramamine, but she has yet to take it, does it make kids very drowsy? Should we start giving it to her before the cruise and give it to her the entire time she is on the boat? Or just when she feels ill? Any other meds she could take? She'll be 10 and I'd guess around 75-80 lbs when we cruise. Any other remedies?
Thank you.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

I would suggest you (1) consult your medicial adviser and (2) Book a central room mid ship mid deck on the new ships that are fully stablized.

The bow of the ship isnt good and would cause that, and also older Canival ships are not as good as new DCL ships.

Try to get a verandah for freesh air it helps.

 

[LSUfan4444]

consult your medicial adviser

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I would definitely talk to your pediatrician. That will be your best source of info. A few years ago when I checked there wasn't a patch on the market for kids but you know how medical things evolve rapidly. Talk to the doctor about maybe cutting a patch in half.

I concur with @DISNEY FANTASY, a mid-ship mid-deck verandah is the way to go for a stateroom. I'd recommend the same.

 

[MommyMK]

Yep mid ship balcony stateroom is what we are booking and of course I plan to talk to her pediatrician, just wondering what experiences others have had along with any OTC products - seabands, essential oils, etc.

Since she doesn't get nauseous or vomit I am wondering if Dramamine will do anything for her at all.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Yep mid ship balcony stateroom is what we are booking and of course I plan to talk to her pediatrician, just wondering what experiences others have had along with any OTC products - seabands, essential oils, etc.

Since she doesn't get nauseous or vomit I am wondering if Dramamine will do anything for her at all.

Again that is the best advice, in particular with children seek medical advice.

 

[TutuWahineLV]

You might also try 'sea-bands'. you would be able to try them out before hand on your drives. They work well for me, and are a great non medicating option.
jmho.

 

[tinkmom2]

My daughter gets motion sickness when we drive and on the ship. Kid's Bonine works for her. The key is to start medicating before the trip and a few days after to prevent "sea legs." We didn't have any incidences this trip. Usually she gets a bad headache and throws up. I had to confer with my doc for the dosage. I used sea bands for morning sickness and they worked pretty well for me.

 

[Gilland18]

Our grandkids pediatrician recommended ginger as a non-medical remedy. Gingersnap cookies made with real ginger is what he suggested. I have also read that green apples help.

 

[BlondieinFL]

My daughter gets seasick, typically with the headache. Last cruise, we had ginger gum for her, and that actually helped her a lot. I gave her Bonine (or Dramamine - can't remember which one), but we didn't start it until she felt sick, so it didn't really work. We were just at the pediatrician recently and I asked about it, and asked about the patch. The ped felt that the patch had undesirable side effects, and recommended that we stick with the Bonine/Dramamine, and just start it at least an hour before the cruise sails. She also mentioned that the problem is often when the ship starts sailing and the affected person can see the stationary land. We realized that actually sounded correct, as my daughter tended to complain most at the beginning of pulling out of a port, when we'd be looking out a window, or on deck, or something where she could see the land while feeling the movement. Once at sea, it wasn't that bad, if at all.

 

[antlawn]

The medications need to be started before you set sail and continued through out the cruise. Waiting until they are sick, is too late.

 

[MonoMan]

We have problems with car sickness and ginger works wonders. We also have consulted the pediatrician who gave us a prescription medication which they recommended over the OTC options.

 

[SwimMom2]

Motion sickness is very individual-specific. My oldest son and I both have this tendency. Medications have never worked for us. I second the ginger, and also recommend that you ensure she begins the trip with a full stomach and eats regularly. It is easy to overlook this when one isn't feeling well.

I also second the pediatrician.

 

[missyp]

I swear by sea bands. I wear them 24/7 while onboard ( except for showering) . I get severe motion sickness and they work great for me. No side effects.

 

[CrawfordMomof2]

I agree with all of the other posters about consulting a pediatrician. Dramamine now comes in a chewable ( which really doesn't taste bad ) and they also have a children's version now. My advice with talking to the MD, is try out whichever option you decide to go with a few days before the cruise. The Scopolamine patch is GREAT, but is only currently approved for ages 12 and up. But I work in a pharmacy, and I have seen it prescribed to 10 and 11 year olds, so it wouldn't hurt to ask your pediatrician. GOOD LUCK!

 

[disneycrazy2004]

My daughter get motion sickness the same way - headaches and sometimes upset stomach. We have done 6 cruises and each one seems to get better for her. On our last cruise she did not use anything for motion sickness. We found the sea bands and the ginger gravol to be most helpful. Also, lost of fresh air and if the ship rocks, she would have very light meals. Good Luck

 

[Bella29]

I would also recommend consulting your pediatrician and also consider the many other types of vacations that would be easier for a child prone to motion-sickness.

 

[BlondieinFL]

My daughter gets seasick, typically with the headache. Last cruise, we had ginger gum for her, and that actually helped her a lot. I gave her Bonine (or Dramamine - can't remember which one), but we didn't start it until she felt sick, so it didn't really work. We were just at the pediatrician recently and I asked about it, and asked about the patch. The ped felt that the patch had undesirable side effects, and recommended that we stick with the Bonine/Dramamine, and just start it at least an hour before the cruise sails. She also mentioned that the problem is often when the ship starts sailing and the affected person can see the stationary land. We realized that actually sounded correct, as my daughter tended to complain most at the beginning of pulling out of a port, when we'd be looking out a window, or on deck, or something where she could see the land while feeling the movement. Once at sea, it wasn't that bad, if at all.

 

[BlondieinFL]

I forgot to mention the point - the ped's point was for my daughter to avoid looking out as the ship was beginning to sail - when land would be visible, as that is often the cause of the problem. Seeing the land while moving messes something up with the inner ear, or something.

 

[Amazonparrot]

My guess is that on the Dream, unless there is a storm, the motion shouldn't be a problem. We are just off the Fantasy and were prepared with Bonine, but didn't need it. It may go better than you expect.
Happy Cruising!