Dramamine for Kids? Can they have all day/every day??

[moopdog]

My kids MAY have a motion sickness problem ( I DO!) and if it turns out they need the kiddie dramamine for the rides... is it safe and a good idea to make sure it's in their systems all day for the rides? It seems like it would be kind of "too much" for them to have it each day. For me... it's necessary, and I couldn't imagine NOT having it, so I wouldn't want them feeling sick from NOT having it either. I'm not a big one for medicine for the kids, so I just feel a little funny about it? Anyone else had to figure this one out yet?

 

[tjmw2727]

My girls get carsick and airsick and have never had a problem at WDW on any attraction.

We use about 1/2 to maybe 1 dramamine for an airplaine trip or long car ride and that is all they need. We have been doing this since they were about 3 and 5 and have not needed to up the dose as they have grown.

I would not use anything and see how they do. The only "iffy" ride will be mission space but the statistics show its the adults that tend to be affected not the kids.

Have fun
TJ

 

[Carol Ann]

I'd be hesitant to use that much dramamine for a vacation...let them try therides without the meds, and odds are they will be ok. If they aren't I think I would err on the side of not medicating them for the purpose of RIDES - go on the rides that are less likely to cause motion sickness. All medications have side effects, I would hate for your children to have a negative reaction to a medication over a ride.

DONT GET ME WRONG, I am not one of those no medication for anything kind of people -- in fact I work in the health care field. I just don't believe in giving people medication that they don't absolutely need.

 

[Mom to Jordan]

I have one of those kids that could not even ride dumbo without medication. He loves the rides so we medicate. It is always a BIG issue as dramamine makes him and most people SO sleepy. The less drowsy dramamine is not approved for children under 12 years of age. Our dr said no but at the age of 9 or 10 we went ahead and tried a low dose and it was better but not much. If your children have not gotten sick before I would not consider giving them anything unles you see that you need it. Many kids are fine as long as you avoid too many sweets, and an empty or too full of tummy. We also know DS's limit. Even with medication, twice on any ride is the limit! The third always make him feel sick. We have also tried the arm bracelets and they seem to help a little. If you child is older and you choose to do the less drowsy 24 hour stuff, give it a night and sleeping off the first hours seems to help too.

Jordan' mom

 

[ptslp]

I am one of those people who definately gets motion sick! So far my kids are okay- do your kids get sick on car rides, planes, etc? They may be fine on the rides. I would probably not give the dramamine if you can't give the non-drowsy kind because it would ruin their day- the dramamine will knock them out. All the rides that may cause motion sickness are well marked! I would try a ride and see how they do. If they are old enough for the non-drowsy dramamine, then you could try it. I took that one on a cruise- one pill every 12 hours so I was always medicated so I didn't get sick, but of course I am an adult. Check with your doctor and see what he thinks!

 

[DebIreland]

... sometimes low blood sugar contributes to nausea so a light snack before a ride will help but no dairy as that will churn in their tummies, eeew! lol Also ginger is very good for preventing nausea but not raw ginger, that would be harsh on the tummy. I'd suggest combining both options and have a packet of plain ginger biscuits on hand... even half a one or less before each ride could help a lot. Or else get a ginger 'supplement' from a health food store, making sure it's recommended for kids and there are no additives in it, and give them one or two a day and then give him a piece of muffin, plain biscuit, cracker or meusli bar before a ride. Even cold toast (but no butter). Try these things for yourself too of course. I hope this helps. I suffer from motion sickness too and, as a result, I will be dreading a lot of the rides in WDW but the ginger and avoidance of low blood sugar really does help. See how they get on on the first few rides, who knows, they might not need anything. Good luck!

 

[NotUrsula]

You could also try putting Sea Bands on them. Doesn't work for everyone, but if it does, you won't be dealing with kids who are sleeping their way through WDW.

 

[EagleHasLanded]

We always use Bonine, which is a motion sickness pill that lasts for 24 hrs. but does not make you drowsy like Dramamine. You can get it at Wal-Mart, Walgreens, CVS, but not Target. It works great for airplane flights, roller coasters, cruise ships, you name it. We use it all the time. Just make sure you take it the same time every day (like right after breakfast, etc.) so there is no lapse. It's safe and we like it a lot better than Dramamine. And it tastes like baby aspirin, is a very small pill, and the kids have an easy time as it's chewable.

It's in an 8-pack right next to the Dramamine.

Hope this helps.

 

[Mom to Jordan]

BUT....Bronine has a warning on it not to use in children under 12 years of age. Just checked ours to make sure. It is almost the same as dramamine ll. We do like it and as DS is now 12 it is a better soloution. We could not get our Dr. to ok it or the patch either even when DS was 11 but we did talk with a pedicatic nurse and some one from the drug store and decided to give it or the dramamine ll a little before that age.

Jordan's mom

 

[jenr812]

Subbing for reference - DH gets motion sickness bigtime and we're worried about the kids. Thanks for the info

 

[kcromley]

my dds both had serious motion sickness (as in, within 5 minutes of getting in a car. It made grocery shopping a challenge). I've tried everything, including prescription syringes you can get from your pediatrician. The chewable dramimine works pretty well, but can cause drowsiness. Sometimes you may wish to layer that with an over-the-counter ginger extract called little tummies, which provides prompt but very temporary relief. the syringes, available with a prescription, were some type of antihistamine, containing a gel of which very little (a millileter or two) was rubbed into the child's wrist. relief is immediate, however. we are planning on taking lots of chewable dramamine on our cruise-we found it a cvs recently. my doctor thought it was fine as long as it wasn't for months on end. good luck.