Don't give children motion sickness medicine when they ride in a vehicle.
Spring is a good time to travel, and it's simply enjoyable for the whole family to go out and have fun on weekends, which can make people feel cheerful. When taking children along, parents are most afraid of their children getting carsick, so they give them motion sickness medicine according to experience. Experts from Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital and Beijing Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital warn that this is not advisable as it may affect the development of the child's nervous system.
Motion sickness mainly has to do with the child's balance system being overly sensitive. The bumpiness of a moving vehicle can easily lead to increased excitability of the vestibular organ, affecting nerve and digestive functions, causing irritability, nausea, vomiting, and other symptoms of motion sickness. Additionally, lack of sleep, gastrointestinal issues, headaches, colds, etc., can also easily cause motion sickness. Common motion sickness medicines, such as scopolamine, are antihistamines that induce a sleeping state after ingestion. Adults can alleviate discomfort by taking motion sickness medicine, but children may suffer negative effects on their nervous system development, so it's best not to take it.
Another thing to note is not to eat too much before taking children in a car. Experts from Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital and Beijing Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital remind that if the baby eats too many snacks, the food will expand in the stomach, making the child's blood circulation slow down, thereby affecting brain blood supply and oxygenation, which could be one of the reasons for the child's dizziness. Also, they shouldn't be fasting; it's best to eat two hours in advance, and the food should be light. During the ride, don't let the children eat gas-producing foods like peanuts or red dates. Instead, give them easily digestible foods like hawthorn slices, fruit juice, yogurt, etc. Carry tissues with you in case the baby vomits and needs wiping afterward; after vomiting, let him drink some beverages to remove the taste of vomit in his mouth. Parents can use a cotton swab dipped in a little Huoxiang Zhengqi Water and apply it to the child's navel, then stick a patch of pain-relief ointment, or attach a ginger slice to the navel. Ginger has a therapeutic effect no less effective than traditional anti-motion sickness drugs and won't produce side effects like drowsiness.
Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital and Beijing Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital suggest that there are many ways to prevent children from getting carsick, such as sitting in the front row of a bus, not smoking or using perfume in a private car, etc. When discovering the child is carsick, press the Hegu acupoint (located between the thumb and index finger at the tiger's mouth) forcefully to relieve the symptoms of motion sickness.
