Have a toddler struggling with car sickness? Here are 9 essentials you need to create the ultimate car sickness kit to combat their illness.
When my second child was 15 months old, we made a semi-long distance commute to the nearest major city for a much-needed doctor appointment for our little guy.
The trip to the city ran us about 55 minutes, mainly because we got lost.
Before this particular trip, our toddler wasn’t on the road very often at all.
Typically he stayed home with Daddy while I worked or ran any necessary errands.
Aside from an occasional 10-minute trip to his pediatrician and back, he didn’t spend time riding anywhere, so we were in for quite a surprise on the day of our unsuspecting hour-long trip.
As we began traveling through the tunnels that officially connect you to the city, I heard this random, unexpected SPLASH resounding from the back seat of the car.
Then immediately another splash, and another, and another.
I swiveled my head toward the back of the car and saw our 15-month-old toddler vomiting exorcist-style in his car seat.
The splashes continued for a total of 8 consecutive regurgitations from the depths of that tiny child’s belly.
He and his car seat were covered in now curdled milk.
I could NOT believe it. I would’ve NEVER guessed we’d have an issue with a car-sick child.
Of course, I thought it was just a fluke at this point.
Surely he had just consumed too much milk too close to the start of us hitting the road.
Until it happened again, and again, on shorter trips, with less milk consumption before leaving.
It became clear that the first time was no fluke.
I began to dread taking him out on any excursions if there wasn’t an absolutely essential need.
But I didn’t want to feel like bringing my sweet baby along was some dreadful burden.
Preparation for the unexpected was the key to tackling this unfortunate inconvenience.
So I put together a toddler car sickness kit to keep in my car and used it consistently every time we went out.
And shockingly, over time, he got over his toddler car sickness altogether.
Although, I’ve still yet to part with the kit, just in case.
We’ll see how the next year goes, and then maybe I’ll remove it.
Here’s everything I find helpful in combating toddler car sickness.
But first, let’s answer a couple of pressing questions you may have.
This post is all about toddler car sickness kit.
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Toddler Car Sickness Kit:
How Can I Stop My Toddler From Getting Car Sick?
To stop your toddler from getting car sick, make sure it’s been at least an hour since your baby has eaten or drank before hitting the road.
Try to refrain from giving any additional snacks or drinks to your child while on the road. If you do, you risk increasing the likelihood of vomiting.
Also, it’s best to keep trips to a minimum until your toddler grows out of getting car sick.
Errands for the week may need to be broken down into shorter trips throughout the week.
Doing so can reduce the potential misery and disaster imposed on you and your little one if you have an all-day excursion.
You could also try scheduling more online pickup orders so you can go straight to a pickup location and then immediately back home.
After consistently riding along for excursions and always taking Dramamine to ward off any nausea and vomiting spells, there will likely come a time when you can stop using anything at all to prevent sickness.
With my little one, occasionally, without giving him any Dramamine, I would make really quick trips to pick up my brother, who works down the street from us and drop him off at home.
Then I’d beeline it back to our house.
He wasn’t getting sick during those little bursts of travel.
Then, I made the mistake of feeding him before one of those trips without giving him Dramamine, and of course, he threw up.
But over time, he got better and better at handling trips with no Dramamine and no sickness until now, when he doesn’t get sick at all.
However, don’t abuse this. I made the mistake of stopping at Starbucks and treating myself to a latte and getting him a juice box so he’d feel included.
Ten minutes down the road, it was vomit city in the backseat.
Toddler Car Sickness Kit:
What Can A 2 Year Old Take For Motion Sickness?
Your 2-year-old can take Dramamine for kids which is a pediatrician-approved, over-the-counter medication that treats motion sickness and nausea.
They have it for both adults and children, so make sure you’re getting the appropriate version.
The children’s tablets, at least the ones I’ve found, are typically grape flavored and chewable, and I haven’t had any issue with my toddler willingly accepting them.
I’d give a dose to my toddler about 30 minutes before we left the house, then another when we got in the car to be safe.
If our trip took many hours more than expected for some crazy reason, I’d give him one more dose, not to exceed the three-tablet limit stated in the directions.
So with that, I found it most beneficial to keep a few packages in the house, a few more out in the car in my toddler car sickness kit, and a pack in the cup holder at all times for easy access.
Once we got back home, I’d give him Saltines and ginger ale to help ensure a settled and happy little tummy.
In addition, sometimes the car sickness leads to all-day nausea and a fever, so keep fever suppositories on hand and ginger ale to soothe an upset tummy.
I found that liquid fever reducer would just result in vomiting, so that’s why I used suppositories which worked much better.
I also diluted the ginger ale by mixing about a ¼ cup of water with ¾ cup of ginger ale in a sippy cup. That combination seemed to work well for my little one.
His drink wasn’t completely watered down or overly carbonated either.
Now, let’s get into just what you need to create a well-prepared toddler car sickness kit.
Toddler Car Sickness Kit:
What You Need In Your Toddler Car Sickness Kit
1. Dramamine
Dramamine for kids is a pediatrician-approved, over-the-counter medication that treats motion sickness and nausea.
They have it for both adults and children, so make sure you’re getting the appropriate version.
The children’s tablets, at least the ones I’ve found, are typically grape flavored and chewable, and I haven’t had any issue with my toddler willingly accepting them.
I’d give a dose to my toddler about 30 minutes before we left the house, then another when we got in the car to be safe.
If our trip took many hours more than expected for some crazy reason, I’d give him one more dose, not to exceed the three-tablet limit stated in the directions.
I found it most beneficial to keep a few packages in the house, a few more out in the car in my toddler car sickness kit, and a pack in the cup holder at all times for easy access.
2. Two or Three Backup Outfits
Seriously, one outfit is probably not enough. My little one would vomit profusely sometimes.
I had to skip food and drinks for at least an hour or more before we traveled, but sometimes things would still go awry.
That’s why it’s wise to have 2-3 outfits.
3. Two or Three Baby Smocks
To make for an easier clean-up, and protect your toddler’s outfit as well as possible, keep baby smocks in your kit.
Put one of them on your little one as soon as you strap them in their car seat.
Swap it out as needed if they have any car sickness mishaps.
When securing the velcro closure around the back of their necks, I recommend sliding the portions of the smock that will come together under their seat belt straps.
This helps keep the smock a bit more secure in case they get the bright idea to try to take their smock off.
4. Baby Wipes
Lots of baby wipes are an absolute must. I prefer unscented, fragrance-free 99% water wipes.
These sensitive Pampers wipes specifically are like damp cloths, and they’re great for wiping your baby’s mouth INSIDE and out.
They wipe very clean without leaving behind bits of the material like some other brands do.
5. Hand Towels
Stock your toddler car sickness kit with lots of cheap hand towels that you can conveniently discard or throw into a trash bag and wash at a later time.
To preserve my white towels, I like to rinse and soak them, spot clean them (I prefer scrubbing stains out with Clean Freak by Mr. Clean to scrub out stains), douse them a bit with bleach if necessary, then wash them.
After that, they’ll come out like new.
6. Trash Bags
Keep trash bags on hand to collect any dirty clothes and towels that’ll need washed and dirty wipes to throw out.
I think trash bags with a drawstring are most convenient for sealing up any messes.
7. Disinfectant wipes
After cleaning up the majority of any car sick messes with the towels, you’ll want to cleanly and sanitarily wipe away any remaining residue.
Disposable Clorox wipes work great for that.
8. Washcloths and Baby Soap
It’s a good idea to keep washcloths and baby soap in your kit so that, if you’re so lucky to be around a restroom, you can go to it and do a more thorough wipe down.
Of course, if one isn’t around, do your best with the baby wipes.
9. Febreze
Make sure you have some Febreze to help reduce the stink in the air until you can give the car and car seat a proper cleaning.
It also won’t hurt to spray again after the cleaning for a nice burst of freshness in the air.
Toddler Car Sickness Kit:
How To Store Your Toddler Car Sickness Kit
I have one of these trunk organizers inside my trunk and dedicate a couple of the compartments to holding my toddler car sickness kit.
I keep the outfits and smocks sealed in large Ziploc baggies and then keep them in a compartment of the organizer.
Originally, I tried using one of these bins, but it took up too much extra space that I could use for transporting groceries and other things.
Plus, if there was nothing to block it in place, it was super annoying to hear it rolling around the trunk.
And there you have it, mama!
Go ahead and arm yourself with these toddler car sickness essentials.
You’ll be sure to have far more pleasurable travels as you’re now prepared to combat this spontaneous ailment.
Best!
This post was all about toddler car sickness kit.
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