SHE SAYS...

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31771, 30 August 1968, Page 9

SHE SAYS...

Travelling by car with, children on long trips poses a problem for some parents, especially if the children are prone to travel sickness. With careful organising and a cheerful frame of mind the problem can be overcome. Car sickness does not bother me unless I am sitting in the back seat over a wheelarch, getting more vibration, and have my head down reading a map or a book. Too much heat does not help. The cure has been to open a window, sit up straighter, and keep my head up.

Car sickness can have several causes—stuffiness and overheating, poor suspension giving floating sensations, or soft tyres giving a wallowy ride. Another cause which children have to contend with most frequently is poor visibility because they are sitting too low. The remedy is to raise them with a cushion. Children usually enjoy car rides as there is plenty to

see and talk about. If their view is limited to the tops of buildings and the skyline, they are quickly bored. The view may also have the same effect as a lurching sea-scape seen through a port-hole sometimes has on adults! Rather than have children clambering over seats or standing on a seat use a carseat or raise the existing seating. Some parents travel only at night when the children will sleep. Excitement and curiosity will usually stop them sleeping in daylight

Ensure that the children are kept occupied with “spotting” or “I spy” games rather than reading or looking at pictures. This calla for greater effort by parents and nothing makes a trip worse than to be feeling off-colour yourself. Postpone the journey rather than finish with everyone feeling as irritable as you do.