SHE SAYS ...

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33424, 4 January 1974, Page 7

SHE SAYS ...

To many families, holidays mean car trips and to many, car trips are likely to mean car-sick children. Car - sickness is something most children grow out of in time, but if your children are at all prone to the trouble, there are a few precautions you can take.

One of the first, I’m sure, is to realise that children find car travel a lot more tiring than adults. In other words, if you’re planning a motoring holiday with youngsters, you need to schedule plenty of rest breaks, keep your distances per day well down, and avoid too many days of travelling. Unless your doctor has recommended them, it’sbest to avoid giving children anti - sickness drugs, but if you do decide to use them, the usual rule about following the instructions on the drug packet applies. Try to keep the children interested in what’s going on outside the car, and don’t let them try to read or engage in writing or drawing games while the car’s on the move — as you’ve probably found youself if you’ve ever tried to read a map on a twisty road, that’s a sure way to make yourself feel queasy. Plenty of fresh air is a must, and so is suitable seating: children must be seated high enough to see out of the car without difficulty.

Don’t pack rugs, blankets, and other hard-to-clean,items around a child who might be sick, keep an eye out for such “early warning” signs as loss of colour and increased perspiration, and if you see them, stop immediately. If you carry on in the hope that the queasy moment will pass, it ~ probably won’t.

But, more important, don’t show your concern about possible car - sickness. If you keep asking a child if it feels sick, to give an obvious example,

your unintentional powers of suggestion just might bring about the disaster you’re hoping to avoid. Avoid rough and twisty roads as far as you can, and when you can’t, take them very gently. Rich and heavy meals should also be avoided, but a supply of barley sugar for use when on the move is often a good idea.