sea sickness in kids

[Kat]

Hi all you cruisers!
I am taking my six year old daughter on her first cruise this November. We are going on the Voyager Nov. 24
I have cruised once before on the Vision and used the "patch" for five days and took it off and then got a massive headache and picked up some bonine from the pursers desk which solved everything for the remainder of the cruise.
My question is: not knowing if my daughter will get sea sick, do they provide sea sickness medicine for children on the ship?
Can't wait for Thanksgiving! only 28 more weeks till sail time!!!!
Kat

No, they never did for us. On our last cruise, our 9 yr. old son was fine - never got sick at all. But, the cruise before that, there were 50 mph winds and 18 ft. seas and we had our usual suite on the back of the ship. He was REALLY sick at night. He tossed his cookies twice on the first night.

On the second evening, we finally got smart and gave him a Bonine even though it is suggested for "only kids 12 and over". He still felt a little quesy after an hour, so we gave him another one. He was perfectly fine then. The next night was still rough, so we gave him a Bonine for preventative measures. He didn't get sick. We couldn't use the SeaBands on him because his arms are too thin.

I just got a prescription for the Transderm Scop Patch. Do you think it would be safe to use it on a 10 yr. old? Did you feel tired from it?

The Bonine really does make you tired, which is the only drawback. Make sure you buy it at home so you don't have to pay the inflated cruise ship prices.

[Jane]

Let me know when you get the answer to your question. We are also going Nov. 24 on the Voyager. I have a 7 year old daughter. She'll be in 2nd grade and 8 in Nov.) I'm real interested in the 'sickness" thing. I'm prone to motion sickness also. We've never been on a cruise!

Jane - The problem is that I don't know if it's better to just go ahead and try it or wait and see if he gets sick. All the medication (Bonine, Scop Patch, etc.) say that they work much better if they are given BEFORE the "event" or motion. I'll look around and see if anyone has ever tried it with kids before and let you know.

[Gloria]

Try this homeopathic remedy for motion sickness, it isn't a drug, so use it before symptoms start. It isn't dangerous and you can't overdose: Ginger Tablets. Buy them at the Health Food Store and have them on hand. Ours are called Ginger Trips, are chewable and don't have much taste at all. I woul also have some bonine or other rememdy as a back up. We also had Motion Sickness drops, also from the health food store, that you put on yur tongue every few hours. We even loaned our remedies to a tablemate and they worked for him. If it were me, I'd want to have it all on hand just in case. These things are cheap and safe. Good Luck!!

Try bringing ginger snaps with you. My son now a teenager eats them and they seem to settle his stomach pretty quickly.

I take Benedryl and give my 4 year old and 11 year old some one hour before they get onboard and 4 hours later I give them a second dose. If the weather turns bad I continue with the medicine if the weather is fine ,it seems their body gets use to the motion and they are fine.

This has worked for me for the past 3 cruises and I have had no problems. I received this info from my doc, he prefers this over other medication which are somewhat stronger.

[Kat]

When I used the one and only patch for my last cruise, one of the overdose symptons listed is extreme dry mouth, which my roommate and I both got. So we kept the same patch on for almost the whole trip.
I personally wouldn't use that patch on a kid. If you do, I would suggest cutting it in 1/4's because it is strong.
I am hoping my daughter will adjust to the motion. She has ridden carnival rides at the fairs (octopus, spinning strawberrys) and a rollercoaster at Disneyland and she did fine.
We will see!
Thanks
Kathy

[Kat]

Oh you are soooooooooooo in for a treat! And once you go your HOOKED!
I have decided to make it a yearly thing. This will be my daughters first cruise and I hope she does well.
She is 6 and will be going into first grade in the fall.
Are you going to have your daughter in the kids programs? Lets meet onboard!
Happy cruising!
Kathy

DON'T cut the scopolamine patches!! This will interfere with the delivery system, and you may actually end up getting a stronger, LARGE dose, rather than a slow-release titrated dose.

[Suz]

Jane,

I used the "sea bands" for queasiness whenever the ship was moving. They worked great for me. My husband started with bonine but switched to the sea bands when he saw how well they worked. It may not work for everyone but its worth a try. Good Luck.
Suz

[Annie]

ATTENTION PARENTS - PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR CHILD'S DOCTOR I don't think
its a good idea to cut patches, or cut pills in half, or use bands on young children
especially those under 12! My 6year did not get sick until his third cruise (he was pretty bad and it was quite scary, we immediately took him to the ships doctor and he was treated
there. (Keep one of those little buckets from the Casino, came in handy when he started
throwing up). The Doctors bill was a little high, but my child is worth it and when I got home
I submitted it to the insurance company and it was covered 80%. Please don't second
guess on this your doctor will be able to advise you, alot of this medication depends on
their weight. Also I swore by the Patch for myself until this last cruise, it worked great
while at sea but for over a week after the cruise I was extremely dizzy and sick to my
stomach, turns out the doctor says this is just another side effect of the patch in some people.