Child flying - advice please!

[suze]

My 9 year old son is going to Canada next week with his dad. He is prone to travel sickness when things are a bit bumpy - he v* last year on the return journey from NY - and my natural inclination is to give him a travel sickness pill before he leaves, and get his dad to give him one before he returns home. The problem is that his dad thinks I'm over-reacting, that travel sickness is all in the mind and if I give him a tablet I'm reinforcing the fact that something's going to happen.


I admit he's not always sick, if the roads are straight and the flights are smooth, he's fine, but I have always given him a tablet especially when he's away with the school on a long bus trip somewhere - I mean who wants to feel ill on a bus full of other kids, and who on earth would want to see it and clear it up? Yuk! The tablets work well too and have no side effects at all.


My son doesn't handle v* too well and I know that the flight will worry him a little though he'll put a brave face on. Some honest opinions please - am I being over anxious? Should I just let his dad deal with it or should I insist on the tablet, just incase?


I know it's not easy but if we could get out of emet mode here and imagine we're not the people sitting close to him if he does v* on that plane, and if we are, then we don't run amok causing the plane to land at the nearest available airport for fear of the saefty of the other passengers!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Suze x

[liriodendron]

Tough call.

It sounds like there's a little crack in this habit where you can wedge
in some less emetophobic thinking and take a chance. If so, I'd say
take the chance.

[crimgoddess]

Hey Suze-


I get extremely motionsick- I think it may have even been worse when it was a kid. If the highway was smooth, sometimes I would be fine, but it was always russian roulette. My parents would always give me one a half hour before we left- because like you they figured the probability of me vomitting was high, and I was miserable when it happened (and they were miserable because it's a nasty mess to clean up in a 1986 dodge lazer).


You should tell him travel sickness isn't in the mind, but rather in the inner ear. It's generally something that you don't have much control of once it starts...


I say a nice comprimise would be to makehis fathertake the pills with him, and only give them to your son if he starts to feel ill while in flight. It cuts down on the effectiveness of the pills (because it doesnt work until it is in your system- it usually takes about a half hour to an hour)- but will probably still get the job done. I don't know if you have this in the UK- but gravol (my preferred brand of motion sickness pill) now has a rapid disolve pills for children and adults. Gets in your system faster- hence stops nausea faster.


I think your emet is somewhat getting in the way when you are thinking about how the other passengers on the plane will react- BUT I don't think you are necessarily being overly-anxious when it comes to your son, especially if he has a history of motionsickness. I say make your husband take them with him in case of emergency- that way if he does feel sick/vomithis fathercan give him something to feel better. So, if he doesn't feel ill- great, he can get through the flight without the pill- but if he does, it can be stopped fairly early.


Either way- everything will be fine. Flight attendents deal with vomitting passengers very frequently- and your son's father will be there to deal with him As for the other passengers....I know that I feel claustrophobic and really anxious if I see someone get ill on a plane- but you just gotta deal with it i suppose, because that plane ain't landing until it gets where it's supposed to go. That, and if it's a kid I really can't get all that angry....


Out of curiosity- where in Canada are they going?


*amber*

[suze]

Thanks both, I'll take your advice and leave things to chance. I really don't want my emet to affect other people's lives any more than it does already. I'll do my best to encourage his dad to pack some travel sickness tablets, but telling him to do so is not easy - we're separated and things are still a little tense. I packed some for him when they went to NY last year but I don't think there was any time to administer them as my son v*d on the way down, though it was a particularly rough landing by all accounts. I've flown with him a few times and he's usually fine soI'm obviously over anxious.


Amber - they're flying to Montreal for a week's skiing - not sure where exactly - anywhere near you?


Anyway, thanks so much again, you both talk so much sense!


Suze

[crimgoddess]

Ohhh....they're probably going to Mont Tremblant- which is AMAZING. Beautiful area and great slopes. It's expensive, so I usually can only go there every few years, but it's always well worth the expense. Your son is going to have a lot of fun


That is actually about an hour and a half - two hours away from me.


*amber*

[suze]

Thanks Amber, I'm excited for him now...he's never skied before so I'm really hoping he enjoys it. I love the mountains, for the scenery more than anything, I'll let him know it's going to be beautiful.


I, of course, would have done the Alps! So much closer to home, less chance of any travel sickness....![img]smileys/smilies_04.gif[/img]


Thanks again for the advice!

[purpleteacher]

Give him some Dramamine and enjoy your trip!

[suze]

Just found out dramamine has been withdrawn in the UK. I wonder why...?


Anyway, if I was going on that flight with him, we'd all be well dosed up! As I'm not and therefore won't have to witness it / clear it up if it does happen, then I'm tempted now to just leave it and see how it goes. If the flight is relatively smooth, he'll be fine. As he does worry about it though, and specifically tells me he's concerned, I might stick a tablet in his pocket and tell him to take it should he start to feel unwell. He's a sensible 9 year old, so this might be an option. It's probably best that I don't mention it directly to him though as that might make him worry unnecessarily.