# Seasick prevention



## Wolf1974 (Feb 19, 2014)

Hello all was hoping I could get some sage advice from those of you have taken kids on a cruise.

Spring break my Gf and I are taking our kids a first cruise. Ages 6/10/12. I have been on a dozen cruises and I don't get seasick but I am worried about my kids. Everyone has recommended Dramamine but I'm not thrilled with drugging them up, well maybe for the car ride down :wink2: , but not the cruise itself. Anyone have any experience with the sea bands? Do they work? Any other suggestions? I am mostly worried about my 6 year old daughter who has had some car sickness before.


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## SecondTime'Round (Jan 15, 2015)

I've used sea bands before, for pregnancy sickness, and they did not work. I think I'd recommend just making sure their bellies are kept full. My kids get car sick if they're hungry. We've never been on a cruise together, but we did rent a house boat for about 5 days and neither of them got sick that I recall.


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## Lloyd Dobler (Apr 24, 2014)

I don't get seasick so I can't give you my personal perspective, but my wife has really bad motion sickness. We went on a cruise in the Mediterranean and she got the dramamine patch and it worked like a charm - until we got home and she came off the patch and then she was sick as a dog for about 3 days. It turns out that some people get withdrawal from the patch and the withdrawal for her was terrible. If your kids haven't ever had dramamine, you might want to avoid the patch.

There's another motion sickness pill that we've used before for our kids - it's bonine. It doesn't have the side effect of causing drowsiness and from my impression it isn't quite as strong as dramamine.


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## naiveonedave (Jan 9, 2014)

we have used Dramamine pills and patches, both work. Seem to make me sleepy, though


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## Fozzy (Jul 20, 2013)

Bonine works as well as dramamine, but without the sleepiness. I don't know if it's safe for a six year old or not, but a pharmacist could let you know.

Edit: Just read Lloyd Dobler's post. Looks like it's probably safe for kids.


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## richardsharpe (Jul 8, 2014)

Bonine doesn't cause as much drowsiness, but it does have a real effect. My wife used to take it when I took her flying on long trips. I remember once a rough flight, picking up ice, pretty hectic, nerve-wracking flying (much worse weather than forecast). She was snoozing next to me. Woke up a bit - said something about "oh, there is ice on the wings", then dozed off again. 

Normally in weather like that she most definitely would not have been snoozing.






Fozzy said:


> Bonine works as well as dramamine, but without the sleepiness. I don't know if it's safe for a six year old or not, but a pharmacist could let you know.
> 
> Edit: Just read Lloyd Dobler's post. Looks like it's probably safe for kids.


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## 225985 (Dec 29, 2015)

Get the sea bands and tell your kids that they prevent motion sickness (MS). If nothing else, the placebo effect will help keep the MS under control. If the kids stay active (pool, kids activities, running around) they will not get MS and they will not notice the movement of the ship. 

If you have not selected the cabin yet, a lower cabin will move/sway less than an upper deck cabin. That will help. 

If they start to get sick, take them to the balcony (with you present) or window so that they can see the motion of the ship by the waves (not the horizon). This helps to re-orient the inner sense of balance by providing a visual reaffirmation of motion. In a car the kids normally look forward or at their game/DVD so they really do not get a visual reaffirmation. If she gets sick in the car, make sure she looks out the side window. Also, riding in a car does not let them move around. Their movement (walking etc) will counter the feeling that the ship is moving. 

Or buy a brand of sugarless gum that they normally do not get and tell them chewing that gum will prevent them from getting MS. But do not do that unless they get sick first. Otherwise they will want to chew gum the entire time.

Don't worry. They will be fine.


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## Wolf1974 (Feb 19, 2014)

Thanks all

Think we are going with the sea bands and ginger candies or cookies ( this worked well with my youngest and her car motion sickness). We will buy and take Dramamine with us in case as a a backup. I hear going out of Galveston can be a bit rough so just want to plan for contingency


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## Ynot (Aug 26, 2014)

I used seabands when we went a cruise and they worked great. It could have been the placebo effect, but I could not care any less if it was, because they worked.


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## Vinnydee (Jan 4, 2016)

I get seasick even when fishing off shore. My wife and I went on our first and last cruise 30 years ago. We tried the patch but we both got very seasick. The ship's doctor said that getting seasick was the number one side effect of it. He gave us dramamine and it helped me but not my wife. She laid in bed for most of the cruise and I had a hard time getting her back on board the ship after our stay in Bermuda. To be fair, we hit a big storm on the way out and we were told that even the crew members were getting sea sick. It was so bad that there are sick bags every few feet along the rails in the hallways. On the way back they had to forgo the use of their stabilizers to make up for lost time so my wife was sick the whole way back. Needless to say, that was our first and last cruise.

We have friends that love cruises. One couple was on that cruise ship that fell over on its side many years back and yet they still go on cruises. We fly to resorts now and never get seasick anymore.  Dramamine is the way to go. You do not have to give it to them but take it with you. If you do not have any, you can buy it on the ship. It is very effective and does not make you feel like you are drugged. All that other non drug stuff does not work. A placebo effect at best. I even had Dramamine when I was dizzy from pain medication I was getting after surgery and it worked like a charm.

I may not have a lot of experience on cruise ships but I have a lot of experience on fishing boats and I got seasick every time. Dramamine helped a lot. I also worked for a Port Authority where the cruise ships left from so I got to talk to a lot of people who took cruises. Dramamine was the thing that most agreed that worked the best. No matter what else you try, bring some Dramamine just in case, Nothing is more miserable than being sea sick with no land in sight for days.


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## VeryHurt (Mar 11, 2011)

I am going ask around but I do know it's best NOT to have an empty stomach.


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## frusdil (Sep 5, 2013)

I got seasick once and it was AWFUL. I was sweating and my skin had a green tinge...ugh. I remember sitting forehead to forehead with the skippers Labrador...I think even he was seasick lol.

I'd be taking a couple of options along Wolf...try the band first, but if that doesn't work, crack that drug box open baby! Rofl!


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## john117 (May 20, 2013)

Dramamine helps and also when the sea is rough, avoid the higher decks. Things may look nice and smooth in the lower decks but ten decks up the sway of the ship is a lot more pronounced. Likewise mid ship vs front or back. 

In general real bad seas are not common, what seems to happen is they don't run the stabilizers a lot because of fuel costs


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## Brandy905 (Apr 3, 2014)

We have cruised with all of our kids(5) and some have used the patch. On our last cruise even the ones in our group who don't get sick felt it with the rough seas on the last 2 days. Our cabin steward told us that the crew uses green apples and bananas to help, it did the trick!


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## eric1 (Apr 10, 2015)

Wolf1974 said:


> Thanks all
> 
> 
> 
> Think we are going with the sea bands and ginger candies or cookies ( this worked well with my youngest and her car motion sickness). We will buy and take Dramamine with us in case as a a backup. I hear going out of Galveston can be a bit rough so just want to plan for contingency



Ginger IS the holistic answer. Candied ginger (Whole Foods has awesome) and ice cold ginger ale for the trip.

I used to go deep sea fishing and spent freaking thousands of dollars sleepin off the effects of Dramamine. DEFINITELY try the ginger first


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