Honeydew and Pikas: Traveling with (Potentially) Carsick Kids

Motion sickness can strike even the toughest of children.

Recently our family took a trip up to Christina Lake from Vancouver (about 7 hours’ drive) and thought we had everything covered.

Now, if you don’t have small kids, or you’re the type of parent who has already nailed this, please feel free to skip ahead.

But if you, like us, have children with cast iron stomachs, or are just generally not used to traveling long distances with them, here is what not to do. (Spoiler: our daughter threw up). We’ll call it, “don’t do what the W family did”.

Don’t:

1. Allow your child to skip breakfast because they are excited about the big trip.
2. Feed your child a large juice and part of a fast food hash brown just before hitting a very twisty highway.
3. Place a laptop in their lap to watch a movie while the road winds around mountains and valleys.
4. Sense your child is unwell and respond by feeding them large amounts of ice-cold honeydew.

Do:

1. Feed your child breakfast!
2. Throughout the trip, offer small amounts of liquids, fruit, and clear foods. (Consider how tough something might be to clean if you see it again.)
3. On twisty stretches, play games like “I Spy”, listen to books on tape, or tell stories instead of pulling out the laptop – save movies for straighter stretches of road.
4. Be prepared to pull over IMMEDIATELY if your child starts throwing up.
5. Try not to panic (this is hard if motion sickness is an uncommon experience in your family).
6. Keep your sick child hydrated with water.
7. Have lots of double-bagged garbage bags at the ready.
8. Keep a bag with wet wipes and a change of clothes very handy. (This is just good practice for all parents, on any trip).
9. Have one family member clean and comfort the child, while the other (or others) wipe down the seat repeatedly, and thoroughly, with wet wipes.
10. Once at your final destination, immediately remove the car seat and sponge-clean it, leaving it outside to air dry. Do not submerge the straps. Keep a copy of your carseat info handy (or Google it) for recommended cleaning: the way you clean the seat effects its ability to keep your child safe.

Well, gentle reader. Have you made it this far? If so, you’ve figured out why the post is called “Honeydew”. But you’re probably wondering about the pikas.

On this same road trip, we discovered a great pit stop for road trippers of all ages: Manning Park. It has plenty of parking, nice vistas, clean washrooms, a general store and restaurant, and … pikas!

Pikas are a reward for the road-weary. They are giant ground squirrels also called “whistling hares” because of the sounds they make when you approach their burrows.

They’re absolutely adorable. And a great way to take a break and compose yourself. Especially after a honeydew incident.

So as a reward for making it this far, I give you, the Pikas of Manning Park:

Published: August 7th, 2013