3yo hates being in the car

[Anonymous]

My 3yo has never been a fan of the car, even as a baby. She used to get car sick on occasion but not consistently, and not just when we were on windy back roads. Now that she is older she complains about driving about 30 seconds into every single drive and whines to get out. She says she feels sick or her tummy hurts most of the time… which she may but it’s hard to tell because ever since we forward faced her car seat she has only vomited once over the past year many months ago. It doesn’t matter whether we are in our big SUV or smaller sedan, she complains equally. And sometimes toys distract her for a little bit but never for very long.

Does anyone else have a child like this? If so any tips or advice?

We live in an area where we have to drive pretty much everywhere, so it’s really exhausting to hear her complain 2-3 times per day on the way to her school, or when we are running an errand. Wondering if maybe she has some kind of motion sickness, although it doesn’t manifest in any other ways. I try to minimize unnecessary drives but clearly avoiding the car permanently isn’t an option.

[Anonymous]

Maybe set up a behavior reward system? Put a clear plastic jar on the front seat and a ziploc baggies of marbles. For every minutes she goes without whining/ complaining, put a marble in the jar. Maybe count the marbles when you arrive and give her the same number of stickers to play with.

Do not take any marbles out if she starts complaining. Only put them in and make a big deal of it to help reinforce the behavior you want.

[Anonymous]

She's 3. She is carsick, and the only way she has to tell you that is to fuss. She doesn't have to vomit to not feel great in the car.

There are many non-drug methods to combat car sickness. Try some of them.

[Anonymous]

I think she probably is in fact carsick, or at least is nervous she will get carsick. As someone who has had bad carsickness her whole life, here are a few suggestions:
- Make sure the car is not hot, point as much cold air on her as possible. If possible cool off the car a bit before she gets in.
- Make sure she has a light salty snack for the car, even for short rides. Being at all hungry immediately makes me carsick. Mini pretzels or goldfish are perfect, we always have a tupperware full of them that we grab on the way out the door.
-Don't allow toys in the car, that's probably contributing to the sickness if she's looking at them. This is where snacks help too, it's an activity.
-Keep kids dramamine in the car