# Can babies get motion sickness?



## momof3girls (Dec 14, 2003)

Does anyone know if babies can have motion sickness? I guess I dont see why they couldnt but Ive never heard anything about it. My daughter is 4 months (on the 18th) since birth she has not liked (crying/uncomfortable) the car, swing, bouncer, and stroller....she lasts MAYBE 3 mins when shes put in any one of those. She really likes to be walked around, lay on tummy, lay on back, proped to sit-up and other normal baby activites so I dont think its 'being spoiled' (which is what everyone tells me).


----------



## AmyG (Jan 30, 2002)

From what I've read, they can't get motion sickness. It's something about the shape of their heads and ears. We get dizzy because of the fluid in our inner ears. They just aren't shaped right for that to happen.

It's fine if your baby doesn't like to be placed in baby objects. It just means that she enjoys physical contact and more stimulation.


----------



## Erin Pavlina (Nov 11, 2001)

Babies definitely can get motion sickness. Happened to my daughter once on a windy canyon road when she was probably 6 months old. Man I felt sorry for her... we still had 3 miles to go before she threw up. She looked all green and was moaning too.

Motion sickness is caused by an inner ear imbalance. We the head turns, the little hairs right themselves immediately, except in people who get motion sickness it takes the hairs a few seconds to right themselves. If you turn your head again too fast, the hairs don't ahve time to catch up and you think you're one direction when you're really the other. That's why windy roads are so hard on people with motion sickness. I studied this extensively years ago.

I also found out, not that this will ever matter, but people who get motion sickness do really well in outer space! Talked to a guy from Boeing about this. The astronauts who have no Earth-bound motion sickness are the first ones to throw up in space. The guys who get motion sickness on earth do really well in space!!

Just confirms my belief that I should be in outer space...


----------



## chicagomom (Dec 24, 2002)

Yes, they can get motion sickness. This is one reason why many babies really hate being in cars - babies are very near-sighted, so they try but can't focus well on distant objects outside the window. This plus the rear-facing position of the car seat makes it hard to focus on the objects. The scenery whizzing by can give them motion sickness. (NOT advocating forward-facing for babies here - rear-facing is safest!) Sometimes having a person (or interesting object) within their sight range (10-12 inches) helps turn their focus away from those objects and lessens the effects. Some people also find that those window-shades help by blocking the view out the baby's window.

Some babies are more bothered by this than others - it also has to do with the shape of their inner ears and the position they are in (horizontal vs vertical) when being moved. You may just have a sensitive babe.


----------



## momof3girls (Dec 14, 2003)

Thank you all for your help. It really has helped. I accidently made it a new thread when i meant to reply here. I asked if any of you new if they would 'grow out' of it or is it usually stuck with them for life?


----------



## dallaschildren (Jun 14, 2003)

Yes and a typical symptom is throwing up. Most likely if your baby is not throwing up, it is not motion sickness that is troubling them. I started a thread on the topic of babies crying in the car and I asked my ped what he thought and that is what I was told. I also did some reading myself and it is correct. If your baby does not like the swing, car rides, bouncer, etc. it could just be a security issue (maybe swaddling tight so they don't feel like they are "falling"). Or your baby might just love being held. It could be a number of things. Some days I wish my baby could talk to me or sign to me so I could understand exactly what he needs. It's hard to just guess sometimes and a lot of times our gut instinct seems wrong.
Most babies grow out of their dislike of certain things and change on a daily basis. Just try to continue to be clued in and you will be fine. Hang in there.


----------



## BeeandOwlsMum (Jul 11, 2002)

As a person with motion sickness, who remembers being sick as far back as I can remember. Yes they can.

My mom told me I got sick every time I was in the car, even if it was a short trip to the grocery store. From the time I was very little - 4 or 5 months.

She told me if I had to eb in a rear facing back seat car set when I was born, we wouldn't have ever gone anywhere. I still can't sit in the back seat without getting ill, and I am 29.

When I have kids I am investing in a bus pass and a sling, or I am going to walk everywhere!


----------



## momof3girls (Dec 14, 2003)

Thank you all for your help!


----------



## Yin Yang (Jul 9, 2003)

My DS would throw up after every ride in the car until he was about 6 weeks old, then it started to get better. He would be sick for 2 days sometimes after an hour drive! I also bought these homeopathics: http://store.yahoo.com/kingbio/nausmotsic.html

and I give it to him before every trip, even now, just in case. Works great.


----------

