The first time it happened was while we were idling in a Starbucks drive-thru line on the way to Kansas City, to visit family. We had been on the road for about two hours and things were going great!
We had just ordered Lindyn (two years old at the time) some yummy strawberry-flavored drink that we thought she would love. But before we got up to the window to pay, we heard a noise no parent wants to hear while they're in the car, hours from home or from their destination.
I will spare you the yucky details, but within two seconds, her clothes, her seat, and her Water Wow were all covered with bodily fluids.....
We. Were. Not. Prepared.
The next half hour was spent parked out front of that same Starbucks, trying to get things under control enough to finish our trip. Luckily, we had clothes for her in our overnight bag and were able to get a trash bag from the employees inside to put the soiled ones in. I think we actually had a towel in the car from trying to keep our Husky's hair off the seats...so that was lucky! But it wasn't enough...not even close. Then the poor kid had to sit in her stinky, soiled car seat the rest of the trip. (Luckily there was only an hour and a half left of the drive!)
My sister-in-law was awesome and let us wash the seat cover and the dirty clothes in her washing machine, during the kids' nap. However... (insert the dramatic dun-dun-dun sound here) we had plans to get out again after nap and do fun things together as a family.
So are you ready for this?
It happened AGAIN, when we were on our way to the Kansas City aquarium. (Maybe a twenty minute drive from sister-in-law's house) At that point, a certain mama was being super hard on herself because she didn't take it into account that it could possibly happen again. We were following behind their car and were on the highway when it happened. We frantically called them to let them know we needed to pull over somewhere, but weirdly enough, there were no gas stations or Walmarts super close-by. My poor, carsick girl had to sit in her vomit for about ten minutes while we tried to find a good place to stop.
This time we had several extra hands and all those hands helped immensely, and with their encouragement, we still made it to the aquarium and had a blast.... whew!
So, after that trip, I started planning ahead for our next one so that we would never be in a position like that again....which brings me to the topic of this post:
I'm giving you a list of 10 things you don't want to end up being without in the event of anyone in your car getting sick. Are you ready? Ok then. #9-10 will be at the end. :-)
Paper towels.You'll be doing lots of wiping up. Don't get stuck using restaurant napkins...they don't do the job.
Clorox Wipes.Germs.... enough said. You can use these to wipe down toys, books, or anything else they might have had within vomiting distance.
Old Towel.Whether you want to put this in the lap of the sick kiddo or just need something more than paper towels to soak up the fluids, you'll want this.
Protective gloves.Maybe you're not scared of touching vomit, but I prefer to avoid it.
Hand sanitizer.Germs...again. This time it's more for the kiddo's little hands and your own this time.
Dramamine.I was THRILLED to discover they made Dramamine for kids! I have used it myself in the past on car rides with curvy roads and hills. If you're worried about using this for your own kiddo, definitely check with your doctor first. You can find the label info here. Disclaimer: I am sure there is an essential oil that would work for car sickness also. If Dramamine isn't really your thing and you prefer a more natural method, then I strongly encourage you to get with an EO expert and give that a try!
Trash bag(s).Here, you only see one, but I keep a few on hand in my kit. You'll want to ditch their soiled clothes in something.
Large bowl lined with a grocery sack.I don't have photo proof, but my daughter has actually kept this big thing in her lap for portions of our drives. After she was traumatized those first two times, she knows to tell us when she is feeling sick. I keep the bowl within reach at all times so that it's easily accessible.
So, #9 and #10 aren't pictured, and that's because I didn't have them on hand when I made this post. But you probably don't really need to see what they look like.
9. Bottled water. Whether your kiddo needs a good sip of water afterward or if you need a little extra water to rinse something out (though I suggest a bathroom sink if you have that option), you will appreciate it. I have also noticed some people keep Gatorade in their kits!
10. Spare change of clothes. We had them in our luggage when we needed them, but if you’re not going somewhere overnight, you may not have those with you. So I suggest keeping at least one change of clothes in the car. A single pair wouldn’t have been enough in our story, but I can’t imagine what it would have been like if we didn’t have any with us!
What do I use to store all this in my car? This fancy shmancy plastic tote. It fits well in the very back of my SUV and keeps everything in one place, making it easily accessible if we need to stop and pull it out. Initially, I told myself it would fit nicely under a seat, but I misjudged the size and it didn't work out that way. (Sidenote: This is also a good place to keep my little travel first aid kit.)
So, have I ever gotten to use my kit since I put it together? Thankfully, no. Not yet, anyway. I have stayed pretty on top of giving both kids Dramamine ahead of time, and then I try to be consistent with enforcing breaks from their activities that keep them looking down into their laps. (Tablets, books, coloring, etc…) We play games like “I Spy” or just looking around at the scenery. Also, since we now have ten hour trips back to Kansas, we have started breaking up the trip so that we aren’t in the car quite as long. (But that’s another blog post, for another day!)
I hope this list helps you if you’re looking for ideas like I was. When things like this come up, we look to other moms’ success stories to help prepare us for the next time. Let my anxieties turn yours into a mind at ease! Another disclaimer: I know that no amount of preparation will ever make carsick kiddos "easy" but it is my hope that you will have some of the tools necessary for taking care of your poor babes.
That being said, if you have any great ideas that I should add to my kit, I would love to hear about them! Leave me a comment below or connect with me on social media. I’m on Facebookand Instagram.
Thanks for checking in today. Until next time….
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