Motion sickness, a troubling and disruptive illness to many families, is rarely dangerous. Illness most commonly occurs during automobile travel, but may also occur during any turbulent movement (i.e. flying, boating, amusement park rides), and may be aggravated by anxiety, upset, tiredness and stress.

Usual symptoms are dizziness, pallor, sweating (cold sweat), nausea and vomiting. It is a result of the brain, the body, and the motion itself being out of synch; the body effectively misperceives its orientation in space. Stopping the motion will often prevent the nausea from worsening, although a full recovery often lags behind.

A few measures can prevent car sickness. If an infant sits up well, and weighs more than 20 lbs., turn his car seat so that it is facing forward, the same direction as the car. Make sure he is well hydrated and has eaten a light meal. Placing dark shades over the side windows will insure that your child is not looking sideways. Adequate ventilation will often improve a child's nauseated state.

A few preventive medications (mostly antihistamine derivatives) are approved only for older children, when a clear motion sickness pattern has developed. Dramamine may be used 30-60 minutes prior to travel in these doses: children 2-6: ¼ - ½ tablet; children 6-12: ½ - ¾ tablet; children 12+: 1 tablet. The antihistamine Benadryl (dephenhydramine) may also work. Common side effects include drowsiness, lethargy and dry mouth. Be cautious when a child is taking other medications or has an underlying chronic medical condition.

Some unconventional preventions include special wrist bands, worn on both wrists, and ginger root tablets, long prescribed by homeopathic doctors for their potent anti-nausea effect. The former are available in boating supply stores; the latter in health food stores. How, and whether, these alternatives work is unclear.

Fortunately, in most cases, motion sickness seems to improve as a child gets older. Let's hope the future brings more effective medications with fewer side effects.