Why putting an X made of plasters on kids' belly buttons has gone viral – & what it does for car journeys
Primarily caused by a conflict between the systems that help maintain balance and spatial orientation, motion sickness affects a whopping one third of people - and our little ones are no exception.
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The brain receives conflicting messages from the eyes, inner ear and muscle sensors, leading to symptoms like nausea and vomiting.
But while there are plenty of tablets to help tackle this, savvy parents are now raving about a new remedy, which they claim works a treat.
One of them is mum-of-three Kay who recently took to TikTok to share the wallet-friendly solution to fellow parents.
According to the mum, from the US, her tot, three, suffers from an extreme case of car sickness - which is so bad they can't drive for more than ten minutes.
Although she has tried several methods to help the daughter, including anti-sickness bands, these ''never worked for her''.
''She gets travel sick so extreme we have never been able to do a 5 minute car journey!'' she recently shared on her TikTok page.
''We've tried all the bands parches and old wives' tales!''
However, recently Kay came across a cheap solution that's worked a charm - and it's all to do with two plasters.
Spilling the beans online, the mum revealed she simply creates an X made of two plasters - which she sticks right on the child's belly button.
She went on in the comments of the now-viral video: ''I'm pretty sure this would also work with any type of bandage, it's all to do with the nerves in the naval of the belly button a dr had said, that's why I'm covering her belly button in a cross type.''
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According to the mother, who posts under the username @ kay.and.rai, the family also swear by placing a newspaper underneath the child's car seat.
While there's no scientific evidence to support it, the old wives' tale of sitting on a newspaper to tackle motion sickness is a remedy dozens of other parents swore by in the comments.
However, it's worth adding that any perceived benefit is likely due to the placebo effect - the same way it's for the plaster hack.
How to ease motion sickness yourself
The NHS recommends doing the following to ease motion sickness:
reduce motion – sit in the front of a car or in the middle of a boat
look straight ahead at a fixed point, such as the horizon
breathe fresh air if possible – for example, by opening a car window
close your eyes and breathe slowly while focusing on your breathing
distract children by talking, listening to music or singing songs
break up long journeys to get some fresh air, drink water or take a walk
try ginger, which you can take as a tablet, biscuit or tea.
Source: NHS.
''She normally gets it so severe to the point we've had to get medication from her consultant so I seen this before starting her on it and it definitely worked,'' Kay claimed in the comments.
Posted just three days ago, the clip has already taken the internet by storm, winning the US mum more than a whopping 3million views and close to 4,800 likes.
Hundreds flooded to comments where many thanked Kay for the tip and shared their own go-to remedies.
One person said: ''Our school used to give the children a blue paper towel to sit on when going on school trips and it magically cured travel sickness.
''Maybe mind over matter does work, the kids thought it was a magic cure.''
A mum chimed in: ''My daughter's only way she could travel in a car would be to sit on a newspaper. Tried everything!! Only thing that worked.''
A sceptic wrote: ''As much as this is a fantastic idea. sickness(unless a bug) is always mind over matter.
''Her mind is probably eased because of the plasters. So she wasn't thinking about it. Amazing what the mind does really glad she felt better from it though.''
''My son has all of a sudden just started getting travel sickness. If we're in a car more that I'd say an hour!'' a desperate parent said.
''I'm going to have to try this on the way to western as that's a couple hour drive.''
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