One of the most unpleasant things that can happen when traveling on a long road trip is having a child with car sickness. My 6-year-old, Jacob has suffered with car sickness most of his life, and we’ve gotten pretty good at preventing car sickness before it starts.

Car sickness is basically a result of confusion between the eye and the inner ear. When you pay too much attention to what’s going on inside the car, you get the sensation that objects aren’t moving even though your ear knows that the car itself is moving.

If you know you have a child who suffers from car sickness, it’s important to ask them regularly how they are feeling. A simple “How’re you doing, Jake?” every half hour or so has prevented many potential messes in our car. An upset or queasy stomach usually comes before the vomiting, so if you know your child isn’t feeling well you can try to prevent the sickness.

One of the easiest ways to prevent car sickness is to encourage the child to look outside of the car. When you can see things moving outside it brings the eye and the ear into balance. Playing a video game, reading or watching a movie in the car is not a good activity for a child with car sickness. Instead, point out billboards, houses, animals and other objects outside of the car. Play “I Spy” or the license plate game to get the child actively looking outside of the car.

If you have a van, don’t seat the child who is prone to car sickness in the back. They tend to feel it more back there. Also, don’t put them in a seat that faces backwards; it’s very disorienting.

Once a child is starting to feel queasy, opening a window to get them some fresh air may help. Strong smells, such as from that fast food you ate in the car a few hours ago, can make the stomach upset worse, so get rid of food containers or any open food. My two-year-old, Rachel, doesn’t really get car sickness, but she the smell of food in the car seems to bother her a lot. Stopping the car, getting out and walking around a little can also be helpful (for everyone in the car), so look for a park or rest stop where you can get out and stretch your legs. Plan trips so there are several destinations along the way, such as fun museums, zoos, or parks.

Munching on saltine crackers can calm car sickness. An empty stomach is not the best defense.

If none of these solutions seems to help, you can give children over-the-counter motion sickness medication, but to be effective these medicines really need to be taken before the onset of sickness. So if you have a child who is prone to car sickness and none of these solutions have worked in the past, give them medicine in the morning before you set out on a long car trip and see if that helps.

Going on car trips with the kids is great fun. Don’t let a sour stomach ruin your day. Instead, use it as an excuse to see attractions you otherwise wouldn’t have stopped for.