Traveling with an anxious child-tips please!

[epcotfan]

For all those who have kids with weak gag reflexes and motion sickness why not just give them children's dramamine or gravol? They have chewable and liquid forms. PLEASE give it to them at least 45 minutes prior to flying otherwise it won't work.

Another alternative is to crush the dramamine into a spoonful of applesauce or pudding. Easy to swallow and helps with the taste.

 

[BevS97]

Oh what a relief to know there is a method to my madness! Lol! I never knew there was a reason the bread pill worked - I was just ever so relieved that it did.

 

[HeatherC]

Hi - I too have an anxious 6 1/2 year old dd. THis will our 3rd trip to Disney in the past year and a half and she still gets nervous! But....she also loves it!

One suggestion that worked for us is to purchase a set of earplugs for her to wear during the rides or shows. Many Disney rides and shows are very loud! This works for my daughter who really doesn't like loud noises. She can still hear what's going on but is not overwhelmed by the loud noise.

I would also start her out on something non threatening like the carousel or "Small World". THis way she can see how fun and non-scary Disney can be.

Have a great trip!

 

[JulieWent]

I, too, am thankful that I read this post. I don't feel so alone. DS (age 8) is seriously anxious about so many things. Thankfully, Disney isn't one of them -- or wasn't until our trip this week. We were on Splash Mountain (which he had finally gotten up the nerve to try and had then asked to repeat!) when the ride shut down. We were almost done -- about 7 logs back from the unloading dock, but it took almost 45 minutes to get the ride back up. It was 1:15 a.m. (e-ride night) before we got off. DS was in the midst of a full-fledged panic attack while we waited. It was truly a nightmare. My guess is that we will not ever be going on Splash Mountain again. I think he's okay for going back, but this was the first time ever that he didn't get sad when we left yesterday. He was ready to come home!

Julie

 

[lexiluke]

My DD8 is also a worrier. What works with her is to take each scenario and break it down. For serious concerns, like what happens if she were to get sick on the plane, we go through exactly what might happen if she did. We don't just say "Oh you won't get sick". We say, "Well, if you get sick, we will get assistance or medicine, if necessary; if you throw up, it can easily be cleaned and it's no big deal", etc. Of course, we end by saying that we really don't think she will get sick, but at least she knows what actions will be taken if she does.

Now for more sillier questions, like what if we don't like our room, I'll use humor and say "Then we'll get some sledge hammers and start knocking out the walls", or "We'll go get some new paint and furniture and fix it up the way we like it". These kind of things make her laugh and help her to realize that it's a little silly to worry about such things. If your daughter worries about getting bored, say "We'll contact Mickey Mouse and ask him if he'll build some new rides, just for us!"

I know this is kind of different, but hope it helps!