Mum shares Band-Aid hack to stop motion sickness in kids

Mum Jasmine insists it's a lifesaver for long road trips, but is it just a placebo effect? 

Motion sickness sorted with a a Band-Aid. Instagram / @rainbow.constructionI

Have your family road trips been derailed by motion sickness? In this list of what's the worst to clean up as a parent, vomit in a car seat has to be one of the highest. Thankfully Instagram has come up with the goods to help ease motion sickness, and the solution is easier than you might think. 

Mother of two, Jasmin has shared a travel hack for kids with motion sickness, the video has had over 1.7 million views on Instagram. '

The solution: The humble Band-Aid placed over your child's belly button. 

“If your child suffers from motion sickness during travelling, place a Band-Aid over their belly button from top to bottom.”

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Sounds like an old wives tale? Well, Jasmin begs to differ.

“I know, it sounds super crazy, but it totally works for both my children. They used to be so poorly during longer car rides and ever since I asked in my stories about some tips against motion sickness and was given this one, our travel life has completely changed.” 

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Parents are giving this hack a thumbs-up! 

Jasmin continues, “ I also read that the Band-Aid stimulates some acupressure points to relieve nausea.”

There has been an overwhelming response to this post from parents who have had success… 

“My husband’s chiropractor gave him this tip but had an aspirin in his belly button and then the Band-Aid ! Maybe for something to push on the pressure point? It works”

“Hold on, I’m shocked here. Grew up in Indonesia my mom used to put a menthol patch (Salonpas) to our belly button for this purpose. I thought it’s a myth I never do it to my kid.

Will have road tour with my own kids in a couple of days. Guess who’s going out to get Salonpas now 🚗👏”

“My mum used to do this to me and it worked! I got car sick and this prevented that all the time. Good memory!”

While this motion sickness relief isn’t evidence-based, many cruise ships recommend the same trick on their website to avoid/alleviate seasickness. Upon further internet trawling, navy-sailor’s have suggested aspirin in the belly button, held in place by a band-aid. There are many who swear by this and say it’s worked for them.

The question is, does it actually work? 

To get to the bottom of the hack - and if it actually works, we asked our medical expert Dr Sam Hay.

"What we have here is an imperfect storm of placebo effect, and bored parents sucked in by crazy internet influencers," Sam tells.

"There’s no truth or science to this whatsoever. Will it do any harm? No. If you can convince your kids it works - then go for it, but don’t go kidding yourself it’s real!" 

At the end of the day, if it works for your family, then hit the road for that family vacay. 

RELATED: Tips for travelling with a toddler

Jasmine had a handy hack for parents that works during road trips. Images: Instagram / @rainbow.construction

Other tips for motion sickness 

According to Linda Graudins, a leading pharmacist at the Sydney Children’s Hospital, prevention in this case is the best medicine. Here are her tips on how parents can help their kids reduce or even avoid motion sickness:

• Avoid unnecessary head movements by using pillows or a headrest
• If travelling by car, seat child near the front of the vehicle (e.g. middle rather than back row in a larger vehicle)
• Focus child's attention elsewhere, e.g. out of the front of the car
• Do not encourage reading or focusing on games while travelling
• If flying, sit over the airplane wing; the ride tends to be less bumpy
• Feed the child a light snack before travelling – avoid heavy, greasy meals
• Do not let the child get too hot; open the window if necessary

We would love to hear if you have tried this and it worked for your children or for you?

This article was updated in July 2024. 

Originally published as Mum shares Band-Aid hack to stop motion sickness in kids