Read this before the driveway, not in a parking lot with a kid who is already swallowing a lot.
Two products. Two sets of instructions. Do not mix them.
P6 Motion Sickness Bands for Kids are reusable acupressure bands. Cotton, plastic stud, child size, 2-pack, travel case. P6 Motion Sickness Patches for Kids are disposable ginger-and-cinnamon patches for ages 6+. Neither is a medicine. The kids patch goes behind the ear on the box photo. It is still not a prescription scopolamine patch. Both may help with motion-related nausea. They do not treat disease.
If vomiting is severe, persistent, or your child has other symptoms, talk to a doctor.
Before you start
Check the age and the fit, not the marketing photo.
- Bands: The FAQ says families have used them successfully on kids as young as 3. The band must fit snugly. If it slides over the hand, it will not stay on the point.
- Patches: Ages 6+. If they are 5, this is not their product. The box shows behind the ear, up to 12 hours. If the insert in the box disagrees, the insert wins.
Wash the wrists. Dry them. Take off a watch or a friendship-bracelet stack. You need the inner wrist clear.
Put the product on before the motion if you can. Car, bus, tender, winding canyon. The FAQ says nausea is typically reduced within about five minutes with the bands. You still get a better shot if they are already on when you start moving.
Bands: find the point, both wrists
Find the crease. Have your child hold a hand palm-up. The wrist crease is the line where the hand meets the arm.
Measure with their fingers. Stack their index, middle, and ring fingers across the inner wrist, starting at that crease and measuring up the arm. The P6 / Nei-Kuan point sits about three finger-widths up, between the two tendons. Use their fingers. Yours will put the stud in the wrong place.
Feel for the tendons. Have them make a light fist. You should feel two cords. The point is in the valley between them, not off to the thumb, not on the outer wrist.
Stud on the point. The plastic stud faces in, against the skin, on that spot. Not on the back of the wrist. Not hanging off the side.
Repeat on the other wrist. Both wrists. One band is not the method.
Snug, not painful. Tight enough that the stud stays put when they drop a hand. Not tight enough to leave a deep dent, tingle, or color change in the fingers. If it hurts, loosen it.
Check after they get sweaty. Bands creep. A band that was right in the kitchen can be an inch off in a hot minivan. Slide it back.
Keep the extra pair in the case they came in.
When to take the bands off
Prolonged use may cause swelling. Remove the bands if there is swelling or pain. That includes a hand that looks puffy, a mark that worries you, or a kid who says it hurts and is not just negotiating.
Do not leave them on overnight as a default. If you need them again in the morning, put them back on the point before you leave.
Patches: ages 6+, behind the ear as shown
Open the box. Read the insert. If the insert in the box disagrees, the insert wins.
Ages 6+ only. If they are younger, stop. Use a band if it fits.
Clean, dry skin. Wash and dry the area. No lotion, no leftover adhesive.
Behind the ear, as shown on the box. That is the P6 kids patch. It is still not a scopolamine patch. Do not use a scopolamine patch on a child unless a clinician told you to.
One at a time unless the insert says otherwise.
Up to 12 hours per the box. When that time is up, take it off. Do not leave a used patch on "until we get there" if the insert says otherwise.
What else is on the product, not invented here:
- Ginger and cinnamon
- All-natural, non-drowsy, drug-free
- Disposable. Not reusable. Do not peel it off and put it back on a child.
- Not a medicine. Not scopolamine.
If your child has irritated skin, a rash, or a known problem with adhesives or with ginger or cinnamon, talk to a doctor before you use a patch. "All-natural" is not the same as "fine for everyone."
What not to do
Do not treat either product like a drug. No cutting a patch. No "half a band." No adult scopolamine behind a child's ear because you already own some. No doubling up bands and patches to make a bigger effect unless a clinician told you to.
Do not use the wrong size and hope. An adult band on a small wrist sits in the wrong place and does not press enough. A kids band that is too loose is a bracelet.
Do not put the stud on the outer wrist. The point is inside. Both wrists.
Do not wait until they are vomiting if you had a choice. Put the bands on before the drive or before the tender. If you are late, put them on anyway, get the point right, and give it a few minutes. Still do the other things: cool air, horizon, a break.
Do not ignore swelling or pain. Take the band off.
Do not treat the P6 patch like a scopolamine patch. The box shows behind the ear. So does a drug patch. They are not the same product. Follow the P6 insert. If the insert in the box disagrees with anything here, the insert wins.
Do not use this for a stomach bug, a head injury, or mystery vomiting. Motion-related nausea is the lane. Other symptoms, or vomiting that keeps going after the motion stops, is a doctor problem.
Do not tell a kid it cannot fail. If it does not help, believe them. Change the seat. Stop the car. Go on deck. Call for help if you need it.
If you are choosing which to buy
Bands if they will keep something on their wrists, if they might be under 6, if you want a pair that lasts. Pink-Blue 2-pack is the common one. About $18.99 on Amazon as of this writing.
Patches if they are 6 or older and will not leave a band alone. About $24.99, 20-count plus a 2-count travel pouch, small review count, disposable. Read the box before you need it at 6 a.m. on a ship.
P6 is family-owned in Wyoming. The kids bands exist because their kids got carsick. That does not change the steps. Point. Both wrists. Snug. Before the motion. Patch behind the ear as shown, up to 12 hours, insert wins. Doctor if it is more than motion.
Put the insert back in the day bag when you are done reading it. You will not remember the details at the tender line.
More parent guides: Kids car sickness · Cruise with kids · Patches vs bands · How to use P6