Why Parents Are Putting Band-Aids on Their Kids’ Belly Buttons

If you’ve spent any time scrolling parenting reels on TikTookay and Instagram that declare to show you the issues veteran mother and father “wish they knew” earlier, you’ve probably come throughout this one: sticking a criss-crossed Band-Aid (or “plaster,” because it’s known as within the U.Okay.) over your child’s stomach button to stop nausea throughout automobile rides, aircraft journey, and even boat journeys.

While there’s no stable scientific proof backing the approach, loads of mother and father swear by it. Influencers together with @tsagana24 and @good.transfer.household have posted concerning the trick, with movies incomes tons of of hundreds of views.

In one reel, Artem from @good.transfer.household shares, “This easy trick helped my kid with motion sickness on road trips—just stick a band-aid over their belly button. Worked like a charm on our last drive.”

We turned to the specialists to search out out whether or not the stomach button Band‑Aid hack is de facto price making an attempt in your subsequent journey out of city. 

Breaking Down the Belly Button Band‑Aid Hack for Motion Sickness

The hack itself is so simple as it sounds. Before heading out on a visit, place two adhesive bandages in an “X” form over your child’s stomach button. The course of the location (a vertical cross versus a diagonal one) doesn’t appear to matter, nor does the dimensions of the bandaids. In reality, some mother and father, like Jasmin of @rainbow.building even go for one massive bandage as an alternative of two smaller ones.

In one video demonstrating the hack, the momfluencer with greater than 200K followers writes, “It sounds tremendous loopy, but it surely completely works for each my youngsters…This has saved us so many instances and we do it each single time we go on an extended automobile experience.”

She even suggests it’d assist adults too, although admits she’s unsure why it really works. “It could be placebo,” she says, “but I also read that the band aid stimulates some acupressure points to relieve nausea.”

While acupuncture could also be used to alleviate nausea, these factors are often within the wrist, not the stomach. It’s additionally price noting that acupuncture depends on important and sustained stress being utilized to a particular level on the physique, one thing {that a} common adhesive bandage can’t actually present. 

Besides this, there’s additionally the easy proven fact that there doesn’t seem like a lot correlation between how movement illness truly works (a disconnect between what your eyes see and what your inside ear feels), and making use of an adhesive bandage to the stomach button. 

Why Motion Sickness Occurs

“Motion sickness happens when our ear senses motion, but our eyes are giving the input of standing still, usually because we are reading or watching something on a screen,” explains Ali Shehata, MD, a Las Vegas-based household and emergency doctor. “This mismatch in brain signals causes nausea and dizziness.”

Kiara DeWitt, BSN, RN, CPN, an authorized pediatric nurse, and the founder and CEO of Injectco, agrees, including, “Seriously reducing screen time during car rides eases motion sickness by over 50% for most children.”

Of course, there are many different causes youngsters can get sick from automobile rides and lengthy journey days, even when they aren’t spending their time gazing screens. Since a baby’s sensory system continues to be creating, different elements like what they’ve needed to eat or drink that day, or perhaps a lack of recent air, can all result in emotions of nausea.

So, Does the Belly Button Band‑Aid Hack Actually Work?

The quick reply? Probably not, no less than not in line with science. 

“From a purely medical/scientific standpoint, the use of a Band-Aid over the belly button is a placebo type of treatment,” says Dr. Shehata. “It has no neurological effect and wouldn’t be expected to impact motion sickness.”

DeWitt agrees. “To be blunt, I would not say belly button plasters have a sound physiological basis for motion sickness relief,” she says. “There’s no sensory nerve cluster at the belly button that links directly to the nausea centers in the brain. Most likely, it’s the placebo effect at work.”

Still, neither knowledgeable is towards giving it a strive, supplied it’s completed safely.

“There’s nothing wrong with trying it so long as you keep things clean and safe,” says DeWitt. “Use fresh adhesive plasters, swap them out regularly, and avoid using them for more than a few hours at a stretch. Kids’ skin can get irritated quickly.”

What Actually Helps With Motion Sickness?

Here are some time-tested methods for nausea which will assist your kiddo greater than a Band-Aid on the stomach. 

• Choose the fitting seat. “Strategically positioning kids in the car, like in middle seats where there’s less motion, can reduce dizziness and nausea by up to 30–40%,” says DeWitt.
• Cut distractions and encourage wanting exterior. “Avoid the use of screens in the car by putting tablets and phones away, as well as books,” advises Dr. Shehata. Encourage youngsters to look exterior and maintain them engaged with automobile video games slightly than screens.
• Try pure aids. “Ginger chews or drops can help, especially if taken 30 minutes before a trip,” says DeWitt. For older youngsters, peppermint-flavored gum or sweet may assist ease a queasy abdomen.
• Keep them hydrated. “Even a 2% fluid loss can mess with your equilibrium,” DeWitt warns. Pack loads of water and easy-to-digest snacks on your journey.

If your baby continues to wrestle with movement illness, particularly to the purpose of vomiting, turning pale, or avoiding automobile rides altogether, it is perhaps time to test in along with your well being care supplier. 

“For the rare few that continue to have symptoms, more testing or medication might be needed,” says Dr. Shehata. “Don’t hesitate to check in with your provider.”