The patch worked wonders for me on my last cruise. We were a rockin and a rollin, but my friend and I with the patch didn't get sick. You might want to make sure your kids aren't to little for the patch. It does have some interesting side effects, such as over dialating your eyes so the whole eye looks black. I don't know what it would do to a younger child. This time I am trying Bonine(sp?) pills, which my pharmacist recommended. He also said that the sea sick wrist bands help. Basically you wear one on each wrist and they put pressure on a point on your wrist to stop seasickness. He said that they help pregnant women with morning sickness, so they must be good, but they are $10 a set so that was a little more expesive. good luck with whatever you do.