One of the things that new parents work out fairly quickly is that babies don’t come with a manual! There is a lot of divided opinion on many topics concerning children's health chiefly because, in most instances, there is no definitive right and wrong answer. This is also a simply huge subject and, given the length of time paediatricians study for, no article of this size could ever claim to do anything more than scratch the surface. This page is primarily concerned with complementary health and natural remedies for babies and children.

 

Natural Remedies and Child Safety

 

Many natural remedies are among some of the gentlest treatments available, and so are often ideal for babies and young children at appropriate doses, but there are exceptions to this. When using herbal remedies with young children, half the adult dose for 6-12 year olds is fine, and half again for younger children.

 

If you are ever in doubt or unsure, or you are concerned about your child’s symptoms, then your local GP, health visitor, baby clinic , pharmacist or accident and emergency department may be the best port of call. Home treatment should be used as an enhancement to conventional care, not a substitute.

 

The following remedies should NOT be used with children at all:

 

Valerian: This popular, gentle and effective herb is great for use in cases of sleeplessness or anxiety, but should not be taken internally by children under the age of 12. This would mean, for example, that our Calmer Chameleon aromatherapy products are fine for children, but our Pyjama Par-Tea herbal tea is not. All our other herbal teas are suitable for children.

Honey: As with many of the best remedies out there, honey is a staple of both medicine chest and pantry alike. It shouldn’t, however, be given to babies under the age of 12 months. The reason for this is that honey can contain botulinum spores. This is a toxin which causes infant botulism, and honey is the number one preventable cause of this illness. It occurs is such low potential concentrations so as not to be a concern for adults and older children, but very young babies have not yet developed a sufficiently robust immune system to deal with it, and so it should be avoided until they are older. Thereafter, honey is an incredibly beneficial substance in many instances.

 

Massage Oils: Massage oils, like ours, which are made with real essential oils, are great for grown-ups, but may be too strong for children's delicate skin. Don’t use fragranced blended massage oils designed for adults on children under 5, and dilute massage oils by half with simple olive or grapeseed oil for older children. For massaging babies or very young children, basic olive oil from your kitchen is perfectly fine.

St John’s Wort: There are contrasting schools of thought regarding St John’s wort and children. It’s very much up to the individual parent but, on a personal level, I would suggest that there have been no safety trials with children and this potent herb so, while there are known safe alternatives, such as catnip/catmint, passionflower and chamomile, is seems silly to run any risk, whether real or not. None of our products designed for ingestion contain St John's Wort. 

 

Great Home and Natural Remedies for Your Children

 

 

Herbal Teas: Young children may not be natural herbal tea drinkers, so the easiest way to get them to drink is to make the tea before adding a strong-tasting fruit cordial, such as blackcurrant, giving them a hot and comforting fruit drink. In addition to ready blended infusions, try echinacea at the first signs of colds or ‘flu, german chamomile for anxiety, sleep disturbances, stress, digestive complaints and colic, (even for babies in small quantities). Other good herbal infusions for children include catnip/catmint as a more suitable alternative to valerian (it’s not just for cats!) It’s fantastic for colic and teething, as well as digestion. Fennel is also great for digestion and colic. Finally, nettle is great for growing children: packed with more vitamins and minerals than spinach, including stacks of iron and calcium, it’s a powerful remedy of for allergies and hay fever.

‘Ear ‘Ear: Many children suffer terribly with ear infections, and it’s one of the most common causes for trips to the doctor. They are terribly uncomfortable, and cause many children (and parents!) a great deal of distress. It’s best to see a doctor with all ear infections so that, before introducing anything to the ear, you can ensure that it is not ruptured. To treat an ear infection, gently warm some olive oil with fresh crushed garlic and/or mullein flower (available from most good herbalists or health food shops), then strain and allow to cool to a comfortable temperature. Using a dropper, introduce some of the oil to the ear.

Slippery When Wet: Slippery elm makes a great cough syrup, and soothes sore throats, too. To use as a cough medicine, mix 1 tablespoon slippery elm with a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a cup of warm water and a tablespoon of honey. This can then be used by the spoonful as required - keep it in the fridge. It’s also a great soother for burns. Mix a tablespoonful in a mug of hot water and cool. Keep in the fridge and apply liberally to burns.

Liquorice: For coughs, colds and congestion, liquorice syrup or tea is a good choice, or simply give the child a natural stick of liquorice to chew if they are old enough.

 

Ginger Nut: Ginger is the best herbal remedy for nausea, whether it’s sickness caused by a bug or travel sickness. The easiest way to give this to a child tends to be a ginger biscuit!

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Blowing Bubbles: This simple but effective treatment is the ultimate in making treatment fun! Breathing slowly and deeply will help get hysteria, stress or anxiety under control. Working on a similar principle as getting a hyperventilating patient to breathe into a bag, have the child blow long, slow streams of bubbles from a bubble wand. Getting a child to breathe slowly and deeply can also help control pain, so it can also be used when they have hurt themselves.

Cooling Off: Lavender is a great treatment for headaches, but putting neat lavender oil of the forehead may irritate a child’s sensitive skin. Mix 5 drops of lavender essential oil with a tablespoon of witch hazel, and pour over a flannel, then apply the cool compress to the child’s forehead. Once it is warm, place in the fridge to refresh. This is great for both headaches and mild fevers.

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Teething Traumas: As well as the myriad of good wooden and organic plush teething aids for babies to chew on, frozen fruit such as chunks of mango in a muslin bag is a popular soother for sore gums to chew on. Also, carrot and celery chunks from the fridge can make great teething aids. Ensure that the pieces are too big for the child to put fully in the mouth, and supervise children with vegetable pieces. In addition, chamomile tea, made into ice cubes and placed in a muslin bag can be good for numbing the discomfort. Finally, diluted clove oil makes a fantastic natural local anaesthetic, but not all babies are keen. Place a single drop of clove oil into 15-20ml of olive or grapeseed oil or glycerine, and rub gently onto the gums. Test for strength on yourself first!