Acid Reflux Remedies for Children

Regarding your infant who has acid reflux and is falling off the growth charts, does your family have any history of allergies, asthma or eczema?You might consider eliminating foods that typically cause food allergies, this helped my children when they were infants, for 2 cutting out milk was enough. For my 3rd I've cut out quite a few foods from my diet. dairy, soy, and wheat are a great place to start.

Hi, any person big or small with stomach related problems should check if they have a vitamin B12 deficiency (the 'biggest' vitamin). This vitamin is needed for the growth of children! When the stomach and/or the intestinal tract isn't working as it should it can not make an acid which is needed to form B12 called the intrinsic factor. Look up the internet for further info, there are a lot of symptoms caused by this deficiency which can be misdiagnosed! My mother had B12 shots as she lost her hair and teeth after giving birth, if the mother is deficient maybe her children are too. The best way to take B12 is by taking a tablet under the tongue together with folic acid (also good to take before getting pregnant). Regards Carolin

I have acid reflux, so I can sympathize with your son. My daughter also has it, and slid off the scale too.

I wouldn't recommend Zantac or ACV. Instead, ADD FOOD ENZYMES and PROBIOTICS. This literally cured my Acid Reflux. The other cures either burn your throat (ACV) or suppress your production of acid (Zantac) which makes the problem worse.

Also, you might find he is more comfortable sleeping as a slight angle. I've seen both triangular pillows, or propping up one end of the bed about six inches (you can use blocks or something secure to rest the legs of the crib on).

But I will emphasize again that the only thing that has cured my acid reflux is taking food enzymes and probiotics every day. You also want to make the diet more alkaline (healthy). Things like sugar and chocolate will be hard on him.

Has your child been checked for achalasia? Both my children had chronic vomiting which started around 3 months of age. My daughter eventually fell off the growth chart. Both were referred to a GI specialist and after endoscopy diagnosed with achalasia. After undergoing surgery to repair the narrowed esophagus, my daughter continues to have issues with reflux. She was on Prevacid. That was changed to Nexium, but she can't stand the taste. I was going to try ACV but I'm not sure if it's the right thing to do. I have started giving her a probiotic to see if this will help.

When our daughter was small I mentioned to the chiropractor that she would always spit up after every feeding. He said that was an easy fix. One adjustment to her pyloric valve between the large and small intestines was all it took. He said that most often boys experienced this immaturity in the valve at birth, but sometimes the girls do as well.

This chiropractor is also skilled at reflexology to test for food and environmental allergies; mold and fungus issues; even can test for heavy metals. It is a painless procedure that only takes seconds, much less involved than scratch or blood testing!

Try using an oil diffuser with water and eucalyptus oil in his room as he falls asleep. I know when I have a stuffy nose this helps with the morning congestion.

Try Colloidal Silver it should help the sinus.

If you don't want to try to feed it to him, which could prove difficult at any age, try applying the apple cider vinegar to the bottom of the feet with a cotton ball. The vinegar will absorb through the skin and should help calm the stomach. It is also good for diarhea. It dries in about a minute or two. I use this whenever my family gets sick. I have used it for food poisoning, flu, gastric overingulgence. It has worked wonders. Try it and see how it works.

You might want to see a doctor about a condition called (as I remember it) Hypyloric stenosis. From birth my son would throw up most of his formula. Even so, he grew at the normal rate. I knew the throwing up was not normal, but I could not get a Dr to take me seriously. One night I took him to the emergency room and as he was laying on the examine table nude, a Pediatrician on loan from Germany walked into the room and said "I can tell you right now what is going on with that baby" He put my hand on my baby's stomach and I felt a lump about the size of a ping pong ball move across his stomach. It was blocking the opening of his stomach. Part of his formula was getting past the blockage and the rest came up like a cup overflowed. He had the recommended surgery and was fine
after that.

imo it is the milk...haven't seen a baby yet that can tolerate it. if ou truly want to still breastfeed it is not too late. i have used a herbal formula in the past from a herbalist in toronto...my milk supply was off the chart within 24 hours- i was stunned. from my research diet can play a roll in low milk supply as well as the baby not nursing often enough. wheat & dairy impacted my milk and made my baby vomit all the time...til i figured it out. m 3rd baby never ever spits up- he's 10 mo, until i eat something with wheat or dairy in it. i am guessing you ate dairy while you were breastfeeding? now ou are still feeding dairy. this is classic case of dairy reaction. ps. my first child was so small, wouldn't grow etc. NOW i know why. he does not eat dairy,wheat,sugar,yeast, soy or corn- he eats tonnes of salads and veggies and he is 8 now and growing well! still small for his age, wish i'd figured this out sooner!

dr. jack newman in toronto canada is THE world expert on breastfeeding- he can help you with the low milk supply as well as helping you to resume nursing after having stopped. he is a genius and helps women all over the world with major obstacles.

best of luck

Research vitamin C and bladder infections. It is supposed to do an excellent job of keeping urine bacteria free.

Dear Kali,

So sorry about your friend's little baby! There are some things I would look into if this were my little one.

Charcoal is great for kidney issues. Here is a link about using charcoal for kidney problems.

http://www.charcoalremedies.com/kidney_disease

Now, that is for an adult, but charcoal is so safe, I have used it for babies. (Not that young, though, having never needed it at that age.) Anyway, charcoal poultices could be used over the kidneys and charcoal could be given internally. But a baby would need just a tiny amount each day, and away from any medication or herbs.

Dr. Christopher's has an herbal tincture for children that is called Kid e Dry. It has herbs that are good for kidney/urinary health. I do not know what the dosage is for such a little one, but it is something else I would consider in this situation.

Garlic is a natural anti-biotic. When mother's take it, babies do get it in breastmilk.

If potty training is the benchmark, there are actually books about potty training babies. I have never done this; my children have almost all been in diapers until they were three and a half. I have never read these books, but I know they exist. I would probably look into it for a situation like this.

Your friend is going to want to find a doctor that will support her in this. If I were trying to keep this baby healthy and avoid or minimize antibiotics, I would still want a supportive medical professional who would work with me and be able to monitor the baby's health and be willing to treat the baby if a need arose. Also, you probably know that if you just leave a hospital with a baby and reject the doctor's recommendations, the hospital may consider it necessary to call the police or social services. I have known of this to happen in less serious situations than the one your friend is facing.

Keep us posted on how things go!

~Mama to Many~

Hi Tiffany, my son also had digestive issues. Your daughter needs to be on probiotics (the kind that are kept in the refrigerator) and also digestive enzymes. Stay away from soy milk it is very BAD and be careful of milk formulas because most have MSG added to them (which is very bad for children). Stay away from processed baby food it also contains MSG.

There are some good remedies on this site for ear infections... Look at those.

At 1 year old, why is she not on cows milk? Raw milk would be better. Does she get any natural saturated fats? Butter? Yoghurt?

Does she eat pureed vegetables? Vegetables have enzymes in them for digestion. Organic is better. Juicing green vegetables is good for digestion as well not to mention a good way to get much need vitamins and minerals into her as well.

Google "youtube Dr Natasha McBride". She has a great book out but some very informative videos as well.

Dr McBride talk about making homemade chicken broth, which is full of vitamins and minerals. That would be excellent for your daughter to have.

I would try raw milk. Sprouts carries it or google for a farm or grocer near you. Allergies don't usually apply to raw milk.. That means not pasteurized nor homoginized. Have you tried renting a breast pump? Your milk is the best.

Hi Tiffany, my oldest daughter cried all the time, many, many hours a day. I was living in a foreign country, no family or friends around me, it was a disaster! I cursed the day I decided to have children and gave up my very nice life! After going to many doctors, none of whom had a solution for her problem other than putting her on butter milk and other stuff which didn't help at all, I came across a doctor who felt so sorry for me that he decided to admit her into hospital. They discovered that she was lactose intolerant. She was 9 months old then and had lots of diarrhea. I think that she cried the whole time because she had cramps or something. She was put on lactose free milk and the problems stopped completely. She is now 30, married a few months ago and is a delightful, beautiful, young woman!

But the problems didn't stop there! Second daughter, born at 36 weeks (first one full term), same problem with lactose. Doctor gave her soy milk which I now know was a terrible mistake but she also grew up to be a wonderful young woman and is currently, at 26 a model!

Third daughter, same problem, soy milk again but she also had other problems like bad reflux (was admitted to the hospital for it but they gave no solution) and maybe because of that had a lot of chest infections. She was permanently having terrible colds. During her first birthday party the doctor phoned to tell us that the infections had become chronic. For the reflux I went to a homeopathic doctor who gave her some granules which stopped it right way together with thicker food like your daughter is eating. For the infections and bad colds I devised a treatment myself of echinacea, an old-fashioned grandmother's syrop called Kindervital with orange peel extract and other extracts (it is sold in many countries) and within two weeks the color has got back to her cheeks and she grew up to be a very healthy young woman about to turn 23.

So you see..... A bad start doesn't mean a lot of problems through life. If you look at my daughters, especially Amy the youngest, you would say that they are all very healthy. You just have to go on searching for solutions. I never accepted no for an answer, never! It only made me search harder and we had no Internet back then! Maybe you should also do some research on Amazon for example and find some books that might give you some answer? I have reviews a lot of book on this site but I confess that not having little children my interest doesn't lie in that field. Still Adele Davis' book Let's Get Well is one I remember giving quite a bit of advice for children.

Hello Tiffany, I am sorry to hear your poor baby has been through so much at such a young age. I agree that you should stay away from soy for sure. It is terrible for everyone. I had the same issues with one of my daughters who still has digestion issues (and I blame alot of it on the soy formula). She would not breastfeed after 4 months no matter how badly I wanted her to. Up to that point she had been absolutely healthy and growing wonderfully. But I decided to take a day away and go snowboarding without her. Grandma fed her bottles for the first time and walla..... She didn't like breast feeding anymore. I didn't have access to a good pump so I couldn't get enough milk for her with the hand held one I had. She got so sick on regular formula and we ended up swithching to soy. She became so unhealthy and stopped growing. They diagnosed her with failure to thrive. They tested her for everything from cistic fibrosis to thyroid disease to celiacs. Nothing. She is now the smallest of my five children and has had so many tests and procedures done to find out nothing. Recently we decided to try to give her enzymes (thanks to the wonderful people on this site) and she started growing like crazy. She is eating and illiminating normal for the first time in ages. She is 10 years old but is the size of a 7 year old stature and weight wise. We have been to so many specialists and doctors and none ever realized that she might not have the enzymes to digest the food. Duh.

Your daughter is at an age where you can give her regular milk now. I would switch her to homegenized milk. I would also give her probiotics and make sure she eats organic yogurt. She may have a lactose problem but if you give her enzymes that should help. Obviously you cannot start making breast milk again since she is one. Stay away from giving her pediasure and other processed "vitamin drinks" since they are made with other things that will make her health worse. You could try to make green smoothie's. My kids love them and think they are treats. I put a handful of parsley, spinich, blueberries, 1 or 2 banana's, a tsp or two of coconut oil, 1/2 cup or so of greek yogurt, both the zest and juice of one orange, a cup or two of coconut milk or water in the blender. This is the perfect amount for my 5 kids and myself (Its purple not green). You could lower the amounts and make only one serving or put it in the fridge for later. Sometimes I freeze this in popcicle holders and they eat it without even knowing it's good for them. Other days I add a little spirolina and/or chlorella for a boost and to help detox them a little. They will drink it for breakfast most days.

Another great way to get her to eat might be to let her dip things. Kids love dipping anything. Try some rice cereal with a little melted cheese in it (for my kids I add chile pwdr to make it spicier and it has the feel of cheezy grits). She can dip crackers or chips in it. Apples and pears go great with peanut butter, nutella (hazlenut chocolate spread), Sunbutter (Sunflower seed butter). Hummus is a really great snack since it has chick peas, sesamee seed paste, olive oil, garlic and all of these are great for digestion and supply vitamins and minerals. Hummus goes good with any sliced veggies or crackers. Since she is probably still not eating alot of hard crunchy foods you could steam the veggies and fruits to soften just a little. Let them cool and let her dig in. I have 3 picky eaters so you learn to get very inventive:) I worked in a wonderful daycare for a long time. I learned so many great things about feeding kids with special needs and requests. Kids are all different. They will eat what they want. You just have to figure out what it is they want. I put at least four different things on the table for dinner. They have to take at least one spoonful of each. But they can have as many spoonfuls as they want. I just make sure that for the most part all of the choices are healthy:)

I hope she will get healthy soon. I can give you a link to where to get the liquid enzymes if you need it. You just put a few drops in each meal she eats or in her drinks. God bless and good health to both of you.

Good points Jen, re the Hummus I would make it fresh, don't buy it in a tin because it may have additives added. Also goats milk is better than cows milk if you can't buy raw milk.

Also I read recently that MSG is added to cheese? Chips and crackers (processed ones) are also not helpful for young children as they have MSG added to them. We need to get back to cooking our own crackers and chips like grandma used to.

If you read the book "Excitotoxins, the Taste that Kills" you will read that MSG is called an Excitotoxins because the glutamate receptors in the body and the brain get excited and then die. Brain cells are being killed off with MSG unless you supplement the diet with certain foods. There are many other issues with MSG that are very bad for us. It is in all processed foods.

Dear Tiffany... I just came across this site and read your post. My daughter has had the exact same problem and was found to have milk protein allergy. This kind of allergy usually goes away by age 3-5 according to her pediatrician. I had stopped eating milk and milk based food as I wanted to breastfeed her. I pumped and discarded my breast milk for a week and then started breatfeeding her. Additionally, gave her Nutramigen formula, which is lactose free. I could eat the store bought cereals, breads, even vitamin and calcium pills as they all contain some kind of milk or whey protein.

At seven months, we started her on home-made solids like puree of cooked carrots, green peas, green beans, peach, mango, oats.

We avoided giving her rice, banana, applesauce as these are supposed to cause constipation. She was sometimes constipated and we gave her apple juice and diluted prune juice and she was fine. This was all based on her doctors advice.

At age one, we started her on lactose free milk and stopped Nutramigen. At age two, we started her on regular organic milk and she tolerated it well.

Now she is 3 and is just fine. Please take your doctor's advice and all will be fine with God's grace.

I have 2 grandsons ( ages 1 & 2) that have3 thrown up since birth & scream with tummy pain. Have u had your LO genetically tested? Their test came back that they have severe food allergies called fpies (food protein induced enterocolitis syndrome) it can throw them into shock if not treated with IV fluids immediately, I think all babies that continue to have issues with no definitive answers need genetic testing, we were lucky to have a very open minded pediatrician that sent them to the genetic right away, the 1st sign was low blood sugar at birth. Plz keep pushing, u know your baby better than anyone. Mother's instincts, if u feel something is not quite right, u are probably correct. They tried the new mom thing & other things until they changed pediatricians. Best move they ever made, now we know they have more than 1 genetic syndrome, but they r getting the needed home therapy & test needed to save their lives....good luck & god bless...

If having trouble with milk, and issues with it, I would try fresh goat's milk, as it's the best I ever had and is a little different than cows milk, and easier to digest.

Hello Liz, I have used and seen great benefit from acidophilus bifidus, purchased from the fridge in a health shop. Given to tiny babies & toddlers is very safe. Mixed into luke warm milk or water. Given up to 4 times a day. You will notice a difference within 24 hours. :-)

Up front you don't have to trust this but it has worked for severe digestive disorders. First off feed your kid simple sourdough bread... Just flour, water, and sourdough starter... 3 ingredients. Don't make it too sour... And have them eat hot/warm out of the oven. Gluten intolerant people can eat sourdough bread! You can learn how to make it online... Very nutritional food. Don't feed the child high fiber foods... It will aggravate the symptoms. Protein rich foods may also do the same ie meat, pastureized dairy, etc. Also good fat at night before sleeping is very helpful... RAW coconut oil or RAW high cream milk (perferable just cream).

It does work... Good luck!

Here are two great recipes for sourdough bread. A good article as well. The secret also lies in the long fermenting process of the last "rise" of the bread. You need to leave it overnight or for at least 12 hours.

http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blog/articles/slow-ferment-sourdough-bread

My 3 month old suffers from gastrointestinal Reflux. She takes Zantac which helps by neutralizing her stomach acid. This helped with the burning but did nothing for the amount of times she spit up. I am using raw coconut oil to help fight a tough battle with thrush in DD and nipple yeast in me. Now that we're getting the yeast under control I've noticed a wonderful perk! DD spits up less when I use the coconut oil! I swab her mouth with it 3 to 4 times a day - especially during bedtime because this is when she nurses the most. I also have noticed that she is problematic when I drink any type of dairy - ice cream is my weakness. So, I've alleviated dairy from my diet. No burning with a small dose of Zantac and less spit up from the use of coconut oil and my diet change. This combo has created a much happier baby and mommy!

We tried zantac, prilosec, elininating dairy, wheat, soy, and all these things helped but did not completely eliminate my son's reflux. It wasn't until we took him to a pediatric chiropractor who adjusted him several times and recommended infant probiotic drops that he became much better.

Liz, my son has the same exact same problem and has had it since birth. He is 13 months now and even thought he doesn't spit up anymore (it's always been more 'silient' though), he continues to have 'silent' reflux..the kind that swallows and coughs all day. Like you, prevacid made it worse. We took him off of it 2 months ago and he was slightly better without it. For sleeping - we hold him all night long and it barely helps and have tried every position (angled or not) possible to put him in. He's continuing to swallow all night and wakes with horrible gas pains around midnight no matter what we do while swallowing contiuously. Did you son grow out of his problem? Did you try ACV and did it help?

Dear Kay,

What a kind mama to hold him all night in his discomfort!

It is possible that my firstborn son had something like this and it was never diagnosed. The pediatrician we had was never very helpful. (My first born is 20 now.)

Anyway, as a baby he vomited a lot and was also fussy. He was helped a lot when I went off dairy (he was breastfed for 2 years, and had no solids before 16 months as everything made him vomit.) I also didn't give him dairy for a long time. As a child he had a throat clearing issue that resolved when we took him off dairy again. He actually does not seem to have trouble with dairy now.

Some things I wish I had tried for him were: kefir (water kefir or maybe even milk kefir)

Activated charcoal - for the gas pains. 1/8th teaspoon in a little water. I have had babies under a year take a charcoal tablet easily. You could try this at bedtime and see how he does.

And my last baby was drinking my apple cider vinegar water before he was a year old. I have found it safe for my children.

I hope you find something that will help your little guy to be more comfortable and everyone in your house to get good sleep at night!

Keep us posted!

~Mama to Many~

Gastric and esophogeal irritation can be caused by fluoride in "cavity preventing" toothpastes, so if your child uses fluoride toothpaste, make sure that he/she is not swallowing any, or better yet, get fluoride toothpaste out of the child's life altogether.

p.s. Fluoride is also present in food or drink products made in processing plants located in cities that fluoridate their water. Gastric and epigastric (esophogeal) pain and irritation is one of the early signs of fluoride toxicity.

Please please don't give your child ACV internally. I think this is too harsh for a 3 year old. It actually has a burning sensation if you drink it even diluted. I take it for skin problems and there are many uses but I wouldn't give it to my children. There must be other ways. In the uk we use a liquid called Gaviscon for acid reflux. It has a milky consistency can be bought in the pharmacy without prescription. Not sure of the minimum age. Ask at the pharmacy or even ask your doc to prescribe something. I think there are even chewable tablets eg mint flavour. If she meets the age requirement find out if you can get it for her. There may be another brand name in your country.

I just googled it there is one called Gaviscon Infant Main use Active ingredient Manufacturer
Reflux of stomach contents in infants Sodium alginate, magnesium alginate Reckitt Benckiser.

Here is a link http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/100001148.html

The active ingredients of Gaviscon infant are not absorbed into the bloodstream. Instead they work by reacting with the stomach contents to form a gel. This gel thickens the stomach contents, making it more difficult for them to be refluxed back into the food pipe and be regurgitated.

Also before starting to take any new meds please tell the pharmacist exactly what other medication you are giving your child for the other health problems to avoid chemical reactions etc.

Good luck. Hope this helps. I have had severe acid reflux during pregnancy so I have personally used the adult version and it does help a lot.

Nola, Prevacid is very dangerous for anyone to be on let alone babies and toddlers. Prevacid only masks the symptoms they have it doesn't "cure" anything. Reflux is caused by too little stomach acid in your stomach not too much. Prevacid blocks the stomach acid being produced. Stomach acid is needed for proper digestion.

You can do your own research though. The below from a website.

Dangers of Prevacid and other Acid Blockers

PrevAcid is a dangerous drug and should be avoided at all costs. It can cause really serious side effects, affecting not only your digestion but your cardiovascular system, your central nervous system, your endocrine system, your musculoskeletal system and more. It has been associated with everything from cancer to heart attacks to diabetes to depression.

PrevAcid also causes a profound and long-lasting inhibition of gastric acid secretion. While the medical literature mentions this because of "the negative impact it may have on the absorption of drugs where gastric pH is an important determinant of bioavailability", a far greater concern should be the impact it has on your ability to obtain any nutrition from your food.

So... By keeping them on the PrevAcid they are being starved of nutrition in their food. Personally I would give them probiotics and digestive enzymes and if you can find some raw milk (as it has enzymes in it). Fermented foods are great as they are easier to digest. Homemade chicken, beef and lamb broths would get calcium and nutrition back into them. Diluted lemon juice is also good as it is acidic. Yoghurt with live bacteria is also good.

I am doing the Gaps diet at the moment with my son. By following the diet you actually repopulate the gut with beneficial bacteria. The book is written by Dr. Natasha McBride. You can google her on youtube.

Hello Nola, I also replied to another lady who has a little one with acid reflux. I have used and seen great benefit from acidophilus bifidus, purchased from the fridge in a health shop. Given to tiny babies & toddlers is very safe. Mixed into luke warm milk or water. Given up to 4 times a day. You will notice a difference within 24 hours. :-) Hope your grandchildren feel the benefits soon.