Infant and Children's Remedies

Joanne: I would start by supplementing a Vit-A&D softgel as well as Selenium plus Vit-E (mixed natural tocopherols). You should see some positive results in as little as a few days, and might help correct the chronic "sick" condition you mentioned.

Joanne, try a bit (really a tiny bit each time) of coconut oil externally. He can have it internally too, masked in any number of foods.

Coconut oil is anti bacterial and anti viral and anti microbial and on and on. I started using it for my brain internally 3-7 tsp. a day and that is helping, ( no weight gain).

Then I decided to put it on my wrinkles and dry skin. (I have VERY SENSITIVE SKIN) It melts as you put it on and soaks in nicely, can cause a breakout as it heals , but then the skin clears up. I put it on throughout my day and before bed.

Also trying a dab on qtip in my ear to stop constant ear ringing and seems to be helping.

I brush my teeth with it and have less tooth sensitivity.

Most common colds (70% or more) are caused by rhino virus. Zinc stops the production of the rhino virus in its tracks. Zinc gluconate or picolate would be good choice.

Dear Norm,

We have done lots of different things over the years. I will go ahead and share what we are doing now, and may post again as I recall other things that have seemed to help in the past.

We have had amazing results using Astragalus Root. I put my 5 year old son on it over the summer. He was getting countless tick bites and I was concerned about him getting Lyme Disease. I had him taking 2 capsules (about 1/2 teaspoon) daily. He has been doing this for many months. Astragalus Root is used to boost immunity. It is a mild herb and used for food in other cultures. This son has not had any sickness at all this fall. He has certainly been exposed to a lot of sickness this fall, but has stayed well, praise the Lord. We even had a cold go through the family in October. His 8 siblings all got it and he did not. So, I am pretty excited about Astragalus Root! If you children are not yet able to swallow pills, Astragalus Root is quite mild and 1/2 teaspoon can be stirred into applesauce or a smoothie. You may also be able to get or make astragalus root tincture. It can be used during acute illness but is better used as a preventative.

Currently in our community, a terrible respiratory virus and the flu are going around...now most of my family are taking Astragalus Root and some other things.

Some other things that we are currently using to prevent sickness in our family (children and adults) are vitamins C and D. Prioris mentioned zinc, which I have heard is good.

I also made Elderberry syrup a few weeks ago, which is tasty and easy to get everyone to take. Here is a link to a recipe:

http://wellnessmama.com/1888/how-to-make-elderberry-syrup-for-flu-prevention/

Adults in my house are taking 1 Tablespoon per day and children are taking 1 teaspoon a day. When we have been around sick people, we are taking it 2-3 times a day. I was feeling a cold coming on a couple of days ago and starting to take 1-2 Tablespoons every time I thought of it and it seemed to nip it in the bud...I did also use Colloidal Silver several times a day.

Colloidal Silver is something I have been trying to prevent colds since Dave wrote about it. I am using a 10ppm strength. I have it in a dropper bottle. I put 1 dropperful in each ear and nostril several times a day when feeling something coming on. With children, I have tried to do this once or twice a day. They are not very fond of it. For small children I am just using a few drops per ear and nostril. You can do this daily to prevent and more often when sickness occurs.

I think a good diet is helpful to keep the body ready to fight colds. Avoiding processed food and processed sugar as much as possible is good. So is avoiding MSG, soda, etc. When children have colds, we avoid dairy, especially milk and ice cream. (We actually rarely consume them anyway, unless we have access to raw milk.) Human milk is fine when children have colds, by the way, , though you are not talking about nursing little ones. (I have had doctors say to wean children when they have congestion, but human milk is not a dairy product and I reject that advice.) We do try to eat fresh fruit (mostly apples) daily. That saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away can't be for nothing! )

But even children on excellent diets who get plenty of rest etc. do get sick sometimes.

If you have little ones that are struggling to get over colds, the above things should be very helpful. I also try to get herbal teas into them. Some will drink vinegar tea. (For a child, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 - 2 teaspoons honey in a small mug with hot water.) This is excellent if they will drink it. If they like cold, herbal tea, sweetened with honey can be made into popsicles.

Garlic Salve can be made to help with chest colds. It is super. It should be used often. It doesn't smell great, but it sure does help. Here is a recipe:

http://jeffratzlaff.blogspot.com/2011/05/garlic-salve.html

Well, I hope something here will be helpful. If I remember anything else, I will try and post it later! Have a great day!

~Mama to Many

Mama to Many: I have many friends with young children and will pass this information on them. Thank you thank you!

Regarding zinc, they should take 50 to 100 mg 2 or 3 times a day until cold is gone. If someone feels cold coming on, take 100 mg a day until it subsides. 50g a day is good for maintenance dose. You play it by ear.

50 mgs not 50 GRAMS, correct?

oops ... yeah, 50 mgs

To Mama to Many: Many thanks for your very generous advice on how to prevent chronic colds for my grandkids! I was astounded at your detailed and loving advice and health wisdom, and I hope that 2014 is a wonderful year for your whole family. Sincerely, Norm

Hi, You can try to put Castor oil on the eyes, another remedy is green teabags on the eye (probably green tea on a cloth will be ok). Regards, CB

My son had clogged tear ducts when he was a baby. I had to massage the side of his nose by his eyes and mucus would come out. Then I would have to put an ointment in them. The Dr. said he would wait until he was five months old but if it hadn't opened up by then he would have to open them up (lance them open somehow). I found an herbal recipe, mixed it up and put it in one eye. The following day I was so worried because his eye (underneath) was all red and it was even red down into his cheek. The following day, it was as clear as a bell and so I did the other eye and the same thing happened. After that, they were fine. The next trip to the Dr.s office, he was happy that they had finally cleared up. I didn't tell him what I did. I will look up the recipe and post it as soon as I find it.

I know someone who had to get a this surgery a couple of times, and the third time it happened someone told her to massage her tear ducts. Her tear ducts no longer get clogged. Simply put your thumb and index finder on either side of your nose and gently massage the tear ducts (press/release, circles). You will easily feel them. Try it on yourself before deciding to try it on the baby.

It's always worrying when a small child has anything wrong. I had this done as an adult many years ago. I don't mean to be dismissive but the GP probobly shouldn't have called it surgery. That makes the procedure sound much worse than it actually is. The Doc will put eyedrops in to deaden and and dilate the tear vessels. A baby may need more anaesthesia to stop them from wriggling and moving. Then a saline solutuion is washed through using a syringe. Took less than 5 min. Afterwards I drove home (Bout a 100 mile) without any problems.

I had the clogged tear duct for close on a year after having an operation near my eye without any infection setting in. My doc kept saying that infection shouldn't be a problem as the eye is self cleaning. My main problem was that because the natural liquid in the eye couldn't flow the the tear duct, one eye kept "crying".

However if there is mucous building up that can become infected and if massage doesn't work - this is not a procedure that anyone should be afraid of. I didn't even have a bandage.

My daughter had this several times. A woman suggested breast milk, which I had and I did put in her eyes and she never had the problem again. She claimed breast milk cured just about everything.

When my first son was a newborn (he's now 25) he had a clogged tear duct and my midwife told me to squirt some breast milk in his eye and gently massage. Worked like a charm. Breast milk is magical!

My lil one had the same problem, some day would get better, some day he couldn't even open his eyes from the night until I can clean it up with tea. Doctor said if by 1 birthday it wouldn't clear up, than surgery would be needed and that it is very common. We used prescribed antibiotic baby eye drops (prevent infection)Second time around don't think would use them. And as was mentioned before massaging the very corner of the eye (where the duct) but still about every hour eyes needed to be cleaned with chamomile or black tea. About week after his first birthdays everything disappeared. So listen to your gut and Good Luck!

My infant son had a clogged tear duct and his eye was constantly irritated. The pediatrician gave me some drops. I used them, but they didn't clear his eye up. I talked to my grandmother (a mother of 9 children) and she told me to put breast milk in his eye and massage the tear duct. Within a couple of days it was cleared up! The day after I talked to my grandmother, I was discussing my son with my friend from Russia, and she suggested the same thing my grandmother had. It really works!

Ditto on the use of breastmilk to clear up the clogged tear ducts or conjunctivitis. I've used it on 3 of my babies and it's worked within a couple days on all three. Just squeeze some into the clogged eye each time you breastfeed. If you don't breastfeed, you can either try to get your hands on some breastmilk and use it, or you can try putting a drop of black tea in each eye, which doesn't sting. My sister-in-law didn't try this and just did the drops the doctor prescribed and her child had the clogged ducts until she was over a year old, and then ended up getting surgery to correct it. It was miserable. You can also try ACV diluted in water, but that stings. Good luck.

Janice from Coloma, Mi, My father is going to have surgery soon for his clogged tear duct. Can you please tell me the recipes so I can give it to him before he has surgery.

I am happy to give you the recipe for the eye wash. I used it myself about a month ago. I thought I had something in my eye. The eye doc said it was a mild bacterial infection and gave me some anti-biotic eye drops. Instead of using the anti-biotics I mixed up some of the eye wash. The recipe calls for a teaspoon of Goldenseal. I used one tea bag of Goldenseal instead. Other than that, I followed the directions and it did the trick. I hope it works for your Dad.

Here is the recipe.

EYE WASH—BACK TO EDEN/JETHRO KLOSS
Golden seal is excellent for the eyes. the following is the way the writer uses it for his eyes: steep a small teaspoonful of golden seal and one of boric acid in a pint of boiling water, stir thoroughly, let cool, and pour liquid off. put a tablespoonful of this liquid in a half cup of water. bathe the eyes with this, using an eye cup, or drop it in with an eye dropper. if the eyelids are granulated or there is film over the eyes, add one teaspoonful burnt alum powder. if you use it a little too strong, there is no harm done; it will only smart a little. (pg 246 back to eden)

If you combine sage and thyme, red raspberry leaf and plantain leaf (all dried, use whatever you have on hand, even if only the first two) in equal amounts you can then put a small amount into a little piece of paper towel, moisten it and apply to the sore. (This may not be easy to do if the baby is in pain or if the sore is far back in the mouth.) But if you can do this for even a few minutes several times a day, it can help a lot. Or if you can get activated charcoal powder into the sore it can be very helpful. Clove essential oil, diluted 1:1 with coconut or olive oil can be applied topically (a very small amount) to the sore to relieve pain and it is also healing. (This may be the easiest thing to do.) Whichever you try, it can be safely done every couple of hours. For the rash on the body, if it is uncomfortable, a epsom salt bath (follow package directions) may be very helpful. Chamomile tea compresses or plantain tea compresses are very soothing. You would make very strong tea (2 tea bags per cup of water or 2 Tablespoons of loose tea leaves for 2 cups of water - boil the water and pour over the tea, let it steep for 15 minutes. Cool to a comfortable temperature. Soak a cloth in the tea and apply to the rash for 10 minutes or so, several times a day. You could also make the chamomile or plantain tea into popsicles. If he would suck on them it may sooth the mouth sore and would be healing as well. We have used these things for similar problems in our house. So sorry your grandbaby is suffering!

I know being a first time parent can be an anxious time. You mention that you have never been too hip on American medicine so I'm not sure if you are perhaps, European. If so, you are maybe familiar with Rudolf Steiner who founded anthroposophy. He has many wonderful and gentle treatments for young children (adults, too but you specifically asked for a young child) that I used when my kids were very young. One of the companies is called Weleda so you may even be familiar with it since it is in all health food/natural stores. If you google Steiner medicine or anthroposophical medicine, you will find lots of help. I know it helped ease my anxiety as a young mom.

Speaking of anxiety, you may also want to consider Bach flower remedies. Rescue remedy is a powerful remedy and we always keep it on hand in our home. If you are not familiar with them then google them and learn about them because they are gentle but effective.

Also, if you do like alternative ways you can have a look at Mothering magazine which was started back in the mid 70's. I found it very comforting and helpful throughout my older kids baby/ toddler/ youth years. I learned so much from that magazine and often it was a jumping point to learn more on a subject. It helped me make some big decisions as well that didn't necessarily fit into mainstream American mindset i.e., family bed, vaccinations, homeschool, etc. Of course, back in the early 80's a lot of these ideas were just being pioneered here in the US. Now, at least there are more people open to these ideas. Anyway, I hope this info can help ease the two of you. Lisa

Hey! Thanks for the response. The info looks great. Steiner looks interesting. I googled him along with anthroposophical medicine. A lot of information but I could not find any remedies for babies.

I do use Bach products and yes, they are incredible! My mom gave me a Bach bottle 7 years ago for anxiety. Its great!

If you know of a site or some actual remedies to do for my son that would be great!

Thank you very much!

Guys, for colds and flu, COLOSTRUM. Its a powdered milk supplement, used thruout history for its nourishing benefits and to maintain the healthy function of the immune system. It heals wounds, it cures all manner of bacteria and colds, its just really awesome stuff.

Its one of the only things I can get my five year old to take. I put a teaspoon to a half of a teaspoon in a few inches of milk, stir it really vigourously, because it is powdered, and a bit hard to mix, and she takes it and it tastes great!

She had a cold and a runny nose and mucusy throat all winter. I must have taken her to the doctor a dozen times, and she missed quite a bit of school this year cuz of it. I was giving her homeopathic cough syrups and tablets specially formulated for kids, which helped, but didnt really nip the problem in the bud. I also gave her cinnamon and honey, which is really good when she is throwing up.

I gave her a teaspoon of colostrum in the morn, and a half teasp at nite, and in about three days, her congestion was gone!! Completely gone! I was shocked and amazed. And she loves the taste, its just like creamy milk. The only drawback, is it is pricey, about $50 for a container, but well well worth it, I love it, I'll never run out.

I just wanted to add that I recently started to sweeten the colostrum /milk combo with butter flavored or maple flavored pancake syrup or creme brulee coffee creamer, just a little bit to sweeten it, and she Loves it! Before it was a bit of a fight getting her to take it, but since I added a flavor to it, she looks forward to it. And its amazing. Her runny nose started to come back and Ive been giving her a hlf teaspoon to 1 teasppon a day in the moring for the last couple days and its gone!!

Could I trouble you for some more details of a good brand of colostrum to use and the dosage please?

See this article:

https://daily.jstor.org/plant-of-the-month-elderberry/

Coconut oil works wonderfully on dry scalp.

Hi mothers, my nephew suffered from baby acne and dry scalp, I wipe it with rose oil, it cleared within few days.

Why would her doctor say to stop using it?

Hi Hb, when my daugther was five months old she got the congestion and what seemed like a very bad cough for such a young baby, so I took her to the doctor (in Mexico) thanfuly the Dr. was an old school Dr.

He adviced me to make a strong mint tea, which I could only find dry and set a pot of the very hot steaming te on the floor, Put the baby on my lap face down above the pot (please be very careful)and let her breath the steam I did this at night and nothing happen, but the next morning she sneesed and a whole glob of mucus came out. I think I did it one more time just to be sure everything was going to be out.

Hope this is a help and don't give babies antiboiotics if you can help it. Sincerly Aurora

I would try ACV. It has worked for me. 2 teaspoons in a glass of water with one teaspoon of honey. Do this 3 times a day.

I would not give honey to an infant.

Never give honey to infants younger than 1 year. Honey is a known source of bacterial spores that produce the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. This bacterium makes a toxin that can cause infant botulism. This rare but serious form of food poisoning affects a baby's nervous system and can result in death. Unlike adults, infants haven't developed beneficial bacteria in their digestive tracts that can control botulism spores and prevent growth of the bacterium and production of its toxin.

Hi! Rachel Weaver has a recipe for Garlic Salve that she uses on babies (even little ones) for a cough in her book, "Be your Own Doctor. " Here is the recipe:

Garlic Salve

• 1/3 c. Coconut oil
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 8 cloves peeled garlic
• 5 or so drops of lavender oil

"Pour everything into a blender and mix until smooth. Strain off the bits of garlic, and store the liquid in a wide-mouth glass jar in the fridge. It will solidify as it cools. If your child has super sensitive skin, you might try adding more coconut oil and olive oil.

Apply liberally to the chest, back, and bottoms of feet (covered with socks) at least four times a day, and as often as every couple of hours, as needed. This isn't something that you can overdose on, so don't be afraid to use too much. If it doesn't seem to be working, use more!"

Rachel Weaver has used this to treat babies with pneumonia. She uses it like an anti-biotic, except it is also anti-viral. (She will say to use it every two hours if you are treating pneumonia. )

If you do not have coconut oil, just substitute more olive oil for the coconut oil. You can skip the lavender if you don't have it. The garlic is the most important thing, it just must be diluted in the olive oil.

~Mama to Many~

I am so impressed with the value of using vaporub or a generic equivalent on the soles of the feet to stop a cough. Of course, you would put socks on to keep it from making a mess. It has helped almost everyone that has tried it. Can't hurt even babies since it is not taken internally.

Try calendula salve (calendula with extra virgin olive oil).

Dear Ollie, So sorry about your child's suffering! I am wondering if it could either be eczema or a staph infection. (Maybe both.) The things you are doing sound very good and I would continue them and try a couple of more things.

Extra Virgin Coconut oil and tea tree oil topically three times a day. (Unless the tea tree seems to irritate.
Continue the apple cider vinegar and breastfeeding... Both very important!

I would add 1/8 t. turmeric powder - 3-4 times a day. You can mix it with applesauce or honey. It is great for inflammatory skin conditions. I have used this for my little ones myself. (Always make sure child is drinking enough. Turmeric can be constipating without enough fluids.)

If it is eczema, it could be an allergy... Even something in mama's diet. Many of my children had all sorts of trouble if I had dairy products. You could try taking both off dairy for a while to see if that helps.

Chamomile is also really good for skin problems. You could moisten a chamomile tea bag and hold in on the spots for 5 minutes a few times a day.

Some other things that would be important are to avoid processed foods, food dyes, sugar, etc.

It isn't in a very convenient place (or easy age) to use a charcoal poultice, but it might be worth a try if nothing else you do helps.

Please keep us posted on what helps!
~Mama to Many~

Hello Ollie, It is quite evident from your description that the wound which produced the infection is the basis for the facial inflammation. The child almost certainly has a viral, fungal or parasitic infection derived from his scrape on the floor when he fell. You said you'd tried colloidal silver and I'm often on Earth Clinic touting the remarkable benefits of CS... But some CS do not have the parts per million sufficient to do the job. Try a different CS. Apply topically and let him take a few drops internally using a dropper. Only within the last 10 days Dr. Mercola, a very well known complimentary doctor in the States, posted on his web site the amazing benefits of CS. I'd recommend you look at that site because he does cite sources that authenticate the benefits of CS.

Next, if CS did not do the job, can you obtain the herb "Echinacea"? That herb in liquid form is remarkable for killing microbes especially those derived from biting creatures such as spiders. Not that I think the child was bitten by a spider, but the fact that your child was scraped on the floor suggests he may have picked up a microbe that Echinacea could handle. You apply Echinacea topically repeatedly every hour letting dry on skin's surface and put one drop in water and let him drink doing this three times in a day. Do this every other day for a week.

Ollie, since this is a baby please read about dosages compatible for children. I know what I, as an adult, can consume but don't know about children. CS has been used by humans for thousands of years so I have less worry about that. But the infection in the child's face certainly means that the infection will cause serious problems unless you kill it now.

Thus, research CS by going to Mercola's web site and use the internet on the Echinacea. At least that's what I would do if the child were mine.

Hello, I'm greatful to this site and very special to those they put all this effort in finding a time to help others for a cure, we did find the cure for this recurrent impetigo's for my 5 year old son, wheeping rashes, following a comment that it might be red skin syndrom and a link to itsan.org pages I felt apart when I read first hand parents going through this as we was.but also a huge relief to know what we was dealing with, and it has a cure. So the cure was not easy but needed more than doing nothing but resisting and not applying cortisone. His skin passed through all the curing periods, weeks of wheeping redness and drying and one day dry red pink patch for a month and after 4 month all gone, sun and beach helped the most, after a year a rash developed again, demotivating but we knew and bought vitamin d3 2500 unit p/ml because we had no chance to go to the beach, thanks of d3 rash disappeared in two days. So I have read my eyes blind and thanks to all people with good hearted info I found the remedy..nowadays we dealing with lots of colds and he had a rhinovirus that got us into the medical pressure system and cortisone inhalers ..he has allergic rhinitis and always a stuffed nose at night..so I bought a nebulizer. I gave him always Apple Cider Vinegar since he is two, now I give him Blackstrap Molasses everyday in fresh squeezed orange juice clorophyl and redbeet Cristal's from health store, and don't know if to supplement him on zinc too..he is not vaccinated neither is his 2year smaller brother..the small one is resistant as stock..and I read a lot about non vaccinated kids being healthier...true ..but not a 100%rule..we can't forget that our genes are weakening and our offspring have to deal with this...but I think everything is curable ..

I was told from the health food store to never give an infant charcoal. Their little tummies are not as strong as ours.

Dear Karen,

I certainly agree that baby tummies are not as strong as adult tummies.

But to me that is all the more reason to use activated charcoal for babies when needed. Charcoal is a very gentle and safe remedy.

A common reason for someone to use charcoal for a baby is to stop diarrhea. Diarrhea is a leading cause of infant death worldwide. Charcoal is one of the safest remedies for this problem, it is inexpensive and easily available.

Below is a link with stories about using charcoal for babies, including endorsements/testimonies from MD's.

Charcoal for Babies

For any reason one might use charcoal in a baby (colic, diarrhea, accidental poisoning) charcoal may be the safest treatment available.

Certainly charcoal needs to be used responsibly for all ages. Using an excess amount could cause a blockage. Taking it near the same time as needed prescription medicines could render those medications ineffective. Using it when intensive medical treatment is warranted and available would not be responsible.

For over a decade I have used charcoal for babies, toddlers, children, and adults. I have always found it to be gentle and helpful.

Mama to Many~

I would strongly suggest you not feed charcoal to a baby, as one of the side effects is that it could cause diarrhea or vomiting.

Also, babies are much more sensitive, and in their small bellies, could cause a bowel obstruction, and you don't want that.

A bowl of pureed pumpkin is much gentler, and would help a lot. We use it in our clinics for dogs with diarrhea, and it's really good for your baby anyway. You could flavor it to your taste as well.

Trying this for my 21 month old who's been having green diarrhea for about 5 days now (one per day). His behavior is normal and he's taking in a lot of fluids. Tried giving him yogurt, bone broth, and bovine colostrum but the diarrhea keeps reoccurring. He's been drinking milk for a while without issue so unless the manufacturing process has changed I don't know what has caused this. Just broke open a 500mg pill and poured out maybe 1/6 or less onto a spoon going kind of based, topped with yogurt (he has difficulties with swallowing solids, unrelated to the diarrhea). He ate it up easily and drank milk afterwards. I plan to do the same but with pumpkin puree in the morning.

Edit:

he ended up getting constipated for almost 2 days and had diarrhea the second day. I lowered the dose and he had a more normal stool after that! Interestingly he's had a circle of dry skin possibly eczema on his thigh for almost a year and that went away after we did the charcoal and colostrum powder! It's maybe 2% there still