Infant and Children's Remedies

In the ABC Herbal by Stephen Horne, he says, “one of the greatest problems with nutrition is lack of trace minerals in our food.” And then goes on saying, “we found that giving half a teaspoon of herbal minerals along with a half a teaspoon of licorice root TincTrack just before bedtime to solved a bedwetting problem with both of our sons. It said, “many people have tried all sorts of kidney herbs for this problem with no success but when we heard Dr. Lendon Smith say that Bedwetting can be a blood sugar problem with a mineral imbalance we decided to try this approach. It worked well for us and has since worked well for others.” Lots of people are deficient in minerals these days! Best of luck!

My daughter was born with mild jaundice. My midwife was Haitian, she instructed me to put her in the sunlight for a few minutes at a time throughout the day. This worked, and her skin tone improved in less than two weeks.

Airborne has a lot of nasties in it, too. Many of their products contain parabens as well as other toxins.

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

Breathing issues can definitely be from microscopic parasites.

A modified ketogenic diet may help Prader Willi Syndrome patients - 30% fat, 45% carbohydrates and 25% protein, with at least 20 grams of fiber per day. See this link http://www.charliefoundation.org/images/whitepapers/WHITE_PAPER_PWS_2016.pdf

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 ..

Added to sunshine: Lemon for mother. It'll get to infant when nursing.

Light - sunshine

They are called bedwetting alarms. Malem Ultimate and Chimmie Premium are good brands and cost around $100. I have yet to find an alarm that costs $1000, as you mentioned. Could you provide a link? I'm really curious.

My grandson who is 8 months old has just been diagnosed with infantile spasms. Did you ever find anything that helped your child? Thank you so much.

Does apple cider vinegar help Encopresis?

I read your post my 8 year old has the same problem. Did you buy cal mag zinc tablets for kids or adults?

2 yr old has been constipated for most of his life due to antibiotics. Found relief with fibers like prunes, apricots, cherries, avocados and watermelon. Daily probiotic and water...poor babies. Breaks my heart

Dear Nathan,

Glad to hear of your successes with potty training!

There are many things you can do to help maximize your child's language development.

1. Read to him every day. Dr. Seuss Books, Margaret Wise Brown books. ABC books.

2. Continue talking with him. Name things as you do things together. Ball. Oatmeal. Spoon. It will give him good speech to imitate.

3. Limit TV time. As much talking happens on television, it does not seem to help much with language development.

4. Sing with him. Play music that has nursery rhymes for children or other children's songs. Even if he isn't singing the songs, it will give him something else that is good to imitate when he begins to speak. And singing uses a different part of the brain than speaking.

Did you ever try doing some sign language with him? Learning some basic signs can help both parent and child experience less frustration with this stage before he is speaking well.

Do you have a pediatrician that you take him to? While for some children, it is normal to not be speaking at the age of two, there can sometimes be physical causes that would make it hard for a child to learn to speak properly. (Short Frenulum, hearing loss (even temporary from colds or mild ear infections), etc.) It is a good idea to rule these things out, at least.

I also would not force feed a child his food or drink. It is important for meal time to be pleasant.

~Mama to Many~

Hi Mama to Many! Just want to update you on the progress of my toddler.

He does not pee that much anymore. He does not wear diaper during the day as he now go to the bathroom to pee. We still have him wear diaper when he goes to bed at night. But it's been more than a month already that his diaper stayed dry until morning. Like you did with your kids, we will no longer put him on diapers starting tonight. Hope he will not wet the bed until tomorrow morning.

However, he still not want to poo in the potty or the toilet. Thus, we still make him wear it until he was able to poo then, he stayed nappy-free until he went to bed.

The good thing is that he's already weaned off the bottle and drinks his milk from the cup, not the sippy cup. But we have to force-feed him because he refuse to drink milk on his own since we started weaning him from the bottle.

He still does not speak though but he understands us when we tell him to pick up his toys, etc. I wish he has the patience to utter words that we can understand because he keeps on talking to us in the language that he only knows - unintelligible words that sounds like Korean/Chinese/minions. It's funny I know but that's how he sounds when he talks very fast.

How do you deal with your kids when they were on this stage?

Depending on how old baby is, goats milk is the closest thing to mothers milk! Must be getting vitamins from good healthy food to be ready to move on to goats milk. My son had a bad reaction to formula too.

Dear Janeysilva,

The first thing this made me think of was my own sixteen year old son. He has a head full of thick, thick dark brown hair. He has one patch of white on the back. It is maybe a 2 inch square patch. I am pretty sure it is a birth mark. He had very blond hair as a toddler, but it darkened over the years, except for the white patch, which I think is very cute. It may even be considered gray hair. His hair is a bit longer now and I don't notice it unless his hair is pretty short.

So, it could be something like that. Or it could just be a random white hair.

If you are concerned, though, a simple thing to try would be a half teaspoon of blackstrap molasses for him each day. If it is cause by a nutritional deficiency, that may help. I think of Blackstrap off a spoon as a natural vitamin.

Is your child under stress? If so, reduce if you are able. Chamomile tea is a good tea for all ages for its calming effect. My six year old loves Sleepytime tea, which has a lot of chamomile in it.

~Mama to Many~

My son is 3 1/2. This morning, dropping him off at school, I found a white hair in the midst of his very thick chestnut brown hair. My son was born with lots of hair and it grows very fast. I'm trying to figure out if this could be related to stress or nutrition. Any thoughts? Thanks for any answers I can get.

I still feed on breastmilk but the best formula out there is Holle organic formula.

WARNING!

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.

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

Hi Markc...Well, as substitute, you could certainly use raw milk or goats milk formula as advised by Weston Price.

But if the child had problems with milk then I would feed him or her coconut milk which would help to protect the baby as well as provide all the needed nutrients. You can buy organic coconut milk powder easily nowadays. But I would go a ways further than doing just that. I would also add organic bovine colostrum powder(or the liquid colostrum straight from the mother cow) to the coconut milk as well. To illustrate the importance of First Mother's Milk or colostrum, if the calf does not get his mother's colostrum within the first 24 hrs of its life then the calf will die from disease because the calf has no immune system. This fact is well known by vets and farmers.

I would also particularly urge the use of bovine colostrum if a baby has never been breast fed for all the reasons stated above. The high amount of antibodies that are in bovine colostrum are the same as human antibodies produced against disease. So what happens when you supplement colostrum over a period of time is that the mother cow's immunity that it has against all disease will be passed to the calf. The same thing would happen if a human adult or baby took colostrum -- there would be a critical transfer of immunity against many common diseases from the mother cow to the adult or baby. This ensures that when the baby grows up -- it will have a strong and healthy immune system.

The mix of coconut milk together with colostrum would also act to stop allergy problems like skin issues because colostrum is highly protective and healing for the gut. That's how it cures food allergies. So this may well cure your granddaughter's skin problems. And, what's more, colostrum is all-natural and safe baby food.

See the articles and research on colostrum here, here and here

Dear Grandpa Mark,

The Weston A Price Foundation has very detailed information on making infant formulas that would be safer than commercial. It sounds rather labor intensive, but there are people who are doing it out of necessity for their little ones.

http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/formula-homemade-baby-formula/

~Mama to Many~

Hello Grandpa Mark,

I agree with the goat's milk idea. Even if you have to get a nanny goat and milk her yourself. Our babies need every good thing we can give them.

Dear Grandpa MarkC,

I am sorry to hear of this difficulty for your grandbaby!

How old is he? Has his mother been nursing him at all? Some moms are able to re-establish their milk supply. There are even moms who have adopted babies and been able to nurse them some. It would take a good bit of commitment, and ideally, help from a lactation consultant or perhaps a La Leche League Leader, but it has been done.

IS goat's milk a possibility? For me, if I had not been able to nurse my babies, that is what I would have wanted to use.

I hope you will find a good solution for your grandbaby!

~Mama to Many~

Hi, sorry, I'm not sure where to put this request, so here I landed.

Anyway, we need a heading under CHILDREN like "Make your own baby food" - "Formula" or something like that.

My daughter has been giving formula to the baby, against my protest, you must understand. She's been using the brand "Good Start" which causes rashes all over the babies bodies of some babies (maybe a lot - who knows).

LIVINGSTRONG says it's because it contains unhydrolyzed proteins. Now the family wants to give him a hydrolyzed formula, yuk! They just want to jump from the frying pan into the fire, poor baby.

We need ideas from you good folks out there that have the real deal, that truly is good for the baby, like raw goats milk (organic non-GMO goats that is). Often times that can not be had.

So what's a poor soul to do? Help everybody! What's your super solutions?

Thanks a lot

Grandpa MarkC

Dear Nathan,

10x a day for a 15 month old to urinate seems within the normal range - at least it has been for my toddlers.

I agree with you that crying is his way of communicating. I once had a child that age who screamed for everything. I got a DVD (video back then! ) of sign language for babies and taught him just a few signs. It helped him and us so much. He learned them so fast and he was able to communicate and it made our home more peaceful. You may be able to find this information online or at your library if you want to try and teach him some signs.

Most of my children were three before they were potty trained. Then it usually takes a day or two or less. :) I admire those who potty train early. It just never worked for me. I found the frequency that smaller toddlers needed to be taken potty, the frequency of accidents, etc to be frustrating to me and my little ones. When I realize that my child is dry through the night often, I figure they are about ready. I take them to the potty first thing in the morning and we go from there. (Though I had a child who was potty trained at 3 but not dry at night until 9 or so. Bed wetters need lots of patience and it just needs to be no big deal. I am grateful for pull ups for older children! )

Anyway, that is a bit of my philosophy and experience on potty training.

Potty training and weaning from the bottle at the same time may be too much at once. Both can be stressful and are changes. Toddlers love routines and it might be best to change one thing at a time. And toddlers often still need to suck, at least for comfort. If he does not suck his thumb or take a pacifier, he may need to hang on to the bottle a bit longer. You could try setting some limits on it. (Like, the bottle is for at home only. Or for daytime only. Etc.)

I hope these thoughts will help a little. Toddlers a are a lot of work. Try to find some fun every day and enjoy this stage. After 20 years of having at least one toddler, I have none in my house and I miss them! They are always saying and doing such funny and cute things.

~Mama to Many~

Sorry for the late reply Mama to Many!

My kid does not drink water that much. He's more into milk and fruit juice. He urinate at least 10x a day. It usually happens when he cries and he cries a lot: when he wants something; when we stop him from doing things he like, etc. He cannot talk yet so we thought that crying is his way of communicating.

We did not notice any odor on his urine so far and he does not complain of pain in urinating. In fact, we're trying to potty train him right now as well as coax him to drink milk from a sippy cup instead of milk bottle but we have not succeeded.

If you could give advice about the latter it would be appreciated.

Dear Nathan,

Is your toddler urinating more frequently than before? How often is "frequent" to you?

I know that dairy can affect children who have trouble wetting the bed. So I guess it could cause frequent urination.

It seems that my toddlers that age do pass urine very often. It is one reason I potty train very late. But this has not been an issue once they are potty trained.

Are there any signs of bladder infection? Odor, pain upon urination, etc?

~Mama to Many~

I would like to ask if frequent urination is normal for a 15-months old toddler drinking milk formula? If not, how to remedy the condition?

Good ol' fashioned sunshine. =) (viteman d, but you can't give a supplement to an infant)

Sunlight. You'd have to look up how much is safe. My son had mild jaundice and it cleared up. If it's a severe case I would definitely be talking to your pediatrician.

How do you naturally cure jaundice on Newborn baby. That increases everyday.

Dear Mmsg,

That is great to know about the lemon juice. Thanks!

~Mama to Many~

Yes, MtM, sunlight is very good for baby's "yellow", and that's why they put them under a "bili light". But there's another trick to add: when the mother drinks (plenty of) lemon juice, it lowers the numbers too.

Dear Holisticmom624,

Yes, frequent breastfeeding is great for preventing and helping jaundice.

Sunlight is also good for mild jaundice. Pediatrician Dr. Sears says to "put your skin-exposed baby next to a closed window and let the rays of sunlight shine on him for around fifteen minutes, four times a day. Sunlight dissolves the bilirubin in the skin so that it can be excreted in your baby's urine."

All of my babies have had the Vitamin K shot, though, I like you, prefer to avoid any "extras! " Only the first one (of nine) had any hint of jaundice. And he was a very poor nurser in the beginning. All of the rest of my babies nursed seemingly constantly in the first days after birth. So, if you have to get the Vitamin K shot, I would encourage you to nurse as much as baby is willing in those early days. My milk would come in in 36 hours when I did this; perhaps that is how they avoided jaundice. My milk did take 3 days to come in with my first baby.

I hope that all goes well with you and you can avoid the jaundice if not the Vitamin K shot. It can be pretty frustrating. I remember one time getting the "consent" form for the PKU test to sign in the hospital. So, I checked "decline." There was a box for it. The nurses came back and told me it was "mandatory." Well. So, I wasn't really giving permission, I guess, was I.

~Mama to Many~

The Synthetic Vitamin K shot is given to infants all over America, I happen to live in a state where it is mandatory and I already know of the side effects and am dreading having to give this again to another child [as I am pregnant]. One of the side effects being jaundice. My question what are ways to detox this out of the body, for instance I have a friend whose baby developed jaundice...I am aware that breast feeding can help but is there anything the mother can give or take that will help baby remove this out of body. any information will be helpful as there are many babies suffering form this vaccine and unfortunately the govt has made it so that we no longer have a choice in whether or not we want this to be administered to our children.

Hi Fluffy, If you select the "eye" icon at the bottom of any post you will receive notice that someone has posted to that one every time someone does. EC has changed this all around since I signed up a couple years ago, but yes this site is great!!

Hi Kt, I'm not sure I'm doing it right here but those icons at the lower right hand corner of a post, do those go directly to an inbox that is assigned to the users of the group or? I don't think I'm actually registered here but have to sign in, in order to do a post. A little bit of a learning curve for me. Love this site though!

Yes Fluffy, you are right. It is known as PICA. I remember reading that it was a zinc deficiency. I replied to Jassy before I saw your post.

Hi JASSY, I think it is referred to medically as having PICA. People with PICA have the urge to eat things such as plaster, dirt, fabric, sponge and it can be caused by some kind of deficiency and too, possibly, an emotional compulsion. Usually they look for things like iron deficiency or problems with low dopamine levels. I'm not a doctor or an expert but I think they try to treat this kind of things with things that help detox the system in case of heavy metals or use medicines that help with behavior modification. Also nutritional supplements and diet recommendations. I would suggest you get her back to a doctor right away and have them do all the appropriate testing. Look up PICA online. Hope this helps.

My 6 year old niece eats fabric, fabric brom her clothes, fabric from garbage, mattress, anything fabric. Her doctor just gave her some multivitamins and said there is nothing wrong with her. She started eating fabric/rugs/sweater when she was about 3! This is very serious because she continues to eat and has no signs of stopping. Does anyone know what could be the cause? Maybe she is lacking something in her body? please help! I don't know how to help this child.

Sania from India. I made a typo -- the place in AP is Puttaparthi. Sorry, Namaste, Om

Dear Saniya,

Hi! I am wondering a couple of things about your daughter... Is she also tall? Or does she have excess fat for her age? Is her doctor concerned?

2-3 movements a day sounds within the normal range, as long as they are not watery. In some cultures, even 5 movements a day is normal because of a high vegetable diet. But you say that a stomach ache is common for her? Is it related to her bowel movements or after she eats?

If she has had many antibiotics and a weak immune system, she may do well to have some yogurt or even better, milk kefir daily. (Both should have active cultures in them to help the gut.)

We have found astragalus root to be an excellent herb for young children who need a boost to the immune system. I give a child that age 1/4 teaspoon of astragalus root powder once or twice a day. It can be mixed into some food (oatmeal or yogurt or rice. It is very mild.)

Some daily vitamin C may also be helpful to her immune system. I give children that age 1,000 mg when there are sicknesses going around. But vitamin C is safe for daily.

I give children of all ages apple cider vinegar and have never had any trouble with it. You could try it for her and see how she does. I would start with 1/2 or 1 teaspoon in some water or juice once a day.

Is she getting good exercise daily? A daily walk or bike ride is great because the sunshine is so good for health. But even on rainy days, a jump rope or indoor mini-trampoline would be a great way to keep active when she can get some exercise time outside.

Well, I will wait to hear more from you.

~Mama to Many~

Sanya from India --- have you heard of the Sri Sathya Sai super speciality hospital in Bangaluru? You should take your daughter there. All treatment is absolutely free. The hospital has no payment counter. The treatments are performed by the world's most able doctors with state of the arts equipment, and you can go online of radiosai.org to find out more. This is a hospital of the future. There is one more in Puttapathi, Andhra Pradesh. This is Real!

Follow up is free and done by volunteers. Lots of testimonials. Sai Ram Om

Respected Mama,

U are doing a very fabulous job for humanity! I often visit ur site, and learn a lot. Today I want to discuss about my 7yrs old daughter.

Actually mam, she born by c-section with weight 3.5kg and with a small problem of heart hole i.e. she had VSD of 3.5mm which had decreased to 1.76mm after 3 months of birth by itself.

We never needed any type of treatment for this untill now but doctor always advised to protect her from infection and always gave her fast treatment for cold, cough or fever, she had been given antibiotic injections for all these problems many times and she has a little weak immune system. But her over weight has always been an issue!

She is an active baby. Now at age of 7, her weight is 36kgs! Her food intake is also very good but often she has stomach ache and her motions are normal but frequency is 2-3 times a day.

Please suggest remedies for overweight. Can I give her ACV?

We vacuumed our baby's bed and voila eczema gone. It's the dust mites!

What has seemed to help my children is Kombucha. Kombucha can be bought in many stores and also can be made at home as well. It is a probiotic and also has enzymes and B vitamins...4 out of 5 of my children really like this...what they like is how they feel after they drink it. They feel good. My young children know that kombucha is great for when they feel sick, but they also like the taste when it is flavored.

We also use colloidal silver often as well. Even if they are fighting off something, colloidal silver seems to help them feel better.

Dear Elaine,

Your grandson has had a bit of a rough start! Dave has good advice regarding the fungal possibility and solutions for it.

Some additional thoughts on dealing with whiny behaviour:

Daily outdoor play and sunshine daily are good for the mood and attitude, even toddlers.

A lot of screen time (tv and computer) can make little ones cranky. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for children under two.

One of my toddler mottos is: Feed them when they are hungry, put them to bed when they are tired. Being tired or hungry increases whining in mine and most.

Sometimes they get into a whiny habit. When this happens, I will answer a whine with, "Nice voice please." said with a smile in a very pleasant way. I wouldn't make a battle out of it, just nice reminders.

Sometimes children get a little fussier when they are going through changes (learning to walk, talk, etc.) Sometimes it is helpful for a parent to know, "This is going to pass." Teething also makes mine fussy. If the toddler is drooling a lot, this could be it.

Please let us know how it goes!

~Mama to Many~

Elaine,

Re infant who has had lots of antibiotics;

The discomfort he's experiencing could be from a fungal infection/or candida. Antibiotics in quantity will nearly always guarantee fungi.

Consider nystatin. That is a prescription drug so your MD must prescribe. If me, I'd also try Colloidal Silver. Read up on it's benefits. CS can kill fungi; I have so experienced. CS is positively charged as is beneficial bacteria which is why (one pro explained to me) ... which is why CS does no damage to the beneficial bacteria. But CS is draws to fungi and bad bacteria (negatively charged).

How much for a child? Don't know. But a full dose for me would be two tablespoons three times daily. If my child responded well in a few days using a dropper to administer, then I'd keep it up to see if in a week he was better. CS would have to be administered for months to finally kill a system wide infection.

Also child might have developed a reaction to hard to digest carbs, such as wheat based; and remember, sugar based foods (fruit juices) definitely feed the fungus. So he needs to be off such sugars... so no "sippy cups" filled with juices.

My 15 month old grandson is miserable. He's not in any pain he just cries/whines a lot. He had a rough start in life. Premature, had NEC and had to have some of his intestine removed. Need I say he's had a lot of antibiotics. Not to mention he's had some ear infections. Anyone have any ideas?

Dear Shonni,

If she is comfortable with out it, that seems fine. It also seems like sleeping on your back or stomach would make one less likely to need a pillow. I would tend to think that side sleepers would do well with a pillow so the spine is not so bent.

I do not let babies have pillows because of the suffocation risk. But somewhere around the toddler age, all of mine have taken up pillows, probably because everyone else in the house has one.

~Mama to Many~

Pillow for Children - Yes or No? Opinions wanted.

Hi, my husband and I are a bit losted at what is the right thing to do. When our daughter was about 3 we asked a lady at the baby shop at what age and what type of pillow should we give to our daughter. She told us that her daughter is now 20 and still does not use a pillow. She advised against it. She did say that if we ever see our daughter using her stuffed toy as a pillow (putting it under her neck) then it would be time to buy her one. She is now 5 and we have never seen her using her stuffed toy. She did mention it maybe twice that she wanted a pillow, when we asked why she said because we have one. What do you think ... should she be using a pillow or not?

PS: She has never complained about stiff neck or any other muscle problems, is very healthy, only be sick twice and has sooo much energy. Opinions much appreciated. Thanks Shonni

Dear Ann,

Well, that would be disheartening, but I am hopeful that there will be things to help you children.

Dr. Christopher's Kid-E-Reg is great to help a child get regular and the herbs tone the bowel. This was so helpful for my toddler who had constipation problems that led to a rectal prolapse. I have had him on this for 9 months and he is now regular and has not had a repeat of the prolapse.

1 teaspoon of blackstrap molasses once or twice a a day would be good.

You have tried a lot of dietary things but I will mention a few anyway, in case they are ones you haven't tried. Lots of fresh fruit may be helpful. Avoiding cheese and milk for a while may help.

You might look into Natural Calm - a magnesium supplement which is easy to take. You can adjust the dosage for children. It is good for constipation.

Slippery Elm and Comfrey are both healing and soothing to the GI tract.

Keep us posted on how they are doing!

~Mama to Many~

~Mama to Many~

Re: encopresis (a type of constipation) in children:

Both my children, 12 and 8, have had severe bowel problems for several years. They cannot have bowel movements without Miralax. Even with the Miralax, they soil their underwear daily. We have tried several diets, probiotics, etc. Nothing has resolved these issues. My oldest has had problems 6 years. We feel so hopeless. Any suggestions?

Dear Aldina,

I wanted to pass along a recipe from Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions.

She recommends egg yolks for babys 4 months old and over.

Here is what she says to do:

1 organic or pasture fed hen egg

pinch sea salt

Boil egg for 3 1/2 minutes. Place in a bowl and peel off shell. Remove egg white and discard. Yolk should be soft and warm, not hot, with its enzyme content intact. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt.

I have never tried this or even heard of this, but recently was at a friend's house and there she was cooking an egg yolk for her 6 month old.

Anyway, egg yolk is a good source of nutrients and fat.

~Mama to Many~

Dear Aldina,

Well, it seems good that nothing has shown up. Hopefully that means it is just that you have a petite baby, at least for now. My firstborn was 6 lbs 5 ounces at birth and 18 pounds at a year. He only gained 4 pounds during his second year, and if I recall correctly, he went 9 months in his second year with no weight gain. Like Mmsg, my little one turned out to be taller than average after all. Not that the height really matters if he is healthy.

I wonder if you could try 2 ounces of formula every 2 hours instead of 3-4 ounces every 4 hours? I would try and get a feeding in at bedtime and first thing in the morning to maximize the number of feedings in a day. If he still takes a bottle in the night, that is great. Try to keep feedings a pleasant as possible...if he likes it, you can still rock him to give him a bottle and it might maximize his intake.

Mashed avacados are a great baby food that are high in fat and calories.

You could also add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of extra virgin coconut oil to his baby food, to increase calories.

Egg yolks are another high nutrient and calorie food for babies. (I believe no egg white for the first year.) You can cook the egg white and mash it and add it to other foods. (Don't give cooked egg yolk straight as it can be a choking hazard.

I tend to wait a while to give my children dairy products, but if your baby is able to have them, cheese and full fat yogurt would be good. Just be sure they are not constipating him.

Avoid juices unless they are fresh juiced. Juice for babies tends to fill them so they take in less fat and protein.

It is great that he is playing and active. Try to get him out in some sunshine each day the weather is nice. Playing outside and sunshine seem to increase appetites in my children.

Keep us posted on how he is doing! I know you are doing your best for him and he is blessed to have such a caring mama.

~Mama to Many~

Aldina, 1. try feeding him tiny bits but more often.

2. RELAX! When we were dealing with a similar situation, we were told by a wise woman: as long as you see progress, even if it's slow, he will be fine. As a matter of fact, in our situation, the "baby" in question is now a big, husky father!!!

Mama to Many, my son was born 6 pounds 3 oz he was always a bottle fed baby I couldnt breast feeds he only takes 3 oz every 4 hours sometimes 4 oz. Yes, he will eat some solids to 3 or 4 oz of a gerber jars his fav his sweet patotes I try to switch to so many formuals but no luck his weight gain has been so slow and he is so so tiny. He is not sitting all by him self yet and no he is not crawling. He plays in his jumper and active he is been teething no teeth yet. We been at the hospital for 7 days to do all kind of test blood work and all of them are ok. They put him on a feeding tube but he throws up any extra food given thru the tube and plus he pulls the tube out :( I really dont know what to do or what it can be

Dear Aldina,

Hi there! Is your baby breastfed or bottle fed? Does he still nurse or take a bottle during the night?

What was his birthweight? Was he born near his due date?

Is he taking solid food? What kinds?

Is he crawling and sitting up?

I am asking these questions, hoping to get a better picture of things and hopefully will have some ideas to help and encourage.

Have a great day! Hope to hear from you soon.

~Mama to Many~

Hello I read about earth clinic online. I have a 8month old son and weighs 12 something pounds, very little, the drs are conncerned about him not eating enough. We had all blood work and test done eveything came ok he just eats how much he wants. I need help and I am worried please.

Dear Sonja,

Would your nephew happen to still be breastfeeding? Toddlers can be completely sustained on breastmilk alone. My oldest child was unable to take any solids in until he was 16 months old. All of his nutrition came from human milk and he was and still is quite healthy. (He is 20 now.) The only concern for a one year old tends to be that breastmilk is low in iron. A half a teaspoon of blackstrap molasses twice a day would be some assurance there against low iron.

If not, goat milk might be an option for him. (It is much less likely to cause allergy issues than cows milk.) Raw would be ideal, but not accessible to most people, and you would want to know that it had been handled properly.

Even if there is no option for milk, he should be able to get plenty of nutrition other ways. Because of observed dairy sensitivities, I have been very slow to introduce milk and dairy to my toddlers. One of my children was weaned at a year and I did not give her dairy. But she did very well on grains, meats, fruits and vegetables.

There are lots of grains other than wheat that can be used for carbohydrates instead of wheat, as Mmsg mentions - quinoa, millet, and rice. My toddlers have all loved oatmeal.

Does he do well with fruits and vegetables? Meats and eggs? (Though sometimes children with allergies avoid or limit eggs, I believe?)

If he does not have molars yet, a baby food grinder or small food processor will make it easier to get food mashed up for him to consume.

Let us know what you find that works well for him!

~Mama to Many~

Sonja, rice (or rice baby cereal), millet, quinoa (ground or not before cooking), any veggie (pureed or not), fruit, eggs, meat, chicken, etc. For example, you can blend some chicken with veggies from a well cooked chicken soup, for a complete meal for him.

My 1 year old nephew is allergic to fish and wheat. He will also be tested more, but until then he also cannot have dairy. Any suggestions on what to feed him?

Please be careful using it too much. I was also tempted it might cause a rag weed allergy later in life. You can also check with your naturopathic doctors you can find them at Findnd.com. Good luck.

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.

Lucena: I will agree w/ Mike on the Spirulina. Suffering from an environmental illness for a few yrs led to a Vit-K deficiency in myself until I started taking Spirulina tablets. Beneficial bacteria in the gut manufactures the K, but I think that infants cannot complete this processes so that's why the injections are sometimes warranted.

As for decisionmaking, it's always best to try the natural route first. If the spirulina doesn't raise the K levels, then I.m. injection may be necessary.

Lucena: Nutrients work in concert like a symphony. Isolates lack the dozens of nutrients and hundreds of cofactors in properly prepared whole foods. Park rangers examined the stomach of a dead herbivore and discovered he had eaten 400 plants. Take 5g daily Hawaiian spirulina. This has k1, k2, and 100 more nutrients. They are transferred to the lovely baby through the milk. Watch raw food and super food videos.

Hi Ted or anyone else .. Please I am in need of some wisdom whether to let a pediatrician administer Vit K injection to a new born baby. There are many pros and cons on line that really confuses me. Any information or knowledge will be highly appreciated. Thanks.

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

oops ... yeah, 50 mgs

50 mgs not 50 GRAMS, correct?

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.

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

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

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 Mama to Many, what is your recommendation to help with kids ages 4 - 6 years old who are having difficulty getting over colds and who get colds a lot? Thanks.

Hi Humble,

Don't conclude your new born has Candida. Or what made you to conclude that. All the newborns will have white fungal growth in their tongue, this is normal. And will change after 1 year. Just keep breast feeding, it will develop the immunity.

Good Health.

Dear Humble,

I think if a breastfeeding mom took magnesium and iodine then the baby would get it in breastmilk, which would be okay. I don't think those would be my first choice for treating candida in a newborn.

Is the newborn nursing? What are the symptoms of candida that you see? Is there anything else that you have tried? How old is the baby? Do you know how the infection came about?

~Mama to Many~

Can a newborn take magnesium chloride and iodine for candida fungi, and what are the pros and cons? thank u much.