Infant and Children's Remedies

Hi, My 3 1/2 year old has seasonal Asthma. I'd like to give her the ACV, but not sure how much is safe for a 34 lbs...firecracker...

thanks, San

What age is ok to give apple cider vinegar? My EBF [exclusively breast fed] 6 month old son has had a runny nose with chest congestion and a cough for over a month now and I'm wondering what is safe. It doesn't seem serious but he's had it so long now.

I have an 8 year old son, and would like to try giving him ACV for his allergies and asthma - but am unsure of how much to give him daily. Can children have the same amount as an adult, or should I give him half? Can ACV cause a reaction with prescription medications?
After 4 years of allergy treatment (2 for asthma) and many medication adjustments later, he still isn't getting much relief. I have read so many good things about ACV, on your site, I think I am going to start giving it to the whole family. Thanks!!

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.

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.

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

I have listened to hundreds of mothers over the last 9 years in regards to their childrens eczema.

it is either milk or gluten. Almost always the dairy but might be a combination. Remove them completely and the eczema will go away.

I was covered in it as a kid at 9. My parents took me to a naturopath (thank God) and then a homeopath... Who 'cured it'... However it would flare up once in awhile as an adult. Until I read about the connection between parasites and eczema (as well as the dairy and wheat). I have been completely free for 12 years but I am dairy, wheat, yeast, corn and gluten free 99% of the time ;-) and all my other ailments including low back pain, chronic migrains, shoulder pain abdominal pain, leg cramps, moodiness, anger, brain fog - is ALL GONE ;-) I see the same symtpoms in my kids. If I did not feed them a healthy diet free of dairy and wheat and do regular parasite cleanses... I am sure they would have eczema! It is not tht hard - there is so much available now for allergy free living and you know, we just go back to the 'basics' of eating like grandma would have... Brown rice, meat, potatoes, veggies, salads, whole cereals like millet, quinoa, oats, buckwheat, fruits, smoothies, almond milk and other nut milks, veggie juices, nothing from a can, leftovers, etc. It is much cheaper in the long run and crockpots are awesome for those with time issues ;-)

Help with baby constipation

Please help- I have a nine month old girl at home with a chronic constipation problem for the last 6 months. If I let her go on her own she may have a BM once or twice a week and they are very painful for her to pass and very large. The doctors are not much help and I've done everything they have suggested with little change and even that only temporary.

I have tried the following: baby laxative consisting of magnesium citrate, changing formulas (from Enfamil lipil to Enfamil gentle ease-helped for about 3 weeks, earths best organic, and a couple of others), raw milk from Jersey cows, omega 3 supplement, probiotic, fresh fruit including peaches, pears, apples, apple juice, pears juice at least 4-5 oz a day which worked for 2 days then stopped working I stopped giving it to her because I feel that is too much juice, fresh blended spinach, Epsom salt baths, massage with almond oil and lavender essential oil, q-tip with Vaseline,
thermometer with Vaseline both inserted to stimulate a movement, steamed broccoli, raw garlic, dark corn syrup, concord grape juice diluted, aloe vera juice and now against what I believe to be nutritious soy formula. I give her liquid suppositories to make her go but she is now holding her BM in because it is so painful for her. I am trying enemas to help but she tenses up before I can insert them and I don't want to hurt her. Please if anyone knows of something I have missed please tell me.

I don't know what else to do for her. She's had an X-Ray which came back normal- nothing keeping her from having a BM. Also she only began having this problem when I began supplementing her with formula when I wasn't producing enough milk. While she was on breast milk she had no issues. But when I went back to work I slowly lost my supply and since then she has had this problem.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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!

Hi everyone. My four year old boy has such a poor appetite and not gaining any weight and look tired all the time. He is just 13kg and he will turning five next month. I took him to to many doctors and they all say he is fine and he was a small baby to start with and will be like that. But being his mother my instinct says if somehow I can increase his appetite he will put on some weight and increase height. I have tried giving him iron supplements that did help him a while and then it just stop working.

After trying everything and feel helpless and probably crying everyday and stressing about his health non stop and so here I am asking for some home remedy instead. Every meals times are do stressful and torture for him and myself.

Please help me and I want my child to be happy and enjoy food than hating food. Am begging for help!!!

My nine month son has suffered from diarrhea, cough and vomiting but now he is stopped since I change formula( recommendent by Dietian). He does not have appetite and he weight 6.3kg. How can I give him to like food?

Dear Ted, I have been reading a lot and I must say that I am unsure about the dosages to give to my children. My daughter is seen by ped endo for possible early puberty. She is a Leukemia ALL survivor, was diagnosed at age 2.75 years and went through treatment and in remission for 5 years. She is in excellent health and doing good at School. However she started developing breasts early and that is the reason we saw the endo. They did ultrasound and some blood work, the results of ultrasound reveal a small cyst and the doctor reassured that it might go away and nothing to be concerned. While we are waiting for the blood results, I thought it would be a good idea to try ACV. Could you please suggest the dosage for a 7.5 year old girl child. My almost 10 year old son suffers from eczema especially around stomach, shoulder and groin area. Kindly share us the children dosage.

Thank you, Vid

My kids love this apple cider vinegar drink - 2 qts of water, 3 tbsp of ACV with "the mother", 1 tsp ginger, and stevia, or whatever sweetener to taste. They think it's juice, we have it almost every day!

First off, I am always shocked when people pass on incredibly bad information that they have no way to verify... "I heard that someones milk dried up when they took ACV"... are you KIDDING ME???? Unless you have information to back up what you are saying or its first hand info, people have no business spreading stuff like this. And for anyone reading stuff on the internet RESEARCH EVERYTHING YOU READ!!!! make an inormed choice. Secondly ACV is VINEGAR people - it's not some magic potion, pink pill, drug or cure all! Dieting??? you call taking ACV DIETING???? so you mean I should throw out all my salad dressings with ACV in them??? use your heads people. It amazes me that people are told not to drink wheatgrass or green smoothies or ACV while pregnant or breastfeeding (all FOOD) and yet antibiotics, flu shots and every other lethal form of pharmaceutical drug is supposedly ok because someones doctor said it was fine. OMG!!! wake up. Should you go out and drink a bottle of ACV? no, should you drink 12 ounces of wheatgrass? no...common sense still has to prevail. Gee not ok to acv, or drink greens because my body 'might detox' but women should just continue eating at McDonalds and taco bell until they are done breastfeeding? Total nonsense.

In regards to the baby with digestion issues, I agree with the other poster. Take out the gluten/wheat. I am a breastfeeding mother of 3 and a total of 7 yrs of breastfeeding. I am now gluten/wheat/dairy/eggs/soy/caffeine and yeast free and my 3rd baby has no colic, no digestion issues, no rashes and is happy ALL the time, never cries etc. UNTIL I experiment and eat a slice of bread, a piece of cheese/dairy etc. My first baby was all of those things until other breastfeeding moms educated me about my diet! My 2nd baby was much better, only fussed once in awhile, slept great, but i hadn't figured it all out yet. We were meant to eat clean diets, not processed crap. Breastfeeding mothers these days are trying to still drink their coffees, lattes and eat processed foods and shockingly the babies have problems. Not rocket science. happy healthy baby = diet adjustment and awareness.

Want to get your figure back while breastfeeding so it falls off without physical effort? Don't eat any junk, no sugar, no bread or dairy or baked goods, only whole foods, juicing, green smoothies, LOTS of foods with nutrients in them, and practice food combining. look it up. no proteins and starches together. ie. brown rice with steamed veggies and a salad, potatoes with steamed veggies and a salad, burger (no bun) with steamed veggies and a salad or green smoothie, steak with veggies and a salad etc. do not put rice and chicken together, no meat and potatoes together. The weight will fall off without excercise because your body will be functioning optimally and digesting properly. I gained between 25-40 lbs with each of my pregnancies. It was gone in 4 months-no effort no magic potions or pills. I am not a special case, there are lots of others. No junk, no crap, no processed foods, no take out, make our own french fries at home if you crave greasy food (cheapy french fry cutter potatoes olive oil in casserole in oven 400 til they are done). If it's important enough you will figure it out...

ps. i take acv everyday while nursing this baby, he's 9 mo)....love it and i add baking soda too as per Ted. I am breastfeeding exclusively AND i'm 41 ;-)

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

Try Hydrogen Peroxide in baby's ears... do each ear twice. 60 seconds each time... it will be a little uncomfortable... but try warming in a shallow pan of water to make it room temp for baby first. Do it in each ear twice. Pour a few drops in and let soak for 1-2 minutes (easier said that done) then drain... try this 2-3 times a day. My son was EBF until 14 months and I used this with him all the time- we never had issues longer than one hour after use. I am not sure how this works, but it always does. Also helps with other illnesses (our whole body is connected).

But I am sure that ACV would not be harmful as its a food, but I am not a doctor. Just a mother :) Also Chiropractors are great, if you have ever taken your little one to one. They can adjust their ears and prevents lots of illnesses as mine told me many illnesses are connected to our ears.

For the six month old baby who has runny nose. Taker one clove of garlic, use only quarter of it, mash little. Put it in the milk bottle, give the milk after one hour, within a day the baby will be fine. Give next day also. That's it your baby is fine.

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

Vikram, I am seeing lots of great advice for you here. I also agree that forcing her to eat is only going to worsen the problem. Two year olds can be pretty contrary.

My oldest son is almost 20. I nursed him until he was two. He ate no solid food until he was 16 months old. Threw up everything I tried to give him. (I wasn't forcing it, even if he put it into his mouth he threw it up. ) I didn't push it and figured he wasn't ready. People wanted me to take him to an eating disorder clinic. No way. Finally, at 16 months he started to eat. I think he may have had some food allergies and it was his bodies way of protecting him from food. He was fine on human milk alone. Everyone said he would be a picky eater. He wasn't. He is a super young man who will eat anything.

My niece was a very picky toddler. But her parents were patient and just offered healthy food. Eventually, she would eat. She is now a healthy eater and a teen.

She will eat when she is hungry, just offer healthy stuff. And don't let her think you are happy when she eats or upselt when she doesn't. Food needs to be a non-issue. I agree that juices are a great healthy food for her (fresh juiced. ) Raw milk, organic bananas... Also, sugar is filling and empty calories, so avoid letting her have these.

Also, most toddlers don't need a whole bunch of food. A banana is a breakfast for a toddler.

Hang in there and try to be patient. It is really hard when you are worried about their health.

Let us know how it goes!

~Mama to Many~

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 ..

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~

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~

How Strep Throat May Lead to a Severe Psychiatric Disorder in Children | Everyday Health

I have had eczema all my life (I'm 61) and I've been on the quest of causes and solutions through natural methods and have avoided going through doctors. For soothing baths for your baby try Epsom salt baths and get in the bath with your baby and you'll find it soothing for YOU and your child. Try and spend about 30 minutes every night in the bath and if you like use some Lavendar Essential Oil which helps calm both you and the baby. Eliminate wheat, dairy, soy and sugar. People with eczema need good oils (Lemon flavored cod liver oil is wonderful, Evening Primrose Oil and Borage Oil is good as well. I have eliminated grains and eat a lot of fats vegetables and protein (avocado, butter, and coconut oil). I hope this helps!

Me & lots of other people I know have used ACV for colic in babies and works every time. Thanks

I nanny for infant twins who had terrible cradle cap. We began using a cotton ball to apply undiluted organic apple cider vinegar to their heads twice on bath day only, which is twice a week for them. To my knowledge, this was just to control the smell. Within a week or so, the cradle cap had drastically improved and after 2 weeks, was completely gone. We continue the application to ensure that it doesn't come back. I'm a believer and now am looking into remedies for myself!

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~

They now make a vitamin D3 for infants!

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 Lynsey from Atsugi Ja. No, don't give ACV to 6 month olds. See if you are giving any other supplemental milk products that can cause congestion. Also, you can try changing the diaper brand. Wetness in the diaper can also cause mucus and congestion. Good health

Linsey, we always used lemon. As much as you can take (do NOT overdo anything), with or without tea and honey. He will get it in the milk. In really bad cases, we give a little bit on a spoon to the baby himself, and surprisingly they like it when they need it (when they don't, they loudly complain :)).

Dear Lynsey,

My children have had some of my Apple Cider Vinegar drink perhaps as young as 9 months old, but only sips here and there just because they wanted to try what mama was drinking. I don't know that I would give it to a 6 month old...thought it would be safer than most over the counter meds.

For chest congestion, you could try garlic salve. We have found it to work very well. Here is a link to the recipe. I would use 6 cloves garlic and not 8 for a 6 month old. And using this may clear up all of the congestion. Your baby will smell like gourmet pizza!

http://newlifeonahomestead.com/2013/01/cure-a-cough-naturally/

You could also try taking milk out of your diet, if you consume it, and see if that helps him. I found that consuming dairy products while breastfeeding did not agree with most of my children. (I usually did not have access to raw dairy, so that might have been different.)

Let us know how he is doing!

~Mama to Many~

I have 3 children that wet the bed, One is 8 year old girl, one is 6 year old boy and a 4 year old girl. I had read online that Cal Mag Zinc tablets help stop bedwetting for children. So I decided to try it on my older two. Well, It worked! I went to Walgreens and got a cheapo bottle of Calcium, Magnesium, and Zinc. My 8 year old gets 1 1/2 tablets before she goes to bed, My 6 year old gets 1 tablet before he goes to bed. They completely stopped bedwetting and have not wet the bed scince they started the tablets!!!!!

Deena, at age 4 and a problem w/ appetite and no help from doctors, the likelihood of Parasite infestation is very high, especially if you also have pets like cats or dogs. Check for loose stools or diarrhea and/or anal itching. Look for worms in the toilet or potty. If these symptoms are confirmed, purchase some Mebendazole at the pharmacy or purchase an herbal anti-parasite complex at the health food store (use as directed on labels). All pets must be wormed.

Give the food Pineapple to encourage appetite, or Pineapple juice if it doesn't have too much added sugar.

Deena-- My son and I began vegetable juicing (even beets! ) together at about this age. It was fun! We made good juice, and enjoyed making faces together if it was not so good tasting. Better add pineapple or apple or it will be bad! And never add garlic. Blech!!

I would do your best to get some Vit C in him, as this could really help, and you would know if it worked very quickly. Scurvy has loss of appetite, lethargy and depression as it's earliest symptoms. Failure to thrive can be from the same cause.

Did you know that raw milk is as good a source of Vit. C as an orange? Pasteurizing alters almost everything good about milk into something bad, like it sucks calcium out of your bones. Can you get him some real milk?

So much can be addressed by diet. Try letting him choose between two or three healthy choices, or even offer a trade if he eats something healthy first. Make it a fun time to share, and less about the food needing to be eaten. Hope that helps.--T.

Deena, kids will survive no matter what, G-d willing, so take the pressure off of yourself, and mainly off of him. You might have to go to the opposite extreme for a lil' while to balance out your attitude. If you are worring about his height, it is useless worry (and may I say selfish worry - WE want them to be tall.... ), he will grow as tall as he will grow.

Next: kids eat when they are hungry. Your job is to offer the food, then bite your tongue and look the other way. Whatever he won't eat in one meal, he will usually make up his needs in another meal. Meaning that within a week's time, he will probably be getting all the nourishment he needs.

One more thing: have him help you (if you can do it pleasantly! ) in the kitchen here and there. Simple things that might be fun for him, or even only watching you once in a while.

Hi Deena, It is, I think, normal for us as new moms to be concerned about our child's growth. As a matter of fact, all my sons were very small through their childhoods. I would even have rather insensitive comments made to me by other moms about how small my boys were. It upset me with my first son but, he was also my first child so, I was sensitive due to that. My second son was even smaller but by then I was stronger regarding comments. And my third, well, let them say what they will...

My first son had a huge appetite! Didn't seem to make him grow any faster! Second and third sons, hardly any appetite at all! What Mmsg says, they grow anyway is so true. I was not the type to run my kids to the Dr. at all so, didn't care about the growth charts, curves, etc. At any rate, each one of them hit their own stride. The two oldest not until after 18 and my youngest shot up this year and is now 16. Over the spring/ summer he grew 6 inches! And he still doesn't have a great appetite, always very picky and hates vegetables which I practically live on!

Sometimes, none of it makes sense. So, I would say, offer him good wholesome food, don't make too big of a thing of it, relax and enjoy your life with him, he'll grow in your love and remember it all goes by in a blink of an eye! Most importantly, enjoy sharing time and food with him and remember it's all going to be fine! Hope this eases your concerns. Lisa

Hi again Deena! Though you said nothing to indicate a problem at the kitchen table, I thought I would share this experience, anyway. My son's step-father was a bit of a rule-master, which came out a lot at the dinner table. Lots of judgment about eating.... He was passing on what he had lived... So, we started eating together, just my son and I, earlier in the afternoon. We stood in the kitchen the whole time, and it became a time of getting some good strokes and positive attention and making gags together. Like, a safe time to stick carrots up your nose... I once went to a psychic, and she said a strange thing: 'Give yourself permission to not sit at a table to eat. ' I had also been given the third degree at tabletime, as though a time to attack a captive audience. Just something to consider. --T.

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 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~

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

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!!!

First of all I am not Ted.... but I used the ACV on my niece since the age of 7-8 I used to make a hot cup of tea, whatever I had and added 1 teaspoon of ACV and honey to taste she'd drink it and feel better if she had a tummy issue.

Thank you-started this morning ACV dosage!

Vid from Ashburn, That breaks my heart! Children that young should not have to deal with anything except playing & learning. Anyway, have you ever read about excitotoxins? I believe this is a big reason why things like this are happening to our children. You should try & keep her away from any food with this in it & meats with hormones which I'm sure you probably already know. I am currently looking for a better option to store bought formula for my 6 month old.

Some more good links

http://www.drgangemi.com/2009/11/excitotoxins-hidden-dangers-in-the-food-youre-eating/

http://www.sailhome.org/Concerns/Excitotoxins.html Explore the other links at the top of the web page too!

Tumeric is an excellent spice for easing Diarrhea. My toddler had 'toddler Diarrhea', and I just had to keep him on a basic diet of water, rice, toast and bananas. The GP told me I couldn't give him anything like Imodium due to its side effects in young children.

I stuck to this diet, with minimum effect. After a couple of weeks, I contacted the GP again and he told me to add soy milk and skinless chicken to my son's diet. A week passed and it helped a little, but it was only by accident, when I read about an old Persian dish 'Tumeric Chicken', (I was on a diet then and was looking for low cal meals *lol*) that I read that it was good for 'many stomach ailments'.

I gave it a go and my toddler tried it and loved it. Better still within 2 days my son's chronic Diarrhea had gone completely and now he's thriving brilliantly. I would recommend it to everyone, it literally is, steamed chicken, a dash of tumeric and steamed onion. I served it with plain boiled rice and not only is it delic, it really helped my weight loss and my toddler's Diarrhea... Now that's what I call a SUPER SPICE!

Take B50, or vitamin B complex. Her inability to digest food is due to low digestive enzymes and her low liver nutrients. The B50 will take care of liver nutrients and the digestive enzymes will help prevent bloated stomach. Constant colds, is low immune systems primarily zinc and lysine will help that.

Ted

I would not give honey to an infant.

my daughter has eczema..... What I find that really works is Austrailian Placenta Cream. Also if it helps my daughter is extremely fair skinned and has very very sensitive skin.

I have used peroxide for ear infections, colds, cold prevention, cuts, cleaning, many things! And it is safe on little ones. I know because my mom used it on me and I have used it on my 3 boys.

ACV for infant eczema: My daughter is now 9 months old. She's had eczema since she was 2 month. I tried almost everything on her, prescribed drugs too. Nothing has worked so far. I read from this website that ACV seems to help a lot of people with eczema, so I tried it on her as well. Apply directly to skin after bath (diluted with 2/3 water), followed by moisturizer and Vaseline. It did help with the itchiness for the first two days. However, starting on the third day, her skin became extremely dry and flaky, so she started scratching again. We did not try anything new in between, so I assumed it must be ACV. I have stopped using ACV on her since, and her skin is getting better (dryness) but still covered with eczema. Am I using it right? If this is working for many others... It really breaks my heart seeing my daughter suffering from it on daily basis. I would try anything given the situation. Please help!

To El from Toronto. Eczema can be caused be an essential fatty acid deficiency. You can try massaging evening primose oil, borage oil, etc. directly on the areas. Zinc also helps with eczema. If you are breastfeeding you can apply breastmilk to the area as well as adding the zinc and EFA's (Essen. fatty acids) to your diet. Hope this helps.

Hi El, I just wanted to recommend using Irish moss as it is known to relieve eczema and help soothe it. If you don't know much about it, do a google search to find out more. I'm sure it is heartbreaking for you to see your baby suffer with this. I would ask that you look into her diet as well and see if she is eating foods that may be contributing to this. Remember, alkalinizing foods can help clear it up and also remove dairy and see if that results in a positive effect. You can try eliminating foods and then adding them in to see what could be causing this. Wheat and gluten are other factors that could be wreaking havoc. Look to what is the cause internally as well as relief to the skin itself.

I wish you the best, Lisa

my three year old daughter had it very bad (it was all over her face and it would ooze)when she was an infant and what got rid of it was a very high quality essential fatty acid blend, 1 teaspoon daily by mouth; i know i cannot mention the name but it has all unrefined: olive, flaxseed, sesame, and english borage oils. my second daughter also started to get it and i started giving her the same thing and she is also eczema-free. i also only use a homemade oatmeal soap i get online for them.

Hi El, I was going over latest posts and as I read yours again, I realize your baby is young enough that you may be only breastfeeding. If that is the case, you might also want to check what you're eating and how it can affect your daughter since what you eat affects your breastmilk. This is in addition to my last post to you if this applies.

Hope you see changes soon!
Lisa

Thank you both for your suggestions. I have tried taking out and adding back foods in her diet. (dairy, fish, egg yolk) The change in her condition is minimal. I missed wheat cereal through the trial, so I will sure give that a try and see if her condition improves. I was told dust mite might also be causing it. So I try my best keeping the house dust free, and now am considering replacing her bedroom carpet to hardwood floor. Thank you again for the tip on primrose oil and Irish moss. I will give them a try and report back! Thanks again. This really means a lot!!

When my son was about 4 months old he had red and dry skin almost everywhere. Then I cooked old fashioned oatmeal, strained and I kept washing him in that (diluted with water). Do not use soap, unless it is necessary. After a week or little longer it disappeared.

to El from Toronto, Canada.

Aloe vera gel applied directly on the rash will have immediate effect on your child. U also can use some form of mild eczema cream.
good luck.

adad

I have triplets and am always excited to share my eczema story! I had one of my 3 covered in eczema at 4 months. My pediatrician suggested I see a specialist. Well my MD who uses natural medicine suggested probiotics. I used 3 pills a day of a 16 strain probiotic and within a month and a half he was cleared up! I wish my mother had known about that as I suffered greatly from it as a child. Had lots of food allergies. I now take probiotics everyday!

Blomma, Please research very carefully the outcome of feeding an infant or child a soy formula.. From personal experience, I've known a male infant who was fed a soy formula due to allergies and then later in life developed feminine hormones.. And I do not mean he had homosexual tendencies... His orientation was completely male. However he actually became somewhat of an eunich. This is too serious to take lightly. Do some more research.

Question: Need to know if there is an all natural remedy or product that can be given to a 6 month old infant for RSV and ear infections.... thanks

Dear Sandra, your baby might have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, an inherited disorder. Collagen in the body is more flexible than normal-not sick, just bendy! I have it and so do my 3 kids. Find a genetic clinic such as Medigen or Sick Kids, she will walk and talk and dance soon! Meanwhile good nutrition, gentle regular exercise and happy outlook help a lot! is anybody else bendy in your family?-also known as "loose-jointed"

Hi Plexguard, I am of the belief that we should get enough calcium from fresh vegetables and nuts and seeds and fish. I often wonder why we are the only 'animal' on the planet that drinks another animals breast milk. I think we should stop drinking milk when we are weaned. I also believe that if you like dairy then you should have it. Cheers Lily.

To plexguard - a diet rich in green vegetables will yield more calcium than consuming dairy products. Milk's available calcium is cut in half through the process of pasteurization. Low-fat milk makes calcium unabsorbable because fat is an essential part of the transportation and absorption of calcium. Refined sugar increases the amount of calcium lost through urine. The absorption of calcium in the intestine is diminished in the presence of sugar. Both cow's and mother's milk are high in enzymes. There is an enzyme which separates calcium and phosphorus, allowing the calcium to be readily available to the body. Pasteurizing milk destroys these important enzymes. I would encourage you to do some research about milk and the myths surrounding the dairy industry/ bone density argument etc.

Which remedy is safe for a 12 year old boy? He was biopsied and has Lichen Planus on his feet (the worst) and legs and arms. He has Keratosis Pilaris on his trunk, chest and back. He also has 3 spots of Vitiligo on his waistband! Everything showed up at once in January! Steroid creams and oral prednisone were no help. Please does anyone havesome suggestions this is very hard for a child his age not just the itching but the appearance OF IT ALL!!

Re: Fungul Infection on 4-month old baby. Try "Tea Tree & E Antiseptic Creme" to use topically. It's very soothing and antifungul. It helps tremendously. Only found in Health Food Stores. Also try giving her Acidophilus.

To Jacquie from Tacoma: Sounds like your little granddaughter might have MRSA (methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus) which she would have probably picked up in the nursery at the hospital. Whether she has it or not, anything that will kill MRSA will probably kill a lot of other things also. My line of thought is that external application of turmeric is safer than one round of antibiotics after another, and all their unwanted side effects. You might try mixing 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. of turmeric in a couple ounces of distilled water and swabbing the areas involved 3 to 4 times a day to see if it improves. Using it this way should prevent getting any in her eyes, which is one place you don't want it. Another way of using it on a baby, might be to mix it with a little A & D ointment and applying it sparingly to the affected areas. Hang in there, Grandmother, because I also believe this little one is going to be cured.

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