It is very frustrating to have a small baby with a fever. They are uncomfortable and restless many times and all we want to do is comfort them. But we can and should avoid reaching for that bottle of baby Tylenol or Motrin. There ARE natural solutions that are much healthier for them.
In most cases, your infant’s fever should be left alone. Fever serves a very useful purpose and is the body’s ally in fighting infection. There are a few natural remedies, however, that are safe for babies that will help your little one feel more comfortable.
It’s a good idea to see a Naturopath, Homeopath or other licensed health care provider who specializes in natural remedies before using them on your baby. He or she can point you in the right direction when choosing herbs and homeopathic remedies as well as help you with dosing.
Lemon balm leaf, chamomile, peppermint, licorice and elder flower have been traditionally used to treat infant fevers. A baby older than 2 can be given one half cup of herbal tea, up to 4 times a day, for 24 hours. For babies younger than two who are breastfeeding, it is best if Mom takes the herbs herself in order to pass along the medicinal properties to her nursing infant. Or you can purchase over the counter herbal formulations with dosages designed for infants at your local health shop.
Echinacea and goldenseal have been proven in some studies to clear up infection. Try a combination specially designed for children.
Garlic also has antibacterial properties. If your baby is older than 9 months, you can make a batch of chicken broth with garlic, and serve it to your baby.
Ginger tea can help with a fever. It’s also great for stomach aches. Ginger has warming properties and is wonderful for babies who are chilled. Make a weak tea with grated fresh ginger. If your infant is over one year of age, add a drop of honey to sweeten.
Homeopathic remedies are effective for infant fevers, but the specific remedy must match the individual child’s symptoms. Check a homeopathic reference book to find the right one, or call a Doctor of Homeopathy.
Be sure to keep baby well hydrated with clear liquids. If baby is nursing, offer the breast frequently so that baby will get plenty of fluids and the natural immune factors in breastmilk.
Keep in mind that if your infant is younger than 6 months old, it’s a good idea to call your Doctor about a fever. Additionally, if baby is listless, lethargic, acting unusual, having difficulty breathing or complaining of a stiff neck, phone your Doctor immediately.
Natural Baby World can help you raise a healthy baby in a toxic world. Visit and find natural baby care tips, products and other resources for your little one.
Babies are known for having super soft skin and women everywhere would love to have skin like a baby’s once again. But what if your baby is having some skin problems? What can you do?
If your baby is suffering from eczema, you know how uncomfortable the itchy and dry skin can be, not to mention the sore spots. Since eczema usually goes hand in hand with sensitive skin, treating it can be a bit of a challenge. Thankfully there are quite a few home remedies for baby eczema you can try.
Moisturize
Keeping baby’s skin well moisturized should always be the first step in any eczema treatment. Use a natural aloe Vera lotion several times a day, especially after bathing baby. Reapply as often as need to keep baby’s skin from drying out. Avoid any harsh cleansers and make sure baby is getting plenty to drink to moisturize from the inside out as well. Incidentally breastfed babies experience fewer and milder episodes of eczema.
** My children have sensitive skin, and we’ve used this product for over five years with excellent results. We use this California Baby Calendula Cream year-round. In the winter, we like to apply this cream as we pop out of the shower to seal in moisture. It works like a charm!
Oatmeal Bath
When baby’s skin gets very itchy, an oatmeal bath can be very soothing and help skin heal. Put two cups of oats in a food processor (or use a coffee grinder) and grind them into a powder. Add the oatmeal powder to a running bath of warm (not hot) water and stir well. Soak in the oatmeal bath for 15 minutes, rinse with clean water and dab the skin dry with a soft towel. When baby’s eczema breakouts are bad, it is safe to sooth them with an oatmeal bath twice daily.
Natural Skin Wash
As mentioned above, you want to avoid any harsh skin care for baby. The following natural skin wash is very gently and helps with the itch. Combine 1 tsp of comfrey root, 1 tsp of white oak bark, 1 tsp of slippery elm 
bark and two cups of water in a bowl. Mix well, and then pour it into a pot. Heat over medium heat until it comes to a boil, and then simmer for thirty minutes. Allow the mixture to cool, then strain out the solids and use the liquid like any face wash.
While this mixture may not completely clear up baby’s eczema, it is a natural, gentle and effective cleanser that will help reduce the itching and inflammation.
** California Baby Shampoo and Body wash was a big favorite when my kiddos were little. Earth Mama Angel Baby also makes a great shampoo and body wash. There is no way we could survive our dry winters without it! **
Healing Lotions
When eczema really flares up, you want to get baby’s skin healed back up as soon as possible. Healing lotions can help shorten the healing time and moisturize and protect your skin from future outbreaks at the same time.
Lotions to look for ate those made with blueberry leaves. Blueberry leaves are very good at relieving the inflammation of eczema and at improving the irritation that accompanies itching.
Zinc is another great ingredient. Apply zinc lotion directly on the affected area. Zinc can also be taken as a supplement in pills. Taking regularly, it can be an effective eczema treatment.
To help heal the skin, use a lotion containing vitamin E, or apply vitamin E oil directly on the affected area. It will quickly reduce itching and improve healing. Continue applying the vitamin E oil until the skin is healed.
This article is provided for information purposes only. Please consult your baby’s health care provider before trying home remedies.
Visit Carriewillard.com to learn more tips that will help you trust your instincts and raise your baby naturally!
You start to see the signs, the never ending strand of drool, the gnawing everything he/she can wrestle into the mouth, the fussiness; it’s the dreaded teething stage. All moms have experienced it, and most would say that teething is definitely not on their top 5 favorite stages of child rearing. When heading out to the store most of us crunchy kind of moms are a little turned off by the offerings: mostly plastic, made in China, some say BPA free, others don’t mention that concern, what’s a granola gal to do? No worries, I have a few tips to share with you from both back in your grandma’s day as well as some great products that are on the market that you can use guilt free.
Non Toxic Teethers
1. Go “Old School”
Back in our grandmother’s day they would often just tie a knot in a cloth then soak the whole cloth in water and squeeze out the excess before providing it to baby. The updated version of this would be to tie an ice cube up in a washcloth and hand it off to baby. Those who don’t mind sugar would love to hear that often times a sugar cube would be tied up in that rag too, apparently babies really go for that!
2. Wooden Teethers are Fantastic
There are a number of them out there, make sure you are ordering them made without any sealants on them; raw naked wood is what you want.
3. Silicone Toys Can Be a Good Alternative to Plastic
With all the hype around plastics inundating us with concerns about even more chemicals we need to avoid, what about Silicone? Most reputable sources will claim that Silicone produced in the US is a safe alternative; by the way there is a super cute teether to check out here too.
4. Don’t forget the Amber!
If you haven’t already read up on Amber’s amazing benefits for teething littles, go do some homework, if you have then don’t forget about necklaces for mom and baby.
5. Natural Rubber Teethers are Natural and Safe
Best of luck and enjoy knowing that you are helping your little one deal with teething pain as well as avoiding unnecessary contaminants!
After a child is born, people tend to give gift after gift after gift, maybe without realizing quite what it is the gifts do. Baby oil is an often bought gift for the expectant mom. It’s a product that’s little understood and seems to just exist inside of baby gift baskets. If baby lotion is around to provide moisture, what uses are there for baby oil? Due to the nature of oil, it clings to skin longer, providing more hydration.
Aside from contributing to the overall hydration of your child, baby oil has many other uses you might not have known about. This article is going to go over those other applications!
Removing Latex Paint from Skin
Paints and primers are tricky, sometimes they can just rub off dry like rubber cement, sometimes they’ll be stuck to your hands for a few days. A secret trick to removing these stains is to take a cotton ball, wash cloth or other porous fabric and dab the cotton ball on the baby oil, once applied, rub in concentric circles around the painted portions of your skin. Baby oil is not a scrub, it’s softer and more localized massage oil.
After you feel like you’ve made some progress, feel free to scrub with soap and water until all of the paint gone.
Remove Eye Make Up
Everyone loves a clean face, but modern makeup supplies have been designed to stick to faces stronger than they ever have before – which can make it quite a chore to take off. If you don’t have the right tools you may not be able to remove it, which can lead to build up in your pores that can cause acne outbreaks. If you simply apply some baby oil to a cotton ball and gently rub over any eye makeup that you want removed. Use another cotton ball to wipe off excess oil, and voila!
Shine Your Wooden Furniture
If your dinner party guests are on their way and you’ve just noticed that there are unsightly water stains on your tabletops, have no fear – baby oil can help by providing a quick polish. This is a great alternative if you have nothing else and no time to get to a store to buy a tablecloth.
The mineral oil will make the wood shine and help create a water-proof barrier that should impress all guests.
Removes Wax, Gum or Bandages
If you’ve got some bubblegum or wax on your body or in your hair, baby oil will get it out. Apply a small amount to the affected area, let it sit, then work at the mess with your fingertips. It will make the gum easier to get out, it will soften the wax, and it will help the bandage come off without tearing out any hair. This is a great method to remove the residual wax after an eyebrow waxing appointment.
Baby oil has many practical health and beauty uses, as well as household applications – so be sure to keep some around your house handy at all times!
Becoming a mother is the most miraculous feeling a human being can experience. During pregnancy and delivery your body is put through the ringer, but the second you hold your newborn baby, it’s all worth it.
I’m not going to lie. Being a mom is no easy job, especially if it’s your first time having a child. Luckily, there are a lot of products that have made motherhood a whole easier. Here’s a look at some of my favorites:
Products for Building an Essential Breastfeeding Kit
In recent years, a lot of new information has come out about the importance of breastfeeding. While it can be a pain in the boobs at times, it’s much healthier for your baby. The good news is there are a lot of products that make breastfeeding more convenient.
The most important product is a good breast pump. There are two versions you can choose from: a manual hand pump or an electric pump that does the work for you. Whichever you choose the two most important features are durability and portability. Two brands that are worth considering are Avent and Medela.
BabyCubby.com is a great one-stop shop for putting together a breastfeeding kit with everything you need. They have an awesome selection of individual pumps and entire systems plus a whole lot more. Additional products that are essential to making the breastfeeding experience easier include:
- · Storage bottles with nipples
- · A breastfeeding pillow
- · Cloth sling
- · Nursing pads
- · Nursing bra
- · Burp cloths
- · Bag to keep everything in
Don’t forget to pamper yourself a little. Breastfeeding is deceptively exhausting and at times painful. There are a number of products that are specifically designed to keep your nipples healthy. A soothing, all-natural nipple cream is a must. Hot and cold gel pads can also provide much-needed relief.
Products for Creating an Awesome Diaper Changing Station
Most new moms are surprised by how much time is spent changing a newborn’s diaper. They usually go through 10-14 a day. Since you’ll be changing an ungodly amount of diapers, a highly functional diaper changing station can save a lot of time.
Just about any flat surface can double as a changing table as long as you have a cushioned pad to lay your baby on. There are also cribs that can convert into a changing table as needed. If you can afford one, a purpose-built changing station is the best bet since it has storage for keeping all your diaper products and rails to keep your baby from rolling off the table.
Whichever option you use, make sure a few drawers are within reach and cleared out. In the top drawer keep the following:
- · Diapers
- · Inserts if you’re using cloth diapers
- · Wipes
- · Diaper cream
Right next to the changing station have a diaper disposal can ready and waiting. These are a great place to keep used diapers before they get tossed or washed because they keep the odor from escaping. Keep additional can liners in one of the changing station drawers.
Your setup will differ slightly depending on whether you use disposable diapers or cloth diapers. I personally prefer cloth diapers because they are much more environmentally friendly than disposable diapers. Cloth diapers will cost more upfront but they will save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars in the long run.
A great diaper bag is another must for taking your changing station on the go. It should be large enough to hold literally everything but not so large that you can’t hold it along with a car seat/carrier.
Products for a Quick and Clean Bath Time
Newborn babies get their bottoms cleaned many times a day, but a full-on bath is only needed every other day to prevent dry skin. Thank goodness, because baby bath time not nearly as simple as hopping in the shower. However, I came up with a system that made things much easier and enjoyable for baby.
A cushioned pad that can be laid out on the counter or changing table helps to contain the water and makes the bath much more comfortable for your baby. You can also use a thick towel. Once I’ve got that laid out I’d grab my shower caddy with the must-have baby bath products:
- · Gentle baby shampoo
- · Mild moisturizing baby soap
- · Soft sponge
- · Small bowl for clean water and rinsing
- · Wipes
- · Hooded baby towel
- · Clean diaper
The caddy makes it quick and easy because everything I need is already there. Leaving baby mid-bath just isn’t an option, so you’ll also avoid having to stop and swaddle your baby back up.
If you aren’t bathing the baby right by the sink you’ll also need a plastic or inflatable baby tub. Some moms also simply prefer a tub. One that looks really neat is the 4Moms infant sink tub, which lets clean water in and flushes out the dirty water. A baby tub that goes in the bathtub can be convenient since splash over won’t have to be cleaned up. If you’re bathing in the tub a cushy bath mat is a knee saver.
There you have it – three systems and the corresponding products that can make motherhood much easier on new mothers and their newborns!
