Did I tell you I weaned Asa? It came and went without much fanfare. It was an easy transition. By the second day I don’t think he even remembered he had ever nursed. In fact, the week before he was extremely grumpy in the mornings and I think it was because nursing was not satisfying him. Once I got him on a cup full of soy, he was happy boy again.
I’m not sad. I love breastfeeding (minus thrush, yeast and mastitis, of course) but after about a year, I’m ready to stop. However, since I have weaned him he has been so sick! Remember his hacking cough? And now he’s got a runny nose. What is up with that? I feel like the antibodies in breastmilk weren’t protecting him anymore and he got sick!
You know I’m on the edge of being a little granola. Actually, not really. I’m not really even close to being granola. I just am totally interested and intrigued by all natural and whole foods and natural/homeopathic healing. Of course, I did just eat 5 white fudge covered oreos, so I’m obviously not obsessive.
Ever since Daddy had cancer in 2006 and is now going through this Hepatitis C stuff, it makes me leery of traditional medicine. I am SO thankful for doctors, but UGH, I just hate the whole, “Well, we think it might be this…” and “We’re not sure, so let’s try this…” And then taking medicines to balance the side effects of other medicines. It just feels…unnatural.
It’s a big struggle I’ve had for the past two years…I delayed both Lydia and Asa’s vaccinations. I’m not getting them a flu shot. I try to do organic for meat and the dirty dozen. I don’t give them over-the-counter medicine (except for some tyelnol here and there). And I try to be up on other foods and things I should be avoiding. My all natural hero, Dr. Weil is really into “tonics” which are just plant based substances that help your body fight and prevent sickness. I’ve also read a little about homeopathic medication like Boiron (they have tons of kids’ products) and Hylands (remember the calming pills I used on the cruise?).
But what are you supposed to do when your kids are crying because they can’t breath? Or they have a hacking cough? What am *I* supposed to do for that matter? I cannot stand to not breathe. I will take anything if it will help me breathe and sleep! So, my question is this…do you use any homeopathic, natural medications or treatments for your kids? For yourself? Which ones? How have they helped?
This post is sponsored by Boiron. There is a $1 coupon available on their website.
I am not crunchy (and it’s not because I’m a pharmacist) so I don’t have a lot of natural ideas but…
Have you tried a vaporizer with Vicks VapoSteam or even just plain Mentholatum on his chest or the tip of his nose?
Is it a croupy cough? If so, he will benefit from colder air (like sitting outside the open freezer, outside if it’s cold) and a cool mist humidifier.
I don’t do flu shots either.
I hope he feels better soon and that both of you are able to sleep!
.-= Janna´s last blog ..Disney Moms News =-.
I am probably the most non-granola person ever. My husband is a physician, so that probably tells you where we stand on traditional medicine. :o) But if my child had an illness that was not responding to traditional medicine, then of course I would be open to other avenues.
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I’m with Janna. Mags has had plenty of congestion in her life. And a vaporizer makes a HUGE difference. When she was really little, I strapped her in a bouncy seat and tented her with it.
And, saline nose spray really helps if you’re not into the actual medicated stuff.
Another thing I’ve done and some of my neighbors swear by is Vicks on the bottom of the feet. Stops the coughing and helps them breathe. I have NO idea why, but it seems to work.
Them’s my two cents. 🙂
If your milk hasn’t dried up yet, pump some. Research has shown just a teaspoon of fresh breast milk a day has enough of the good stuff to help with immunity.
I don’t know if Vicks is crunchy or not (I like to think I lean more towards crunchy :), but I put it on the soles of my 1yr olds’ feet and that helps A LOT. (Oh! I just saw someone else commented about this, too.) It really makes a difference. I’ve tried just putting it on her chest, but it doesn’t work as well. 🙂 I’ll pray that it goes away soon! Poor little guy!
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Not crunchy at all over here, although I do love a good trip to Vitamin Cottage. I give Cami probiotics everyday (big believer!) and just bought the baby version for Jack. When they have colds I do humidifier, saline spray and nose sucker.
Poor Ace:( I’ve got the kids on Silver & all of us on Vit D this winter – both are liquid drops. You know I’m not super “anything” but I do & will try (anything). He also recommends something called Buried Treasure (ACF or DCF – I can’t remember off the top of my head) & I give that to them if they have the symptoms. But the coughing is hard – Megan is bad at it & we’ve actually started giving her breathing treatments to see if it helps some. We do alot of “steam showers” & humidifiers. Jennifer (W) says as soon as you turn the heat on, turn on the humidifier too.
.-= mandi @ its come to this´s last blog ..Top ten tuesday – totally random =-.
Ok, just realized I deleted part – the “he” I’m referring to his the owner of a natural store that I trust alot. I just tell him symptoms & then he educates me on what we do & do not need!
.-= mandi @ its come to this´s last blog ..Top ten tuesday – totally random =-.
I just got the children’s mucinex dm. It has done wonders for me, so I’m trying it for my son. And I’m going right now to put vicks on both our feet after reading the comments. Thanks ladies!
.-= jen´s last blog ..Crime Scene Photos =-.
Not super crunchy, but just recently I’ve been giving Adrian and Wyatt an immune support formula from the natural health store that seems to be working. For colds, I do a cool-mist humidifier for naps and nighttime (it helps to turn it on about 30-60 minutes before bedtime), saline nose spray and Vicks on the bottom of the feet.
.-= Kacey´s last blog ..My husband’s awesomeness =-.
Wow! I’m lovin’ all your insight, ladies! Keep it comin’!
a
I use whatever works – traditional or homeopathic – and it was actually our pediatrician who recommended the Vicks on the bottom of the feet (as he was writing a prescription for antibiotic “just in case” – kidding!). I also do it on the chest and back. Vicks also has a nightlight that you can put this little strip in that puts menthol into the air, but it’s kind of expensive and the strips are only for 8 hours, so you have to buy replacements. I think that makes a big difference, as well as running their humidifiers and elevating the heads of their beds. Saline spray works, but it’s traumatizing once they figure out you’re about to stick something up their nose! Good luck!
I actually got some free products from Boiron from someone’s blog. I used them for the first time last night. Bailey started feeling sick yesterday- sore throat, sore ear and just not feeling well. I gave her the cold pills. She dissolved 5 little balls in her mouth every 20 min for and hour and then every 2 hours until bedtime. By the time she went to bed at 7 (really early for a 10 year old on the weekend!) she had a temperature of 100. This morning she woke up feeling fine! Wow! Pretty sure she would have been really sick if it weren’t for the Boiron.
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So glad you posted about this. I am going to try several of the suggestions. I am leaning toward thinking about being crunchy. Is that vague enough?! Ha!
.-= jubilee´s last blog .. =-.
Hmmm…I’m not terribly crunchy, but I also agree with the vaporizer and the Vicks. I do use decongestants–the regular OTC stuff I’m not comfortable with, I only use pseudenefrine (the stuff you have to get from the pharmacist…it drives me NUTS that they’ve changed this…pseudenefrine is *so* much safer than what is used now OTC…leave it to a bunch of meth junkies to ruin it for everyone…).
Do you give Asa soy as a milk substitute? Do you mind my asking why?
I have had great success with my chiropractor. Stephen had a couple of ear infections this past summer. I took him to the chiropractor that I have been going to for several years. He adjusted Stephen several times a week, checked his ears, listened to his breathing, etc. He also told me to mix a solution of hydrogen peroxide and regular Listerine mouthwash (equal portions of each) and drop several drops in the ears twice a day to sanitize the ears. We also used the Similisan ear drops to help with pain. Since we helped him overcome the ear infection naturally, his immune system has done much better this fall. He started to get another ear infection last week, so I took him to the chiropractor and followed the regimen and he has already warded off the infection.
Amanda,
Many times I have wondered if I was doing my kids more harm than good when having them vaccinated and when giving certain medications due to the possible side effects they cause. Breathing is definitely an essential part of life since we cannot live without oxygen.So I think there are times when medication is very useful and times when we might want to experiment a little with other things but my opinion is that those other things should not even be considered if the child is in distress or in pain. There are a lot of options out there and I would encourage you to look at the statistics, weigh it out and make an educational decision as far as health care decisions are concerned. Study, be aware and take charge of your health care because no one cares as much about you and your family as you do. There are all kind of materials available online today so basically it is up to us individually to do the research. I personally would not rule out medicine because I have seen many times that it has been the tool to keeping someone alive. My mother-in-law was a prime example of this because four hours after removing her meds she passed away so that was proof to me that the meds were keeping her alive. Again – do the research and talk to professionals that have years of education, listen to your gut and go with what it is telling you.
Yeah, this is about where I draw my crunchy line. Kids who can’t breathe get real 😉 medicine at my house. Maybe it’s just E’s asthma troubles that has me sensitive to it, but when they are that miserable, I give them something.
That said, for milder stuff, like fevers and runny noses, I only give love and TV time.
Hope he feels better soon!
I’m like you, Amanda. I avoid OTC meds for my babies if at all possible. We have Children’s Tylenol and Children’s Ibuprofin, and Hyland’s teething tabs, and that’s it.
For stuffy noses we use:
-Breathe Right Strips at night
-saline solution drops up the nostrils throughout the day (or DIY salt water)
-sometimes we use VapoRub but only if it’s really bad.
-limit dairy prods
-prop head at night
For sore throats:
-drink a small cup of warm salt water thru a straw
-warm herbal tea
-hard candies or lollipops, popsicles
-prop head at night
We also rely heavily on humidifiers, steamy showers, and the “cold thing.”
((hugs)) You’re doing the right thing.
.-= MamaHall´s last blog ..Leg Huggers {winner} =-.
I like to partake of both worlds–whatever works is good for me. I’m a little more wary with Juliet–all I give her is children’s tylenol or children’s benadryl (for runny nose)–as for not being able to breathe–I do the warm-mist humidifier and it works really well.
As for myself, well, I would drink werewolf blood if I thought it would make me feel better….so I have tried some things in my day….One natural remedy that worked surprisingly well for congestion was apple cider vinegar. You can either drink a shot of it or pour a few table spoons into a pot of boiling water and breathe in the steam for several minutes. It really clears your sinuses out and loosens everything up–making it easier to breathe.
I’ve not tried it with juliet because you have to be pretty dedicated to swallowing it since the stuff is really strong tasting. I think she would spit it out. But maybe when she is older she will give it a try. But it’s natural and a food item and you might already have it in your pantry.
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I recently discovered my oldest son is allergic to amoxicillin and cephalorspin antibiotics, so I’m trying even harder to avoid the doctor. Hyland Cold n Cough medicine has helped my youngest who tends to wheeze when sick. I give it at the first sign of being sick. Has definitely helped him. I also use Emergen-C for kids, grape juice and little remedies lollipops with vitamin c and zinc. Apple cider vinegar in the humidifier, rubbed on the chest and behind the ears with 1/4 tsp in their juices is the newest remedy. So far so good.
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