Effective Healthcare Remedies for Infants

Although unavoidable, your baby falling sick never fails to make a mommy super anxious. My heart would drop to my stomach every time my child suffered from common childhood illnesses and I would stress and want the ailment to get cured without discomforting my little one with medication.

In the initial phase of motherhood, I consulted and trusted only the paediatrician so as to offer instant relief to my ailing baby; but gradually I started relying on natural remedies suggested by elders in my family that really worked wonders.

Today I'm sharing a quick remedy index for your baby's recurring ills that are not only completely safe, but also go a long way in developing your baby's immune system.

Diaper Rash: Your baby might urinate and defecate a number of times a day, but whenever you change his nappy, you need to gently pat the area clean and dry. A little carelessness in cleaning the baby's bottom may lead to irritating rashes.

Cure:
Direct application of coconut oil is the easiest way to treat diaper rash. You may further enhance the efficacy by adding 3-4 drops of tea tree oil in coconut oil that would kill yeast causing bacteria and treat painful yeast diaper rash.

Teething Pain: Before a tooth actually breaks through the gums, the baby feels irritable pain and discomfort due to soreness.

Cure:
The cheapest remedy to deal with fussiness of teething is to freeze a clean washcloth dipped in plain water or breast milk for half an hour and then give it to your baby to bite and suck. The numbing effect coming from cold textured cloth calms the pain.
A homemade teether made out of an ice cube, chilled vegetables and fruits (like carrots, cucumber and avocado) have been most mommies' preferred choice over wooden/plastic teethers and topical medication over the years. As the babies chew on these hard things, the counter-pressure helps reduce the pain.

Stomach Ache: Usually stomach pain is caused by food intolerance, infection, intestinal blockage or some sort of food/milk allergy, etc. The trick is to touch and find out whether the baby's abdomen is more stiff and swollen than usual.

Cure:
Boil 1/2 cup of rice in 2 cups of water for about 15 minutes. Strain out the rice and flavour the water with sugar. Give warm rice water to the baby after frequent intervals.
A flavourful alternate is to boil a handful of large raisins (munakka) cut into halves in water and give spoonfuls of this warm concoction to the baby every now and then.

If the baby rejects consuming anything and cries inconsolably, make a sticky paste out of half a spoon of asafoetida (hing) mixed with water. Apply this paste on your baby’s tummy in a circular motion around the navel area to counter flatulence.

Ear Ache: I remember feeling totally puzzled whenever my baby would cry due to aching ears. I would helplessly check every body part to find what was wrong, to no avail. If your baby grabs or tugs at his ears, this could be a sign that he's in pain. Also observe if there is any fluid drainage from his ears.

Cure:
If you don't suspect a ruptured eardrum, pour 2-3 drops of slightly warm garlic oil or mustard oil or onion juice in the affected ear.
Parents who disapprove of putting anything inside the ears may opt for making Onion Earmuffs. Simply slice an onion in half, microwave it until it’s soft and then wrap the onion in a cloth to hold it up to your baby’s ear.

Mosquito Bites: While mosquito bites seem common, it can be a major cause for worry if it causes swollen bumps on your baby's skin along with high fever. Parents should avoid taking babies to mosquito-infested areas. But if you have to, then do not leave the house without applying mosquito repellents to avoid any complications that may arise later like mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, encephalitis, malaria and chikungunya to name a few. Apply a baby-safe mosquito repellent like Goodknight Fabric Roll-On on your baby's pram or clothes before stepping out to keep mosquitoes away for long hours. Made of citronella and eucalyptus oil, this personal repellent is 100% natural. It does not leave any stains on application and is certified as dermatologically safe by paediatricians. Simply apply 4 dots to keep those mosquitoes away from your baby for up to 8 hours.

Cure:
If pesky mosquitos manage to sting the baby despite practising prevention tricks, the quickest cure at hand is to rub a dry soap bar on the bite immediately. You may find several alternatives in your kitchen like lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, honey or salt water that can be dabbed directly over the bitten area to curb inflammation instantly.

Cold & Cough: Babies who are less than a year old are more prone to cough and cold due to bacterial infection. They are vulnerable and easily infected on coming in contact with someone who is already sick.

Cure:
Boil few cloves of garlic into mustard oil. Let the oil cool and apply it externally on your baby’s neck, chest, back, under the feet and palms. The warmth of mustard oil and anti-bacterial properties of garlic help destroy bacteria that cause cold.
Another potent remedy for cold is to dry roast carom seeds (ajwain) on a flat pan and put it in a cotton cloth, making it a pouch. Place the pouch near the baby’s nose so that he may inhale the smell to soothe his nose and throat.
Placing a cool-mist humidifier in the baby's room is a popular instrument these days. It adds moisture to the air providing relief from dry, stuffy nasal passages.

Fever: A low degree fever should not scare you as long as your child is active and playful, as fever is our body’s way of controlling the temperature and its immune response. The fluctuation in the temperature may happen in the process and is natural to every baby. Fever may also occur as a reaction to vaccination or infections in throat, ear etc.

Cure:
Boil a handful of basil leaves in 2 cups of water until the solution is reduced to half. Add a little sugar and give it to your little one a few times a day.
In case of high fever, keep slices of onion under the feet of your baby and wrap the feet in the socks. Replace sliced onions every 4-6 hours until the fever is gone.
If you want to avoid stinky onions, take some slices of potato and soak them in vinegar for 10 minutes. Then place the potato slices on the baby's forehead and cover it with a washcloth on top.

These treasured natural remedies may shop results in varied time depending on the seriousness of the sickness of the baby, but are time-tested and have no side-effects. They are a brilliant alternatives for parents who are hesitant to use over-the-counter medication and feel more comfortable to nip the symptoms in the bud instead of resorting to medicines.
Let me know which remedy worked best to treat your little ones’ illness.

Caution: If any of the health-issues persists for longer than expected, do consult your medical adviser well in time.

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