Natural Alternatives for Fevers

Naturopathic and traditional health care practitioners believe that fevers that are brought down artificially prolong illness and lead to more cases of sickness. Fever is the body’s ally in fighting infection since it slows down pathogens. However, when the child is so uncomfortable that he cannot rest, parents might attempt to make the kid comfortable with the following tips.
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.

Some plants have been traditionally used to treat fevers and are considered safe to use with kids in proper dosages, such as lemon balm leaf, chamomile, peppermint, licorice and elder flower. For breastfed babies and toddlers it is best if Mom takes the herbs herself in order to pass along the healing properties to the child.

Echinacea and goldenseal have been relied upon for centuries to assist the body’s immune system, and these are also available in children’s formulas. Garlic also has antibacterial properties. Make a batch of chicken broth with garlic, and serve it to your child. It should be homemade broth as many canned varieties lack nutrition and are also full of preservatives.

Ginger tea can help with a fever and it’s also great for stomachaches if that is a problem also. Ginger has warming properties and is nice if your child feels chilled. You can easily make a weak tea with grated fresh ginger and hot water. If you´re giving this tea to your infant avoid adding honey since this can be the cause of allergies if given to kids under two.

Homeopathic remedies are often effective for infant fevers, but the remedy must match the individual child’s specific symptoms including their emotional state. Make sure you call you Homeopath for suggestions.

Keep your child well hydrated with clear liquids. If still breastfed, offer the breast frequently so that baby will get plenty of fluids and the natural immune factors present in breastmilk. Some babies who are eating solids will revert to exclusive nursing for a time, wich in fact becomes a life saver in these cases.

If you have a slinged baby, you can actually lower his body temperature by carrying him skin to skin in a baby carrier that allows direct physical contact as a wraparound carrier, mei tai, ring sling or pouch. This not only allows to directly regulate the body temperature by contact with the mother’s skin, but also simplifies constant breasfeeding for hidratation and comfort.

Lastly, the most important way to handle fever or any other illness is to give your kid lots of love and affection. This not only feels natural but also will help kids recover faster.

Trust your instincts regarding your kids’ health but don’t hesitate to call your health practitioner when you see suspicious signs of complications. Also, if your infant is younger than 3 months old, it’s a good idea to have him or her checked by a doctor.

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Breastfeeding Support Kit by Earth Mama Angel Baby

Name of Product: Breastfeeding Support Kit by Earth Mama Angel Baby

Review by: Erin McFeeters

The Breastfeeding Support Kit by Earth Mama Angel Baby is a gift set of four Earth Mama Angel Baby products for nursing mothers. The kit includes Bosom Buddies, Booby Tubes, Natural Nipple Butter and Milkmaid Tea.

Bosom Buddies are herbal compresses to treat and prevent engorgement. They’re great on tender nipples as well. The Booby Tubes are compresses to treat engorgement. Both are made from 100% organic cotton. The Booby Tubes can be warmed up in the microwave or chilled in the freezer, which makes this a multi purpose product that can be used either hot or cold. The Natural Nipple Butter is a lanolin-free moisturizer for treating and preventing dry or cracked nipples. The Milkmaid Tea is an herbal tea you drink to encourage your milk supply. All four of the products in the kit are natural and organic and Phthalate-free.

The Milkmaid Tea is by far my favorite product in the set. Before I started drinking the tea, twice a day, I was only able to express about two ounces at a time. After drinking the tea for a little over a week, I was able to express a little over six ounces at a time. I can only speak for my own experience, but I really believe the Milkmaid Tea has made a huge difference in my milk production.

Shopping List and Menu Planning Printables

How frustrating it is to go shopping and forget you needed an ingredient! Or make your shopping list a few minutes before shopping and then realizing you forgot to write down what you most needed. Worst of all, go shopping without an idea of your family needs and end up buying too much of items you don´t need and forget important items your family eats regularly. Loosing time and money is not fun.

Planning ahead your meals and therefore having a shopping list is a great time saving practice for moms and families. Don´t forget the side effect of feeling in control and calmed about what to buy and what to cook, optimizing your time and money and feeling good for those you love.

Meal planning is something I strongly recommend to any mom, but especially moms of multiple children. I´m the mom of one child, and find that planning ahead what we want to eat next week is crucial for keeping our sanity and health. It´s also a  great money saving practice.

So where do you start?

The friends of Dine Without Whine are giving away this sanity saving sheets. Just give them a try for a few weeks and decide if you keep planning or go back to the old way.

Free Dinner Planning Sheet

Free Grocery Sheet

Directions:

1. Print out 1 dinner planning sheet and 1 grocery sheet for each week (You can pre-print a bunch and save them in a file folder, so you’ll have them handy each time you need them).
2. Plan your dinners for the week. You might go through recipe books, search on the Internet or prepare some family favorites.
3. As you choose the meals, take note of the ingredients you’ll need to purchase and input them into the grocery list. The grocery list has already been put into common grocery store sections, so you can do your shopping quickly and efficiently.
That’s it…once you’ve done your shopping, stick with the plan and you’ll have family dinners ready to go each and every night.

Have fun  menu planning!

PS. If you have a large planning or are just simply overloaded with family tasks, I strongly recommend you to take up on their 1 cent offer.

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