Does Your First Aid Kit Carry These Natural Remedies For Your Kids?
We are excited to share these natural remedies helpful for treating ailments, injuries and infections common to our children. Also, information on boosting our children’s immune systems naturally comes in this post reposted with permission from Nataliya Deleva from GreenKiddie! Many of these remedies you already have right in your home, but some you may need to go out to your favorite health food store and purchase.
These first-aid kits contain herbal remedies, homeopathic medicines and aromatherapy too. Have fun creating your own personal and natural first aid kit with these tips below. Thanks Nataliya for sharing with us on how to create an ideal natural remedy kit for our babies and children.
What to Include in a Natural First Aid Kit
Whatever reason for going out, you should have a good remedy kit in hand. Children love playing outside, so going on a holiday or just popping into the nearest park – be prepared. An ideal natural remedy kit should treat burns or sunburns, topical injuries, skin infections-both fungal and bacterial, insect bites and stings, colds and flu, fever, acute internal infections, stomach and digestive issues. Here is a list top remedies to include in your first aid kit:
- Aloe Vera Gel. Cooling and healing, aloe vera (Aloe vera) soothes the inflammation of sunburn and common kitchen scalds and burns.
- Chamomile tea bags. With its delicious distinctive flavor, chamomile makes a tasty tea. Gentle enough for children, chamomile has mild sedative, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. It promotes relaxation, relieves indigestion and, when applied topically, soothes skin irritations.
- Echinacea is a great immune remedy, suitable for children over 2 years old. Use it as herbal infusion or in a form of syrup for short periods only.
- Thyme is a great herb for the respiratory infections. If your toddler has a sore throat or is coughing, make him a nice thyme tea around 30min before going to bed.
- Vanilla extract. Rubbing a little bit on baby’s gums not only feels warm and calming. Vanilla is known as a soothing yet energizing agent that reduces anxiety and promotes feelings of well-being. Vanilla has long been used to cure stomach distress: a baby whose stomach is mildly upset may find vanilla soothing to the tummy as well as the nerves.
- Salve. To make your own salve with soothing and anti-inflammatory effects, you will only need 20g beeswax, 50ml calendula oil, 30ml coconut oil, 5 drops lavender essential oil and 5 drops tea tree essential oil. Melt the beeswax in a double sauce pan, add the base oils when cooled to 40’C, and finally add the essential oils and mix. Pour into a glass container and keep it in a cool and dry place and away from direct sunlight. The benefits of the salve are many: insect bites and stings to aid itching, swelling and irritation; it may be rubbed on the feet and chest in the event of a respiratory infection and to help control a cough, it’s useful for some headaches (may be too stimulating for heat-related headaches), it’s excellent for bruises and for topical fungal infections.
- Propolis tincture. Bees create propolis by collecting a resinous sap from trees and then mixing it with wax back at the hive. Propolis has antibiotic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and antioxidant properties. Taken orally, it acts against viruses, which antibiotics do not. In a glass container mix one part of propolis with 9 parts ethyl alcohol and leave it in dark place for 20days, shaking it daily. You can give it to you child to take it orally: one drop of the tincture for every child’s year, 3 times a day. For example if your child is 2 years old, give him 2 drops x 3 times a day. This will straighten his immune system and will fight bacteria. This may help runny or blocked nose, too. Mix 10 drops propolis tincture in 10ml sea salt water. Use it as nasal drops.
- Raw honey. Honey is an ancient remedy for the treatment of infected wounds, which has recently been ‘rediscovered’ by the medical profession, particularly where conventional modern therapeutic agents are failing. There are now many published reports describing the effectiveness of honey in rapidly clearing infection from wounds, with no adverse effects to slow the healing process; there is also some evidence to suggest that honey may actively promote healing. In laboratory studies, it has been shown to have an antimicrobial action against a broad spectrum of bacteria and fungi.
- Witch Hazel is rich in tannins and gallic acid. Distilled witch hazel is highly astringent, anti – inflammatory and helps stop bleeding, making it an excellent first aid remedy for cuts, nosebleeds, bruises and sprains.
- Vinegar. A small bottle of vinegar is helpful in cleaning wounds to prevent infection.
- Also don’t forget to add some organic cotton-wool, thermometer, cotton bandages and organic plasters to your kit.
Homeopathic Remedy Kit And Immune Boosting Support
- Arnica 30C – Helps reduce bleeding, inflammation and bruising and to promote rapid healing. Use it in the first minutes after insect bites or injuries. Helpful for shock and great stress after injury.
- Belladonna 6C – Helpful remedy for fever, redness and teething
- Chamomilla 6C – Great teething and soothing remedy. Give it to your child if clingy and unsettled, if in pain, especially when associated with teething.
- Aconite 30C – Use in the first stages of cold or flu, especially if the child has been recently exposed to dry, cold wind. Frequent sneezing, watery discharge. Comes on suddenly. Give it to your child in the first 24 hours.
- Nux Vomica 12C – It will ease stomach pain and diahorrea, vomiting, and nausea.
- Pulsatilla 6C – It may help your child if having runny nose or coughing with thick, green-yellow discharge, feeling clinging and tearful.
Visit Greenkiddie’s Homeopathy Section for more information.
You can buy single remedies pills and tablets at Washington Homeopathic Products Online Store
Aromatherapy Kit
- Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) has many properties: analgesic (soothes nerve pain); anti-spasmodic for muscles topically; headaches, including migraines; insomnia and general relaxation; burns and sunburn; relieves itching and pain from bug bites and stings; and anti-bacterial. Use it diluted in base oil and massage it gently on affected areas, or in a bath to soothe the child, help relaxation and better sleep.
- Tea tree (Melaluca alternifolia) is known for its antiseptic, antibacterial, and anti-fungal properties. It is effective remedy for cold sores; infected wounds with puss, for respiratory and sinus infections, mouth infections, and to ease the pain of sore throats.
- Vegetable base oil – Extra virgin olive oil, calendula oil or apricot oil on your preference, to use is a base for the essential oils.
Please note: It is important to follow directions when using essential oils, especially if treating children. Visit Greenkiddie’s Aromatherapy section for more information on how to use essential oils.
Nataliya Deleva From GreenKiddie.co.uk
“Nataliya Deleva is an eco-mum of a 2-years old lovely girl living in West London. She is a marketing professional and ex-journalist interested in mother-and-baby issues and green living. She is a founder of www.GreenKiddie.co.uk – online space, providing tips and advice on green and natural parenting through articles, blog and discussion board. Visit www.greenkiddie.co.uk for more information.”
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Hello – i think the list is great and love to use natural means of healing – but one thing i wanted to mention is that lavender and tea tree oil are both phyto-estrogens. They are wonderful to use, but are a bit over promoted. For example – they are main scents used in organic cleaning products, recommended to relax babies, used for scents, aromatherapy, tea, bath, soap, shampoo, skin lotion, hair gel, dish soap, floor cleaner, laundry detergent etc. Just look at the “natural” section of the grocery or health food store.
Since they have estrogenic properties, perhaps should used in moderation especially for little boys. Certainly they are healthy to use in moderation but it seems that with all these products jumping on the lavender / tea tree bandwagon there is potential for overuse. Combine all these products with soy based formula or diet and you may be getting real unbalanced. Especially as babies (both boys and girls) are born with some estrogenic hormones already from the mother that sometimes cause swelling of breast tissue and sometimes even drops of milk. This clears up shortly after birth. However it can also happen from overuse of phytoestrogens.
In rare cases, overuse of phytoestrogens have been known to cause gynecomastia (enlarged breast tissue) in both boys and girls. The remedy is to just stop using them for a while – solves the problem. I am sorry I don’t have links ready – but can be researched in the New England Journal of Medicine and there was also a federally funded study at the University of Colorado.
Thanks for your comment! Please note that back in 2009 we covered this topic in a full article with cases described and tons of respectable references added also: http://www.safbaby.com/can-lavender-oil-and-tea-tree-oil-really-alter-a-baby-boys-hormones
We hope this helps. Kindly, SAFbaby