Relief for Infant Congestion and Croupy-sounding cough

When my baby was just a little over three months, all her sisters came down with the flu. It was rough. Thankfully, since she was nursing around the clock, the baby never developed a fever or any horrible symptoms like her big sisters. But she developed a bad sounding cough that sounded a good bit croupy. She didn't do it all the time, but when she did cough, it sounded rough and I was terrified that it would grow worse and become hard for her to breathe. I had never had a sick baby that young before and don't usually use any kind of medicine or even natural remedies on babies that little. So I decided to ask one of my friends who had studied herbal medicine what she would suggest.

She recommended lemon eucalyptus oil diluted in olive oil and rubbed on her chest and the bottoms of her feet. She said, "For the chest, I would rub from the center/ sternum to the outside of the chest on each side. Also, if the cough is croupy I would say that is ok- as long as she is breathing well and doesn't seem to choke on it. If I got desperate I would use colloidal silver as an antibiotic. But it is so hard knowing dosages, etc. with babies- I would probably reserve it for desperation. Also- I have used onion poultices with my kids when they were little with good results. Just stir fry an onion in tiny bit of oil until it is translucent, and then put the warm onion pieces on a cloth ( thin, like a cheesecloth) on the chest. As long as the onion isn't too hot, you can even wrap it on there and just leave it for a while. That works fairly well!"

I followed her advice and also took my baby for 2 adjustments from my favorite chiropractor and my sweet baby recovered quickly and easily without growing any worse!

Lice and Tick Prevention Detangling Spray

Lice seem to be a major problem in the schools this year.  Not only are they everywhere, but they seem to be harder to get rid of than they used to be.  In one of my daughter's classes, there was a major lice problem before Christmas.  I thought for sure the 2-week break would clear things up, but after a week back at school we got another letter saying they were still finding kids with lice!  We happen to have 6 girls in our family with lots of hair so the thought of lice is absolutely horrendous to me!  Thankfully we have avoided it so far and I truly think the detangling spray I make them use a couple times a week has kept the lice at bay.  I actually started using it two summers ago as a tick deterrent and then added the essential oils that deter lice when the girls started school. I didn't really find this recipe anywhere; I just started mixing things that made sense to me together to make it.  I don't ever measure so I will try to guestimate what I do for readers but feel free to tweak it to please your own kids.  My girls do not really like the apple cider vinegar smell but neither do ticks and lice.  The smell vanishes quickly enough and it is great for hair so they have gotten used to it. The rose geranium oil is expensive but we haven't gotten a single tick in our hair the 2 summers we have used it and the summer before that we got them every single time we visited the grandparents or went to the lake.  It lasts a long time and is totally worth the price!

(*Note: I don't want to get into any debates about essential oil brands.  I have used Young Living, Do Terra, Edens Garden, and Plant Therapy all with great success.  I currently primarily buy Plant Therapy mainly because of the affordable price, great extensive Kidsafe line, and because of two day shipping on Amazon, but I love the others as well.)

Ingredients:
small water spray bottle
1/2 tsp moisturizing oil (I usually just use olive oil because it is what I have on hand but almond, jojoba, or any other liquid oil will do)
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
5 drops Rose Geranium oil (for tick prevention)
5 drops tea tree oil
10 drops Plant Therapy "Get 'Em Gone" blend
water filled the rest of the way to the brim of spray bottle

Directions:  Shake well and spray on hair.  I use it on my girls' hair every time they wash it and any other time there are tangles.

Natural Remedies for Constipation in Children

Constipation is one of the most common and most miserable childhood problems.  If a child has a difficult time staying dry through the night, it is highly likely that the child is constipated.  Two of my children have dealt with constipation.  My second child went through a stage where she needed to avoid dairy and gluten in order to heal her gut.  Anytime she ate one of those foods, she would get constipated.  Through an elimination diet, chiropractic care, and probiotics, we were able to heal her gut and now she can eat whatever she wants.   My 4th child, on the other hand, is a stubborn toddler who does not have a food sensitivity.  She became prone to constipation during potty training.  She simply does not like to have a bowel movement and will stubbornly hold it until it is very painful.  She is incredibly strong willed and this has become a major health problem for her.  One pediatrician recommended that I give her a half of a chocolate Ex-lax and another recommended Mirolax.  No thank you!  Those options can destroy the digestive system and cause health problems in the long run.  I did my own research and found several more gentle, natural options that have helped my daughter.

1.  Mommy's Bliss Constipation Ease -- this is a very gentle, natural medicine that my toddler actually loves to take.  It has no stimulant but gentle herbs and prune juice to make a bowel movement easier as well as prebiotics.  We use this more than anything else and I give it to her at the first sign that she is getting constipated.

2.  EZ Move Constipation Support Herbal Organic Remedy from Trilight Health. -- this one is more expensive but works well and my daughter loves the taste also.  I kind of take turns with these first two so she is receiving different herbs to help her.

3.  Slippery Elm bark -- This soothes and lubricates her digestive system so her bowel movements are easier and it has many valuable minerals in it as well.  I get this in a capsule that I can open and pour into anything I think she will eat.  Usually I add it to her applesauce or tea.  This is something I give to her on a regular basis as often as I can.  It has no negative side effects or stimulants and is completely natural.

4. LB Extract -- This one is much stronger and I only use it if she is really miserable and only until things get going easily again.  But it is natural and really works!

5.  Epsom salt bath -- I know it sounds simple, but nearly every time my child is constipated and I give her a bath with Epsom salts, within minutes she is jumping out to go potty.  The magnesium plus the feeling of water seems to stimulate her immediately.

6.  Raw Apple Cider Vinegar -- This is hard to stomach on it's own, but adding ACV to juice or tea can really help to keep someone regular.  I make a tea by pouring boiling water over ginger (also good for digestion!) and lemon and then adding raw honey and some ACV to it after it cools slightly.  It really helps my daughter.  I also sometimes add it to my diluted Kombucha and my daughter will drink it.

7.  Avoiding dairy and processed foods with white flour.  My daughter is not allergic to these foods, but they simply stop up the digestive system.  My daughter's constipation always flares up when traveling because I am not as careful about what she eats.  She can eat as much of my homemade bread (made from freshly ground spelt berrries and soaked for better digestion) as she likes without any problem.  But every time she goes to church and eats goldfish or crackers or other processed food, I have to give her some of the above remedies or she will have a major problem
 for the next week.  Too much dairy makes a huge noticeable difference as well.

8.  Baby food prunes mixed in with unsweetened applesauce -- When my daughter first had problems with constipation, I gave her lots of prunes to keep things moving.  But she quickly grew tired of them.  I finally thought of adding the pureed prunes to her applesauce, which she loves!  I also add in Slippery Elm bark powder and probiotics,  She loves it!

9. Chiropractic care -- we can't afford to take her as often as I would like, but nearly every time we do, she comes home and has a bowel movement.  It really makes a difference to be properly aligned!

Beating the stomach bug quickly (and other natural remedies for an upset stomach)

There are very few things as miserable as the stomach bug.  However, there is a solution for beating it quickly.  Activated charcoal works wonders!  And it is inexpensive!  It is great for both food poisoning and for the dreaded stomach virus.  The last few times my family has gotten a stomach bug, the members of my family willing to take activated charcoal only threw up once, while the rest were sick many times over and over.  It is tasteless and can easily be added to a drink or applesauce.  It turns the beverage or food black, however, so two of my children refuse to take it and then are sick much longer than the rest of us.  The last two times, I have used it as soon as the threat was obvious and I had nothing more than stomach cramps for a bit.  It works!

Activated charcoal is hands-down the best remedy for a stomach bug or food poisoning, but there are other things that can help with tummy trouble as well:

Redmond clay: This works in a similar manner as charcoal, but doesn't look as dreadful when mixed in with applesauce :)  We use it for a simple upset stomach as well.

Papaya Enzymes -- These were my best friend when I was pregnant as it helped tremendously with heartburn and acid reflux!  It aids in digestion and always works to help settle a stomach that might be queasy from eating too much or something too spicy or too fatty.  My husband and children all ask for them if they have an unsettled stomach.

Nux Vomica -- I'm still learning about homeopathy, but this has been quite helpful as well.

Tummy Aid Essentail Oil roll on -- I love Plant Therapy's kidsafe line!  I'm still learning about essential oils so I appreciate thse ready-made roll-ons that I can put on my children's feet and bellies.  They carry the regular oil you can diffuse as well, but I love the roll-ons to put in my purse to whip out as the first whimper of tummy pain.

Tummy Plus Tincture from Trilight Health --- I love all the tinctures from Trilight Health!  They don't taste badly so my kids will take them and they really work.

Treating ear aches/ infections differently for different children

My girls recently endured a bad virus.  It started with a high fever for less than 24 hours and then had major congestion and a lingering cough and drainage.  About a week later, they all got an ear ache.  At first, I didn't realize it was related, but after they all got it, I realized it must have been from all that drainage.  I am writing this post because I found it very interesting that each child required a different treatment.

When my 5 year old calmly began complaining that her ear hurt, I looked up my homeopathic information and gave her Chamomilla.  She didn't complain again until the next day and I gave her some more and it seemed to help again.  I gave it to her about 3 times a day, only when she mentioned it bothering her again for about 2 days and that was it.  The remedy seemed to stop the pain quickly every time and eventually took care of it completely.

The next day, my 6 year old started fussing about her ear.  But it was totally different.  Instead of calmly mentioning that her ear hurt, she was moaning in pain.  I quickly gave her what had worked for her sister, but it didn't work for her.  Within 15 minutes she was crying and sometimes screaming.  I waited a bit to see if the remedy would work, but then remembered that there are several remedies for each ailment and it varies for each person.  So I looked at my homeopathic workbook again and saw that for such a fierce onslaught, Belladonna looked like the correct remedy.  It took a good 20 minutes, but all of a sudden, she was fine.  Completely happy, as if nothing had happened.  I was amazed!  I am totally a believer in homeopathy!

My 9 month old decided to cut her top two teeth shortly after recovering from her virus.  She was really fussy, but I just attributed it to those teeth.  But then she suddenly had a high fever at night.  She could not lay down to sleep and was only happy when I was holding her.   After sitting up all night with her with a super high fever, I immediately took her to the chiropractor the next day.  Her fever broke, she seemed much happier, and she slept soundly that night!  But the next day her fever returned and she was up the entire night again.  I finally took her to the doctor because she was so congested I was worried about bronchitis.  But he said she had a bad ear infection and it all made sense.   (I felt so badly that perhaps I could have prevented it like I did with the big girls if only I had realized it.  But I had just thought she was fussy because of her teeth!) So I took her back to the chiropractor.  I also started putting crushed garlic on her feet, collodial silver in her mouth, and garlic-infused coconut and olive oil warmed in her ear.  I also rubbed tea tree oil around her ear.  That night her fever broke and she slept soundly again.  She seemed better the next day, but that night, her fever skyrocketed again and I knew she needed one more adjustment.  That was all it took.  I finally had my happy baby back again and never needed that antibiotic prescribed by the doctor!

So to sum it all up, here are the different treatments needed for each child:
1.  Calm 5 year old with minor ear pain: Chamomilla
2.  Distraught 6 year old with sudden, sharp ear pain:  Belladonna
3.  Miserable 9 month old with high fever and major ear infection: 3 chiropractic adjustments on alternating days, crushed garlic on her feet, collodial silver in her mouth, and garlic-infused coconut and olive oil warmed in her ear and tea tree oil rubbed around her ear.  I also gave her THIS mustard plaster twice. (Note:  I have no idea why I did not use homeopathy on the baby... I guess sleep deprivation just made me revert back to what I always do for illnesses and I forgot to look up a homeopathic remedy for her.)

Old Fashioned Mustard Plaster for helping drain congestion

My 9 month old got a nasty virus that filled her head with much drainage and resulted in a horrible ear infection.  She has trouble sleeping, not only from the ear pain, but also because when she lays down she begins to cough and choke horribly on the drainage.  I took her to the chiropractor today and he said he could feel a lot of drainage in her head and ears and gave me this recipe to put on her upper chest to help drain it down:

1 part Mustard powder
1 part Baking soda
3 parts flour
enough water to make a paste

I love recipes that are so simple!  He said that for the baby, I should wrap it up in a hankie, with just one layer between her and the plaster, and zip her up in a sleep-in-play so that she can't reach it and get it everywhere.  For older children and adults, however, I could just apply it directly to the skin.  A person should try it on a small part of the skin first, though, to make sure it doesn't irritate it as it is a "hot" compress and could bother sensitive skin.  Leave it on for about 10 minutes and it can really make a difference.

I was amazed that I could "feel" the heat coming off it when I mixed it up for my baby.  A little bit leaked out of the hankie and got on her skin and it was red and seemed to annoy her, so I would personally recommend not putting it directly on the skin.  A hankie works well if you can get it to stay put.  She also seemed really bothered by it after only about 7 minutes so I took it off early.  But the plaster definitely seems to do its job!

Popping an elbow back in place (yes, you can do it yourself!)

We just had a short-lived trauma tonight when Karlie's elbow popped out of joint.  She was in excruciating pain.  We tried distracting her with Backyardigans (which we reserve for such special occasions), but it was obvious the pain was not going away.  I had learned the technique for popping a shoulder back in joint, but it didn't work for the elbow.  I finally searched youtube and found a video to show me how to do it.  Within seconds, my happy girl was back. 

So this is my golden tip for the night:  If you have little kids, learn both techniques ASAP.  They are super easy, only take 2 seconds to perform, and will save you hours of pain and time at the ER.  And it is easier than having to search Youtube when your three year old is screaming in pain!

A natural approach to lice removal

This was the post I hoped to never have to write.  I've had super thick and long hair almost my entire life, and lice has been at the top of my list as one of my worst fears ever since I was old enough to hear about it. I thankfully managed to go 31 years without any more than the sympathy itching I always get when I hear of someone else with lice.  But you can imagine my utter horror to find it on one of my girls now that I live in a house with 4 girls!  Add to that the fact that we have a ridiculous amount of stuffed animals and baby dolls and I won't even mention the state my house was in the day I found it.  And company was coming to stay with us in two days.  And the thought of putting chemicals on my sweet girls' heads just made me sick to my stomach.  To say that I felt incredibly overwhelmed was a huge understatement!

As soon as I found a patch of nits in my daughter's hair, I immediately reached for the coconut oil.  My husband teases that I use coconut oil for everything, but in this case I was super glad I used it!  I had remembered reading somewhere that coconut oil smothers lice and I immediately covered each of my girls' hair and myself as well.  I called Mark to go buy us a special comb and then we set to work throwing things in plastic trash bags and in the washer and dryer.  After leaving the coconut oil in our hair for several hours, I combed everyone's hair.  Thankfully, I never saw lice in anyone else's hair so I think we got to it fast enough so that it did not spread.  I did find 2 actual bugs in my one daughter's hair, and I cannot tell you how glad I was that I had used the coconut oil so that they were dead rather than running away from me!!!!  A month and a half later with no signs of a re-infestation, I finally feel safe and confident enough to say the natural approach worked.

I did a bit of research that first night to see what I needed to do to keep them away.  THIS article helped me the most.
Here is what I learned:

1.  Coconut oil really does work!  But you still have to comb out the nits.
2.  Rinsing hair with apple cider vinegar before shampoo helps remove the glue holding the nits so they come out easily.
3.  High heat kills both lice and nits.  Just about everything in my house went through our dryer.  And we dried all my girls' hair with the hair dryer for the first three weeks just to be on the safe side. 
4.  Neem oil and tea tree oil also kill lice.  So the 2nd day I was paranoid enough to do another coconut oil treatment and I added both essential oils to the coconut oil. 
5.  Here are two natural products that are good for killing lice.  I didn't have time to get them and managed fine without them, but I thought they sounded good enough to mention, especially if you have a worse infestation than we suffered: Theraneem Organix Shampoo an Quit Nits Complete Head Lice Kit (a homeopathic and essential oil nit removal kit)
6.  I washed and dried all the sheets and blankets 3 days in a row, then did it every other day for a week just to be on the safe side.
7.  We bagged up each and every stuffed animal and baby doll with hair for 4 weeks.  (My house stayed a lot neater during that time!)
8.  We did the oil treatment and washed their hair and combed it 3 days in a row and then every other day for a week. (Did I mention that I was really stressed and paranoid?)  Thankfully, we never saw anything after the first day, but all the extra work might be the reason it didn't come back. 

Fighting a virus naturally

After 5 days of a super high fever,  I decided to take Abbi to see my holistic doctor just to make sure an infection had not snuck in while her body was fighting the virus.  I absolutely love my pediatrician and she is open to my natural tendencies, but after last summer's ordeal I knew exactly the protocol she would have to recommend: a trip to the ER to take blood, x-ray, and spinal tap to rule out the worst case scenarios.  I didn't want to do that when my holistic doctor could use less invasive techniques to tell me what was going on.  She found that Abbi had a nasty virus centered in her spinal cord and intestines.  That made total sense to me because she had been extremely uncomfortable through the sickness, squirming all over the place and unable to get comfortable enough to sleep more than 10 or 15 minutes at a time.    Here were her tips for getting over any kind of virus:

1. Therapy bath to help hydrate (because dehydration is the most dangerous effect of high fever):

1 3/4 cups epsom salts

3/4 cup baking soda

3/4 cup borax

1/4 tsp. lavender oil (if desired to help relax)

2.  L-lysine -- 250 mg 3x a day (mixed into food)

3.  Zinc -- 15 mg (mixed into food)

4.  Garlic cut open and rubbed on feet

5.  Elderberry syrup every hour for 2 days

6.  Collodial silver --  every hour for 2 days

7.  Probiotics -- 4 times a day

8.  Lugol's iodine and magnesium oil patted on spine every 2 hours -- this sounds absolutely ridiculously crazy but supposedly the virus does not like this mixture and will "move" away from it.  You "chase" the pain with the mixture until it is gone and the virus has left.  It will often go to your weakest parts.  (For instance, with my holistic doctor's daughter, the pain moved to a part of her leg that was very sore from dance practice the day before.)  With older patients, it is easier to "chase" it and put the mixture wherever  the patient says that it hurts next, but with Abbi it was a little more difficult.  The first time she grabbed her eye and started screaming, which made sense because it was hurt but was very frustrating because I could not help her there.  However, the next time after placing it on her spine, she started acting quite agitated and grabbing at the top of her neck.  I placed the mixture there and she calmed down immediately.  Weird, but it seemed to be similar to what my holistic doctor had described so I am thinking that it worked.  If nothing else, iodine and magnesium are things most people are deficient in and desperately need, so I thought it was definitely a worthwhile solution to try.

9.  Hydrating tonic (very similar to one I already posted) to battle dehydration from the fever:

1 Tbs. raw apple cider vinegar

1 pinch baking soda

1 serving aloe vera juice

1 cup of unfiltered apple juice

2 cups water

5 drops sole*

*sole -- dissolve as much Redmond's Real Salt as possible in 1/2 cup boiling water.  Put in dropper bottle

How to get something small out of a kid's nose

I know you are wondering which one of my girls gave me reason to find this useful tidbit. I hate to disappoint you, but thankfully I have not had reason to use this trick yet. It simply sounds like something that will probably happen at some point so I wanted to blog this tip so I'll be able to find it someday when I need it :) I try to avoid the ER at all costs.

If your child pushes something in his nose so far that is seems impossible to get it out, have the child lie down, pinch the opposite nostril, and blow into his mouth. The object will immediately fly out.

Many thanks to A Well-Feathered Nest for posting this tip!

Holistic tips for fighting an ear infection and constipation

While Abbi was fighting off her random virus, it appears that an infection snuck in her weary body. Her temp sky-rocketed and she started screaming all the time and it was obviously something new. So I took her to my favorite holistic doctor on yesterday and she confirmed what I suspected -- she had a virus that was pretty much gone, but now had a really bad infection in her ear. You might think an ear infection is no big deal since kids get them all the time, but let me tell you -- it must straight out hurt because it makes for a completely miserable baby! I honestly have not been able to set Abbi down (other than a quick trip to the bathroom) since Saturday afternoon. This afternoon is the first time she has slept on her own (much thanks to my holistic dr. and chiropractor!) since the infection hit. She still screams when anyone even so much as touches the right side of her head (and you really don't want to be in the same house when I give her drops in her ear!) but her fever went down and she actually allowed me to lay her in the crib this afternoon so I do believe that she is improving. I'm desperately hoping to sleep in my own bed tonight!

I thought I'd write out the recommendations from my holistic dr. so that I would remember them next time and in case they might be helpful to you. We are also having trouble with Karlie getting constipated (she got dehydrated when she had the fever and it hurt to have a BM and now my stubborn 2-year old is refusing to go! So my holistic dr. gave me some tips for that as well.

For ear infection:

1. Drop hydrogen peroxide in her ear canal 4-6 times/day. (She recommended doing it while nursing because Abbi would be opening and closing her mouth and it would help, but after I saw how much she hated the drops, I decided I didn't want nursing associated with pain.)

2. Hydrogen Peroxide in vaporizer at night and during naps

3. Ear oil 2 times/day made of olive oil, mullein, garlic, St. John's, and MSM

4. Immune Support:

Probiotics

no sugars/ friuts

Collodial Silver 3 times a day

elderberry syrup

zinc 15 mg

Garlic on feet

oregano oil on feet and rubbed on skin behind infected ear

For Constipation: Magnesium Citrate with potassium -- helps relaxes muscles and go more easily

...it also helps with sleep, restless leg, focus, emotions, muscle cramps, etc

More natural remedies!

I recently stumbled upon THIS GREAT ARTICLE while researching something else and was excited to find some other great traditional remedies for childhood illnesses to add to my list. The article is a good read and I highly recommend it. I decided to summarize a few of the suggestions here, but you really ought to read the whole article.

1. Ear infections: greatly related to diet; cut out pasteurized milk which is the greatest culprit -- A warm wheat bag on the ear provides enormous pain relief. A warm wheat bag is made of fabric filled with plain unground wheat kernels—you can make your own if you want. You put it in the microwave with 1/2 cup of water for a minute or two so that it becomes just hot to the touch. These are really comforting for the child.

2. Headaches -- Again, related to diet --Headaches often occur when blood sugar is low, so three solid meals a day, with adequate animal protein and plenty of fat, form the basis of prevention. Avoid sugar and MSG—both will cause headaches. Headaches also occur when dehydrated—often after playing soccer. Coconut water, kombucha and other fermented drinks are the best way to rehydrate; they are much better than plain water. We use canned coconut water at sporting events. If none of these types of beverages is available, have your child drink plain water, but not more than two four-ounce drinks every 30 minutes; otherwise it will just go to the kidneys.

3. Fevers -- Don't use Tylenol or other drugs to bring it down! Why do our bodies produce fever? One reason is that fevers slow down pathogens. The germ, bacteria or virus causing the child’s distress wants to replicate every few minutes and the fever slows this process down. It slows down the spread and severity of the illness. So when you bring the fever down you are giving free license to the virus or bacteria to run amuck. And don’t panic if your child’s temperature gets to 102-103 degrees—this is the ideal range for a fever.

Food will naturally drop a fever within about 20 minutes and this drop will last for an hour or two. Just a few bites of scrambled egg or a few sips of broth can bring that fever down a bit. It will not make the fever go away but will manage it hopefully within the 102-103 degree range.

If over 103 degrees—then you need to take steps to bring it down. A cool water enema is one good way to do this. Just get a thick beach towel and put it in the tub. Lay your child on his side without taking clothes off. Slide their pajamas down a little. Place 1/2 to 1 quart warm filtered water in the bag and insert the enema nozzle. Your child will start to feel pressure and will want to go to the bathroom—the water usually doesn’t run out. Then gently put him on the toilet and let him go. This will usually bring the fever down by a degree or two.

High fevers—those that range between 104 and 105 degrees—are not dangerous in themselves, but they make the metabolism run very fast and increase the risk of dehydration. Blood sugar often drops, which can lead to convulsions. Your child can sip 50 percent diluted fresh fruit juice to keep tissues hydrated and blood sugar levels in the normal range. If your child will not take anything, you can administer about 4 ounces diluted fruit juice rectally using a bulb syringe. The body will absorb it rectally. It won’t run out. This may save your child a trip to the emergency room.

4. Tummy aches -- Use slippery elm tincture. Give a few drops in a little water and the tummy ache is gone in about 10 minutes. You can purchase a glycerin-based, non-alcohol tincture of slippery elm at the health food store. Follow the directions on the bottle for the dose. Also, a wheat bag on the stomach or a warm bath will do wonders for a tummy ache.

5. Vomiting -- once your child starts vomiting, don’t give him food, water or liquids for two hours. The stomach wants to rest and if you give food or liquids, it will prolong the vomiting.

6. Diarrhea - Nothing works better than broth for stopping diarrhea— a few tablespoons at a time and very frequently. Broth works because the gelatin in broth binds up the liquid in the colon. It gives bulk and helps to stop the loss of fluids. With really severe diarrhea, you can give an enema to counteract dehydration.

7. Pink Eye -- Place a drop or two of raw milk or colostrom in each eye—this works wonders. Frequent pink eye may be a sign of vitamin A deficiency, so pay attention to the daily dose of cod liver oil.

8. Chicken Pox -- Let the illness run its course; and let any fever do its work. The main thing is to relieve itching, which can be done with baking soda baths. Use a one-pound box per bath.

9. Sore Throat --The best remedy for sore throat is a fever; help her generate a fever by giving her a fever bath. Put her in the tub. Fill it with water as hot as she can stand. You can get it hotter for them if you put them in it while you are filling it. You want it pretty hot, but still comfortable. Leave her in the bath for 10-12 minutes, then get her out, dry her quickly and wrap her up tight. Put her into bed, well covered up.

Beating Strep Throat and an ear infections without antibiotics or Tylenol

Today marks exactly a week since Karlie got sick and although we had several very miserable days, I am so happy to say that she is back to her normal, happy, playful, squealing, into everything self! For many reasons, we decided to let her fight strep-throat and an ear infection naturally, without any "medicine" at all. Instead of antibiotics and Tylenol, we used many different natural remedies that had been recommended to me by my fabulous Christian Holistic doctor and a good friend who had successfully fought strep with several of her boys. So I thought I'd share with you some of the things we did for her. Whether or not you choose to use antibiotics, these methods will still be helpful in fighting any illness. (Disclaimer: I know that strep can be dangerous, especially for babies, and I would not have attempted this without the following resources!)

1. Chiropractor! The relief a chiropractor can bring during illness is simply amazing. I could see immediate relief in Karlie' s eyes once the chiro had finished. I took her the first day she had a fever and again on the 4th day to make sure her ears were draining correctly. Our particular chiro has a lot of medical training and gave me much encouragement and more advice on beating it naturally. If you live in my area, I can recommend a fabulous Christian chiro who charges a reasonable rate and doesn't even deal with insurance. I just love her!

2. Collodial Silver -- extremely helpful to fight off any kind of sickness! We start taking it at the first sign of a sore throat or runny nose. When Karlie was at her worst, I gave it to her every hour. I'm still giving it to her about twice a day to make sure the illness is completely gone.

3. Kombucha -- it cleanses the body from toxins and aids in digestion and metabolism. Click HERE to see my review of it and some links explaining why I love this drink and how to make it yourself. My toddler and I drink this regularly (I'm still working on my husband :), and I was amazed that my baby would even take sips of it when she was sick! When I make it, I usually try to leave a small jar of it fermenting for several weeks so that it will be even more potent for killing off illness.

4. Home-made ear drops -- these are helpful even if the sickness is not an ear infection, because it helps to get garlic and GSE into the body which fight infection. ClickHERE for 2 different home-made ear drops, one that you can use right away and one that you can make ahead of time and store.

5. Oregano Oil, Garlic, and Probiotics -- Oregano Oil and Garlic both kill bacteria. I rubbed some oil on one foot and cut up a clove of garlic and rubbed that on her other foot every couple of hours. (A baby/toddler's feet are very porous and will absorb well. Mark and I swallow them as a pill when we are sick.) Make sure you get oregano oil that does not contain any other ingredients (like olive oil) or it will not be potent enough. Theprobiotics are important because the oregano oil kills ALL bacteria, even the good kind. So I mixed probiotics in with her applesauce to try to boost her good bacteria.

6. Let the fever run its course -- (That means NO Tylenol!) This was probably the hardest, yet most important thing for me to do. God made our bodies to have a fever because the high temp. kills the virus or bacteria. Using Tylenol ruins this natural process and makes the body unable to fight the disease. It can also cause a fever convulsion by bringing the fever down too quickly. Without Tylenol, Karlie's fever naturally broke when it got too high for her, then would climb back up and break again, etc, until it had killed the infection. So I just tried to make Karlie as comfortable as possible and once when she was utterly miserable, I gave her THIS special bath for helping with the fever. The main thing you have to watch out for with a high fever is dehydration, but I will write about that soon...

7. Nursing as much as possible -- I was soooooo thankful that Karlie got this sickness while nursing, because breastmilk is truly the best medicine I could give her. Breast milk is tailor-made to fit the unique needs of your child each day. Did you know that when your baby nurses, the breast is stimulated by the bacteria introduced by your baby? This bacteria travels into the breast tissue, causing an immediate reaction with the formation of antibodies, which can then be found back in the mother’s milkwithin 8 hours!! So if your baby is fighting a cold or other illness, your body is creating antibodies specific for what your baby is combating that very day. Needless to say, I ditched the schedule and let Karlie nurse as often as she would. Nursing was also very comforting to Karlie and really seemed to calm her down when she would get really upset during her high fever. So she pretty much nursed all night long for about 3 nights! Exhausting, but I knew it was what she needed! I also tried to eat a lot of garlic, Kombucha, probiotics, take oregano oil, and eat smoothies with GSE so she would get those benefits from me as well.

8. Coconut water -- This is truly nature's Gatorade or Pedialyte without all the added flavorings and sugar! I get in the organic section at Kroger and always keep it on hand for any time we are sick. Coconut Water is rich in many vital minerals, vitamins, and proteins, not just the basic "electrolyte essentials" found in a lab-formulated drink. And believe it or not, the natural electrolyte & pH balance of coconut water even make it suitable for a rehydrating IV solution! Karlie is just starting to use a sippy, so she would only drink a little, but Karis will drink every drop that I give her and beg for more! Smart Water/ Trinity Mineral Water is also a good option for dehydrating because it has a lot of electrolytes, but my favorite is coconut water.

9. Smoothies with coconut milk, coconut oil, frozen fruit, raw honey, and grapefruit seed extract -- Ok, Karlie won't eat this, but I had to add it because its the best thing for when my husband or toddler is sick. It is really the only thing I can get them to eat when they are miserable. It is dairy-free so it won't add to drainage, has tons of vitamin C from the fruit, contains bacteria fighting GSE and coconut oil, all the nutrients of coconut milk, and the honey is soothing and has many other benefits. We actually eat these all the time to try to boost our immune system. My husband likes them so much that he was willing to give up his nightly ice cream treat for them (and if you know my husband, that is saying A LOT!)

10. "Remedies" from my Christian Holistic Doctor -- I know not everyone has this resource available but I wanted to include it because if you live in my area, I can refer you to the BEST natural doctor ever. She can pinpoint any illnesses/ allergies without invasive treatment and makes remedies based on your body's particular needs. She has such a heart for helping others and I just love her!

These are just several of the things that have really seemed to work for us as we try to fight off illnesses naturally. I hope they were helpful to you!

Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease: Not Fun!

 I thought there might be some Mommies out there who have never seen the hand, foot, and mouth virus and would want to know how it goes.  There are two distinct types:  The spots on the body and the sores in the mouth.  I've had two different children get this illness and react in those two completely different ways but the fever/ fussiness pattern remained the same:  my toddler was fussy and didn't want to eat the first day, had a high fever days 2-4, seemed a little better day 5, was a miserable, fussy baby day 6, popped out with a several tiny spots on her hands and feet or in her mouth on day 7, and had the full blown spots climbing up her arms and ankles or screamed in pain at the open wounds in her mouth on day 8. She kept a low-grade fever days 5-10 and was pretty miserable and fussy. The spots are definitely painful.  But both times they got better right around day 10 or 11.