Stomachache Colic and Nausea
Stomachaches are probably the most common health problem for children; fortunately, they are usually one of the easiest to treat. However, if indigestion is a recurring theme with your child, investigate the cause. The problem may be obvious (for instance, the child may have binged on candy) or more elusive. Other possibilities to consider include bacterial infection, parasites, poor diet—including an excess of refined foods—and food allergies.Colic, which cramps the intestines and makes babies cranky and irritable, is often attributed to an immature digestive system. But since colic often disappears when the baby's diet (or a breastfeeding mother's diet) is changed, some doctors suspect that food allergies also play a part.
Lemon balm, catnip, caraway, fennel, dill and chamomile resolve most digestive upsets. These gentle and tasty herbs soothe stomachache and gas pains. Kids readily drink chamomile tea when reminded that Peter Rabbit's mom gave it to him after he ate too much, too quickly, while in Mr. McGregor's garden. For centuries, Indian and Lebanese mothers have given their babies dill, and Chinese mothers have traditionally used fennel to ease colic and gas. Nineteenth-century European children were given a syrup of these seeds that was called Gripe Water. Another nineteenth-century indigestion treatment, which is still sold in Europe today, contains fennel, chamomile, caraway, coriander and orange peel.
In a study conducted in Israel, researchers gave infants bottles of chamomile, fennel and lemon balm sweetened with licorice to see if it would really relieve their colic. As any mom who knows her herbs could have predicted, more than half the babies stopped crying and fussing soon after drinking the tea, while most of the infants given plain water continued to fret. The scientists who conducted the study believe that this tea relieves muscle spasms in the digestive tract, which are caused when a baby swallows air while feeding.
In the beginning, I mentioned the creative stories my friend Jennifer told her children to get them to take herbal remedies. In one of these, Grandma Bunny gives her grandkids a tummy tea of fennel, catnip and chamomile. A combination of chamomile, peppermint and red clover is another favorite. If your child likes basil on pasta or cinnamon on oatmeal, you are in luck. Like most culinary herbs, these help to improve digestion.
Peter Rabbit's Tea
2 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon each chamomile flowers and lemon balm leaves
½ teaspoon each catnip leaves and fennel or dill seeds
Pour boiling water over herbs and steep for 10 minutes. Strain out herbs and allow to cool. Have your ailing child sip this tea as needed. Sometimes as little as ¼ cup spells relief.
This tea is a wonderful multi-purpose treatment that can be used to address digestion problems as well as the stress and anxiety that can cause these problems. For colic, give your baby Peter Rabbit's Tea, diluted with an equal amount of water in a bottle, before or after eating. Most babies will need only 1Ž8 to ¼ cup of the diluted tea. You can also try the Tummy Rub Oil suggested below.
Do not overlook the possibility of emotional stress as a source of any digestive problem. Just like adults, children easily transfer unresolved problems and stress into physical ailments such as an upset stomach or bowel irregularities. Most parents know this, but they do not always realize that situations that may seem trivial to them can be quite disturbing for a child. A tea of lemon balm, chamomile, catnip and dill (see Peter Rabbit's Tea on page 235) soothes frayed nerves and anxiety. Because children with indigestion are often cranky, they sometimes refuse to drink even a tasty herbal tea. If this is the case with your child, try an herbal bath or tummy massage, which are soothing and help to eliminate gas pains. You can use essential oils such as lemongrass, orange and chamomile, which have calming fragrances, in either the bath or massage oil.
Child's Indigestion Bath
2 drops lemongrass essential oil
1 drop each orange and chamomile essential oils
Add essential oils directly to bath water. Stir to distribute on water's surface before child gets into the tub.
Tummy Rub Oil
6 drops lemongrass essential oil
1 drop each chamomile and fennel essential oils
2 ounces vegetable oil
Mix ingredients together. Rub on every hour, or as needed. (In this formula, I've used lemongrass instead of lemon balm, which is very expensive but is also very effective.)
Nausea is another digestion-related problem. Children are especially prone to becoming nauseated while in a moving vehicle, probably because their inner ear structure is so small that the irregular swaying back and forth disturbs the fluid-filled canals in the middle ear. The ear tells the brain that the body is moving, but the eyes say that it isn't. This conflict of information confuses the brain and causes dizziness and nausea. That's why activities like reading or playing lap games while traveling can prompt motion sickness more easily than looking out the window. In fact, a simple solution for "travel nausea" is to watch the landscape go by. This convinces the eyes that the inner ear is correct: The body is moving.
Nausea responds to a simple tea of peppermint, or even sucking on a peppermint candy. Peppermint often prevents vomiting, although not in the case of food poisoning or when the stomach really needs to be evacuated.
Peppermint Tea for Nausea
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon peppermint leaves
Pour boiling water over leaves and let sit for about 5 minutes. Strain out herbs and serve at least half a cup. If you can't find fresh peppermint leaves, you can use commercial peppermint tea bags or even peppermint candy instead.
Another tasty herb that settles the stomach of a nauseated child is ginger. A good way to give a child ginger is by having him drink ginger ale or eat candied ginger, both of which are easy to carry in a car or boat. Sliced, crystallized ginger is sold in the Chinese food section of many grocery stores. If your child feels too ill to eat anything, try the Tummy Rub Oil above.