Having kids is one thing, knowing how to care for them is yet another thing.
Herbal remedy has helped a lot of us parents and I recommend for this knowledge not to be taken for granted because you never can tell when this knowledge would come in handy.
I have personally experienced the miracles in herb.
Please kindly note that exclusive breastfeeding is the only recommendation for a child from 0 to 6 months of age, then you can begin to introduce supplementary feeding from hence forth.
Except for cases of illness.
Homework
Teething pain is one thing that scared me with my first baby, how I wish I knew what I know now, it would have eased me from the anxiety.
Some children starts teething as early as three months while other starts as late as 9 months. My daughter as at 0ne year only had two teeth.
Teething in babies comes with a lot of discomfort including lost of appetite and gum irritation.
Recently I discovered the miracle in scent leaf which In Nigeria it is call efinrin by the Westerners , nchanwu by the easterners and daidoya by the northerners.
Scent leaf (Ocimum gratissimum)
This herb helps calm pain in infants teething, it also reduce gum inflammation.
In scent leaf you can find the following bioactive substance that arrest the issue of inflammation e.g
- Eugenol
- Rosmarinic acid
- Thymol
The reason why I call Scent leaf a miracle is because it's an antibacterial , antioxidants, anti-inflammatory herb and it is very safe to consume even when accidentally consumed in large quantity. Can you imagine All this quality in one herb.
How to use scent leaf
First thing you pluck out you leaf from the stems
Secondly you wash your hands and fingers with soap and water.
Thirdly you wash your leaf to remove dust and dirts
Fourthly you wash your babies teeth and gum with two to three leaf using you finger
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What to expect after application
This herbal remedy would help relieve the baby of pain
- Reduce any inflammation of the gum
- It would also increase the child's appetite
- Lastly it would calm all teeth irritation
Although this herb is generally safe for children, it may have some side effects on a few.
- It may be sedative to some.
- Some kids may experience light diarrhea.
Scent leaf is also used to treat constipation when taken in large quantity, so in the process of scrubbing the babies teeth and gum, if the baby swallows too much of the juice especially those below 6 moth of age. then you can expect the baby to have a frequent bowel movement.
Not to worry as it would resolve within a day or two.
And secondly concerning the sedative effect, it only last for few hours which also helps the baby calm from the pain.
Number one on my list is Banana
A lot of us might be surprised to know that banana is not just a fruit but also a herb.
It is called a herb because it has no woody stem, some call it a fruit because the thing called banana which we eat has the fruit of the plant.
You would not be wrong if you call banana one of the largest herb, the stem you see is not made from wood but rather leafs. Banana springs up from the ground
Health Benefits of Banana
Banana is packed with so much Nutrients needed by children for growth
Banana is the energy herb for children
Banana helps the digestive track, it is packed with a lot of fiber infact you can find about 3 grams of fiber per banana.
You can control children obesity with banana because banana has zero fat.
Banana strengths the nerves and muscles because it has a sufficient amount of potassium.
You can improve the mood of your child through banana.
Nutrient you can find in banana a medium size
| 110 | calories |
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| 0 | grams of fat |
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| 1 | gram of protein |
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| 28 | grams of carbohydrate |
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| 15 | grams of sugar |
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| 3 | grams of fiber |
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| 450 | milligrams of potassium |
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Though there is no limitations to how many banana a child should consume in a day, but one banana a day is recommended so the child can eat other fruits and vegetables.
Banana can be eaten raw or made into drinks or infant food by mashing it or blending it into smoothies.
Number two on my list is Carrot
Carrot is another powerful herb for kids.
This herb is classified under the apiaceae group or family which are biennial herbs and example of such herbs are cumin, parsley and coriander etc.
The edible part of carrot is the root. This rooted herb is mostly orange in color and it's greatly loved by kids
Benefits of Carrot
- Carrot is good for the eyes because it is rich in vitamin A
- Carrot is good for the skin because it is rich in vitamin C
- Carrot helps in building strong bone because it is rich in vitamin k.
- Helps in turning amino acid into protein because it is rich in vitamin B6
Carrot is rich with a lot of soil nutrients like phosphorus, sulfur, magnesium which helps the human body in no small ways.
How To Give carrots to kids
For children with no tooth, you can steem the carrot to soften it without loosing it's nutrients.
Then give them as finger or mashed it into puree.
For children with tooth they can eat it raw or you add it to their meals like rice and pie or any other way you can creatively come up with.
Dosage
The amount of carrot a child should take is dependent on the child's age to avoid choking and carotenemia.
For babies above 6 months you can start with two to three spoon then as you observe his or her tolerance level, you can increase gradually.
For children with diarrhea you can give up to 50 gram.
Thirdly on my list is Tomatoes
Tomatoes is classified as a herb because it has no woody stem. The stem of tomatoes are soft and green. The life span of tomatoes is very short.
Tye truth is that tomatoes are not always red, they can be pink , black and other colors.
Tomatoes originated from Peru.
Benefits
Because tomatoes is made up of about 94 percent of water, tomatoes can help you stay hydrated keeping constipation away from you.
Tomatoes is rich in vitamin C and it helps us fight disease. The vitamin c in tomatoes would help in brightening their skin.
In tomatoes you would get lycopene which is an antioxidants that helps with heart disease prevention, cancer prevention, strong bone, and lastly it helps build natural killer cells.
Vitamin A can be found in tomatoes which helps improve vision including night vision.
The potassium in tomatoes helps improve your cholesterol level.
- The fiber in tomatoes helps to keep your digestive track healthy.
During this time of the year, we have a lot of tomatoes in season, parents needs to be careful of the quantity given to children to avoid discoloration and body aches.
For Children lower than one year, should be given puree of two to three spoons it peal one medium size and slice, then offer as finger food.
As you give please watch out for allergies. Some of the allergies you should look out for is rashes and diarrhea.
One of the easiest remember to bed wetting in kids is giving the child one cinnamon stick to chew once a day.
Then if for any reason the child refuses to chew, you can sprinkle one tea spoon of cinnamon powder in their breakfast once a day.
Cinnamon keeps the body warm.
Another way is to prepare cinnamon drink with honey for the child before bedtime.
One glass of water, half table spoon of cinnamon powder, and 2 table spoon of honey and give the child last thing before bed.
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Observations
Cinnamon is generally considered safe for children but not too much. Within the amount used for cooking is okay to avoid some allergic reactions like, swallow of the month, diarrhea, rashes etc
Honey should not be given to any child below 1 year.
A child below one year can not be said to be bed wetting so this is not meant for infants and toddlers.