Are you feeling curious about using natural remedies for children? Have you ever wondered what is in the creams and medicines you are giving to your children?
I started asking this question when my first daughter was born. She was only a few months old, and we were trying to do all the right things and were following routines, such as bathing her every night to ensure she would get a good night sleep (us included!)
It didn’t take long before my baby girl started coming out in a rash across her little body, and we could all feel just how uncomfortable she was. We tried creams from the pharmacy, but with no luck. It kept getting worse, and we eventually ended up at the doctor’s office and were given a prescription for a cream which was so loaded with chemicals that we couldn’t even use it on our baby’s face.
I didn’t like what I was putting on my baby’s skin, so I started researching other options. I knew from my own experience that hot showers made my eczema worse, so I immediately cut the evening bath times out and then I fiercely researched the subject ‘natural anti-inflammatory plants.’
Soon I had made my very own “healing hemp oil” made with infused nettle, calendula, and marshmallow root to create a powerful and strong natural anti-inflammatory oil, and it worked! It worked so well that I also started giving it away to all the other women in my mums group, who ended up referring others to me as well, and soon my business From Earth had started.
Getting started with natural remedies for children and creating your own natural apothecary for your babies and children is not hard. In fact, you may well have vital ingredients sitting in your garden already, which you were not even aware of.
Here is an insight into my little home apothecary, which I have developed for my own children. It is always on call, and I would like to share it with all mums in need or who might be curious about using natural remedies for children.
There are so many carrier oils on the market, and I love them because you can infuse them with herbs or essential oils very easily to create your own little medicinal jar or moisturiser.
The ones to get: Jojoba, rosehip, hemp, or almond oil. These are not too oily, so they absorb easily into the skin, working as perfect natural moisturisers.
Avoid: Coconut oil and Olive oil. They have a very high fat content, which can clog the pores of the skin and stop it breathing properly, which can worsen eczema, pimples and milia.
Essential oils are incredibly potent and should be used with caution. If you are new to essential oils, ensure you research them carefully first before dabbling. As a general rule you should never use more than 3% when mixing with a carrier oil, so if you have a bottle of 100ml of carrier oil you could infuse it with 3 drops of essential oil. With some research, you will soon discover the incredible benefits they can have and how to use them in a medicinal way.
The only go-to essential oil for babies, which has been proven safe, is lavender. The same goes for pregnancy. This is not because other oils are dangerous, it is simply because there has not been enough comprehensive research into other essential oils at this moment. Lavender essential oil has incredibly beneficial properties. It is proven to help with anxiety, stress and insomnia, so go ahead and add a drop of lavender to your baby’s bath or carrier oil (again with the ratio 3% max).
This is where it gets exciting because you can use so many different essential oils blended with carrier oils for your children. My favourites are:
There are so many more remedies to collect once you get started!
Ever since I was a child, I have always loved foraging and drying herbs found in the garden: lavender, nettle, rosemary and so on. If you have a little plot of land, or even a balcony or windowsill, it is easy to have your own medicine growing. It is also possible to source dried ingredients anywhere and with ease now, if that works best for you. My favourite botanicals, which I keep in the cupboard to brew up as a tea or infuse in my carrier oils are:
Motherhood: The Real Deal – 25 October, 2022