Catnip and Homeopathic for Colic September 1, 2008

Babies cry. That is a simple fact of life. Babies cry in ever country of the world and many of them suffer from colic. Whether you are an expecting mother or an old pro, you are sure to be familiar with this feared ailment of infants. To sum it up colic equals many hours of crying most often for Mom and Dad along with baby! There is a debate on what causes it but the real deal is babies that seem to have colic, cry and they cry a lot, pretty much all the time for the first few months of their new lives.

The good news is we are not alone in this journey; mothers everywhere have suffered this fate around the world. So you can bet there are plenty of remedies out there and I am willing to bet they may even work. We want an easy fix but it may take a lot of trial and error to find what works for your baby.  Just be sure you use common sense when using herbal remedies since babies have a more delicate digestive system then we do.  Please don’t try anything new without researching it thoroughly first or even asking your doctor!

Here are a few of the cultural remedies I found out there… 

Indian oil head massage.

This is said to calm the baby with an added bonus of bonding mother and child. This one is definitely worth a shot, a good massage never hurt anyone!

Chinese acupuncture and abdominal massage.

Restores harmony and balance to the body.  Again, you cannot go wrong with the massage.

 

Native American herbs.

Catnip tea is apparently not just for your kitty!

British gripe water and onion tea.

An herbal remedy made with herbs like ginger and fennel and is now seen in every drugstore in the US. The onion tea is, well, tea made with an onion.

 

These are just some of the things parents can do to help soothe a fussy baby.  Many cultures use methods that include swaddling, carrying your baby closely to you more often through out the day, chamomile tea, and a variety of other homeopathic means. So next time you want to take junior out for a drive to stop those tears think about the gas you could save (not to mention the cost of the darn gas now too!) and try out a more natural cure.