Herbs and Kids
When used appropriately, many herbs are effective and gentle enough for kids. Most kids like the idea of taking herbs (they're pretty friendly with plant life). But if your child is reluctant to take herbs or her medicines , try some of these tricks to entice her...
• Make the herbal tea or infusion into ice cubes and let her suck on them. (Tell her not to chew them, though; chewing ice cubes isn't great for her teeth.) You can also mix them with fruit juice and make them into popsicles.
• To administer eye drops, have your child lie down and close his eyes. Place a drop of the medicine in the corner of each eye, then have him open his eyes. The drops will gently fall in.
• Remember that for a nursing baby, Mom's medicine is baby's medicine. Make sure you doctor knows you are nursing when prescribing for you and read all directions for over the countrer remedies. Drink healing/calming herbal teas and let the constituents affect the baby through your breast milk.
• Make it fun. Give your child "facials" (facial steams using healing herbs), herbal baths and footbaths, massage her sore muscles, pat her aching head with a cool compress and wrap her sore throat with a warm fomentation.
• Concoct herbal candies by combining powdered herbs with ground nut butters, dried fruit and honey or maple syrup. Thicken with powdered milk, if needed. Remember to store them well out of your child's reach.
