“Infant Thrush Natural Remedies - What's Safe and What's Not” plus 4 more

Infant Thrush Natural Remedies - What's Safe and What's Not
Infant Thrush - Warning to Moms! Common Yeast Can Lead to Serious Health Problems
How to Comfort a Crying Baby
Is Your Baby Ready to Eat Solid Foods?
Children Just Love the Outdoors - Nature Baby Care

Infant Thrush Natural Remedies - What's Safe and What's Not

Posted: 06 Sep 2009 08:20 PM PDT

If your baby has infant thrush or you have breastfeeding thrush, I know you want relief and you want relief fast. In this age of the internet there's so much great information available to moms who are seeking safe and natural remedies, but it can also be difficult to discern the good from the bad. After 15 years in the natural health industry, I've learned you really need to approach natural medicine, and even seemingly harmless home remedies, with a discerning eye - especially when it comes to baby and children.

In this article I'm not going to cover all of the risks of prescription drugs (anti-fungals) for infant thrush. But it's important to realize I definitely do not recommend using prescription anti-fungals as your first line of defense for thrush: they simply have too many dangerous side effects and are not effective at curing the root cause of the problem.

I'm a big fan of natural and alternative medicine and, generally speaking, it's far safer than western medicine. However, for natural and alternative remedies for thrush, I'd like to draw your attention to several natural remedies which are commonly recommended for infant and breastfeeding thrush which you need to steer clear of:

Gentian Violet: Gentian violet is so commonly recommended and from the feedback I've seen, is fairly effective at getting rid of oral thrush symptoms. HOWEVER, gentian violet is not really even natural - it's a petrol-derived product and its use is linked to increased long-term risk for oral cancer. Gentian violet can also cause mouth ulcers/sores when used excessively. In fact, the FDA has decided that gentian violet is not even safe to use as an additive in animal feed! I don't know about you, but I don't want to put something in my baby's mouth that's not even approved for animal feed!

Colloidal Silver: Colloidal silver is another popular fold remedy that I would stay away from, especially in the case of an infant or toddler. Colloidal silver is a metal, and can lead to a medical condition called agyria - a permanent darkening of the skin. Animal studies done on colloidal silver also raise significant concerns for me about its use in anyone, but especially babies and toddlers.

Tea tree oil/oregano oil: Tea tree and oregano oil are great products - but not for infant or breastfeeding thrush. Essential oils are very powerful medicine and must be used with caution. Tea tree oil is not recognized as safe for internal use and oregano oil is just way too harsh for a newborn's developing kidneys.

Nipple creams: These products look so appealing; after all, what breastfeeding mom with thrush would turn down a natural cream that's supposed to relieve your pain and discomfort? Unfortunately, the oily base of these creams is exactly what you don't want. This simply creates the right environment for the yeast to continue to grown.

Infant Thrush - Warning to Moms! Common Yeast Can Lead to Serious Health Problems

Posted: 06 Sep 2009 08:19 PM PDT

Infant thrush - it's so common, and many pediatricians brush it off as no big deal. They may write you a prescription and send you on your way. Yet is infant thrush really so harmless after all?

TONS of research done over the past 2 decades points to the fact that yeast overgrowth (and the conditions that lead to it) are quite serious indeed. For example, many cutting edge researchers have found that treating yeast leads to significant improvement in autism, ADD/ADHD, asthma and allergies in children.

Other research shows that the exact same conditions that lead to yeast overgrowth leave a child vulnerable to other opportunistic infections as well - including chronic ear infections and even fatal septicemia (a bacterial blood infection).

So what does all this have to do with infant thrush? Having a yeast infection as an infant is not a great way to get off to a healthy start for a baby. If yeast is growing out of control in your baby's mouth, it's very likely that it's growing out of control in his or her digestive tract as well. This can lead to food allergies, increased toxic load, weakened immunity and a whole host of other health problems. Colic is another frequent side effect of yeast overgrowth, making your baby even more unhappy.

It's important to realize that the yeast, candida albicans, is not the problem. Yeast is everywhere - yet some baby's can fend it off and others can't? Why is that? You need to correct the underlying imbalance that allowed the yeast to invade in the first place.

Only a completely safe and natural program that gets rid of the yeast at its root, and corrects the underlying problem, will insure that the yeast doesn't grow back and weaken your child's health.

How to Comfort a Crying Baby

Posted: 06 Sep 2009 11:47 AM PDT

Babies cry. It's their way of communicating with adults, their way of telling us what they need and desire. It's up to us to decipher this noisy and sometimes unfathomable language.

As your newborn gets older, you probably will be able to figure out what each cry means. For now, though, you wonder why this tiny person is crying his head off. It can be frustrating and confusing. But most babies have a reason for their tears.

A hungry baby often tops the list of reasons for crying. Think about how you feel when you get hungry. Do you get moody, shaky, upset? I do. If you find him still crying after he's been fed, perhaps the source of sadness can be found in one of the following:

Does he need a clean diaper?

Is the temperature upsetting him? Is it too hot? Too cold?

Is he sleepy?

Are his clothes irritating him, like an itchy tag?

Does he feel ill? (Contact your child's pediatrician immediately if has a high fever, is vomiting or has other symptoms causing concern).

For all of these reasons, there is a relatively quick solution. Yet if you still find your little bundle of joy not so joyous, he may be overstimulated or afraid. Since his nervous system isn't fully developed, sounds, smells and sights that don't bother you could be irritating him.

Your baby may be comforted by:

Swaddling. Most infants enjoy this secure feeling. But don't swaddle too tightly, lest there be more tears.
Motion. Hold him, rock him, walk with him. I often found myself walking my daughter around in circles to calm her cries. She hated rocking in a chair. I felt a little silly marching around my home, but it worked.
A pacifier. Sucking comforts infants, and some babies may need to suck more frequently than others.

You might want to cry right along with your baby when it seems his tears are endless. Realize that crying is normal, and this time will pass. A crying child does not mean your are a bad parent. Just reading this article shows that you are a caring one.

If you cannot bear a screaming child after many tries to comfort him, leave him a couple of minutes in his crib to regain composure. Take some deep breaths. Don't be embarrassed to call for help. A spouse, mother or friend can give you the break you need.

Is Your Baby Ready to Eat Solid Foods?

Posted: 06 Sep 2009 11:47 AM PDT

Your mother didn't start giving you solid food until you were seven months old; but your neighbor's 2-month-old is downing pureed green beans and seems OK. It can be hard to decide when your infant is ready to start eating solid foods with so many conflicting viewpoints.

Many healthcare professionals agree that 4 months of age for formula-fed babies and as late as 6 months of ages for breast-fed babies is a good time to start feeding your baby rice cereal. This cereal, which is very easy to digest, contains nutritional carbohydrates and iron which aid your baby's development.

As your infant gets used to this new taste and texture, gradually introduce barley and oatmeal cereals and then vegetable purees. Some say to start with vegetables because a kid will favor the sweet taste of fruit purees and only want that. I personally didn't find this to be the case with my daughter, but she definitely let me know what she liked and did not like.

Your infant is ready for solid foods when:

She puts things in her mouth.
She easily is able to hold her head up.
She's interested in food while others eat.

If your baby doesn't pass the solid food readiness test, then wait a little longer until she develops more. Any concerns about development should be addressed with your child's pediatrician. Premature babies often develop slower than full-term babies, so you may find yourself waiting a bit longer than other mothers.

Also, check to see if your little one still has her tongue-thrust reflex, essential for nursing. Place your finger or spoon on baby's lip. She still has the reflex if her tongue sticks out every time. Wait for her to outgrow this reflex before you start solid foods.

Your baby may push the spoon out of her mouth on the first try. But don't give up. Remember, she used to eating a certain way and has to get accustomed to getting pureed banana from the front of her mouth to the back. That food will end up on the bib, baby's fingers, your face and the floor. But in time, your sweetheart will be eating solid foods like a pro.

Children Just Love the Outdoors - Nature Baby Care

Posted: 06 Sep 2009 11:19 AM PDT

Children love collecting leaves and putting them into patterns once they have been dried between the pages of a heavy book. You can make a simple flower or leaf press from two pieces of hardboard and several sheets of blotting paper held together with a woodworker's clamp. They can also be bought readymade very cheaply.

When you go for walks take time to point things out to the children. They won't want to hike for miles at this age but will be interested in collecting twigs, seedpods, pebbles, flowers or grasses - anything that can be brought home to make a nature collection. As children get nearer five, they enjoy learning to name trees and flowers.

There are lots of pretend games to play in a field or a wood, or even in an urban park. What may be a very ordinary piece of ground is wonderful to under-five so just because you don't live near the country don't imagine that your children have to miss out on the joys of nature.

If you have a garden, let your children plant seeds there. They'll be thrilled to see flowers or vegetables appearing later in the year and will learn the basis of botany too. A pond stocked with fish will give them pleasure, or you could have a goldfish bowl or tank indoors. Tadpoles are fascinating to children but make sure there is a suitable place for the young frogs to stand on out of the water.

If you take an obvious delight in nature and take the trouble to encourage your children, you'll start them off on what could be a life-long interest.