Herbs For Kids - Aviva Romm

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Fever “Mommy, I don’t feel well.” Your little one wakes up in the middle of the night, fretful and hot to the touch. You check her temperature and it is 102°. She’s had a cold for a few days but hasn’t had a fever until now. You feel worried and don’t know what to do. Should you give Tylenol, go to the emergency department? Should you call your doctor’s office hoping to reach someone in the middle of the night? Can you wait until morning? You’ve heard about using herbs for fever and thought it sounded good at the time, but now that your child has one, you’re not so sure. What should you do? The answer to the above question for starters is: • If your child is under one-month old and has a temperature of over 100.4°, Yes, call your doctor or go to the emergency room! • For everyone else, take a deep breath, relax, and read on… What is a Fever? Most importantly: Fever is not an illness. It is the body’s healthy, natural response that actually helps fight infection! Fevers are not dangerous. A temperature over 100.4° F is considered a fever. Most fevers are in the range of 101-103.5°. A high fever is over 103.5°! I know that when my own kids’ temps got over 103° my mommy alarm bells started going off! But in truth, the height of the temperature does not necessarily reflect the severity of the illness. Most lowgrade fevers are not serious and kids can even run high fevers and not have serious illness — but it is scarier to parents. Fevers in kids are generally caused by common viral infections, and most of these are not dangerous. Kids will often have symptoms such as a cough, runny nose, earache, or rash — but often the fever comes before the symptoms. Bacterial infections such as strep throat, urinary tract, and ear infections can also cause fever. What Can You Do? Keep in mind that you do not have to treat the fever. When your child has a fever the most important thing is to keep her comfortable and give plenty of fluids. Fevers may continue for a number of days or go away and come back — especially in the afternoon and evening — for several days. This is usually not a problem if the child is taking plenty of fluids and seems otherwise well. • Let your child rest and sleep as much as she needs to. Create a quiet environment conducive to healing and recovery. • Keep the child’s room fresh and comfortable. Diffuse light, as through a thin curtain on the window, is soothing to feverish eyes. 14
15 • To freshen the air, put some water with a few drops of essential oil into a clean plant mister and spritz around the room. Rosemary, lavender, thyme, rose, lemon, eucalyptus, and mint make refreshing scents. • Give your child loads of fluids during the fever. Babies can be nursed often and given water by teaspoon, cup, or eyedropper every 15-30 minutes. If the child is sleeping, you can rouse him periodically for a drink. Herbal Treatments Herbs can be used to help ease the symptoms associated with a fever — aches, headache, tummy discomforts, and chills. While fevers don’t need to be treated, high fever can be lowered a bit with these herbs. Some classic herbs for feverish kids include: • Anise seed tea or a weak tea made from fresh ginger root can quiet indigestion. • Ginger tea can help fight upper respiratory infection and helps sweat out a fever. • For achiness, headaches, or restlessness, strong teas of catnip, chamomile, or lemon balm can be used alone or in combination. Baths with these herbs are also soothing. • Lavender oil can be added to a warm bath, 5 drops per bath, to bring a sense of restfulness and relief of the above symptoms. Nursing moms with feverish nursing babies can drink adult doses of these herbal remedies. Some of the benefits of the herbs will pass through the milk to the baby. Fever is not an illness. It is the body’s healthy, natural response that actually helps fight infection! Rosemary Anise Flowers Catnip, Chamomile, and Lemon balm Tea Mix equal parts of the dried herbs and prepare according to tea instructions. This is very pleasant tasting and very gentle even for little babies. Soothes tummy upset, aches, and eases fever symptoms. Spearmint Leaf and Elder Blossom Infusion Steep 1/2 oz. of each herb in a covered quart jar of boiling water for 20 minutes. Strain and sweeten lightly (no honey for kids under 2 years old; maple syrup is a good alternative). Give as warm as your child will take it, and often, until a sweat results.
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Page 3 and 4: 3 Meet Aviva Dear Friends, When I w
Page 5 and 6: 5 Antibiotic overuse When my kids w
Page 7 and 8: 7 Common Early Signs of Illness Whe
Page 9 and 10: 9 Diaper Rash What is diaper rash?
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Page 17 and 18: 17 Colds and Flu Most parents will
Page 19 and 20: 19 • Ginger (Zingiber officinalis
Page 21 and 22: 21 Cough It’s a common story. You
Page 23 and 24: 23 When to See Your Doctor • If y
Page 25 and 26: 25 Herbal Treatments Herbal treatme
Page 27 and 28: 27 Herbal Treatments A very simply

Herbs For Kids - Aviva Romm

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