For the Children
Posted by Nurse Mary on 1st Nov 2024
My friend Carol Tudor, RN, asked me one day, “Mary what supplements do we have that are safe for the kids?” That led to quite a discussion and we decided to share some things to think about when using natural solutions for health with your children.
We love our children and don’t like to see them in pain or suffering. I always thought, why do we have to wait until our children are completely miserable and in pain to get them help? What if we could head off the storm of illness so that it is far less intense for fewer days, or better yet, never shows up at all? Isn’t that what we want for our kids – laughter and playtime – focused on being one big happy family?
Things to Think about when using Natural Solutions with Children
With children, we have to think about things that maybe taste Ok, things that are chewable, liquid, or very small capsules. You can give small amounts of tinctures to children but you need to keep in mind that a child’s liver is not fully developed until they are 8 years old. Even alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be unsafe for children under 8 years old.
If you want to use an herbal tincture – which are an alcohol-based remedy – just put the drops in warm water and allow the alcohol to evaporate for a short time. Many homeopathic remedies are also alcohol-based. Herbal remedies that are glycerites are fine for children. Just really read labels carefully.
Some of our Favorite Natural Solutions for KIDS
One of our favorite anti-microbial, anti-bacterial natural remedies for cold and flu that we like to use with children is Silver Power (Colloidal Silver). Silver has almost no flavor, maybe just a slightly metallic flavor to water, but it is very powerful! It moves through the body quickly though, so you often want to take it 3 or 4 times a day if you are leaning on it for cold and flu. It is one of my favorite things to take if I feel a scratchy throat coming on but am not sure if I’m getting sick yet. Just drizzle a little down your throat and the illness may never show up.
When dosing natural products for kids you have to think about the age as well as the size of the child. You can use most herbal tinctures for children, just be sure to allow the alcohol to evaporate in warm water before putting them in juice or something like that. Small children – babies and toddlers – use ¼ the adult dose. Children 8 to 11 use ½ the adult dose. For 12-year-olds, it really depends on their size, if they are small or petite they may only need a half dose. If they are big kids for their size, go with an adult dose. Just as with medication, use your own judgment with the herbs.
Just like with your own body, listen to the signs the body gives you. Kids have an exceptional ability to understand how they feel, listen to that. Tummy troubles, loose stools, hard stools – those can be some of the simple things that tell the body to back off something. Of course rashes and/or itching are signs to stop a specific herb or remedy right away.
We have a few products that are for children. Our Alive Kids Premium Gummies have several vitamins in them and some key minerals, like iodine, as well. Kids report that they taste really good.
A Few Common Things Children Struggle with
Children with Eczema – this is a sign of something going on from within. The skin is an extension of the digestive system. They need to, like adults, start with digestive enzymes. What you choose will depend on the age & size of your child. One that I like is papaya. If you live in an area of the country where they grow papaya or have them in the farmers market or grocery store, you are in luck. You simply bake them and eat them like squash or sweet potato. They are so amazing for the digestive system. We also have some Chewable Papaya Enzymes. I like these because they have added some Bromalin, Protease and a few other things to them. They taste good. 1 tablet is a child’s dose and 2 are an adult dose. Dr. Petermann also formulated a Papaya Enzyme Glycerite that is good, and easy to take for any age, even safe for babies. For your bigger kids that can take small capsules you may want to use the Digestive 270 – 3 capsules is an adult dose, so 1 or 2 capsules is a great dose for the kids depending on their size and age.
Allergies – It is interesting that we often medicate for allergies in this country and turn to medication so quickly. Something that I have found with allergies is there are a lot of natural remedies that really help. Did you know that taking Allergy Eye drops will often help the allergies throughout the whole body? We have these homeopathic Allergy Relief Eye drops and they really work well if used before allergies get way out of control. They work well for kids too because it is a small dose and you don’t have to affect their whole body.
Using Essential oils with Children
Essential oils diffused in the air of your home are another way to help with allergies. Diffusing essential oils is nice because they affect everyone in the same room and you can adjust what and how much you use so easily. I love using Essential oils with children so let’s get into some details about that.
Kids and Essential Oils – I love using essential oils with children because they are so perceptive of what they need. Their understanding of what they need is almost primitive. With essential oils, we like to use essential oil roll-ons with children. You can simply research what you might need with a book like: Essential Oils of the Earth and figure out the most important oils for your child’s needs. Pick oils from the list that smell good. Even get your child in on this process with you. Open 2 or 3 bottles at a time and smell across the top of them to see if they smell good together. Then make your rollon with a combination of the recommended oils that make 20 to 25 drops in the roller bottle and then fill it with Fractionated Coconut Oil. Be sure and label what is in it and give it a fun name you and the kids can remember. Once the oils are in a roller ball, test the roller on your skin, on your inner forearm, to be sure it does not burn you. If it does not burn you, then test the child’s skin with a small amount in a couple of places. If everything is a go then you can let your child use it “where it hurts”. The bottoms of the feet are a really good place for babies. You don’t want to take a chance of getting the essential oils in the eyes.
If you want to shortcut this process with children, doTERRA has a really nice essential oil rollon kit that is just for the children: Kids Oil Collection.
Nurse Carol & I hope this information has been helpful in your day. We look forward to hearing from you.