Soothing herbs for children

As you know, the need for a peaceful rest and a full-fledged restoring sleep in children is great. But the daily “overdose” of various impressions, new knowledge and skills becomes a formidable obstacle for a growing man. He cannot sleep peacefully, his sleep is anxious, the baby often cries, his appetite has deteriorated, the child has become worse off at school, he is nervous and naughty. All of these and many other worrying features for parents of the behavior of the children - a reason to think whether the child does not need help.

Herbal medicine is the treatment of a person with healing herbs and preparations made from such plants. The ancient Greeks were the first to use herbs to create medicines, and the Sumerian healers followed. Herbal medicine was popular at the court of Ivan the Terrible, Catherine II and came to our days. Thus, many herbal recipes have been tested, not even for years, but for thousands of years. Gone are the days when healers were considered sorcerers and feared. Official medicine has long been no longer arguing with herbalists, and often doctors are happy to include phytotherapy in the course of their completely traditional treatment.

Herbs that have a sedative effect on children:

• St. John's Wort
• Melissa,
• Valerian,
• Mint,
• Plantain,
• Lavender,
• Pine needles,
• Hop,
• Oregano
• Motherwort,
• The succession.

Herbs that are contraindicated in children:

• Broom,
• Celandine,
• Sagebrush,
• Tansy,
• Leaves and zest of citrus.

Usually medicinal herbs in the life of newborns are included from the first days after discharge from the maternity hospital. Mom and Dad begin to add a little decoction of the string to the baby’s tub. It soothes the baby and cleans its delicate infant skin better.

The use of medicinal herbs in trays for babies is a common practice. To create infusions that can then be poured into the water for bathing, all permitted herbs are used. But not at the same time. At a time, you can take no more than 4 types of plants.

The temperature of the water for taking the healing baths for babies should be no higher than +37 degrees Celsius. Here are some simple recipes. soothing baths for newborns and children under 1 year:

• Bath for relaxation. A succession, motherwort and melissa. For 10 liters of prepared water, use 3 tbsp. spoons of herbal mixture (mix herbs in equal proportions), pour boiling water (about 400 grams). Insist about 30 minutes. Strain the broth from the suspension until complete purification and add to the bath prepared for bathing. Take her baby should be within 10 minutes. Repeat the procedure in two days. The general course of treatment is two months.
• Bath to normalize sleep. At 10 liters of water you need to take the needles (about 30g.), Mint and oregano. All herbs pour boiling water and insist about an hour. Pine needles, poured boiling water insist separately from the herbs. Both one and the other should be drained and poured into a prepared bath. Take for 10 minutes three times a week. General course - a month.

Soothing children's teas can be made by yourself, but it is better to buy in a pharmacy, since they now have several dozen items.

Choose those that do not contain herbs that are forbidden for children to use (see list above), as well as teas that do not contain herbs - potentially strong allergens (such as linden color, for example).

Soothing teas based on chamomile, lemon balm, motherwort normalize sleep, relieve hyper tone, improve digestion and the nervous system.

The most well-known children's soothing teas based on medicinal herbs:

• Tea with fennel for newborns. Strengthens the immune system, improves digestion, helps to cope with colic, promotes better absorption of calcium and relieves muscle spasms. Normalizes sleep. You can buy it at the pharmacy (packaged packing), and you can prepare it yourself. To do this, fennel seeds (2 grams), crush with a teaspoon and pour boiling water over it. Cover the dishes, and let the stock brew for an hour. Then dilute the broth with boiled water to a volume of 200 ml. Giving fennel tea should be started gradually, from 1 teaspoon per day, bringing up to 6 teaspoons per day by the end of the week.

• Chamomile tea. For the preparation of such tea you need pharmaceutical chamomile flowers. About 5 grams of weed pour boiling water and let it brew for 40-45 minutes. Bring to a volume of 250 ml. Give a teaspoon twice a day. This tea has anti-inflammatory and deep sedative action. Makes baby sleep soundly.

• Herbal tea "Grandmother's basket". This is a ready-made fennel tea, which can be bought at any pharmacy. In the box 20 bags. Helps to cope with colic and has a slight laxative effect, soothes and relaxes the baby. The daily dose of such tea for crumbs up to 1 year should be equal to the volume of one feeding. For children after 12 months, the dosage can be increased to 200-300 ml.

• Peppermint soothing tea. This tea is easy to prepare, and the baby will love it. You will need 2 tablespoons of mint, 1 tablespoon of hop cones, 1 tablespoon of valerian root. All vegetable ingredients need to be mixed, crushed as small as possible and brew with boiling water. Water needs a little less than half a glass. Insist about half an hour.For children under 1, give 4-5 times a day for a teaspoon. Babies from 1 to 3 years old - two or three tablespoons five times a day. Preschoolers 1 glass three times a day.

In the following video, an experienced pharmacist will tell you what soothing teas and herbs you can buy at the pharmacy.

Children who are one year old, in addition to all the herbs listed above, can additionally be given valerian, linden flowers, oregano.

For babies who are already 2 years old - you can safely add to the already permitted range of St. John's wort.

Babies who have crossed the first serious age line at 3 years old can add lavender to tea. From 3-4 years you can use aromatic oils when bathing, although you should refrain from the “exotic” representatives of this family - citrus, tea and sandalwood, etc. It is better to give preference to plant oils, which are characteristic of the natural strip in which you live.

The coniferous bath has an excellent soothing nerve effect. For her, you can use pine needles, pre-brewed and present, and pine essential oil. When adding essential oils, strictly follow the dosage indicated on the package. The extra two or three drops “for flavor” can cause an allergic reaction in a child.

Children of preschool and primary school age soothing herbs can be used in droplets and tablets (when it comes to homeopathic medicines).

• Peppermint. Due to the presence of menthol, this plant is a real anti-bacterial weapon. Lotions with mint decoction relieve itching and inflammation. The herb has a mild sedative effect, and at the same time strengthens the bronchi and lungs. Take it in the form of tea or bath, preferably 30 minutes before the baby goes to bed.

• Valerian root. This is an excellent sedative, which also has a pronounced sedative and analgesic effect. In addition, Valerian root is an excellent vegetable. antidepressant. You can take it by adding to tea. Newborn valerian is not recommended, but you can wrap a piece of the root in gauze and put crumbs near the crib. He will sleep better.

• Melissa. This plant is a "broad spectrum". Melissa, in addition to the soothing properties, has a beneficial effect on the heart, strengthens blood vessels, normalizes digestion. You can take it as part of tea, as part of a decoction for baths.

• Motherwort. Everyone knows about its soothing properties, even people very far from medicine. Adding motherwort to tea or a bath for a child, it is also useful to know that this plant has anticonvulsant, tonic and diuretic properties.

• A succession. Basically, this grass has a cosmetic effect, but at the same time a mild sedative. A string is used for swimming. After a course of bathing with it, the children, prone to diathesis, diaper rash, skin allergies, are effectively calmed down.

• Oregano. This is a plant that is ideal for making soothing tea, and for a phyto bath, and for compresses. It relieves nervous tension, has a tonic effect. Oregano is often used as a filler for soothing pillows.

Caution should be used to soothe children who have become popular aromatic pillows. The fact is that young children (up to 7 years old) generally do not want to sleep on such pillows all night, the constant inhalation of the aroma of herbs can cause an allergic reaction even in an adult. It is better for children to restrict themselves to small pauses of rest on such a pillow (no more than 1 hour).

The author of the next video will tell and show how and from which you can make a calming herbal pillow for sleeping.

• Buy herbs and herbs in pharmacies. If you are not a professional herbalist, it is better to postpone the independent collection of medicinal plants until the grass is needed for adults. Baby herbs must be clean, selected and tested. This is not the place to experiment.
• Do not count on the quick action of soothing herbs. Everything herbal medicine act cumulatively, i.e. drink tea or decoction should be systematically, and take a bath with soothing herbs - a day or two before the completion of the course of treatment.
• Before using soothing herbs, consult a pediatrician and pediatric neurologist.

The following music can help cope with over-excitement.

How to choose a soothing tea, see the next video.