Hi!

I work in kid's nutrition and I would like to suggest all mothers to use herbs in their first foods with the purpose to help their kid's in have a digestion more easy.

Can you tell me, with all safe, what herbs are best to introduce in first solid food (soup and fruit).

If you have some articles that can help my investigation, please don't hesitate in send it.

Thanks a lot.
Best Regards

Solange Burri

Hi Solange

What an interesting question - one I'd not considered before. As a mother of three children who breast fed and made the vast majority of all their food, mine never needed any digestive help apart from apple puree or a sieved tomato if they were a little constipated.

I would suggest you consult the following books:-

Herbal treatment of children by Anne MacIntyre
Nature's Children by Juliet de Blairacli
Naturally Healthy Babies and Children by Aviva Jill Romm

Penelopy Ody also has some helpful things to say about herbs and children in her books (there are many!)

One of the things you must stress is that you cannot use the normal herbs for digestion with very young children. You cannot give mint and thyme to children under 2 because their livers cannot handle the menthol and thymol consituents of the plant.

Well diluted drinks of fennel and chamomile tea can be made and offered as simples (one herb at a time) and you can cook garlic bulbs in milk and rub the infused milk into the soles of a baby's feet if the child has a viral infection.

The best way to get herbs into babies is to have the mother eat the herbs and then they will be passed through the breast milk.

Good luck

Sarah

Hi Sarah

Re getting Mum's to pass on the goodness of herbs in their breast milk. My young nephew is being breast fed and if his Mum eats anything with garlic in he refuses to breast feed! He isn't fond of any curry type spices either, but garlic he loathes, no idea why as his Mum didn't over do it with garlic when she was pregnant.

I recall my Mum giving my siblings gripe water which had a herbal base (and, I suppose me as well, although I was too young to remember lol!), which I think may have been fennel or caraway or something to help with wind. Hopefully the herbalists will be along in a while to give their advice, but I'd be aware Solange like Sarah says, some herbs are definately NOT suitable for young babies.

Debs

Hi Debs,
I should like to join with Sarah in recommending Juliet de Bairacli Levy's¨¨Nature's Children¨.Another book that is both easy to read and is full of useful advice is ¨Herbal Medicine for Children¨by Frances Hambly MNIMH(Amberwood Publishing).

Gripe water is still around.Woodwards has been around since 1851 and has dill seed oil as its main herbal ingrediant.

To quote from Dr.Fernie's ¨Herbal Simples¨1897 edition:
Cordial waters distilled from the fragrant herb called Dill are,as every mother and monthly nurse well know,a sovereign remedy for wind in the infant.

Kevin

Just came across this website with some recipes containing herbs for babies and toddlers, the article recommends Rose Elliot's 'Mother, Baby and Toddler Book' for other recipes  http://www.herbs-hands-healing.co.uk/lifestages/childhood.html also found a site with suggestions for herbs and spices to try babies on, which is says should be done from 8 months on http://foodiemama.com/Feeding-Babies/Herbs-and-Spices-Introducing-Flavours-to-Baby.html. Not sure if the original poster is reading the replies, but it may prove useful to someone looking

Debs

Hi

I would like to thank's for all answers given.
I had just command "Nature's Children by Juliet de Blairacli" (it will arrived in 3 week's)and I'very pleased for your kind help.

In fact, this last post gave me the profund answer and, in fact, I discouver that babies only should eat herbs after their 8 months, us I read in the link suggested.

I apreciate very much this forum and I would like to participate offen because, where in Portugal, there aren't many studies for kid's, specilly litlle babies, about this matter.

please use my mail solange_burri@hotmail.com if you would like to make contact with me about the herb's in kid's food (in fact I don't know if this matter is interesting in this forum...)

Thank you, once again!
Best REgards and special kisses for the responsers

Solange Burri
http://solangeburri.blogspot.com

Hi Solange

Glad the information proved useful, and it helped answer your questions, really nice to have someone come back to say thank you. Often on here we get questions and they get answered but the person asking the question never comes back to let us know if it was any help. So your response is much appreciated.

I did have a look at your blog, but as its in portugeuse I couldn't read it. I shall try and get it translated via google translate later today. I'm certain that herbs and babies information is useful to many people, its definately a subject we need to explore and see if we can get an expert in the field to write an article for our website.

I look forward to reading more of your posts in the future.

Debs

Hi, once again...

What can I say?
It was a pleasure find here gently people in a world of indiference...
I'm microbiologist, I'm graduate after that em Food Protection and now I work, and I love my work, in kid's nutrition because it is a matter where food protection as a major dimension.

On the other hand, it is interesting to explay younger mothers that it is possible to cook safe (baby) food preserving the most vitamines and minerals.

I have a special interest is herbs because:
- They could help babies having better digestions;
- They could estimulate apetite;
- They also have an important role in combate bacteria, in food or in the little organism

So, I'm very interested in all facts that can help me to provided better solutions for the mum's I work for.On the other hand, my sensibility tell me that herbs can cause problems like intolerances because, in fact, these plants have a medical potencial.

Thank's once again for your human touch and if anyone have some material, links ou literature references than can help me, please send me it.

Good luck to all and congratilations for you work!

See you soon!

Solange
solange_burri@hotmail.com

[Edited to add Solange's name instead of 'Guest']