I’m taking part in this year’s International Blog Swap Day with Tots100, which involves writing a piece for an Australian blogger, and they return the favour. I was matched with Kris, a blogger with a wealth of knowledge on using natural remedies and therapies to help her toddler, so I wanted her to share it with us… “HEY I’m Kris from LadyFrankie, and I’m so excited to be featured on Claire’s blog. I’ve been lucky to be paired with such a great mum from the other side of the world, and I’ve enjoyed reading loads of Claire’s posts. Thanks for having me! I’m 36, live in Sydney Australia and live with a couple of awesome dudes – husbo and the little man. I’m kind of obsessed with alternative therapies and nature’s best healers, so I’m happy Claire was interested in featuring it here… My love of natural therapies It has been a gradual progression over the years, but as soon as I had my little boy 3.5 years ago, I was more curious than ever to know how I can keep him healthy – and help him heal when he wasn’t so healthy – using nature’s remedies. These days our family sees a few brilliant natural therapists, for various reasons, and we have a pantry and bathroom cabinet full of all-natural treatments. I’m buying more books than I can reasonably afford but learning so much about our health and avoiding medicine as much as possible. I totally believe it’s a worthwhile investment of my time, effort and funds. What’s more important than robust health and a thriving happy family? Little Man Kitchen pantry staples for health ~ Turmeric and manuka honey 15+ for colds and flu’s, especially with a nasty cough. Stir in ½ tsp turmeric with 1 tsp honey into ½ cup hot water and sip when cool enough. It’s taken the kid a little while to get used to turmeric but it’s so worth it. Otherwise stir into rice. ~ Coconut oil. The best. I keep one pot in the kitchen for cooking and one in the bathroom. I fry gently with it as it’s one of the healthiest option, besides organic butter, and use it in all kinds of Asian cooking and smoothies. The bathroom one disappears quick as I use it on insect bites, sunburn, dry skin, bum rash (the kids’ not mine!), hair conditioner (comb ¼ tsp in ends of wet hair before drying), for dry cuticles, cold sores, you name it. ~ Apple cider vinegar (with the ‘mother’). It’s a great way to start each day – 1 tbsp in warm water – and get the gut functioning at it’s best. It’s super tart, so I sneak it into my son’s fresh fruit and veg juices, like apple, ACV, carrot and watermelon. ~ Chamomile tea for red eyes, like pink eye or conjunctivitis. Just make a cuppa, pop it in the fridge til cool (not cold), and dip in a fresh cotton ball for each eye. Also if kids have trouble falling asleep, put a tea bag in the bath. Bathroom cabinet lotions and potions ~ Garlic oil. Mullein Garlic Ear Oil is great for ear infections. ~ Lavender oil. This is one of the few essential oils that can be used neat, without a carrier oil, unless it’s for kids and then I’d suggest using it with jojoba or almond oil. And it works! I use it for headaches (rub a couple drops into your temples), pimples, insomnia, stress, and restlessness. When the kid is a little crazy, like after a birthday party, I put a few drops in the bath and watch him relax. So good. ~ Calendula cream. Amazingly soothing for cuts, bruises, burns and nappy rash. The professionals we love: Chiropractor / Kinesiologist When the dude was little he had constant ear infections. His doctor would say “here’s some antibiotics” and didn’t even look at the underlying cause or consider how the ear can be healed through alternative therapies. After a few rounds of antibiotics I could see they weren’t helping and there were side effects too, namely really poor gut function (he would be up all night screaming after he ate any kind of meat or overly processed food, it was a long road until he was all better). After lots of reading I came across such wonders as garlic oil, massage and finally, a good chiropractor. Our chiro also practices kinesiology, which is a huge help in learning about underlying causes of illness, imbalance and disease. Our chiro has helped the boy with ear infections (sometimes during birth babies have their heads stuck for a while, this can cause the plates of the skull not to move properly, which doesn’t allow for optimal drainage around the ear, which leads to a build up of fluid and that can cause seriously awful ear infections… this is why a chiro can help by ‘adjusting’ – which is super gentle – the skull… and a kiniseologist can help by looking at what else is going on, what else is making the situation worse. Could be food, environment, etc, and they help the body to cope better), a shorter left leg, confidence, sluggish gut function and occasionally kidneys, and lots of other things that had me puzzled. Homeopath Dude got whooping cough when he was 1.5 years old, and I panicked. I heard so many horror stories, so I tried everything to help him out. Eventually I stumbled across homeopathy, saw it could help, and took him to a local homeopath. She was amazing. The ‘whoop’ was all gone within 24 hours! He recovered from it so well, I was gobsmacked. I took him back a few times to conquer other sicknesses, and eventually I did a ‘Homeopathy at Home’ course. I have now treated our family, with my own pack of remedies, for colds, flus, cough, gastro, tonsillitis, PMS, nasty insect bites, a bad fall, ear infections, hangovers (I […]
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