Naturally Treating Three Childhood Ailments--Cradle Cap, Thrush and Teething

Wow, what an experience it has been to have two children so close in age! Recently, this has presented a new set of challenges, as Henry has decided to cut about 7 teeth at once, including 2 molars (YIKES!), and Ryan has been plagued with ongoing bouts of cradle cap and thrush.

Of course, I had been through teething before with Brett (easy as pie with him, I might add) and of course Henry had already cut some teeth, but NOTHING could have prepared me for this go-round! My poor sweet baby had been reduded to a whinning, screaming, irritable, wakeful mess! Unable to sleep more than two hours at a time, my little one was cranky and in pain all day and night. I was giving him Tylenol to help relieve the pain, but it just didn't seem to be working....then, enter Hylannd's Teething tablets! I can not say enough good things about this wonderful product! The teething tablets are an all-natural, homeopathic remedy readily available in most drug stores. I like that the ingredients are simple as well as familiar (nothing I can't pronounce!) and found in nature. Here's the breakdown:

Calcium--supports dentition

Chamomille-calms irritability

Coffea Cruda--relieves wakefulness

Belladonna--relieves redness and inflammation

Since these tablets do seem to sedate Henry a bit, we have implemented a schedule in which he takes 3 tabs (the full dosage) 30 minutes prior to naptime and bedtime and only 2 tabs (if needed) 3 hours apart. Most of the time, he just gets by on a dose of Tylenol between nap and bedtime.

While Henry has been battling with teething, Baby Ryan has been dealing with his own ailments, a nasty and persistent thrush, as well as some pretty serious cradle cap! After our pediatrician diagnosed Ryan's thrush, she sent us home with the standard treatment, an oral rinse of an anti-fungal called Nystatin. Upon reading the presription information handout from the pharmacy, I discovered that one side effect of this medication is nausea/stomach upset. I noticed my sweet, happy little Ry-Ry was a bit fussy, unusual for him, but I just assumed he was tired. I continued with the medication, but with each dose, he became more and more irritable, unable to sleep and crying uncontrolably. I decided to research other, more natural methods of treating thrush. I am now treating him with a combination of Venetian violet, a bactericide/anti-fungal, and powdered probiotics mixed with a bit of water to form a paste and applied directly to the tounge. Using the VV is a bit more complicated, as preparations must be taken to prevent staining (clothes, skin, you name it!). I rub coconut oil on Ry's lips and chin before applying a 1/2 to 1/2 solution of VV and distilled water to the tounge/mouth with a clean cotton swab. It needs to sit about 15 minutes before nursing. I am happy to report that the thrush is indeed clearing up!

As for the cradle cap, I've been massaging coconut oil onto Ryan's scalp 30 min prior to his bath, letting it sit, then washing it out with Burt' Bees Grapefruit shampoo dilluted with regular baby shampoo, drying with a towel and then massaging with a super-soft toothbrush to loosen the "scales". Works great!