How to drink chamomile for babies' throats. Chamomile decoction and baby health: preparation and use. Chamomile tea for newborns

Positive effect on children's body

The herb in question is characterized by the following properties:

• manifestation of antiseptic features;
• resistance to pathogenic bacteria and inflammatory processes;
• increasing the performance of the immune system;
• stimulation of leukocyte emissions;
• removal of toxic substances;
• help with many colds and viral respiratory diseases;
• reduction of body intoxication;
• positive effect on the condition of the skin in a variety of diseases (reduction of inflammatory redness and rashes, dulling of itching);
• increased appetite;
• normalization of digestion, liver, biliary tract, kidneys, bladder;
• normalizing the state of the body’s nervous system (normalizing sleep, relieving increased excitability, combating fatigue).

American experts, after conducting research, came to the conclusion that the plant in question can make cancer cells more susceptible to chemotherapy and transform them into healthy ones.

Bathing the baby

Bathing can become not just a hygienic procedure for a baby, but also a whole ritual before going to bed. The calming effect of chamomile is due to the fact that it contains the substance apigenin, which has a good effect on the nervous system. The only condition: in the first month of life, do not do such water phytoprocedures regularly - only once every ten days.

How to prepare a bath and bathe your baby?

1. One and a half to two hours before bathing, pour one tablespoon of flowers with a liter of boiling water.
2. After the infusion has cooled, add it to the bath.
3. The bath temperature should not be higher than 37ºС.
4. Bathe your baby for 10 minutes.
5. At the end of the procedure, do not rinse your child with plain water (then the effect will last longer), just pat the skin dry with a soft towel.

In what cases is chamomile prescribed?

Oil inhalations with a nebulizer are strictly contraindicated for patients under three years of age.

Age restrictions and contraindications

There is no age limit for chamomile tea, but proportions must be observed.
Tea made from chamomile flowers is healthy and recommended for use by adults and children from the first month of life. Therefore, there are no age restrictions as such. The only condition is compliance with the proportions and brewing technology. You must act in strict accordance with the instructions, and also make sure that there is no individual intolerance to this drug.

Chamomile infusion is prescribed as a preventative and therapeutic agent. For infants, you need to pay special attention to the preparation process and follow the instructions given by the pediatrician.

Preparation of medicinal products

At pharmacy preparations that are made specifically for children, most often the dosages are described in full.
But not always! The child's body requires increased attention and accuracy in the use of any medicinal drugs. The instructions for the usual tablets, syrups, sprays, drops, injections always indicate the duration of the course, dosages for different age categories of patients, contraindications, etc. With herbs, everything is more complicated. Pharmacy boxes often indicate a recipe for a universal remedy.

In this case, they focus on the adult body.

There are several ways to prepare the plant in question for a child.

Tea

Chamomile tea for children is prepared according to the following algorithm:

• place one teaspoon of dry raw material in a cup;
• pour water close to the boiling point (the optimal indicator is 90 degrees Celsius: chamomile will retain its healing qualities, transfer them to the liquid and precipitate, which cannot be simultaneously achieved at higher or lower temperatures);
• leave to infuse for a quarter of an hour;
• add sweeteners if the drink is intended to be taken orally.

Do not use artificial sweetener as an additive to tea!
You can use sugar or honey for this. The last option is a priority: it is characterized by a rich vitamin and mineral composition and can increase the healing effect of the drink in question.

The use of honey should be moderate. This is the strongest allergen. An organism weakened by a disease may react in a new way to a familiar everyday product. This reaction is possible in case of excessive use.

Infusion

Preparation is carried out according to the following algorithm:

• place a tablespoon of dry raw materials in a selected container (preferably an enamel pan);
• pour in 500 milliliters of clean water;
• put on fire;
• boil;
• simmer covered over low heat for a third of 20 minutes;
• take off;
• leave to infuse for 2/3 hours.

Infusion regimen:

• dosage: a quarter glass for young children, a third in adolescence, half for older patients;
• frequency: up to four times a day;
• The course is from two weeks to three months.

Decoction

To prepare you need:

• place up to 5 tablespoons of dry raw materials in an enamel pan;
• pour in half a liter of clean water;
• bring to a boil, cook for 20 minutes;
• leave for two-thirds of an hour.

Due to its high concentration, the decoction for children is only suitable for external use. These can be lotions, baths, rubbing, rinsing the nasopharynx and mouth.

Recommended decoction treatment regimen when used as a mouth rinse and nasal rinse:

• frequency: up to five times a day;
• Duration of treatment with decoction: up to one week.

Ready-made chamomile tea

The pharmacy sells ready-made chamomile tea; this is what you should pay attention to if the collection is to be used for infants. You should not collect the plant yourself, unless the flowers were collected from your own summer cottage. You cannot collect flowers near highways; they are saturated with exhaust gases and may contain radioactive substances.

You may be interested in: How to brew chamomile, prepare a healing infusion

Ready-made pharmacy preparations are available in different forms:

• granulated tea;
• dosed, in filter bags;
• in loose form.

The granulated form of tea is the most suitable chamomile option for children under one year of age. The granules contain chamomile extract and are very easy to dissolve in warm water. Some manufacturers add maltodextrin to this tea to sweeten the tea. Infants like this tea.

It is better to use loose chamomile for adults; it must be prepared, carefully observing the proportions, and filtered so that flower particles do not get into the tea.

Chamomile tea bags are convenient to use. Do not worry that the dose will be exceeded. One sachet is strictly designed for one cup of drink.

Children from 0 to one year

Rules for getting to know chamomile:

• the best option is a weakly brewed drink;
• The recommended dose is one teaspoon;
• The priority time of administration is morning (use in the evening in case of a negative reaction will disrupt the peace of night rest of the child and mother).

Applicability for babies up to four months of age:

1. They often suffer from intestinal colic. A possible way to help is a few spoons of chamomile tea drink in the late afternoon.
2. A bath with a decoction or infusion will help calm the child, and rubbing will relieve irritation and prickly heat.

From the age of four months, chamomile will be useful in the following cases:

• pain in the stomach when introducing new foods into the diet;
• emotional disorders (moody, tearfulness) and pain during teething;
• reddened throat (at this age it is difficult to use tablets and spray products; an alternative is to ingest a chamomile tea drink);
• increased arousal, poor sleep.

It is impossible to turn the herb in question into a daily health or sedative (especially for infants under one year old).

Beneficial features

Chamomile is a unique plant that has many beneficial properties. It relieves inflammation well, kills germs, and has a calming effect. Therefore, it can be used both for preventive and therapeutic purposes. And not only for adults, but also for children.

Chamomile has been used in folk medicine for a long time. Our grandmothers also used it to treat colds and other ailments. And this is not surprising. After all, the flower tastes good and has a mild effect on the human body. It was collected from fields and forests, after which it was dried and used to prepare decoctions.

Today it is easier to find this product. It is available in almost every pharmacy. It has small flowers. They have a yellow center and white petals. The flower also has a certain smell, but it can only be felt if you rub it with your fingers. The inflorescences are dried and packaged.

They are great for making decoctions, baths and more. In addition, chamomile can be used to prepare a medicine that will help cope with cough and runny nose. Its effectiveness is due to the presence of many vitamins and microelements in the plant. For example, vitamin C, matrixin, carotene, coumarin and others.

Permissible amount of infusion

In the first month of a child’s life, taking any herbal infusion is contraindicated.

Starting from the second month of life, pediatricians do not recommend taking more than 50 ml of chamomile per day. For problems with the gastrointestinal tract, give the baby a teaspoon of warm infusion before meals 3-4 times a day. During a cold, give chamomile in the same amount, but after meals.

These are the general rules for taking herbal infusion for infants. It would be better if the doctor calculated the dosage, taking into account the characteristics of each baby individually.

Reviews

For many people, chamomile is a real salvation for sore throat and cough. In most cases, plant-based medicines help in treating the disease. Inhalations are especially effective. After 3-4 procedures, positive dynamics are noted and well-being improves.

Some are dissatisfied with the result of therapy; they believe that remedies from the plant are not able to eliminate the manifestations of ARVI.

According to doctors, chamomile preparations only work if they are combined with medications. Cough therapy should be comprehensive; infusions alone are unlikely to cure a cold. Doctors insist on careful use of herbal preparations, especially for allergy sufferers and pregnant women.

Tincture for ARVI

Chamomile infusion is quite useful for colds. It helps relieve inflammation in the throat, as it has an antimicrobial effect. You can use chamomile:

• As a gargle. But since we are talking about a baby, this is difficult to do. An alternative method is oral syringing.
• As an inhalation. This method is effective and easy to use. It is enough for the child to inhale the vapors. They have an anti-inflammatory effect, which helps improve the patient’s well-being.

In addition, it is worth noting that chamomile has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the stomach. Therefore, it is recommended to give it if the baby has diarrhea. This procedure should be carried out as carefully as possible. If you overdo it, you may experience constipation, which is also not desirable. Doses of chamomile infusion should be minimal.

It is important to follow the recommendations of specialists when treating infants. Only in this way will all activities bring benefit and not harm.

What harm can the use of chamomile preparations have on infants?

At the same time, chamomile can be dangerous for children in their first year of life. The following side effects are described for it:

• Allergies, sometimes very severe, up to angioedema and anaphylactic shock. Allergic reactions occur more often in infants than in older children and adults;
• Diarrhea is a characteristic phenomenon associated with the ability of chamomile to tone the smooth muscles of the intestines. Because of this ability, chamomile should not be taken for diarrhea or a tendency to diarrhea; partly because of it, it is officially contraindicated in children under 3 years of age, for whom diarrhea can be very dangerous;
• Vomiting, often caused by concentrated chamomile preparations due to its bitter taste. It is even known to be used in cases of poisoning specifically to induce a gag reflex. For infants, this effect is extremely undesirable.