teething tea for baby

November 18, 2016 Megan Rodriguez

Teething Tea!! Yes, tea for babies! I've talked before about how we use teas and tinctures in our house to fight off sickness, calm our minds and bodies, for reproductive health, and for overall enjoyment, but I've also started using them to comfort and calm our little guy. I've heard that babies react to teething in different ways...some seem unfazed, while others react as if the world is ending. Our little Oak falls into the latter category. He experiences all the symptoms of teething from runny nose, to a chin-full of drool, to whining, fussiness, and full out screaming to express his frustration and discomfort from those impending teeth.

So, with that being said, I've tried a few natural remedies, including homeopathic teething tablets and essential oil blends, and this teething tea. They are all helpful and useful at different times (ie. the middle of the night!), but I find that the teething tea I feel most comfortable using liberally and consistently. Because it is a simple blend of herbs, it is gentle, natural, and perfectly safe! I've used the tea in two different ways. One way is to simply put it in a bottle and have him sip on it. The other way, which he prefers, is to freeze it in ice cube trays and then plop one of the cubes into this little mesh teether/food feeder thing we have. (Side note: I've never actually used those things for food, but they do work great for ice cubes!) If you don't have a mesh thing like that, you could also use a piece of cheese cloth or muslin and tie the ice cube in it, as long as the cloth is big enough and the ice cube is securely tied inside of it in order to prevent choking. Obviously, use your common sense. The ice cube method is great because not only is it fun for him, but the ice also soothes his gums.

I've found that right before nap-time or bedtime is a great time to give Oak the tea. It calms him before sleep and helps relieve any discomfort he may be feeling from the teeth, which is helpful for sleep as well. It's also a great distraction for him when he's being fussy, which gives me a few minutes to get a few things done around the house or in the kitchen.

Teething Tea for Babies

1 part dried chamomile flowers (a calming and inflammatory herb that promotes sleep)

1 part dried lavender flowers (a relaxing and calming herb)

1 part dried lemon balm leaves (a soothing and calming herb that promotes sleep)

1 part dried valerian root (an herb that promotes sleep)

1 part dried catnip (a calming herb that relieves irritability and pain)

Mix all of the herbs together and store in an airtight container away from direct sunlight. When ready to use, use 1 teaspoon of herbs for each cup of water and steep until the water has cooled to room temperature. Always allow tea to cool completely before giving it to your little one in a cup or bottle, or freeze in ice cube trays and let baby suck on the ice cube. This should ONLY be done if the ice cube is inside of something in order to prevent choking. Store extra ice cubes in the freezer for easy future access.

Dosage: According to Rosemary Gladstone, when an adult dosage is 1 cup of tea, a child under 2 years should have 1/2 to 1 teaspoon. I recommend freezing ice cubes in 1 teaspoon amounts. You can also add a teaspoon of tea to a bottle and dilute it with a bit of water, breastmilk, or formula.

When using herbs, I encourage you to do your own research. Most places and websites will tell you to talk to your doctor about them. That is definitely an option! However, many doctors are not herbalists and are often not familiar with the many different herbs out there and how they can be used safely and effectively for medicinal purposes. So, if you're wanting to learn more, start studying some well-known herbalists! Two of my favorite books on medicinal herbs are Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide and Conceiving Healthy Babies: An Herbal Guide to Support Preconception, Pregnancy, and Lactation. The latter is a great reference whether or not you are in your childbearing years.

References:

Gladstar, Rosemary. Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide. Storey Publishing: North Adams, MA. 2012.

Mountain Rose Herbs. https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/

High Garden Tea. https://highgardentea.com/

birth blends

January 28, 2016 Megan Rodriguez

I apologize to all of you readers out there who are not interested in all of the baby things that I've been posting lately...but they are consuming my thoughts and life and so there has been little else to post about! Ha! As we prepare for birth and to welcome this little one into our home and arms, I wanted to make a few essential oil blends that would aid us in that process. As I've mentioned before, I love essential oils, but I'm not a fan of the hype that often surrounds them. They have fabulous uses, but I like to keep it on the simple side and I buy brands that are readily available and affordable to me. You can read a bit more about my take on essential oils here. With that being said, I also love to make my own blends! It's so fun to learn about all of the different oils and then to blend them together to make just the aroma that I'm looking for. So, for baby and myself I made two different blends.

The first one I made I called Sleep, Baby Sleep. It's a calming blend that promotes sleep, calm, and peace for the new little one (as well as us). I have a feeling that a few drops of that in the diffuser will likely become a regular bedtime ritual in our home.

The second blend I called Mama Love and I plan to diffuse it and possibly use it topically during labor, birth, and in the weeks following. The blend is very similar to the Sleep, Baby Sleep blend as it also promotes calm, rest, and relaxation. However, it also includes Clary Sage which is a good oil to promote labor and lactation. I also plan to use this blend in the future for a mood lifter and pain reliever during that trying time of the month.

Sleep, Baby Sleep

50 drops lavender

40 drops rose geranium

30 drops bergamot

30 drops lemon

30 drops sweet orange

20 drops roman chamomile

20 drops ylang ylang

Mama Love

25 drops bergamot

25 drops clary sage

25 drops lavender

25 drops sweet orange

10 drops lemon

10 drops rose geranium

5 drops roman chamomile

5 drops ylang ylang

How about you?? Are there certain essential oils or blends that you love to use for these purposes or other purposes? I'd love to hear about them!

baby bottom salve

December 9, 2015 Megan Rodriguez

The baby creations and preparations continue around here! This is one that I'm excited to try and see how well it works. Having read quite a lot about herbs that are good for skin dryness and rashes, I came up with this mixture of herbs and oils and turned it into a salve to be used both as a baby bottom salve and a nipple salve. The herbs in the mixture are calendula flowers, which are known to promote healing of rashes and skin issues, as well as calm and soothe the affected area, plantain leaves, which are great for treating any kind of skin issue or irritation, and chickweed leaves, which are great at soothing skin irritation. I was able to find all of these herbs in my backyard! The calendula I grew this summer and the plantain and chickweed are both considered weeds and I was able to find both in my yard. You can also find all of them online in dried form at Mountain Rose Herbs. After letting these herbs infuse in some olive and almond oil for awhile, I mixed them with some beeswax and essential oils. I chose lavender and tea tree for my essential oils. Lavender for its smell and soothing/calming qualities, and tea tree for its antiseptic properties. The salve that I ended up with has a faint scent to it and can easily be applied to skin. I'll let you know in a few months how well the finished product works! Stay turned for the update!

How about you?? Do you have a favorite natural remedy for diaper rashes??

Baby Bottom Salve

1 cup of oil (I used half olive oil and half almond oil)

a small handful of calendula flowers, plantain leaves, and chickweed leaves

1-2 tablespoons of beeswax

15-20 drops of lavender essential oil

5-10 drops of tea tree essential oil

Pick the flowers, plantain leaves, and chickweed and let them wilt in the sun for an hour or so. After they are slightly wilted (and some of the water has evaporated out of them) combine them and the oil in a glass jar and close tightly with a lid. Let infuse in a warm sunny place for 4-6 weeks. After the infusion is complete, strain out the herbs and place the oil and 1 tablespoon of the beeswax in a double-broiler. Heat until the wax has melted and been thoroughly incorporated into the oil. Place a small amount on a spoon and put into the freezer until it has cooled. Test the salve for consistency and add more beeswax, if needed, to reach the desired consistency. Once you are satisfied with the consistency, add the essential oils, stir to combine, and pour into jars.

venison and beef enchiladas

October 30, 2015 Megan Rodriguez

I was asked over a year ago by a reader if I could share a few venison recipes. Well, while we do eat a lot of venison, I often to stick to the usual suspects when it comes to recipes (roasts, steaks, stews, stroganoff, etc.) This year, though, I think I'll be doing a lot more experimenting because we have quite a few pounds of ground venison now filling our freezer, since Dan got a buck in early September with his bow and we paid someone else to process it due to the warm temperatures. Ground venison is an interesting type of meat...and I mean interesting in a true Minnesota Nice fashion. To be more direct, I'm generally not a fan. It tends to be gamey and a little tough (which makes sense considering that it is often ground from cuts of meat that are less than desirable). In the past, I've tried making chili and tacos with ground venison and the leftovers have ended up going to the chickens.

I think I'm learning the trick, though, to making ground venison work for me. The key is to always mix it with beef (or pork). So, two nights ago, I experimented with a venison and beef enchilada recipe and the results were great! There was very little gamey taste and the texture was not an issue at all! So, if you also find yourself with a freezer full of ground venison...here's a recipe you may want to try. Of course, if you don't have access to venison, you can simply use ground beef. Our enchiladas ended up falling apart because of the type of corn tortillas I used, but they still tasted delicious!

Enjoy!

Venison and Beef Enchiladas

1/2 lb ground venison

1/2 lb ground beef

1 small onion, diced

1 small green pepper, diced

1 jalapeño, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

salt/pepper to taste

8 ounces queso fresco

corn tortillas

green or red enchilada sauce (I used a jar of my salsa verde)

sour cream

Brown the meat along with the onions, green pepper, and jalapeño in a large skillet. After a few minutes, add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt/pepper. Once the meat is fully cooked, add about 2/3 of the quest fresco, loosening it into small pieces. Stir to melt and incorporate.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour some of the enchilada sauce into a pie plate or shallow dish. Dip a tortilla into the sauce and coat both sides. Scoop 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of the meat mixture (depending on the size of the tortilla) onto the tortilla. Gently fold the tortilla and place it with the seam-side down into a medium-sized casserole pan. Continue to fill the tortillas until you have filled your pan or used all of your meat mixture. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the folded tortillas and sprinkle the rest of the queso fresco on top of the enchiladas. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve with sour cream and your hot sauce of choice!

Serves 4.

baby bump butter

October 6, 2015 Megan Rodriguez

With this little one on the way, I've been busy making and thinking up body care product recipes for both me and Baby! As this belly of mine expands, I figured the first recipe that I should focus my attention on should be a belly butter that will help my skin stay moisturized as it stretches and grows to safely house this baby for another few months. For the past couple months, I've been using a homemade Shea moisturizer and a coconut and neem oil moisturizer off and on. I've had great results with both and my stomach has yet to show signs of being overstretched. While it may be too early to know for sure, I still thought it would be good to make a belly butter just for this occasion. The following recipe has a luxuriously creamy butter texture and the smell is absolutely divine! The added rose water and essential oils not only add a lovely fragrance, but all of them are also good for skin elasticity and overall skill health. Most of the ingredients below can be purchased through Mountain Rose Herbs, or found at your local health foods store or food co-op. The Shea that I used was by Everyday Shea, a fabulous company that does quite a lot of good in Western Africa.

Baby Bump Butter

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Shea butter

1/2 cup almond oil

1/2 cup rose water (or distilled or boiled water)

2 tablespoons coconut oil

7-8 ounces beeswax

20 drops lavender essential oil

20 drops Vitalize blend essential oil (a citrus blend by Melaleuca, The Wellness Company, you can easily substitute lemon, grapefruit, mandarin, orange, or a blend of these)

10 drops ylang ylang essential oil

Melt the Shea, coconut oil, and beeswax in a double broiler. Once it has melted, add the almond oil. In a separate sauce pan, warm the rose water until hot to touch. Add the essential oils to the rose water and adjust for desired scent. Pour the melted oils and water mixture into a glass jar and use an immersion blender (I have a special one that I use just for making soaps and lotions, but a you should be able to use your kitchen version and just clean it well) to emulsify them until it reaches a lotion-like consistency. Continue to blend it every few minutes until the mixture has cooled. At this point, it will still have more of a lotion-like consistency, but as it cools completely it will turn buttery. Put a lid on the jar or transfer the mixture into another container for storage. This recipe fits nicely into a pint-sized mason jar. To use, apply liberally to belly and breasts (or all over!). Use within six months for best results (both in moisture and freshness).