Finn's Medicine Cabinet

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When you become a mom, you quickly learn the little tips and tricks of the trade when in comes to taking care of a little one and keeping them healthy. We've been lucky in that Finn hasn't had too many sick bugs during his 10 months of life. But when he has caught a little something we've found some ways to kick the sick quick. My sweet hubs got me a whole slew of Essential Oils for Valentines day and I've been whipping up all kinds of concoctions. These are just a few of the ways we've been fighting Finn's ailments, most of them are natural and made right at home.

Diaper rash. This has been an off and on problem as I'm sure most babies battle. We've seriously tried everything. Finn's pediatrician recommended maximum strength desitin mixed with hydrocortisone. But only mix the hydrocortisone in 4 times a day for 5 days or so. And we always lather his bum with petroleum jelly when it's not rashy. That has helped keep his bum rash free. 

Ear Infection. He had an outer ear infection that lasted a while. We had to use liquid drops to finally heal it but to help with the pain I baked an onion (with outer layer on) until it was soft then I squeezed the juice out of it. I then put a couple drops in his ear which seemed to help a lot. He was much less fussy and was able to sleep. I got an ear infection myself the next week and tried this onion technique, my ear instantly felt better and it was healed next the day with no antibiotics, hallelujah!

Cold & Congestion. The other night, Finn was coughing up mucus and was super congested. I went straight to my essential oils. I boiled about a cup of water and dropped 1 drop of eucalyptus and 1 drop of rosemary into the steaming pot and put it near him so he could breathe it in. I then made a homemade vapor chest rub. 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 drop of eucalyptus and one drop of lemon. Mix together and rub on chest. We then took Finn into the bathroom and turned on the shower to HOT and let him breathe in the steam for about 10 minutes. By that night he was healed with no more mucus or congestion. I also have Finn's crib propped up at the head of the bed to help with drainage. I've done this since he was tiny and I think it helps him a lot.

Dry Skin. Thank you Utah for the dry, brutal weather. Finn had some bad excema all over his little bod. He had patches of super dry red skin that I just couldn't get to go away. I tried all the creams and ointments but nothing seemed to help long term. Finn's pediatrician (she is seriously a blessing from above) said it was an easy fix. She told us to use dove body soap (the cream in the bottle, not the bar) and cetaphil lotion that comes in the tub. We douse him in cetaphil after every bath and his skin has stayed super moist and we haven't had a dry spot since.We actually all do this regimen now and we have silky smooth skin.

Constipation. Kill me. Constipation has been the worst with this kid, I swear he can't poop to save his life. And believe me, we tried everything. Pears, prune juice, extra water, bananas, etc. We took him to see Dave at Dave's Health & Nutrition in Salt Lake and he gave us this wonderful little elixir that has basically moved mountains for us. It's called Dr. Christopher's Kid-e-Reg bowel tonic. We just give him a few drops and he poops like a champ.

Cradle Cap. I thought cradle cap was supposed to go away after a month or so after birth. Apparently not because he had cradle cap up until about a month ago. For some reason it just wouldn't go away and it was so icky looking. To get rid of it I rubbed coconut oil on his head and used a wash cloth to scrub it away. Boom.

Ingrown toenail. Kind of a weird, but he got one. Is that common for babes? The poor kids toe was as red as a cherry. So the plan of action was soak his toe for about 10 minutes 3 or 4 times a day and then coat with neosporin. After the toenail was out of the skin it was still really red so his doctor recommended after every bath, put lotion on it and push it over because his body was treating the toenail like a sliver and would get red and puff up. After a day or two of the lotion technique his itty bitty toe was as good as new (bless you again Dr. Gehle).

Colic & Calming. It's no secret that Finn has had a huge problem with colic and crying spells. He actually still has them almost every day. We aren't sure whether it's stomach related or just his sensitive nervous system. We've stumbled across a few things that have at times helped with calming his poor nerves. An alternative medicine doctor at Primary Children's Hospital told us to use frankincense oil and mix it with sweet almond oil and rub it on his feet. We have been doing that as well as lavender oil mixed with sweet almond oil and it has helped calm him.

Teething. Finn actually wasn't too bad with his first set of teeth on the bottom. We used cold teethers and Hyland's teething tablets and their teething gel and he did just great with that. I've heard that the upper teeth are a bit more rough and molars are a killer. I've heard if you rub chamomile on them it helps with the pain, so that will be my go to when we come to that.

Like I said before, we have been lucky with Finn's health and haven't had to intervene much with medicines. Although, I'm sure a time will come when each and every illness will come knocking on our door. Do you have any home remedies that have worked for you and your little ones?