Nursing children through acute illness

After an acute illness children often have a growth spurt, either physically or emotionally.  This tends to be less noticeable if the child is given antibiotics, paracetamol or ibuprofen.

Here are some tips for nursing your child naturally when they are ill.

• Fresh air – keep the window open and if the weather is mild let the child lie outside. Many children are kept too warm during illness and the ideal room temperature is 15°C to 18°C.
• No diary produce – this increases mucus and can increase fevers, so cut out milk (including soya), yoghurt, cheese and also eggs.
• No meat and diary until two days after the child is better.
• Lots of fluids – either water with a couple of drops of Rescue Remedy, or diluted apple juice.  Hot water with lemon, honey and ginger is ideal for a fever as the ginger will help push out the fever.
• No food unless hungry – children instinctively know what their body needs so don’t force them to eat during illness.  If your child is hungry give them some light food such as a peeled, sliced apple; wholemeal toast with a thin scraping of honey or Marmite; mashed potato (no butter); vegetable soup; fruit or cooked vegetables.
• Rest – it is important that the patient sleeps and rests a lot. Limit the amount of TV viewing or reading. Listening to gentle music or audio books is ideal. Poorly children shouldn’t have access to the computer – the less stimulation the better.

There are some homeopathic remedies which you can keep to hand which are ideal for reducing the length of an illness:

• Aconite 30 – for a fever which comes on suddenly, particularly after a shock or after being out in a cold wind. Give one tablet every 20 minutes for up to three doses. You can repeat every time the child is in pain or unsettled.
• Belladonna 30 – if the fever comes on suddenly and the child is hot and red, possibly with cold hands and feet. One dose every 20 minutes for up to three doses, as before.
• Pulsatilla 30 – if the child has been whiney and clingy for a few days and has some mucus. One dose every 20 minutes for up to three doses, as before.
• If the first remedy you try has no effect, use one of the others.  There are many homeopathic home-prescribing booklets available which can give you more information about day to day remedies.

Children will often fall asleep after being given a remedy – this is a good sign, so don’t panic!

If your child suffers from repeated acute infections or fevers it may be helpful to consult a homeopath who can prescribe a remedy to boost their immunity and help them to become less susceptible to future illnesses.  Visit www.a-r-h.org to find a homeopath near you