Sky High

High temperatures in children and babies is a scarey thing and for the last two nights we have been up with our 8 month old Sebastian while he has run a fever of 38.8 C and has been miserable with teething and a chesty cough/cold. But reading this blog post from "Taking Time" i am reminded that what i do with my children when they get sick and run a fever is just the right thing. Here are some of the things she suggests (but of course it is also important to check it out with your doctor if you are worried or unsure)

What I do when a fever comes to visit

• Most importantly, I let the fever run its course (with lots of observation)
• I am not worried by high fevers. eg. 104 F / 40C
• If the fever starts to spike very quickly I give the homeopathic remedy Belladonna. It levels the fever out within minutes. (See here for another great article on how to treat your childs flu with homeopathic remedies)
• I give lots of liquids; herbal teas, lemon juice in water and just plain water.
• I give massages with a few drops of lavender oil in a few tablespoons of vegetable oil. (massage helps stimulate the lymph system which helps the body rid itself of toxins).
• I give lovely homemade broths: Vegetable, Chicken (made into a chicken soup with barley or wholegrain noodles) Fish (made into miso soup).
• Herbal baths with Yarrow infusions and Lavender essential oils
• LOTS of vitamin C, zinc and Echinacea (echinacea helps the production of white blood cells)
• I use this cold and flu tea here
• I do loads of immune boosting here
• I think sleep and cuddles, both for grown ups and children, are very important in any healing process.
• Finally, I DO NOT panic and trust the body.

Superb advise! We have been using belladonna which is such a superb homeopathic remedy, luke warm herbal teas like chamomile* and massaging lavender and eucalyptus in a carrier oil into his body or soaking cloths in water infused with these oils and wiping his forehead, hands and feet with it, as well as using the amazing chest rub called Sniffles baby chest balm from Erbaviva  "To calm and ease your babies coughs and colds" available from many places including amazon. Its tough to wait it out and trust that the body can handle it but it is good advise.

We also went out and got Echinacea drops, *Yarrow (Ryllik) tea and Alpenkraft herbal tea which has some wonderful herbs in to help with colds and flu ( including Ribwort Plantain/Smalkjempe, Licourice Root/Lakrisrot, Thyme/Timian and Fennel/Fennikel)