Gripewater

Question: do you have to sterilse teaspoons when giving gripewater to baby? My partner says that you dont have to sterilise teaspoons because the metal can not grow bacteria on it. Is this true? Baby is only 6 weeks and we often give her gripe water for her wind which she drinks of a teaspoon the gripwater i have does not come with a plunger. thanks everyone for your answers

Answer: Gripe Water comes with a plunger for dosing, I suggest that you use it. However, to answer your question... If you are using the metal spoon... NO, you do NOT have to sterilize it at all. Just wash with hot water and soap, same as bottles. Very best wishes!

Question: is 5ml a teaspoon or tablespoon - measuring gripewater for colic? hello, i'm about to give my 1 month baby gripewater for colic, it says give 5ml and i have nothing to measure with. help thanks

Answer: 5 ml is actually 1 teaspoon. Then again be careful as to what you are givng as some of these products are know to have a level of alcohol

Question: Can I give gripewater to my 4 week old?

Answer: I did, My baby had BAD colic and I was ready to try anything! I called my dr. first to make sure, but it should be ok. It seemed to help a little but not enough to calm her down during those awful few months. Just make sure the bottle has dosage intructions for a baby that age.

Question: Why is my 3 month old spitting up suddenly? I have a 3 month old son, who is exclusively breastfed, and hardly ever spits up. Today, though he has thrown up everything he has eaten (he's eaten about 4 or 5 times since he woke up this morning). His breath seems to smell a little sour today. He doesn't have a fever, but he has had a little bit of a cough for the last few days. Otherwise nothing seems out of the ordinary. I've tried gripewater, but he's still throwing up just the same. Is there something I can do for him? Any suggestions?

Answer: My babies pediatrician told me that the spit up is only a problem if the baby is not gaining weight or if the baby seems to be bothered by it. Take Care.

Question: correct age for giving gripe water to the new born? What should be the correct age for starting the gripewater (tonic ) to the new born as it helps in removing the constipation ?

Answer: I gave Gripe Water to my daughter since birth. It's safe. Just look for the kind without alcohol, if they even make it anymore. How do you know your baby is constipated? Is your baby breastfed? If so, it's normal to go up to 10 days without a BM. That's not constipation. Newborns also have irregular BM's and is also not considered to the constipation. Regardless, there is nothing in Gripe Water that will harm your baby, whether he or she needs it or not. Try warming it up just a little before giving it. Warm things stimulate the bowels. "on the box it says from 1 month! " It will vary from brand to brand what it recommends on the box. My view is that a baby under 1 month of age will rarely, if ever, be truly constipated. If they are, it's something the doctor needs to be aware of.

Question: gripewater contains ethanol....? ive decided to give gripe water a shot seeings tho my lil one seems to be in a huge amount of pain. but i just realised that the one ive bought and used contains ethanol, i looked it up on the net and cant find much about it but what i did see was the ethanol is used as a preservative. is this dangerous for my bub. im worried, i dont know whether shes had a good sleep because she got all her wind out or if its from the alcohol content. someone please help. the bottle says i can use it for a newborn, my lil girl will be 4 weeks old tomoro if that makes any difference

Answer: I would buy a better brand that does not contain ethenol or corn syrup. Gripe water is NOT regulated by the FDA. The only gripe water FDA approved is Colic Calm. But I feel there are other brands too that are just fine. Go to your Walgreens. They should carry this Organic Gripe water with no preservitives, alcohol or sugar.

Question: Simethicone drops vis Gripewater? Hi I was wondering, we have used the Simethicone drops commonly known as Mylicon drops for our two month old daughter since she was about 5 days old. She tends to have gas and refulx problems. We found the formual that works great for us so I know that's not the problem. A couple days a week though for two weeks know she suffers from relly bad reflux pain. I was wondering if any of you have found gripe water to be useful. I read up on it and it sounds like mom's recommoned it but the medical comminity doesn't really. A friend told me about probiotics but I am not sure that it's wise to put a two month old on that type of herbal supplement. Just curious what others have to say about Gripe water vs Simethicone drops. As for as the Simethicone drops we have used the Mylicon ones, Target brand and Little Tummies brand and they all seem to work the same. Oh and since she can have the drops up to 12 times a day we put them in some of her baby bottles, since she tends to be one very gassy lit Our doctor is working with us and the formula we are using works, so I am not looking into changing the formual for a third time. IZZAY- I have been to the doctor. I am asking moms which they have found better, NO NEED FOR YOU TO BE SO RUDE!!!!! if you read my question you would have seen that I had been to the doctor.

Answer: I don't recommend any of it, but if you try gripe water make sure what you are using is not made in Mexico as it has a fairly high level of alcohol in it and not necessarily water you'd want to put in an infants mouth as well. Probiotics won't hurt, and you don't need to use much - just a sprinkle, especially since she's on formula anyway. There are formulas out there made with probiotics in them besides, so if I were you I'd first investigate that line after consulting with her pediatrician who can prescribe effective relief for reflux in infants.

Question: why doctors discourage the parents from giving gripe water and water to new born babies? or how does the intake of gripewater or water harm the young babies

Answer: um, i'm not sure if you know this or not, but there is a difference between gripe water and water. gripe water is more of a medicine used for colic, and for high fevers, not something to quench your thirst. also water has no nutrients or vitamins, babies need formula and milk, its the only way they can get their vitamins and everything they need to grow and to live, filling them up on water will harm them because they'll feel full but they won't be getting anything from it.

Question: Baby digestive problems? I am sure my baby girl (8 months old), has digestive problems. She has had stomach and chest x-rays, and nothing has been found. She also has normal bowel sounds. However, she remains extremely fussy, will not eat (she is currently losing weight), and is either constipated, or will do several hard poops a day. She also always seems to have a lot of wind, and we are STILL using gripewater. She doesn't have reflux, as she has grown out of that. She goes to the chiropractor once to twice a week, and the chiropractor believes there is something wrong, because none of her adjustments hold. My midwife also believes there might be something wrong. And most of her fussiness stops when we give her panadol. Has anybody got any suggestions on what this could be? She is formula fed. She has had the thickened formula with her reflux, but grew out of that. We've also tried soy formula with no difference. She does have solids - three meals a day. It'll be fruit and cereal for breakfast, fruit and veg for lunch, and veg and meat for tea. It's a wide variety of stuff. She will drink around 1/2 cup of water a day, and I'll sometimes give her homemade apple iceblocks.

Answer: What is she eating? Is she formula or breast fed? Does she take solids? What is she drinking? Can you give us a little more details on what's going into her? EDIT: OK, you know what I'd do? I'd demand that the doctor write you a prescription for breast milk from the milk bank. It's pasteurized, so you don't have to worry about that. If she's not gaining weight, she'll probably respond to the easier to digest proteins and fats in human milk. It also has natural laxatives that will relieve her constipation. That's one suggestion to try. Also, you might want to consider dropping the solids and giving her primarily milk again. Sometimes they just aren't ready for solids at her age and it can cause more problems. She might have an easier time processing milk than veggies and cereals. Have you noticed that she's particularly fussy after milk, cereals, or other solids? Are you keeping track of everything she's eating to see if you can find a pattern? The other suggestion I have is don't give up! You're the best voice she has. I had a friend who had similar problems with her little boy. They still haven't figured out what it is, but she is so persistent in giving her son the best shot possible. MY heart goes out to you guys!

Question: Baby health problems? I am sure my baby girl (8 months old), has digestive problems. She has had stomach and chest x-rays, and nothing has been found. She also has normal bowel sounds. However, she remains extremely fussy, will not eat (she is currently losing weight), and is either constipated, or will do several hard poops a day. She also always seems to have a lot of wind, and we are STILL using gripewater. She doesn't have reflux, as she has grown out of that. She goes to the chiropractor once to twice a week, and the chiropractor believes there is something wrong, because none of her adjustments hold. My midwife also believes there might be something wrong. And most of her fussiness stops when we give her panadol. Has anybody got any suggestions on what this could be?

Answer: A glycerin suppository should help her do the do.

Question: have u ever wanted to mess with those SERIOUS star wars freaks.? Star Wars Fanatics How to deal with Star Wars fanatics... When someone starts going on about the life-changing role the Star Wars movies have played in their developmental years, casually announce that you've never seen any of them, but hear they are "pretty good". Get important terminology wrong. (Drives the true fanatic nuts!) Confuse Wookies with "Winkies", call Yoda "Yodel", refer to Return of the Jedi as "Revenge of the Jedi", Phantom Menace as "Planet Menace". Get very annoyed when corrected. Get the names of the key characters wrong, or better still forget them. "You remember the guy from these movies, you know, the one with the plastic head and the respiratory problem!" or "Oh, yeah, Ben-Wa Kenubi, my favorite, played by that English bloke. Wassisname. Sounds like a beer or something." Insist that The Empire Strikes Back is the only worthwhile Star Wars movie because it is "sooo dark." Deliberately confuse science fiction universes and inhabitants. Double fun and satisfaction as this offends two sets of rabid Nerdocracies at the same time. For example, insist that Luke Gripewater is fighting for "The Federation" and that Chewbaccy is a Vulcan. Insist that "To boldly go where no man has gone before" is a Jedi commandment. Brush off any attempt at correct with a dismissive " Whatever. As if anybody really cares." Make vaguely unsettling insinuations about George Lucas. Try " Isn't he involved in some sort of DNA-cloning controversy?", or "I hear he only talks to his mother via a TV monitor", or "I read this piece where he (GL) said that Star Wars was written for people who hate sex" When the guy starts talking about when he was sitting in the theatre borderline about to have a stroke watching Phantom Menace, casually say, "Yeah, I thought the ending was good, when my friends woke me up just towards the last quarter." The ultimate is to play stupid that the movie was even a big event. "Phantom Menace? Yeah, I heard something about that in the local newspaper. Something about the guy that made the first three is going at it again or something??? Dunno..." When someone is sitting there theorizing about how there's probably secret messages and things you can see if you look closely in the movie, just calmly sit there and say in a whisper "Then I guess you haven't played it backwards in a VCR before?". Try not to laugh as the person (attempting to look calm and collected) slowly gets up, starts walking out of sight, then see them bolt down the street towards their house to try it. Depending on how avid of a fan the person is, look for the smoke trail. To make the last suggestion even more fun, wait for them to call back after they have gone through the whole movie backwards and couldn't find anything in phantom menace. Tell them, "Ohhh, that's right, it was in one of the other three episodes." When they tell you the lengths they went through and the sleepless nights spent trying to get a pirated copy before everyone got to see it in the theatre, tell them "That's funny, I simply called the 1-800 number that was all over the Internet and got it mailed to me the same day, 3 weeks before the movie came out."

Answer: You could tell them that you only watched the movies for a good excuse to get theater popcorn and milkduds. I almost got killed for that one. Also ask them Why Mace Windu's Light saber is purple and say you never heard of a gay Jedi.

Question: does anybody have experience with gripe water?!? my son is 8wks now and screams his little head off after feedings, hes gassy all the time and has major hiccups as well...i've been using mylicon drops but they dont seem to be working...his tummy hurts and he crys so much and gets all worked up that he cant rest and when he actually does fall asleep his belly aches wake him up and we start all over again... he eats between 5-6oz a meal out of a vented bottle and i dont think he is eating fast...it takes him about 20-25mins to finish a bottle, he burbs and i keep him upright for 10-15mins... so i found this bottle of gripewater that was in one of those little remedies kit i got at my babyshower and am contemplating about using it...but i read on the diractiona and dosage to give a 1-6mos old 1 tsp(5ml) of it...isnt that a bit much?! please help!!!! thank you he's getting straight breastmilk in the bottle (and im not eating anything that could cause gas nor drink alcohol or smoke...) or beastmilk mixed with formula 50:50 (similac advanced) an he has this problem either way oh yeah and when do you give it to the baby...whenever, before the feeding or after?!?

Answer: mylicon drops are safer and more recommended than gripe water because the drops don't actually get absorbed into baby's system. I never used gripe water for that reason. From kellymom.com: Gripe water, fennel tea or other herbal remedies Herbal remedies have been used for gassy babies for a countless number of years. I prefer to avoid using herbal remedies for gas in young babies. Here are my reasons: In a healthy baby, anything other than breastmilk is more likely to cause problems rather than solve them. Giving baby substances other than breastmilk can alter the intestinal flora and reduce the protective qualities of exclusive breastfeeding, thus making baby more susceptable to illness and allergies. See Why Delay Solids? for more on this. Many of these products contain mixtures of herbs or other substances, thus putting baby more at risk for adverse reactions. Some contain alcohol, so read labels very carefully. Most of these products have not been tested in infants for safety or effectiveness. It is more effective to look at treating the causes, rather than simply trying to treat the symptoms. Simethicone drops (Mylicon, Ovol) This medication is considered quite safe, as it is not absorbed by the body. It breaks down bubbles of gas trapped in the stomach and the intestines. Whether this treatment is effective is a different story, however. In clinical trials, simethicone drops have been shown to be effective in reducing the total amount of gas passed. However, they have not been shown to be more effective than a placebo when the study focused on baby's total crying time and the severity of colic-like episodes.

Question: What is your experience with Cow and gate comfort milk and colic? Hi, My daughter is now 8 weeks and has been really colicky for last 5 and half weeks. I have tried everything. All sorts of drops( colief, infacol, gripewater...). Last week HV suggested I tried Cow and Gate comfort milk and Dr Brown's bottles. I tried it and for 3 days she was like a different child, she didn't cry at all in the evening and went to sleep. I really thought I found something that helped. But yesterday it all went back to normal. In fact tonight is her worst night yet. I wonder why it is. Has someone else had similar experience? I know you can't cure colic.Just curious why it seemed to help and now it's back. Is it truth it gets worse around two months and at three months i starts to go away? I can't wait. I have a 2 year old as well, I get short with him sometimes, because her crying stresses me... Just want this to be over. Thanks

Answer: my 9 week old has colic. i changed to comfort milk and dr brown. like you got an istant improvent. Then she got it again. I have noticed she does have more good than bad days. i have come to realise that nothing but her growing up is gonna help

Question: I just switched to formula from breastmilk...how many times to feed a day? Okay,I've breastfed her for two months, I can't produce as much milk as I was before (even pumping and nursing her often) and I have tried every thing to get her to stop being so gassy...it's painful to watch your baby cry and cry. i've tried mylicone gas drops, gripewater, eliminated gassy foods and dairy from my diet, burping her often and nothing seemed to work. So today, I took it upon myself to go get some Parents Choice Gentle formula for gassy babies and I gave her a bottle of it and it was a miracle, she had a bowel movement, the 1st one in 4 days and she has not cried or anything since I gave it to her.....so I know with breastfeeding I nursed and feed her every 2-3 hours....what do I do with formula...do I keep the same schedule? Or extend it?

Answer: Feed her on demand, like you were when you were breastfeeding. If you weren't feeding her on demand, well, you probably should have been. Formula may possibly take a bit longer for her to digest, but it really doesn't make that much difference. Watch for her hunger cues and feed her then. Remember that babies should be fed when they are hungry, so you should be fine. As a point of reference, when my son was 2 months we was eating about 4 ounces every 2 1/2 ours. At about 2 1/2 months he started to eat 6 ounces. Good luck with your baby.

Question: Baby spitting up ALL the time? My 7 week old has always been a spitter but lately it's just TOO much. With every feeding he's spitting up, at least a tablespoon coming out. After a feeding, for 30 mins to an hour, he randomly is spitting up as well. Sometimes it shoots out and the rest it just drops out of his mouth and down his chin. He gets upset right after spitting when I burp him, but then demands more food if his bottle isn’t done. He doesn't resist feedings and eats his full 5oz bottle usually. (When he's full, he stops and I put the bottle away.) His fussing doesn't usually last longer than 5 minutes, but I can tell that he’s in at least some pain. He gets angry when I try to burp him sometimes and only a fraction of the time do I get an actual burp. I can't put him over my shoulder to burp, not just because of the spewing, but because he doesn't like being held that way. When he’s upset, his legs go straight out when I try to burp him, to stop me from bending him forward. I try to put him on his tummy to burp him and he doesn't always like that either. I've tried feeding less more often, heating up his bottle, switching to a soy based formula (he spit up WAY more with it) and I burp every 1oz to 2oz. Gripewater seems to help a little, but not a huge amount. He has NO problems with wet diapers, and no issues having a poo (though d@mn does it stink). I hear him passing gas throughout the day and it rarely goes along with crying or discomfort. I rub his stomach, I keep his head elevated and everything after a feeding. None of it makes a difference. The majority of the fussing when burping/spitting is during the day, at night he'll spit up and then fall right back to sleep. He has no issues sleeping, and is getting about 3 hours at a time throughout the night. His head is elevated while he sleeps – day or night. He seems to almost pant just before he spits up, and I can hear it coming up from his stomach. He’s also got nasty formula breath. Has anyone else had this happen and have ANY other tips or suggestions other than those I’ve already tried? I realize he might have a bit of acid reflux - and I'm hoping that the doctor I see tomorrow can maybe give me baby Tums or something to help - but I'm pretty sure she'll say he's not got it severely enough to give him a prescription (which is fine) but I need SOMETHING to help this stop! He's on Good Start with the DHA or whatever that stuff is called. We tried Isomil but that didn't help at all. He was getting breastmilk as well (I pumped) up until about a week ago due to my not being able to keep up the supply with pumping. (He'd spew that up too!) Yep, his weight is great - he never lost weight after being born and has now doubled it at a little over 12 pounds. He can handle tummy time randomly throughout the day - and sometimes I let him nap on his tummy if I'm there to make sure he's okay. He is very healthy - just SO much spewing up that it's driving me nuts! Having something to take away the bit of burn he gets would be great - I'm just hoping to also have the amount he's spewing up reduced as well. Maybe I will need to try to change formulas to that suggested - I'll double check with the doctor tomorrow.

Answer: okay first off Your little guy is a great eater!! now about the fussing,, ,maybe if if changed formula, there is a formula from enfamil called AR it has added rice starch for babies who spit up alot or there is gentle ease for fussy and gassy baby's,, which my son was on for the first 3 months then we changes to AR you could try to burp him every 2 ounces that my help with build up gas. hope the helps

Question: is castor oil illegal in your country?? just wondering is castor oil "aloud" or illegal in your country?? in my country the mid wife forbids it and pharmacys wont stock it or sell you it. its just vanished!! LOL!! i know my mother and her friends used to take it to bring on there labour and it worked only thing was the baby came out in a thin layer of oil. they thought it could be harmful to the babys health. do you have any info?? also gripewater is not aloud for babies anymore, but you can get it in england. is it still in your country of have you ever heard of it?? gripewater is for babies who are theething or in pain or wont sleep easily..it been around for donkeys years!! but they banned it 2 years ago because theres a minute trace of alcohol in it. me and all my siblings used to drink it by the bottle..never did us any harm!!

Answer: I'm in the US and castor oil is not advised but certainly available at any drugstore. Gripewater, not sure anymore but about a year ago I was able to get it at local drugstores.