Update 10/23/17: Make sure you have these ingredients on hand before this Halloween. Also, if your children have any food allergies, be sure to check the ingredients of the candy they eat.
If you didn’t follow the 12 Tips to Prevent Your Kids from Eating Too Much Halloween Candy, you may be dealing with Halloween Hangover at your house.
Eating too much candy can wreak havoc on your kids’ digestion, causing nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps.
Having some home remedies for an upset stomach can save the day (or help you get through the night). Many of the ingredients can be found in your kitchen, and if one doesn’t work for you, there’s a whole list of remedies to try.
16 Home Remedies for Upset Stomach:
- Water – Drinking plenty of water will help to flush your child’s digestive system and speed their healing. Filling your belly with water when you have an upset stomach is counter-intuitive, but it works. Keep them drinking water until everything comes out the other end…
- Fennel seeds – Mostly used as a culinary herb, fennel seeds can be chewed up or brewed as tea (crush first) to calm an upset stomach.
- Peppermint tea – Strong peppermint tea is a tried and true remedy for what ails the stomach. Hot or cold, sweeten it with a little honey and sip it periodically until symptoms disappear.
- Chamomile tea – Chamomile does double duty, soothing the stomach and relaxing the body so they can sleep.
- Lemon tea – Hot lemon tea, made with the juice of half a lemon and sweetened with honey or agave nectar, is one of nature’s best medicines.
- Ginger tea – Grate fresh ginger root into hot water, steep for 5 to 10 minutes, strain and drink. Ginger is a powerful anti-nausea remedy. Kids may not like it, so be forewarned. Tell them it’s exotic Chinese medicine…
- Licorice root tea – Hot tea made from licorice root needs no sweetener and soothes a raw stomach.
- Bergamot tea – Both bergamot and bee balm make an excellent digestive tonic.
- Cardamom – Stir a small amount (1/8 teaspoon) of ground cardamom into tea or warm milk to relieve stomach pain.
- Fresh fruit – A piece of fresh organic fruit, like a banana or an apple, can help sweep out the intestines with healthy natural fiber. Apples are full of pectin, which stimulates elimination.
- Yogurt – Plain yogurt (organic if possible) helps to restore intestinal flora to healthy levels. It is easy to digest for most, and soy yogurt is a good choice for kids allergic to dairy.
- Smoothie – Blend fresh fruit, orange juice or water, and yogurt together for a healing treat. Stay away from frozen smoothies when feeling ill.
- Plain toast – Toasted bread or zwieback can help stop the rumbling in the belly caused by a candy overdose.
- Baking soda – A small amount of baking soda mixed with warm water is a natural version of Alka-Seltzer. Tastes not so great, but can be used in a pinch.
- Nux Vomica – A homeopathic remedy for upset stomach or indigestion that helps the body to heal itself. Hylands makes a remedy called (surprise!) Upset Stomach that works well.
- Bach Rescue Remedy – This mixture of flower essences works miracles when everything else fails.
To make any of the herb teas listed above, use 1 teaspoon of herbs per cup of hot (not boiling) water, cover and steep for 5 to 10 minutes, strain and serve.
While none of these home remedies are magic or instant, they can give enough relief to get them through the night and help your child’s body to heal itself.
Image: Crystl at Flickr under a Creative Commons License
Actually, this happened to me when I had Nutella spread on toast for breakfast, thanks for posting, but it’s not just for kids!
One of the most familiar home remedy ingredients, garlic has been used to relieve tooth pain for thousands of years. When crushed, the plant releases something called allicin, which is an antifungal and antibiotic compound. If a toothache is the result of an infection, which many are, there is a good chance that garlic will be able to destroy or at least slow down the bacteria.