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Healthy Home Economist / Archives / Natural Remedies / Safe and Effective Gas Remedy for Babies

Safe and Effective Gas Remedy for Babies

by Sarah Pope / Affiliate Links ✔

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Dangers of Mylicon Drops
  • Gripe Water Full of Toxic Ingredients Too
  • Natural Gas Remedy for Babies

baby with no gas

For those of you familiar with the various “nursing personalities”, my son was definitely the speed nurser (aka, “Barracuda”), latching on like a little vacuum and suckling with all his might for about 10 minutes on each side until there was nary a drop left.

Because he was such a hungry little fella and nursed so quickly, he suffered from a lot of gas issues due to swallowing quite a bit of air with each feeding.

Granted, some of his gas issues were due to my consumption of pasteurized organic dairy, but I didn’t know at the time that this was part of the problem.

Burping him properly after each feeding helped of course, but he still would get very gassy from time to time and he would cry from the discomfort in his little tummy.

Like any new mother, I wanted to give my baby relief as his cries, especially around sundown, were tough to handle on some days.

The first person I asked for help was my Pediatrician, who immediately recommended Mylicon infant gas drops, an over the counter gas remedy from the pharmacy.

I went to the local drugstore right away and picked up a bottle that had the words “safe for babies” emblazoned on the package. The words also proclaimed that the product was free of alcohol, saccharin or artificial flavors.

Sounded good.

When I got home, however, I started to read the fine print and was dismayed at what I discovered.

Dangers of Mylicon Drops

First of all, the active ingredient in this gas remedy was something I had never heard of before:  Simethicone.

I then went from concerned to downright disturbed when I read the inactive ingredients:

Mylicon Drops ingredients: anhydrous citric acid (GMO), benzoic acid, flavors, glycerides (C14-18, mono- and di-), maltitol, methylcellulose, microcrystalline cellulose and carboxymethylcellulose sodium, polyoxyl 40 stearate, polysorbate 65, purified water, silica gel, sodium benzoate, sodium citrate, xanthan gum.

Citric acid almost certainly derived from genetically modified (GMO) corn?

Benzoic acid, a harmful preservative used in cosmetics?

Methylcellulose derived from pesticide residue laden wood pulp?

DNA damaging sodium benzoate linked to Parkinson’s disease, liver damage and hyperactivity in children?

Not in my child’s body, thank you very much!

natural gas remedyGripe Water Full of Toxic Ingredients Too

When I called the Pediatrician back with my concerns, the receptionist suggested Gripe Water as a safer gas remedy alternative. But examining the ingredients at the pharmacy for this supposedly safe herbal supplement wasn’t impressive either.

Gripe Water ingredients: purified water, sugar (GMO), glycerin (GMO), propylene glycol, sodium citrate, natural ginger flavor, citric acid, xanatham [sic] gum, disodium EDTA.

Sugar?

Citric acid known to likely contain MSG residues and most certainly derived from GMO corn?

Propylene glycol, aka “edible” antifreeze?

Disodium EDTA, a preservative that may cause allergic reactions, asthma attacks, skin rash, and possible kidney damage?

Unreal that this remedy could be considered in any way “natural” or herbally based!

At this point, I felt betrayed by my Pediatrician’s office which had recommended not one, but two gas remedies that were loaded with toxic ingredients. How in the world could putting such chemicals into my newborn’s body, possibly multiple times a day for weeks or months on end until he outgrew his gas issues NOT be harmful?

Natural Gas Remedy for Babiescatnip and fennel extract

I decided not to give my son either the Mylicon drops or the Gripe Water and promptly threw the bottle of Mylicon drops I had purchased in the trash.

Next, I picked up the phone and called my midwife for advice instead – something I should have done in the first place even though I was no longer under her care since baby was now several weeks old.

She advised that I buy a bottle of Nature’s Sunshine Catnip and Fennel extract and put a drop on my baby’s tongue after feedings to eliminate gas. Having been burned twice, I was careful to check the ingredients once again. I was relieved when I read the following:

 Catnip and Fennel extract:  Catnip leaves extract and fennel seed oil in a base of glycerin and water (sources).

At last, a safe gas remedy that had no ingredients that I felt uncomfortable putting in my baby’s body!

But, did it work?

Yes, it did!  It worked extremely well in relieving gas and tummy discomfort in my newborn and it was safe to use with every single feeding.

As a bonus, my baby loved the taste too. I continued to use this gas remedy until he was well over a year old. Sometimes I would even use it if he wasn’t gassy as he enjoyed the taste so much and it soothed him a great deal before naps if he was feeling fussy.

This experience was one of my initial introductions to learning the critical importance of questioning what my Pediatrician said and examining for myself whether a medicine or procedure was truly “safe” for my child. Not only might a doctor’s advice be incorrect, but there is likely an equally effective remedy that is completely nontoxic that works just as well and you can feel good about using – if one is open to looking.

More Information

Are You a Tummy Bug Magnet? Fat Phobia May Be the Cause
Slippery Elm for Tummy Aches
Natural Reflux Remedy
Food Poisoning Remedies

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Category: Healthy Pregnancy, Baby & Child, Natural Remedies
Sarah Pope

Sarah Pope MGA has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics from Furman University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of three books: Amazon #1 bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her four eBooks Good Diet…Bad Diet, Real Food Fermentation, Ketonomics, and Ancestrally Inspired Dairy-Free Recipes are available for complimentary download via Healthy Home Plus.

Her mission is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.

Sarah was awarded Activist of the Year in 2010 at the International Wise Traditions Conference, subsequently serving on the Board of Directors of the nutrition nonprofit the Weston A. Price Foundation for seven years.

Her work has been covered by numerous independent and major media including USA Today, ABC, and NBC among many others.

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Reader Interactions

Comments (186)

  1. Melissa Arellano via Facebook

    Aug 6, 2014 at 4:47 pm

    I just received mine and just gave my 5 month a drop off my finger…hopefully this does the trick

    Reply
  2. Candice Hawksley via Facebook

    Aug 5, 2014 at 8:13 am

    Just ordered this extract online. A month ago I had mentioned to my paediatrician about my infant’s gas issues & right away he prescribed Mylicon. I never picked it up because I’m a HUGE non-believer of ingesting chemicals to ‘fix’ our symptoms, especially not in a baby! And I’m glad I didn’t get it, looking forward to trying this natural remedy. I’m a little nervous, but aren’t all first time moms?!

    Reply
  3. Thelma Rhind via Facebook

    Aug 4, 2014 at 8:51 pm

    Caraway tea is what has been used for generations in my family!! I still drink it just because if is a warm fuzzy 🙂

    Reply
  4. Dina Garcia via Facebook

    Aug 4, 2014 at 7:24 pm

    I did baby massage , it worked!

    Reply
  5. Angela Holden-Davies via Facebook

    Aug 4, 2014 at 7:15 pm

    Disgusting!!!….. What ever happened to putting fennel seeds in water! Everyone has them in the cupboard! Shocks me to be honest!

    Reply
  6. Jama Harris via Facebook

    Aug 4, 2014 at 4:53 pm

    Isn’t glycerin toxic though?

    Reply
  7. Umm Maryam via Facebook

    Aug 4, 2014 at 2:08 pm

    I always made my own fennel water.

    Reply
    • Pam

      May 2, 2015 at 1:05 am

      I have contacted the manufacturer who has sent me a fact sheet and it’s actually vegetable glycerine. I believe it would defeat the purpose of the product and what the name behind the supplements stand for r had there been chemical additives with the natural ingredients.

      I have purchased this product thanks to this lovely mother who decided to share her experience and success with alleviating her child’s pain which is something all mothers would want to do. I completely agree with her on every point she raised.

      I also am having success with this product and I am very happy I stumbled on this site while I too was in search of a remedy.

      Thank you!

    • Yolande

      Sep 25, 2015 at 8:58 pm

      Good for you i did fennel tea 40 years for my two babies and i live love to still drink a cup of that inexpensive seeds. Cheap safe and tasty. Enjoy mom and baby

  8. Jordan AndSamantha Railsback via Facebook

    Aug 4, 2014 at 11:34 am

    I used plant enzymes, they worked amazing!

    Reply
  9. Jan Helf Curtin via Facebook

    Aug 4, 2014 at 9:18 am

    We always used a little baking soda in boiled water. Worked really well.

    Reply
  10. Karen Messina via Facebook

    Aug 4, 2014 at 9:04 am

    my Sicilian mother in law used chamomile tea for my colicky daughter. worked very well.

    Reply
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