How many times have you had your kid running to you with a tummy ache? Doctors say that these tummy aches are normal between the ages of 4-8 and occur due to stress, growing pains, diet or bowel irritation.
You treat these tummy aches based on the severity of the symptoms found in your child.
Here are 8 natural remedies to cure tummy aches in kids to try out before you head to the doctor:
1) Ginger
The juices present in ginger will neutralize or wash out the acidity in the stomach. So try to add ginger in some form to your child’s diet
2) Chamomile tea
Chamomile tea has general soothing properties. It has a herbin it that has pain relieving properties and helps in reducing pain in inflamed muscles.
3) Outdoor play
We might try to encourage a child to sit still in one place when he or she is suffering from a tummy ache.
But the surprising fact is that physical activity actually encourages movement in the GI tract and can push out the constipated matter out of the body.
4) CRAP Diet
If the tummy ache is due to constipation then following the CRAP diet has never failed for those who have tried it.
Basically CRAP stands for fruits with fiber in it that help in naturally loosening the stool.
C stands for Cherries, R stands for Raisins, A stands for Apricot and P stands for Prunes.
Basically half a cup of these fruits is sufficient to ease the pain and clear things up in stomach.
5) Yogurt
Yogurt is a natural food item that contains natural good live bacteria, with natural probiotics that aid in proper digestion.
Usually doctors prescribe it when children suffer from diarrhea, so the good bacteria in yogurt will help heal the disturbed digestive process.
6) Bland food
The stomach is very sensitive when a child has tummy issues. Bland foods get digested easily and are less irritable to the stomach. So if you have an upset stomach, opt for a diet of bland foods like oatmeal, toast, plain pasta etc… Avoid all thesauces and spices, so as to aid the digestion process get back to normal sooner.
7) Heat compress
The application of heat might not make the problem disappear completely, but it can reduce the pain that you child may feel from something that is upsetting her stomach from deep within.
What a heat compress does is that it increases the blood flow to the surface of the skin thereby reducing the feel of pain from within.
8) Peppermint
Peppermint is known to relax and soothe the muscles in the stomach. It regulates and improves the flow of bile in the digestive tract that is essential for digestion.
So do try these natural remedies before you head to the doctor. But do keep your eyes open and be alert for any tummy ache that might be more serious than a simple digestion problem or growing pain.