Your Easy Gripe Water Recipe
Dealing with a gassy, fussy baby? Have a poor little munchkin screaming from a tummy ache? For anyone trying to treat digestive issues in their children, gripe water may be just the safe, natural recipe to help sooth your baby. As whattoexpect.com notes, “some of the ingredients in certain gripe water formulas like dill, licorice, fennel and ginger can help relieve gas and stomach discomfort (and in turn may be beneficial for infants with colic, which is thought to be caused at least in part by gas).” I have seen my simple herbal gripe water formula soothe all three of my children when they were upset from tummy pain.
What NOT to Use:
There are many, many different formulas of gripe water available online & in stores, but not all of them are necessarily healthy and safe for babies. Avoid any gripe water mixtures with artificial ingredients or any ingredient that you can’t pronounce! Some mixtures have sucralose or sugar; I would strongly suggest NOT let your babies & toddlers get accustomed to eating sugar or sweet things for comfort! (And obviously don’t use honey with babies under a year old) There is also a reason this is called gripe WATER; use an infusion made with good quality water, not a tincture made with alcohol.
I like to make my own herbal gripe water because I know EXACTLY what goes into my recipe. Since I like to keep my recipes very simple and straightforward, I only use 3 highly effective herbs in my herbal gripe water; fennel, catnip, and chamomile.
Why Use Fennel, Catnip & Chamomile?
I use fennel because it is ” one of the best herbs to use when digestion issues arise. . . Its carminative actions help relieve bloating, gas, and intestinal pain.” (The Herbal Apothecary) Rosemary Gladstar says that it is an “effective antacid; it neutralizes excess acid in the stomach and intestines and also clears uric acid from the joints, helping to reduce inflammation.” It also tastes like licorice, so it makes the whole gripe water recipe more appealing to your children, eliminating the need for additional artificial or unhealthy sweeteners.
Catnip is another great digestive aid that is regularly used to soothe indigestion, diarrhea, and colic. It is often used to calm fussy babies, relieve pain from teething, and ease stress. (Herbs for Children’s Health) Maybe the parents would benefit from a sip too when taking care of colicky babies!
Chamomile is probably the first herb that comes to mind when treating tummy troubles because it has an excellent, soothing effect on the nervous system and digestive system. Rosemary Gladstar calls it, “one of the finest and safest of medicinals.” Chamomile is often used for stomach stress, digestive complaints, nervous system disorders, inflammation, etc. All qualities that lend it very well to a gripe water formula for babies!
There are many other herbal recipes for making gripe water that may include different herbs like dill or licorice. There is nothing wrong with adding other safe, well-researched herbs to your recipe. However I always figure that if an easy straightforward recipe will do the trick, why complicate things with more ingredients to buy & use? And I can definitely say that this has worked for us!
Making Gripe Water:
-Using a clean quart sized mason jar, add . . .
- 3 Tbsp of Dried Fennel
- 1Tbsp of Dried Catnip
- 1 Tbsp of Dried Chamomile
-Next add hot, almost boiling water to the mason jar almost up to the shoulder of jar.
-Cover with a lid, label it with the date, and allow it to steep anywhere from 10 minutes to overnight. I steep mine for 24 hours. Strain after steeping.
-Store your infusion in the fridge so it is easily accessible. I also freeze mine in ice cube trays so I can store it for a long time without having to worry about it molding. This also makes it easy to use in small amounts.
Using Gripe Water:
Obviously just for clarification, I am not a doctor & am not officially prescribing anything. I am just sharing what I have used for my own kids. Consult your pediatrician or midwife with any concerns for your family.
I give up to a teaspoon of gripe water at a time using a syringe. You could also add it to a bottle or put it in a sippy cup for toddlers. The store-bought herbal gripe water I used first suggests using 1 teaspoon per serving up to 6 months old, then using 2 teaspoons per serving for children 6 months and older. It recommended giving up to 6 doses in 24 hours based on symptoms. Some people also use it to treat teething pain by soaking it in a washcloth, freezing the washcloth, then allowing the children to suck/chew on it.
If you are looking for more detailed info, you might also like to read my other blog posts;