Just like any parents, you would only want the best and most effective solution for any problems that your child may have especially when your child is still in his or her infancy period. Some of the main problems that most parents encounter during the infancy period of their kids are teething, diarrhea, colic and reflux. One of the main concoctions that parents always provide for their infants is gripe water. This concoction is a combination of herbs with baking soda and to make it palatable sweeteners. Though its effectiveness has been found to be true for many years now, parents should always keep in mind that just like any drugs and medications, gripe water can cause complications and side effects.
Gripe Water Side Effects
- Allergic Reaction
Since your baby is still in the process of developing their digestion process, there is a great chance that your baby may have allergic reactions with any herbs that are included in the formulation of gripe water. It is given that there are babies who develop allergic reactions after trying the herbal mixture of the solution making the problem worst.
- Contains Alcohol Which is Dangerous for Babies
It is shown that alcohol may provide its effectiveness mainly because of the alcohol content that it has. An average of 3.6% of alcohol can be found in the formulation of gripe water and given the recommended dosage for a baby means that the baby is consuming a he amount of alcohol that may knock him or her out. This is the main disadvantage of using gripe water.
- Interfere the Iron Absorption and Folic Acid in the Baby
What makes gripe water obstructs the ability of the baby’s body in absorbing iron and folic acid is the sodium bicarbonate content. It is known that sodium bicarbonate is obviously a content that is not suitable for infants.
- Charcoal Content
Another ingredient that concoction may have is its charcoal content. There are some gripe water solutions that compromises the ability of the baby’s body to absorb any essential nutrients. Taking other medications may also lose its effectiveness since it may combine with such drugs.
- Cavities
Since it is combined with certain sweeteners to make the solution palatable for babies, the sweetness may cause cavities for children. Though it was not found to be affecting babies having no teeth yet, toddlers given the solution were found to develop cavities after the long run.
With all these side effects in mind, parents should learn how to pick the right brand for the health of their baby. It is best that parents will read through the labels and ingredients of every medication that they would give their babies to ensure that no side effects would occur after a certain period of using it. This is sure to give parents the confidence that their babies will feel better after using the traditional medicine.