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The first couple of weeks after our first newborn daughter was born (5 years ago), she was having trouble with gas. The most helpless & worst feeling as a parent is not being able to comfort your sweet baby.
I did research to find a natural homeopathic cure. I read about Gripe water, a traditional folk remedy that is centuries-old. Gripe water is amazing for soothing little tummies that are upset because of painful gas, reflux, digestion issues and it also helps hiccups, teething, colic, etc. You can purchase Gripe water from most pharmacies and online, but it can be pricey for a small bottle, and most contain preservatives, sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup, and dyes. Not ingredients you want your newborn ingesting.
So I looked into making our own comparing recipes and tips then consulted her doctor to see if the herbs were okay to give to her. Also, it’s surprisingly easy to make. We found it to be a lifesaver, it has been our go-to cure for our babies. Gripe water calms them and their tummies almost instantly, it helps them to stop crying or go back to sleep.
Gripe water isn’t just for fussy babies it works wonders for toddlers, kids, and adults with hiccups, or suffering from painful gas or other tummy troubles.
*Safety Note: The information provided in this post is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be medical advice I am not a doctor and I make no medical claims or promises. Please check with your baby’s pediatrician if you have any concerns about your baby’s health or if your baby cries excessively and before you give anything to your baby to ingest be sure it’s something that is safe for your baby. Although medicinal herbs have fewer side effects than chemical medicine, it should still be taken safely as herbs are still medicine.
~ Here’s a list of the herbal ingredients and why they help ~
- Chamomile: This calming flower reduces inflammation, helps with indigestion, rashes, anxiety, and insomnia
- Dill Weed: Used to treat indigestion, soothes tummy troubles. There are some properties in dill that are thought to relax muscles.
- Fennel: Helps to prevent or reduce gas, indigestion, aids in digestion, and is commonly used to treat babies with colic. Also has properties that may increase mommy’s milk supply, so drink up mom!
- Ginger: Soothes tummy troubles, gas, diarrhea, indigestion, colic., nausea, and inflammation.
- Peppermint: Helps inflammation, aids in digestion, nausea, vomiting. upset tummy, diarrhea, headache, muscle pain, rash, nerve pain, toothache, joint conditions, itchiness, and gas.
~ Recipe ~
1 cup boiling water
1 bag chamomile tea (or 1 tsp loose herb)
1 bag ginger tea (or 1 tsp ground or fresh shredded ginger)
1 tsp dill weed
1 tsp fennel (seed or ground)
1 bag peppermint tea (or 1 tsp loose herb) *(optional)
1 tsp natural sweetener – coconut palm sugar, raw cane sugar, agave nectar, or 100% pomegranate juice *(optional)
*Note:
- No honey until baby is over a year old. Also, avoid using artificial sweeteners like erythritol, stevia or xylitol.
- If you find the gripe water is too strong, your baby doesn’t like it and you don’t want to use sweetener, you can dilute with extra water.
~ Directions ~
- For the loose herbs (dill, fennel & ginger), I cut open the tea bags, added the loose herbs and re-stapled them, or you can use a loose tea strainer.
- Combine herbs with boiling water and let steep 20 minutes, or until almost strong in flavor.
- Remove herbs. If you choose to sweeten add now.
- Pour mixture into an airtight glass jar and freeze the rest (If you don’t have a mason canning jar, you can reuse an old jelly jar or another small jar)
- Let Cool then refrigerate before serving
Label jar & keep refrigerated. Stays fresh for a week, you can also freeze in ice cube trays.
~ How to serve to baby directly ~
● 0-3 months: 1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL)
● 3-6 months: 1 tsp. (5 mL)
● 6-12 months: 2 tsp. (10 mL)
- In a medicine dropper
- Sip off a spoon
- Add to baby’s bottle
*Note: Do not exceed 6 doses in 24 hours.
~ Breastfeeding moms: How to serve to a baby through breastmilk ~
To simply administer to a breastfeeding baby, the mother can drink it. The benefits are passed along through the breastmilk!
1. Freeze in ice cube trays – one cube = one ounce – Add 1 cube to tea or blend in a smoothie
2. Dilute it with water drink it directly
*Note: Breastfeeding/pumping moms, while peppermint is great for soothing tummies, there is evidence that it (and other mints) may prevent lactation if ingested (I’ve never had trouble). Fennel helps increase breastmilk, maybe using both balances it out.
Homemade Gripe Water - All Natural - Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Boiling Water
- 1 Bag Chamomile tea (or 1 tsp loose herb)
- 1 Bag
Ginger tea (or 1 tsp ground or fresh shredded ginger)
- 1 Tsp Dill weed
- 1 Tsp Fennel (seed or ground)
- 1 Bag Peppermint tea (or 1 tsp loose herb) *(optional)
- 1 Tsp Natural sweetener - coconut palm sugar, raw cane sugar, agave nectar, or 100% pomegranate juice *(optional)
1. No honey until baby is over a year old. Also, avoid using artificial sweeteners like erythritol, stevia or xylitol..... 2. If you find the gripe water is too strong, your baby doesn’t like it and you don't want to use sweetener, you can dilute with extra water.
Instructions
- For the loose herbs (dill, fennel & ginger), I cut open the tea bags, added the loose herbs and re-stapled them, or you can use a loose tea strainer.
- Combine herbs with boiling water and let steep 20 minutes, or until almost strong in flavor.
- Remove herbs.
- If you choose to sweeten add now.
- Pour mixture into an airtight glass jar and freeze the rest (If you don’t have a mason canning jar, you can reuse an old jelly jar or other small jar)
- Let Cool then refrigerate before serving
- Label jar & keep refrigerated. Stays fresh for a week, you can also freeze in ice cube trays.
Notes
● 3-6 months: 1 tsp. (5 mL)
● 6-12 months: 2 tsp. (10 mL) 1. In a medicine dropper 2. Sip off a spoon 3. Add to baby's bottle *Note: Do not exceed 6 doses in 24 hours. ~ Breastfeeding moms: How to serve to a baby through breastmilk ~ To simply administer to a breastfeeding baby, the mother can drink it. The benefits are passed along through the breastmilk! 1. Freeze in ice cube trays - one cube = one ounce – Add 1 cube to tea or blend in a smoothie 2. Dilute it with water drink it directly *Note: Breastfeeding/pumping moms, while peppermint is great for soothing tummies, there is evidence that it (and other mints) may prevent lactation if ingested (I've never had trouble). Fennel helps increase breastmilk, maybe using both balances it out.
Thank you for reading!
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XOXO, Cameo
I found here very valuable information for health, congratulate the author for
such a good article!
Take care!
bookmarked!!, I love your site!
How have I never heard of gripe water? This is fantastic. I am printing this out 🙂 I love that it’s all natural.
It is fantastic. Enjoy! 🙂
Thank you for posting this recipe. I have a few questions. 1) Is the dill fresh or dried? 2) The ginger amount it says 1 tsp ground or fresh. I’ve always heard the proportions should be different for fresh vs. dried herbs. Ex: If recipe calls for dried herbs and you want to use fresh you would want to use 3x more fresh bc the dried herbs tend to be more potent. So, I guess I’m wondering if you used fresh or ground ginger. 3) I have a tea steeper for loose tea leaves, but if I put ground ginger in that it will all just deep out and dissolve in the water. Is that ok? Many thanks!
I used dried herbs. I’m not sure what the proportions would be using fresh. I think it is fine if the ground herbs seep out, as long as they dissolve.
I really love fennel seed, I use it in many dishes but I also make a fennel seed tea. They are even great to just chew on and so soothing for digestion. I can see why this would be one of the ingredients in the gripe water.
Yes, fennel really is a fantastic herb, great for tummy upsets! 🙂
I was just thinking reading this at the beginning, how am I going to get the dill weed in this without it floating everywhere, lol you answered my question perfectly, – cut open the tea bags and restaple – genius 😀 I want to try this for myself because my stomach has been a mess lately.
It works wonderfully, I have never had an issue with the herbs escaping. I hope it helps your tummy troubles <3
I wonder if spearmint tea can be used in place of peppermint… I have a huge bag of loose leaves.
Hi Tanya, Thank you for reading, I believe you can… Peppermint is mainly used for relaxing muscles, soothing sore throats, and relieving stress. Spearmint helps with nausea, hiccups, and even works as a mosquito repellent.
Just made some of this for myself and my daughter and I could feel the relief. I didn’t have fennel seeds though but it still did the trick. My daughter didn’t have stomach issues, she just wanted to try some, but she liked it too.
I’m glad to hear it helped relieve your issues and your daughter enjoyed the gripe water too!
I love to drink chamomile before bed, I am sure I will enjoy this. Will pass it along to my friends who have babies and very young ones.
Thank you for commenting and sharing with your friends, I do hope you enjoy 🙂
I know a lot of people that could use this!
Yay! I love to hear this 🙂 Please share and Thank you for reading!
Gripe water helped my kids when they were younger, it seemed to soothe and comfort them. I like the recipe you posted and will have to print it out next time one of us has tummy issues. I never thought to use it for myself lol.
Gripe water is amazing for all upset tummies… Enjoy!
I had to come back and comment. Thank you so much for this recipe, it has helped my baby girl and family more then you could ever know! I am so grateful for finding it!
I am so happy to know it helped you! Thank you for letting me know, I love to hear from my readers!
Great recipe but please be aware tea bags contain sulphites.
This is really awesome post. This site has lots of advantage. I found so many interesting things from this site.. Thank you so much for sharing such an amazing post, it helped my little one’s tummy!
You are so welcome, I am happy to hear it helped!
LOVE THIS RECIPE!!!! LIFESAVER!!! We have been using everyday has cured our daughters colic!! Happy mommy here!! Thank you I made extra and froze in ice cube trays as suggested!
So wonderful to hear, it is the best!! <3 Enjoy!
Great recipe, happy to have found this!! Thanks
This helped!!! Nothing else would! Thank you 🙂
You’re welcome!
Gripe Water for infants was first used in 1851 England. The basic ingredients are fennel, ginger, and chamomile. When made with natural ingredients free of alcohol or sugar it is basically a simple gestational herbal tea. You can safely give to an infant daily if needed for gas and tummy troubles in babies.
Very interesting. Thank you for sharing!
Love this recipe!!! Thank you 🙂
You’re welcome! Thanks for commenting!
Thank you!!!
You’re welcome 🙂
Thank you for this!
You’re welcome!
Thank you for the recipe. I have been using for two weeks, it helps my twins tummies!
Happy to hear it helps your twin tummies!! Thank you for letting me know.
My Grandmother recommended I try gripe water with my infant! Your recipe looks the best! Thank you
Thank you for this homemade gripe water recipe! I just sent my husband to the store to get the ingredients we don’t have!
Thank you for this recipe!
Nice Recipe! Bookmarked!
Helped my toddler feel better! Thank you
I’m excited to try this recipe tonight!