Gripe water is known as a safe and natural remedy for a fussy baby tummy. Still, you need to be very careful with what type of gripe water you get for your baby. There are certainly side effects to gripe water and depending on the ingredients of the specific type you get, they could be quite nasty. Here are some important things to think about when you want to avoid side effects of gripe water.
Alcohol
Today it is well known that alcohol can be bad for babies. The side effects are drowsiness and many believe that there could be other dangers involved that are yet to be scientifically confirmed. For this reason you should look for natural gripe water without alcohol.
Charcoal and Citric Acid
Charcoal in gripe water can also cause nasty side effects like dehydration. If you see citric acid in the list of ingredients it is also a bad sign. Citric acid can be dangerous also for adults, if overly consumed. Your baby’s system is still developing and you should risk problems with digestion by giving gripe water with citric acid.
Natural Herbs
Gripe water is natural with natural herbs but this doesn’t mean that the effect of these herbs is mild. Herbs like peppermint can greatly disturb your baby’s tummy. The side effects of such gripe water would be more crying from achy tummy! Try to stick to the herbs that are known as mild like Chamomile and similar.
Allergies
A very problematic side effect of gripe water is allergy. If you find that the gripe water contains gluten it could be very bad to give it to your baby. Gluten can definitely lead to an allergic reaction in a young baby so if it is in the gripe water, just skip it and stick to the massage and prayers!
Knowing more about the side effects of gripe water which is not purely natural and mild should make you realize that it is worth it buying a real brand with the security of avoiding side effects. You won’t have to get many bottles of gripe water since your baby will eventually grow out of the gassy stage and be able to handle your milk and other foods without gas and pain.
Massage had no Side Effects!
You can invest some time in learning about baby massage since it is a method for treating baby gas that has no side effects. Read a book or take classes on baby massage to learn more about how to make your baby’s tummy feel easier to the joy of everyone!