Why Gripe Water is Important to Your Child

It is common that Gripe Water is seen in every parented household. Why that is given to the baby? How does it work? And what are its pros and cons? Gripe water is a non-prescription medicine. It is given to soothe discomfort, colic and gastrointestinal ailments in babies.  

Gripe water contains herbal ingredients. The ingredients include mainly include Sodium bicarbonate, dill leaves, fennel seeds, ginger extract, chamomile, liquorice, and lemon balm. The ingredients vary from brand to brand of gripe water.

Precautions while feeding gripe water to babies:

• Consult your paediatrician which brand to be used.
• Choose the gripe water which does not include alcohol.
• Sugar may or may not be part of gripe water. It is better to choose the one which does not contain sugar. The intake of sugar may cause tooth decay in babies.
• Discontinue using if the baby shows any kind of allergy symptoms such as itching, watery eyes, redness on the skin or spitting up.
• Do not exceed recommended dosage.

References:

National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Webmd.com
Europe PubMed Central.
Tropical Medicine & International Health – Wiley.