Healthy Kids, Happy Parents

Natural Health For Babies and Children – Prevention At Its Best!

Healthy children have a strong foundation for life! Naturopathic medicine can support their optimal development in these critical years.

I’ve always loved babies and kids – I still do! And I particularly love seeing them in my practice where I can support the parents and give them some simple tools for helping their young ones grow up healthy, strong, and balanced from infancy to childhood and beyond in the teen and adult years.

Infants

In the first year of life I offer well baby exams which involve weighing and measuring, checking reflexes, giving the little ones a once over to ensure everything is developing on schedule, and chatting with the parents about what their current and upcoming concerns are: teething, solids, crawling, sleeping. That first year is so fun to be a part of as they grow and develop into toddlers on their way to being healthy children.

Any concerns with growth milestones can be addressed immediately if noted. There’s also an opportunity to anticipate the next transitions for little ones and offer resources, suggestions, and support. We can discuss options for picky eating before baby has even started on solids, which helps parents to feel more empowered as they encourage and witness the evolution of their healthy child.

In infancy and the toddler years some common concerns include eczema, digestive issues, and the building of a healthy immune system through exposure to germs. Small children are going to get colds frequently – one per month is perfectly normal at some stages of their lives, even though it’s exhausting for the parents – so the goal for kids is to reduce the intensity and the duration of the illnesses. Let them develop the immune response, build up a library of antibodies, and move on to happy snot-free playing again!

While treating the presenting concerns there is still time to talk about prevention with the parents. For example, fish oils have been studied to show that early introduction (even as soon as in utero!) can reduce allergic symptoms in children¹. For allergy-prone parents this could be a simple two-for-one intervention that benefits themselves as well as their children.

Children and Teens

School-aged kids are still exposed to a range of viruses and need to acquire the antibodies so that they have fewer and fewer illness into adulthood. But in general, the focus for supporting healthy children as they move through elementary school and high school shifts with time.

Skin issues such as eczema, warts, and dryness may dominate the younger child, while acne during puberty takes centre stage (and is usually a prime motivation for a teen to see an ND without rolling their eyes!)

Concerns with focus and concentration may start to show themselves in the early school years, with many parents nervous about the initiation of stimulant medications for ADHD. Stimulant meds have established their benefit for many kids and adults with ADHD, but the side effects of appetite suppression and potential lack of nutrition, or even weight loss in growing child is a valid concern! There are complementary approaches that can support the child/teen’s focus to a degree where a lower dose of the medication is just as effective and reduces the side effects.

Setting Them Up For Success

I LOVE it when parents bring in their youngsters with a shrug and a “They’re fine. I just want to establish a relationship now so that we’re on your radar.” and we get to talk about optimizing their health *before* any symptoms arise. Those parents are then easily able to book in for quick 15-30 minute appointments as needed for the inevitable colds and coughs that come with the school year, as well as any earaches, pink eye, tummy aches, emotional concerns, focus issues (ADHD, ASD), skin reactions, sleep changes, or anything else that may arise over the years.

If a parent has extended benefits for naturopathic medicine then the child/ren do too. When feeling exhausted from listening to your child cough all night is not when most parents want to get through the hour long initial! I encourage all parents with benefits to book their child/ren as soon as is convenient so that a therapeutic relationship is established and they have me in their back pocket for whatever arises, as it arises.

I can help bridge the gap between “They aren’t sick enough for urgent care/the ER” and “Poor thing is so sick and miserable! How can I help them beyond endless cuddles?”. My in-house beta testers (my own growing healthy children!) drive some of my recommendations, recipes, and physical treatments based on taste, ease of hiding treatments in foods or beverages, comfort with topical options, and more.

I see babies, children, and teens struggling with coughs and colds, digestive issues (constipation, regular tummy aches), eczema and acne, allergies and asthma, focus and concentration concerns, diagnosed ADHD and/or ASD, and mental health issues including anxiety and/or depression. I’d love to help you help your kiddos to thrive as they grow from healthy children into healthy adults.

References

1. Miles EA, Calder PC. Can Early Omega-3 Fatty Acid Exposure Reduce Risk of Childhood Allergic Disease? Nutrients. 2017 Jul 21;9(7):784. doi: 10.3390/nu9070784. PMID: 28754005; PMCID: PMC5537898.