Fennel Tea

[kirsten1985]

I have been reading all sorts of wonderful things about fennel tea for babies, but I'm still a bit dubious.

Is it really ok to give them? Freya is nearly 5 months now.

I have read that it is all natural, that it is calming and helps with wind.

But I have also read that it is naturally sweet, and I don't want Freya to get too used to sweet foods and drink. She is very windy, and as a result is often sick. I would like to get the wind under control! (We have tried loads of other things for this, lol).

Has anyone used this? Or Chamomile tea, which I've heard is much the same.

Opinions on both please!!!

 

[Babyshambelle]

Oooh, I drink it myself and i swear it passes through to my milk because she is def less windy when I have had it. I haven't given it to her yet, but I re member getting a sample bag of it and it saying 4+months?

 

[kirsten1985]

Yeah I was thinking of getting some for myself anyway, I know Hipp sell it, but I would have to look at other brands as I don't know what else they put in there!

How does it make them less windy?!

 

[Babyshambelle]

I think it relaxes and soothes their digestive system a bit so it doesn't churn so much and create so much wind once they have fed...I think that also helps with bringing up wind for the same reasons. I'd find you the link but got to run to shower before baby club!! xxx

 

[ShadowRat]

Hey, my Health Visitor advised we give Vincent fennel tea when he was just 6 weeks old, and we trusted her and went for it. I've tried it, it's really not that sweet: It smells much sweeter than it is, tbh it tastes quite bland really so I wouldn't worry about getting her too used to sweet drinks But I can safely say that it did Vince no harm at just 6 weeks old, we used it for about 3 weeks and it got us through his windiest phase very well It aids digestion, so it helps to release the wind. Also, it's great if your baby is very hungry like Vince was (and still is really!) because they can have a drink in between feeds and be a bit more satisfied. I swear by it, I am so glad our HV advised it now

HTH, good luck if you decide to try her on it, hope she enjoys it!

Shadow xxx

 

[ShadowRat]

(Haven't ever used/tried chamomile I'm afraid so have no help for you on that front, sorry! )

 

[kirsten1985]

Thanks, I think I will get some today. I think chamomile is meant to be more soothing, but less for the wind. Freya isn't a hungry baby and can be off her milk sometimes. It's for this reason that I like to get any fluid I can into her, she can go from weeing for England to 2 wet nappies a day, which horrifies me. Hopefully she will like the fennel stuff and get drinking!

 

[Babyshambelle]

Oooh yeh...forgot to say about the sweetness...it really isn't that sweet at all! My OH tried it and asked for a spoon of sugar to be put in it! xxx

 

[ShadowRat]

xxx

 

[kirsten1985]

That's good, I was a bit bothered about it being too sweet! I'm looking forward to trying it now!

 

[Faerie]

In Switzerland and France its completely normal to give babies tea, I was a bit dubious at first but it really really works! Here they give it from 1 week old, Sofia first had it when we moved here when she was 8 weeks, she had really bad colic and the fennel helped sooo much!
If she's wound up I give her chamomile tea and it really soothes her, she'll sleep really well afterwards
I think that the hipp ones etc are quite sweet (we have some here by a Swiss brand that comes in granules), but I recently found tea bags especially for babies and they're not sweet at all. I'm sure just using normal teabags would be fine too, just don't let them stew long!
Unfortunately Sofia hardly ever takes a bottle anymore... time to get a cup!

 

[kirsten1985]

Oh my god, I went to tesco to get tea, just got home and realised I forgot it!!!

Can't believe I did that.

Which special baby tea bags do you use? I will have a look on internet I think. Argh.

 

[ShadowRat]

I just used 100% pure fennel teabags, not a special baby brand or anything. It's all just 100% pure, natural fennel, so there's no reason that the bags themselves have to be "baby friendly" I don't think! Think ours were Twinings

xx

 

[kirsten1985]

Thanks, I will get some Twinings then. That's easy enough!

 

[Faerie]

Agree with shadowrat, think its fine to just get normal tea. I've used normal chamomile, just happened to see baby tea bags so bought them, over here we have tea bags for everything you could possibly imagine!

 

[kirsten1985]

Lol!

 

[ShadowRat]

lol cool Faerie My mum lives in France

 

[princessellie]

fennel tea is horrid lol, i had to drink it when i was trying to relactate and it was horrid, not sweet at all lol, i didnt know u could give babies tea, i know my brothers both had bottles of real tea when they were about 1+ and so did i probably, but didnt know they were allowed herbal tea now

x

 

[Faerie]

The "baby" tea you get in granule form tastes really sweet. Pisses me off they add sugar to things for babies.

 

[kirsten1985]

Yeah it's so stupid, isn't it?! I drank some today and I don't think it needs sugar. Freya had some from a cup and wasn't really bothered either way! It was very weak though. I like the idea of giving her stuff like herbal tea, I want to steer clear of juice/squash/milk as much as poss, so anything is good. She is fine with water, but it's nice to have variety!