Childhood is probably the most
important stage of one’s life. Ayurveda has a lot to offer for appropriate
physical and psychological development of children. It not only helps healthy
kids to remain healthy but also has great potential to help sick children.
Ayurveda makes elaborate
recommendations on how daily schedule, food habits should be managed for a
baby. If the mother is breastfeeding, she needs to follow certain guidelines to
prevent any suffering of infants. (Ayurveda believes that breast milk can be a
source of good nutrition, it can also be a source of disease development). In
the first few weeks of life newborns can suffer from several different
conditions such as infection at the cord, colicky pain, and constipation. An
ayurvedic practitioner can guide you on how to use home remedies in mothers so
that the effect is conveyed to the baby through the breast milk. Infant does
not need to be given any supplements. According to conventional medicines, in
any situation, infants are given either antibiotics (if they develop any
infection) or a fever reducing agent such as Tylenol/Motrin (if they have
fever). But there are several other conditions for which there are no
recommended medicines but we can see that the baby is suffering and the
situation definitely needs some action other than just watching the baby
crying.
Firstly, Ayurveda describes
specific guidelines regarding infant wellbeing. Breastfeeding is an essential
part of newborn care. The benefits of breastfeeding are widely known. Sometimes
mothers health is not optimally maintained, her breast milk supply may be
diminishing. Ayurveda believes that vitiated dosha are carried to the baby via
breast milk and in that care Ayurveda can help by recommending supplements and
home-remedies that have been proved to increase breast milk production in women
for centuries.
Teething and walking are the two
important developments in the first year of life. Most babies fall sick and
lose a lot of weight when they are teething. They get symptoms such as
dysentery, constipation, cold, cough, fever, loss of appetite, vomiting, etc.
When babies start walking, they loose a lot if energy. If they are not fed well during this period they
loose weight, their immunity compromises and they get prone to different
diseases. They start getting frequent ear/throat infection and related
symptoms. Some babies may even get childhood asthma. Ayurveda recognizes that
this age is particularly dominated by Kapha Dosha (water + earth elements). If
the infant’s diet is managed based on guidelines to keep the Kapha balanced, a
lot of these troubles can be significantly reduced.
It is evident that most kids at
this age are very susceptible to contagious infections. It is important to try
to keep each and every child healthy. As we often hear, one child in a
childcare facility falls sick and eventually most family members of each child
going to that facility suffer from that infection. The only way to keep kids
healthy is to increase their immunity by appropriate diet and daily regime.
