# looking for safety info on aloe vera juice for infants



## Maxine45 (Oct 29, 2005)

someone I know recommended giving my 4 week old aloe vera juice for his spitting up/gas pain. I confess I tried it; have given 1 ml daily for a week now.
I can't seem to find any info on the safety of this and now I'm worried I made a bad move.
any ideas???


----------



## runes (Aug 5, 2004)

i'll have to dig around but i think i read someplace that adults should only take aloe juice for a limited time because it can cause dependence. most people take it to encourage regularity. i was surprised when i read this, as i thought it would be safe. but again i'll look around to see if there are any references about this.


----------



## Maxine45 (Oct 29, 2005)

thanks, I'm suddenly so worried about this


----------



## runes (Aug 5, 2004)

everything that i found says it's not to be used for infants under 12 months old. and i reread you op, i originally didn't register that your baby is only a month old. i don't think a baby that young should be ingesting anything other than breastmilk...

maybe can you elaborate on your childs symptoms and some of the wise mamas here can troubleshoot.









nak


----------



## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

I would not give anything like that to a baby that young. Really anything but breastmilk messes up their digestive tract.

-Angela


----------



## beanma (Jan 6, 2002)

i agree, breastmilk only. i definitely would not recommend aloe juice. have you read dr sears techniques for dealing with a gassy fussy baby -- http://www.askdrsears.com/html/5/T051200.asp#T051208 ?

some babies just spit up. you can ask your pediatrician about it, but some just do. my dd2 was an amazing spitter, but she didn't seem to be in pain from it so we just cleaned up a lot. dr didn't recommend anything else. i think dr sears is the one who says spitting up is usually a laundry problem rather than a medical problem ( http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/t110225.asp ). sometimes it can be reflux and that's worth checking out with your dr, too.

hope you and your little one find some relief soon!


----------



## Maxine45 (Oct 29, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kidspiration*
everything that i found says it's not to be used for infants under 12 months old. and i reread you op, i originally didn't register that your baby is only a month old. i don't think a baby that young should be ingesting anything other than breastmilk...

maybe can you elaborate on your childs symptoms and some of the wise mamas here can troubleshoot.









nak

I was so willing to try it, he has inconsolable screaming after he eats, we're getting better at burping him and keeping him upright for about 30 minutes after hea eats and those things seem to help but there is still the occasion where he just can't be helped through his gas pain. He spits up some but the projectile spitting up only happened one day. I've kept a food journal to track what might be hurting him, have eliminated dairy and caffeine and it seems to help. I just thought the aloe would soothe his tummy and help him feel better. Now I feel like a failure b/c I wasn't thinking about what a tiny little thing he is and that I shouldn't have given him a foreign substance. And I'm frustrated b/c I can't find any information (reliable info) on what the harm could have been. I just hope those 6 ml didn't do any harm to my little boy.







:


----------



## elmh23 (Jul 1, 2004)

Don't worry Maxine. You thought you were doing your best! Keep up with the food diary and remember certain things take awhile to get out of your system (like dairy) so even when you quit, he may still have moments of tummy upsetness (that's probably not a word, lol.)

Good luck! Being a parent is difficult!


----------



## TexasSuz (Mar 4, 2002)

I say if it works then use it on occassion. A doctor would probably give your child acid reflux medicine. I would rather use something natural. No you have a natural doctor to take him to? I used aloe vera juice with my son (as an infant) to clear up constipation.


----------



## beanma (Jan 6, 2002)

oh, i hope i didn't come across to harsh.







. i doubt if the aloe did anything too bad, but if somebody was asking me what to do that's not one i would think to recommend. plenty of mamas give their little ones all sorts of stuff so i really wouldn't worry about 6 ml of aloe juice unless he starts showing some new symptoms. optimum intake IMO for infants is breastmilk, but there are plenty of mamas and drs who don't think a little formula or rice cereal in baby's bottle or other non-BM item is a good thing.

some mamas swear by gripe water, but i never tried it. maybe somebody with more gassy fussy baby experience can chime in. my dd1 used to have bad gas on the other end as an infant and we did the bicycling legs trick and the tummy massages and they seemed to help her.

the fussiness right after eating reminds me of things i've read about reflux so you might like to do some research about that. i've not had any experience with it so i'm not much help there. here's a link or two -- http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/ger.html
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/reflux.html
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/t106000.asp

hth and


----------

