Watsona Castoria Is Philippine Gripe Water

[Dave Hounddriver]

If you are searching for Gripe Water for a colicky kid you will find out that the old fashioned kind that is now banned in first world countries contains sodium bicarbonate and alcohol along with some vitamins and minerals.

You won't find the real gripe water anymore because pediatricians have decided that alcohol and sodium bicarbonate are bad for an infant. So guess what. Go to any local boutica and ask for Watsona Castoria and read the label. Hmmm. They say it is a laxative for infants (as if babies need a laxative) but the ingredients are sodium bicarbonate, alcohol, some vitamins and herbs and the directions say you can give it to kids only weeks old.

Only in da Philippines. Illegal everywhere else.

[i am bob]

If you are searching for Gripe Water for a colicky kid you will find out that the old fashioned kind that is now banned in first world countries contains sodium bicarbonate and alcohol along with some vitamins and minerals.

You won't find the real gripe water anymore because pediatricians have decided that alcohol and sodium bicarbonate are bad for an infant. So guess what. Go to any local boutica and ask for Watsona Castoria and read the label. Hmmm. They say it is a laxative for infants (as if babies need a laxative) but the ingredients are sodium bicarbonate, alcohol, some vitamins and herbs and the directions say you can give it to kids only weeks old.

Only in da Philippines. Illegal everywhere else.

Hmm... I think I would trust the Watsona Castoria more than the gripe water you can get here in the Great White Norde! And as a father of 3, I swear by it!

When the babies start to teeth, one of the old ways to make the little ones stop crying was to dip your finger in some rum (rhum) and run it around their gums. The first time I did this with my daughter, she laughed, burped, hiccuped and then threw up! I took a look at the bottle and realized it was my fault - it was a bottle of overproof rum! Even now my daughter still likes a spiff of rum.

:mocking:

[Dave Hounddriver]

I gave in and tried that Watsona Castoria as gripe water. It only takes 1 ml a couple times a day to change a colicky hell to a pleasant baby. This is only the second day using it but if the preliminary results are any indication, I don't know how we got by without it.

[Jollygoodfellow]

Up date Dave? all going well?

[i am bob]

Yes, Dave, are you now considering a hairline like mine?

(Father of 3 including identical twins - thankfully all grown and on their own!)

:mocking:

[Dave Hounddriver]

The wife told the pediatrician that she was using Watsons Castoria and the doc told her don't do that, so of course we no longer do that. Hmmm seems I said that in post 1 but I guess the wife had to hear it from someone else to believe it.

pediatricians have decided that alcohol and sodium bicarbonate are bad for an infant.

[i am bob]

It's not the sodium bicarbonate that was deemed bad but the alcohol. The amount of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) that is used is much less than what is used by adults for indigestion - probably closer to 1/10th that amount. Many times the babies are cranky because they don't have enough gas to get that burp out and it isn't sitting well - or their stomach is acidic and they may have a touch of heartburn. You'll know the latter if they throw up - everything will be curdled. This is what the baking soda is for. Oil from dill plants and/or fennel is also added as this will coat and sooth the stomach lining. If you search on-line, you can find recipes that will give you the amounts to use safely. I did this with my twins and it worked almost as well as the commercial variety with the alcohol in it. I really couldn't handle my 2 midgets monsters when they got their hang-overs the next morning! :)

[Dave Hounddriver]

It's not the sodium bicarbonate that was deemed bad but the alcohol.

According to some doctors, sodium bicarbonate can cause an imbalance in babies' electrolytes, which can also lead to serious problems

I'll let you Google the source. Perhaps all my research is wrong.

[i am bob]

I called a friend who is a paediatrician to ask her about the sodium bicarbonate before I posted my last. She basically stated that it's not the sodium bicarbonate itself that was the issue but that too much of it is in most manufactured and home gripe water formulas. It was this excessive amounts that causes the issues with electrolytes and such. She also told me that parents who do use gripe water often overuse it and that was also a major cause of health issues.

I know there is research saying not to use this on kids. I also have seen research stating the opposite. I guess it's a matter of who do you believe and what do you want to do as a parent.