As a pediatric ND (Naturopathic physician), I have been asked by Mare to provide some advice to holistic mothers who are seeking out non-invasive solutions to their children’s health problems. I’ll start this week with Mare’s own question:
Dr. Marcel, we’ve just come back from China, and my 1-year-old baby appears to be having a hard time with jet lag and getting back on our time zone. Any ideas for what we can do to help speed her transition?
This is a tough one. Every child adjusts differently and it may take days to get back on schedule. Some parents even report that it took weeks to adjust.
The main “remedy” is exposure to light. Sunlight, that is. After returning from a trip, make sure the child gets lots of sunlight during the day. Sunlight entering through the eyes activates evening release of melatonin, which calms the child. (This works for adults as well.)
Other things that can help are shortening their daytime naps so the child is more tired in the evening. For example, if the child regularly sleeps an hour during the day, wake them up after 10-15 minutes and get them engaged in some kind of activity.
Lastly, homeopathic Chamomile (Chamomilla 6C, 30C, etc.) also works in calming and enabling sleep.
