Want to be prepared to treat illnesses at home and avoid the doctor’s office? Preparation is key! By having these 6 things on hand, you’ll be ready for most anything!
- Tools: Thermometer, Otoscope, Stethoscope
- Homeopathic First-Aid Kit
- Collodial Silver
- Supplements
- Bone Broth
- Nebulizer (and 3% Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide and Saline)
(Please remember that I am not a medical professional. I’m just a mom sharing what has helped my family. I am not advising you to avoid seeking medical care. You should do your own research and planning. And you should seek professional medical advice whenever it makes sense to do so.)
When I first began my journey into a more natural approach to healthcare, I knew I wanted to avoid the pediatrician’s office as much as possible. The typical doctor’s toolbox offers antibiotics, acetaminophen, allergy medications, and steroids, all of which I wanted to avoid whenever possible. When I considered the high cost of visits, long wait times, and the unwanted prescriptions we’d likely be given, it really made sense to handle my kids’ needs at home whenever I could. I’m thankful to report that, even with 4 kids, we haven’t make a trip to the doctor’s office for sick care in over 5 years!
But being able to handle a sick child’s needs at home means being prepared AHEAD of time. I can’t emphasize preparation enough. Many of the items on my list aren’t available in my small town, and must be ordered online. Over and over I’ve encountered friends desperately trying to gather needed supplies while they care for their sick children. It’s a tough spot, and it often sends unprepared moms running straight back to the pediatrician’s office for minor, treatable illnesses. So, if you are serious about treating your sick kids at home, come up with a plan on how you’ll stock up on the supplies you’ll need NOW. Don’t wait!
Now, on to the list of the supplies I’ve chosen to have on hand for my family!
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1. Tools: Thermometer, Otoscope, Stethoscope– Dr. Mom must have some tools to help her monitor her child’s condition. First on the list is a thermometer, but I must say, I try very hard not to pull mine out of the cabinet. Something about watching the number on a thermometer will send most moms into panic-mode, and she’ll reach for her acetaminophen before she can stop herself! Instead, I can usually tell if my child has fever just by touching him/her. I can tell how concerned I should be about the fever by observing my child’s behavior…Is he lethargic? Is he consuming enough liquids? Is he restless? If at all possible, I let the fever do its job. If you want to reframe how you look at fever so you won’t be terrified of it, I recommend a book by prediatrician Dr. Robert Mendelsohn called How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor. There is even a free version online, and you can jump straight to his chapter on fevers.
The second tool is an otoscope. An otoscope is fantastic for looking in your child’s ear to see if there is infection. You can also check their throat easily. Not sure what you are looking for? My otoscope came with a handy reference book, but you can also do an online search for pictures of ear infections, strep throat, etc. and compare. I also find it helpful to check my kids’ ears and throats when they are HEALTHY so I have a good frame of reference for what our “normal” looks like.
And the third tool is a stethoscope. It can help you listen to your child’s lungs. Noting the sounds of your child’s breathing and cough can help you determine what you kind of illness you might be facing. The good news is that you can get a decent quality stethoscope for home use relatively inexpensively.
2. Homeopathic First-Aid Kit– When it comes to treating most childhood illnesses at home, a good homeopathic first-aid kit will help you a TON! I have the Christina Villacorta kit, and I absolutely love it! Almost every single day I find myself reaching for it for some reason or another. Colds, flu, croup, pink eye, ear infections, sore throat, bug bites, muscle cramps, stomach viruses, headaches…the list goes on and on. Boiron and Homeopathy World also make a good kits that you may want to consider. If you can’t afford to invest in a kit, check out my post on the 10 Homeopathic Remedies Every Family Should Own. It’s a great starting place, and you can build your own kit from there.
3. Collodial Silver– I no longer reach for my triple-antibiotic cream when we have a cut or scraped knee. Instead, I reach for my colloidal silver. I’ll also use it directly in the ear for ear infections. I’ve even used it in the eye to treat pink eye. It work very quickly, and it has so many benefits. Be sure to check out this article from Dr. Axe if you aren’t familiar with what all colloidal silver can do to help you treat sick children at home. And keep an eye out for my upcoming article on brewing colloidal silver at home yourself. It’s so affordable, and when you brew it yourself you can have enough for cleaning, pets, and other household uses!
4. Supplements: Vitamin C, Zinc, Vitamin D, Probiotic, Elderberry Syrup– When I have a sick child, I also work on supplementing his body with all of the good support it needs to respond well to the illness. I’ll typically blend up a supplement cocktail called my Get Well Cocktail. It consists of Vitamin C/ Sodium Ascorbate (here’s the brand I buy), Zinc (this brand), Vitamin D (this brand).. I add a little Stur flavoring, and my kids love it! They guzzle it down with no complaints, which also helps with their hydration levels. I’ll give them my homemade supplement cocktail 3-4 times a day.
I also give them a dose of my homemade elderberry syrup with local honey each day. With all of this goodness pouring into their little bodies, you’ll be amazed at what their God-given immune systems can do in a short amount of time!
5. Bone Broth- It may seem old-fashioned, like something your great-grandmother would do, but I’m a believer in homemade bone broth! By the way, if you don’t already know how incredibly easy it is to make homemade bone broth, check out my article to learn more. Bone broth is full of minerals, amino acids, probiotics, collagen, and other nutrients your body needs when fighting an illness. I usually keep some bone broth in the freezer, so I’m ready to whip up a big batch of soup whenever illness strikes. But if you’ve got a picky eater on your hands, you can incorporate your bone broth into mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, sauces, cooked veggies, or many other recipes. Do whatever you’ve got to do to get that nutrient-dense goodness in them! You can read more about the goodness in bone broth here.
6. Nebulizer (with 3 % Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide and Saline)– We won’t be without a nebulizer in my house! In fact, I have a spare on hand, just in case mine decides to quit working in our moment of need! Home nebulzing can be a controversial topic, so I’ll refer you to a great article by Dr. Jockers. He shares published research on nebulizing to fight respiratory illnesses, and he sites multiple doctors. He even shares a “recipe” for how to make your nebulzing solution. What does my family choose to nebulize when treating our sick kids? After gathering information from a variety of doctors, I’ve settled on a recipe for my family that includes saline, Food Grade 3% Hydrogen Peroxide, and Lugol’s Iodine. We will nebulize this solution when we are fighting colds, flu, Covid, allergies, sinuses, and more!
So that’s it, 6 things to gather to stock your natural medicine cabinet. If you stock up ahead of time, you’ll feel better prepared and more ready to tackle the challenge of treating your sick child at home. Instead of spending time in a doctor’s waiting room (around other sick children and their germs), and instead of running all over town gathering supplies, you’ll be at home. You can snuggle with your sick child, watch movies, and remain attentive to any changes in his symptoms. Remember, God has gifted you, the mom, with the ability to read your child better than anybody else on this planet. And when your child is sick, he/she wants no one more than his mom. Sounds like a winning combo to me!
Finally, I believe that God has equipped mothers with a great deal of common sense when it comes to caring for her children. If you feel like a situation is beyond what you can handle at home, don’t hesitate to seek professional care. You could schedule an online appointment with a homeopath or naturopath, or you may even opt to visit your local clinic.
I’ve also found it helpful to have a circle of like-minded friends to bounce ideas around. Sometimes, in the sleepless chaos of caring for my child, I’ll forget something obvious. A gentle reminder from a fellow mom-friend can be invaluable. A wise friend can also help me keep a level-head and make good decisions about when to switch gears with home treatment and when to seek professional medical help. With a well-stocked medicine cabinet, prayer, determination, wise counsel from friends, and a good dose of common sense, you’ve got this, Diligent Mama! You really do.
Want more natural medicine and home remedy ideas? Be sure to visit my Remedy with Diligence page!
