When Baby Oats was diagnosed with GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disorder), I was more than willing to put him on Prevacid and get rid of his discomfort. I knew if I were experiencing awful heartburn, I’d pop antacids like crazy – he should get the same comfort.

At the same time, I knew that with relatively ‘mild’ GERD, there might be other things we could do to avoid a long-term commitment to medication, especially at such a young age. Since my naturopath has been so wonderful with every other ailment that has struck our family, I booked Baby Oats in to see her.

She checked through my file for anything that Baby Oats might be predisposed to, and took an exhaustive history of Baby Oats (well, as ‘exhaustive’ as you can get with a 6 week old). She checked his joints, his abdomen, his reflexes, everything. And she had a few really great suggestions. The hope is that after 3 weeks of sticking to her recommendations, we will be able to cut the Prevacid dose in half, and eventually wean off of it all together.

*please note, these suggestions are specialized to Baby Oats. While they are great general guidelines, I am not a medical professional and don’t recommend trying anything without consulting your PCP or an ND first.

1. An infant probiotic: A probiotic will help establish a healthy gut and immune system for Baby Oats. Though this won’t ‘cure’ the reflux, it just makes the whole digestive tract work better. The probiotic he is taking comes in a powder form; I mix it with a bit of distilled water or breastmilk and give it to him via syringe.

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 2. No dairy: There is sometimes a link between dairy intolerance and reflux in infants. I am lactose intolerant and Mr. O’s GERD is triggered by dairy, so it was a natural place to start. I’m doing a trial dairy-free diet for the next few months to see if it helps with Baby Oats’ symptoms

3. Fennel tea: Fennel is great for any digestive issues or stomach upset. I’ve been steeping 2 tbsp fennel seed in about 2 cups of water. I drink most of it, and put some in a syringe for Baby Oats. Not only is he getting the benefits through my milk, but the cooled tea also acts as the natural form of gripe water.

4. Infant massage: Some of Baby Oats’ issues are related to gas, not just reflux. Oftentimes these go hand in hand; reflux babies take in more air, have more gas, and experience more discomfort. The naturopath showed me infant massage techniques (like leg bicycling, with a bit more force and jiggle) that work to alleviate gas. Every single time we massage him, Baby Oats toots at least 10 times.

5. A bland diet: For now, at least, I am supposed to avoid spicy and heavily spiced foods, plus too many raw vegetables. Also, I should limit my intake of typical ‘gassy’ foods, like raw broccoli, brussels sprouts, and legumes. This isn’t a long-term thing, but while we’re waiting for  Baby Oats’ digestive system to mature a little, every little bit helps.

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I’m really excited to give some of these techniques a try, and see what effect they have on Baby Oats’ symptoms. For those of you with reflux babies, have you tried any of the above? Any other natural suggestions for me?