We’ve gathered quite a few tools in our anti-constipation toolbox in the last 18 months. After the Miralax debacle, I was on the hunt for natural remedies to have in my back pocket for digestive support when we needed it. The trouble is that my four-year-old is, quite possibly, the pickiest eater on the planet. So that perfect diet with all the right servings of fruits and veggies at every meal that is the first step to healthy digestion? It’s pretty unrealistic in our house (try as I might, ya feel me?)
The most effective way for us to support his tummy when it has trouble has been magnesium in the form of Natural Calm. Traditionally, it’s activated when mixed into warm water, but he wouldn’t drink either the flavored or unflavored varieties. I put it into some chicken broth, which worked a little bit, but he soon tired of it. My mother-in-law had the idea of mixing the powder into peanut butter (his favorite snack), and letting the stomach acids in his tummy activate it, and that worked like a charm.
Other items in our healthy digestion toolbox:
– probiotics (both powdered and gummies)
– fiber gummies (used occasionally, as needed)
– a strict dairy-free diet
– gluten-free-ish (we aren’t as strict here, but do it when we can)
And the latest addition to the arsenal? Tummygize.
I’ll be the first to admit: I was a reluctant essential oil user. I thought it was all a little bit more placebo-effect than the life-changing stories everyone touted, and I swore I would never join the trend. But then I became a mother of a child with chronic tummy issues.
This latest round has been a three-month-long doozy, and all my go-to tricks weren’t working. I was at my breaking point when a friend told me about Young Living oil blend specially catered to little ones’ tummies. I told her I would give it three months – highly cynical that it would actually work.
I was a believer in three days.
When I tried it, Jordan had gone an average of once every 7-9 days for three months straight. And when he did, he was on the potty for at least 45 minutes hating every second of it before he finally went. I used the tummy oil twice, and he went within 15 minutes of sitting on the potty for the first time in three months.
The next day, I swiped his tummy three different times throughout the day, and he went two days in a row for the first time in three months.
By day three of a few oil applications, he climbed up onto the potty and went without any crying, screaming, or squirming at all for the first time in three months. Has it cured him? Not by any means, and we are digging deep to get to the root of his tummy issues. But it (along with everything else in our arsenal) has helped to ease us into the direction of a healthier tummy.
I’m brand new to the world of essential oils (which is a big deal – for years, I swore I would never touch them after watching people sell them the wrong way and getting turned off to the idea of them altogether). I will be sharing everything I learn as I go – what works, what doesn’t, what my favorites are! And, I promise, this blog isn’t going to be all poop stories. It is the forefront of our right-now and has been the catalyst for finding these essential and intentional ways of naturally nurturing and supporting our family. Still to come: DIY dry shampoo, a bomb homemade turmeric face mask, and our favorite toys for stimulating always-need-to-be-stimulated minds.
Interested in exploring essential oils with me? I’d love to have you jump on the bandwagon with me! Go here for more information.