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Dill water for newborns: method of preparation, how often and how much to give
Last reviewed: 03.07.2025
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One of the problems of newborns is colic. Various methods are used to treat them, including dill water. Let's consider the features of the medicinal drink.
A newborn baby adapts to new living conditions. The first to react to such changes is the gastrointestinal tract, adjusting to new food. The adaptation process takes about 1-2 months, during which the baby suffers from various painful symptoms.
Infant colic is severe pain and spasms in the abdomen, which causes the child to scream and cry loudly. Most often, they begin in the first month of life and go away on their own by 3 months. There are two effective methods to alleviate the baby's condition:
- Populating the intestines with beneficial microflora. Bacterial colonies are produced in the form of suspensions, which are diluted with water and given to the baby.
- Immediate relief of intestinal colic is symptomatic therapy, which relieves pain but does not eliminate its cause. For treatment, drugs are used that eliminate flatulence and increase intestinal peristalsis.
Dill water is used for bloating due to increased gas formation. The remedy is created on the basis of fennel fruits. The plant contains essential oils, minerals, glycosides and a complex of vitamins: A, C, E, PP, K.
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Indications dill water
The main therapeutic effect of dill water is the relaxation of the smooth muscles of the gastrointestinal tract and the reduction of their spasms. The medicine expands the intestinal walls, reducing their pressure, and also combats increased gas formation.
Preparations based on fennel fruits have the following indications for use:
- Flatulence and gas in infants.
- Difficulty with defecation, constipation.
- Improving appetite.
- Elimination of inflammatory processes.
- Cleansing the body of putrefactive bacteria.
- Production of beneficial intestinal microflora.
- Diuretic effect.
- Improving bile secretion.
- Calming effect on the nervous system.
- Normalization of sleep.
The natural remedy also improves kidney function, dilates blood vessels and promotes optimal blood supply to all organs and tissues, has a pronounced antibacterial effect. Enhances the lactation process in the mother.
Pharmacodynamics
Dill water is included in the pharmacological group of carminative drugs. Its active component is fennel seeds. The herbal remedy contains about 6% essential and 9% fatty oil, provitamin A, ascorbic acid, tocopherol, folic acid, potassium, calcium, iron and other substances. The interaction of all components provides a fast and maximally safe therapeutic effect.
Pharmacokinetics
The herbal remedy is used to correct digestive disorders in newborns and older children. It has digestive stimulating and carminative properties. It stimulates the smooth functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, increases the secretion of gastric juice and improves intestinal peristalsis. The active ingredients accelerate the removal of gases, relieving spasms caused by flatulence.
The therapeutic effect develops within 10-20 minutes after taking the dose required for the infant. It is very important to start treatment with minimal dosages, gradually increasing them. This allows minimizing the risk of side effects.
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Dosing and administration
Dill water is allowed for infants from the third week of life. The dosage depends on the type of solution:
- If the medicine is purchased at a pharmacy, then it is taken 1 teaspoon after or simultaneously with feeding, 3-5 times a day.
- For a self-prepared solution - 1 tablespoon after or during meals 3 times a day.
If the baby refuses the medicine, the water can be diluted with breast milk or formula.
Recipes for preparing a solution for colic:
- Take 2-3 g of dry fennel seeds and grind them thoroughly. Pour 200 ml of boiling water over the plant material. After an hour, strain through cheesecloth and add ¼ of the volume of boiled water.
- Take 5g of fresh fennel fruits, cut into small pieces and pour a glass of boiling water. Boil the remedy in a water bath for 3-5 minutes and let it brew until it cools, strain.
- Dissolve 0.05 g of fennel essential oil in a liter of cooled boiled water. Before use, shake the solution thoroughly and warm it up. The drink should be stored in the refrigerator for no longer than 30 days.
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Contraindications
Like any medicine, dill water should be used to eliminate colic in newborns after consulting a pediatrician. The herbal remedy has no strict contraindications, but if the dosage is chosen incorrectly, it can worsen the baby's painful condition.
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Side effects dill water
Most often, adverse reactions to dill water occur when the method of its use is violated or due to individual characteristics of the child's body. Because of this, the following symptoms appear:
- Hypersensitivity reactions.
- Skin rashes.
- Spasms in the gastrointestinal tract and flatulence increase.
To treat it, you should stop taking the medication or change it to a safer analogue and be sure to consult your doctor.
Overdose
Abuse of the herbal remedy causes allergic reactions and aggravates the painful condition of the gastrointestinal tract. Also, an overdose of the drink provokes general weakness of the body, in rare cases, gastrointestinal bleeding occurs.
To prevent overdose, the medicine should be started with small doses, following the doctor's recommendations.
Interactions with other drugs
According to reviews from many parents who used dill water to treat their babies, the solution can be combined with other medications whose action is aimed at improving the digestive system. In this case, a time interval should be observed between taking the medications and they should not be mixed with each other.
Storage conditions
Dry raw materials for the preparation of dill water, like any other herbal remedy, should be stored in a dry place, protected from direct sunlight and inaccessible to children. Pharmaceutical preparations in the form of suspensions and infusions should be kept at a temperature no higher than 25 ° C. Ready decoctions and infusions are best stored in the refrigerator.
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Shelf life
Ready-made preparations based on fennel seeds (decoction, infusion, tea) should be used within 1-2 days from the moment of their preparation. In this case, the drink should be stored in the refrigerator. As for ready-made medicines, their shelf life is on average 24 months from the date of production.
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Reviews
Dill water for colic in newborns has both positive and negative reviews. Some parents note that the herbal remedy is really effective and quickly relieves spasms and flatulence, improving the baby's well-being. Others, on the contrary, insist on the inappropriateness of its use. The final decision on taking the herbal remedy should be made by the attending physician.
Attention!
To simplify the perception of information, this instruction for use of the drug "Dill water for newborns: method of preparation, how often and how much to give" translated and presented in a special form on the basis of the official instructions for medical use of the drug. Before use read the annotation that came directly to medicines.
Description provided for informational purposes and is not a guide to self-healing. The need for this drug, the purpose of the treatment regimen, methods and dose of the drug is determined solely by the attending physician. Self-medication is dangerous for your health.