Even though the instructions in the boxes of the gripe water were clearly stated, many parents are still attempting to give their newborns gripe water more often than they should. The excuse is as long as you don't give gripe water more than prescribed within 24 hours then you should be okay. but is this the case? How often can you use gripe water? What will happen if you give your newborn gripe water more frequently than you should?
Let's find out in this article.
What is gripe water?
Let's recap what we have learned in the article “How much gripe water can you leave a newborn? and when is it too much?”
Gripe water is a liquid that contains sodium bicarbonate and herbs. Depending on the brand and the formula, gripe water can contain fennel, Ginger, peppermint, lemon juice, etc.
Gripe water is not approved by the FDA, but the American Academy of Pediatrics says they are a safe option to try with a reasonable dosage.
Does gripe water help?
Does gripe water help? Different moms have different experiences so let's hear what they have to say.
Emma T said that she has been using gripe water over the weekend with her little one and it worked when she can get the gripe water into his mouth. The only problem she was facing was that her son spits the gripe water out.
Stacy said that her little one had terrible gas every time after feeding. And gripe water worked wonders for her. she tried to give gripe water to her baby in the middle of the feed and she always got the burp she wanted.
The Harrisons said gripe water is a lifesaver for them. They use gripe water for their 6 months old when she needs it. they have done that since the baby was a month old and it worked every time straight away.
Emily said that both of her sons got colic. The eldest son needs to have infacol before his feed, while the youngest one needs gripe water before his feed.
While so many parents swear by the gripe water, many others are strongly against it. JoJo said she was a firm believer that gripe water is not that good for babies. She found cycling Legs at every diaper change worked well and rubbing their tummies in clockwise directions and warm bath worked even better. Whenever she used gripe water for her baby, she got the burp she wanted but every time she laid her baby down, the milk just poured out of her.
So in conclusion, just like everything else in life, gripe water Works for some but doesn't work for others. So if you really want to try gripe water and make sure you only use it as the backup method when you have done every other thing and they didn't work. and make sure you have to follow the instructions.
But here’s the question, how often can you use gripe water? and if you give gripe water more often than suggested, what would happen?
Let's find out.
How often can you use gripe water?
In my guide on how much gripe water can you give a newborn, I have researched and compared the dosage as well as the frequency of giving gripe water to a baby. In general, you need to wait at least 30 minutes before giving another dosage of gripe water to your baby. Because common sense is, that all of the ingredients in the gripe water need some time to work in their tummies.
30 minutes is the waiting time to see whether these ingredients work for your little one and if you need to give more gripe water to your baby. If you see that your baby seems to respond well to gripe water but is still feeling a little bit uncomfortable, then you can consider giving more gripe water as long as you wait at least 30 minutes between each time. But what happens if you give gripe water more often than suggested? It means you do not wait 30 minutes between the times but you give 2 doses right away.
To find out, of course, I would not experiment on my son but I tested it on my own. Let’s see what I did and what was the result.
Giving gripe water more often than suggested
I bought a Wellements Organic Gripe Water and according to the instruction, I can take 10 mL of gripe water and up to six times within 24 hours as long as each time is 30 minutes apart. So I decided to take 30mil each time and after 15 minutes I took another 30mil.
The result? Well, nothing unusual happened with my stomach. I noticed that I burp slightly a little bit more often within the first 15 minutes. but after the second dose maybe I did not have any gas left in my stomach, I did not belch at all.
Did I feel uncomfortable? No, not at all. Did I have a stomach ache? No, not at all. Did I have an issue with diarrhea or constipation after consuming 60 mL of gripe water within 15 minutes? No.
From my experiment, consuming gripe water more often than every 30 minutes is quite safe. And actually, it tastes like tea.
How to make gripe water at home?
Some parents suggested that if adults want gripe water for their troubled tummies, then they can try to make it themselves. And making gripe water at home is easier than you think. Because it is making herbal tea.
What you can do is grab a whole different bunch of tea bags, peppermint, chamomile, ginger, fennel, and some lemon juice into a teapot. Boil some hot water and pour it in. it is a gentle treatment for your troubled stomach.
Wrapping it up
Even though the result of my experiment with an adult, AKA myself, is safe, I still strictly follow the manufacturer's instructions on how often can you use gripe water for your baby. I don't want to take chances and if they say that I need to wait at least 30 minutes between the next time then I will do it because it’s for my baby.