As moms, we’re always looking for safe, drug-free ways to keep our babies comfortable when they’re sick. For our family, homeopathic remedies have been an effective answer. When I started studying unique homeopathic remedies, I was amazed at how many factors go into deciding which remedy to choose. Although babies communicate in their own way, it’s really hard to know exactly what they’re feeling. You know they have a fever, but do they have an earache, sore throat, or stomach ache?

I decided to ask the doctor who introduced me to homeopathy. She taught me about muscle testing or applied kinesiology for my children. Studies have shown that this method is 98% accurate. Testing in this way shows people’s “tolerance” of a substance. If the muscle is weak, there is no tolerance, so it would not be the remedy to use. If the muscle is strong, it’s like your body says yes, this is good for me and makes me stronger. Because mom and baby are so energetically connected, mom’s muscles will respond when baby is tested. It takes practice, but once she gets it, it saves a lot of time and takes a lot of guesswork out of which remedy is best for the baby.

This is a good way to practice and get a feel for what is strong and weak for your body. One of the easiest muscles to test is your arm strength. You will need another person to help you. Extend one of your arms in front of you and ask your body how it would respond if something is good for you. You can just say something like “strong is yes” and see how strong your arm is when it resists someone trying to push it down. Then say “weak is no,” then see if you can resist when someone pushes you down. Now you know how weak and strong feel.

Now try it with a real substance. Hold a pound of refined white sugar or flour in one hand and see how your muscle responds. Now try it with a carrot or an apple, notice the difference. Just keep trying different things and notice other feelings coming into your body. You can immediately feel energy entering or leaving your body. This is a great way to become more aware of how your body speaks to you. You can use this technique for vitamins, foods and remedies. Your body will also respond to positive or negative thoughts. Once you’ve practiced and become more confident with your body’s response, you can use the same technique while holding your baby. The only thing added when testing for the baby is that you must intend to test for your baby, not yourself. So you could try thinking or saying something like “Is this good for the baby?” before testing the strength of your muscle.

Here is a simplified list of remedies that I always keep on hand. You can buy yourself a home kit and build from there. There are many different materia medica books to choose from that break down each remedy into symptoms the person might be feeling.

Constipation – Nux Vomica

Fever and inflammation – Belladonna

Teething and irritability – Chamomile

Ear pain and inflammation – Pulsatilla

Vomiting – Ipecacuanha, arsenicum album (especially good for food poisoning)

Bumps and bruises – Arnica. Arnica ointment is ideal for external use.

Diarrhea – Podophilia

Because there are so many different cold symptoms, there are also many different remedies for those symptoms and this is where muscle testing comes into play. It will help you determine what is best for the baby. One sign that I have noticed that you have the right remedy is that your baby will fall asleep and her mood will change. It’s like she’s taken the edge off the symptom and is supporting her little body to fight the symptom. My doctor recommended that I give one dose, then another dose 15 minutes later, and another dose 15 minutes later. This seems to get the remedy into the body more quickly and is usually enough for the day. For more information consult a homeopath.