For many moms and dads, giving kids medicine is a daunting idea. From questions about cold medicine to allergic reactions, parents may balk at the prospect. But the good news is that kids don’t have to suffer. Even babies can benefit from some natural remedies that many of us keep on hand every day. For example, that same tea you use to get some sleep after a hard day can quiet colic in a baby. An ounce or two of chamomile, when steeped for five minutes and brought to room temperature and put in a bottle, can help calm intestinal spasms and acts as a mild sedative. To reduce the sugar you add to your baby or toddler’s foods, try cinnamon. It has been shown in studies to lower adults’ blood sugar when they suffer from type 2 diabetes, and kids can always benefit from less sugar in their diets. If it’s a skin problem your child faces, why not try natural aloe vera? It will cool a burn and speed healing time by as much as nine days.

Aloe helps the body repair skin more quickly, so keep a plant on hand and break off a piece, squeezing the gel inside over the affected area. Better yet, use the highly concentrated version of gel found in most drugstores. If your child gets motion sickness, then it’s teatime again. This time, grab some fresh ginger out of the produce section and grate it, adding the shavings to boiling water. Let steep for five minutes, then strain and add honey to sweeten. The concoction can calm the muscle contractions in the tummy that cause nausea. For a cough, keep out that honey for your honey. Parents rated the sweet treat higher for its effect on coughs than actual cough syrups in one study. Give children aged 2 and older a teaspoon before bed to quiet coughs, and never give a baby less than a year old honey.