Crunchy Kids! The First of Many.

My nephew's a crunchy kid.

I have a giant. A 13-year-old, shaving, 5’9″ giant. And I’ve goaded him, pleaded him, and cried at his feet to test out some crunchy recipes for teens. He says no (although I will wear him down one of these days). Then he hugs me and tells me he loves me, so I forgive him. Because he’s 13, and hugs don’t come fast and furious like they used to.

So perhaps that’s why I didn’t even think to start doing things for little ones. But last Christmas, I made everyone in the family lotsa homemade goodies, including the eight-bajillion under-5ers that were hanging around. So I have a decent base to start with in terms of recipes for kids that I like.

All of that, just to introduce a new weekly feature: Crunchy Kids!

Luckily, I also have a 2-year-old at my disposal, so I’m going to have to warn my friend Katrina that her child will be my guinea pig soon. If she says no, I may just start running out my front door and putting things on random kids. You can’t walk around Manitou for two minutes without stepping on a few.

Next week, we’ll do something super fun for the bathtub – and it’s a really great project to do together. But to kick things off, here are some quick tips for common kidlet issues you can do right now (if you need to).

• Ugh. Mosquito bites! Apple cider vinegar. Just dab it on a cotton ball and rub it on the itchy area. The itch – gone. And, bonus: If they’ve scratched it raw (and it might sting a little to use the ACV), you’ll get extra antibacterial support for potential infections.

• Too Much Fun in the Sun: For a kid-sized sunburn, one really weird (kids love the weird) and effective remedy is to toss a potato in the freezer for about 30 minutes and then slice it in half. Run the sliced potato lightly over the burned area and the pain will subside. Or, as mentioned in this post, cucumber works much the same way (minus the white wine for kids, probably  – which is okay – more for you).

• “But I Don’t Wanna Go to Bed!” If you have a chronic non-sleeper, go to Whole Foods (or, better yet, a locally run natural foods store) or Mountain Rose Herbs (on the left sidebar) and get some lavender essential oil (you will want some anyway, because I will use it often here).  Put a drop or two on a Q-tip and rub it on your crunchy kid’s pillow. Not the pillowcase. It might stain. Lavender soothes and sleepifies little ones in no time.

• Rosemary and Boo-Boos are Great Companions. For a little scratch or scrape, boil 1/4 water with 1 Tbsp rosemary. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Strain, add a little ice to cool the liquid down, and dab onto the affected area (of course, for bigger cuts that are bleeding profusely, please see a health care provider). It’s a great “magic fixer” that works as an antiseptic and for calming (the scent of rosemary does many wonderful things for kids).

That’s it for now. More to come in the near future. Crunch on,  kids and moms!

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Do you have a kidlet home remedy or homemade skincare solution you just love? Or an absolute favorite, tried-and-true homemade beauty recipe of your own? How about a question for Crunchy Betty about an issue you’ve been having? Shoot me an email at [email protected]!

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