Written By: Debjani Arora | Published : October 31, 2017 10:22 AM IST
With two kids at home, my usual complaint and rant is about them getting sleep. Until a few days back I had a difficult time helping them lull into a peaceful sleep. Okay, before you judge me let me tell you I have tried everything warm bath before bedtime, soothing lullabies, reading a story, dimming the lights and what not. But nothing helped my kids sleep. Here are 10 soothing ways to help your baby sleep.
An old aunt in my family told me to add ghee in my kid s food during dinner time. Her explanation ghee induces sleep. I am not someone who believes in these grandma s remedies. Even if I take help of home remedies to treat a cough or cold I would do my own research to see if it has any scientific basis. Here are six reasons why experts recommend eating ghee every day.
I searched a lot to establish a connection between ghee and sleep. But hardly found any. Apart from one study which did mention about the medicinal properties of ghee and how it actually helped to boost overall health. It helped in a lot of ways indigestion, managing cholesterol, etc. And in the passing, it mentioned that it helped to induce sleep too [1].
When it comes to using ghee to induce sleep here is what you need to keep in mind
Don t add dollops of ghee in the food as that can increase the caloric value of the food. Your child needs only 1000 to 1500 calories a day or even less depending on the age. So, don t overdo it with ghee. Read to know how much ghee is too much for your child.
Only one spoon of ghee a day is enough to help your child reap its benefits. More ghee might be difficult for the body to deal with the caloric excess.
Don t try to include ghee in every meal that might not help. In fact, kids can t digest too many fats too soon and this could lead to bloating and gas.
How to use ghee to help your baby sleep better
I used half a spoon of ghee to one bowl of dal during dinner time which is usually at 8 pm. The staple combination of food is rice or roti with dal and one vegetable or a non-vegetable side dish. When I checked if this trick can help to induce sleep with my paediatrician all he said is a little ghee at dinner won t harm, so I tried the same.
Did it work?
To an extent it did. I don t have to sit and wait for long hours in bed for them to fall asleep. After a little banter and cuddles, they both doze off. It s been 15 days since I tried this and my firstborn (5-year-old) is more active and bright in the morning. Probably she is having a good night s sleep.
I am sure most mothers might be using ghee in their children s diet and there is no reason to ask you all to try it differently. But if you think that your baby isn t sleeping well at night, try including ghee at dinner. Trust me it works.
Reference
[1] Shukla, D. J., Vyas, H. A., Vyas, M. K., Ashok, B. K., & Ravishankar, B. (2012). A comparative study on chronic administration of Go Ghrita (cow ghee) and Avika Ghrita (ewe ghee) in albino rats. Ayu, 33(3), 435.
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