Coke Syrup

Hi Abbie!

Sorry to hear your little one was having tummy issues! My mom (English/Irish background) also gave us flat ginger ale and something called "coke syrup," which you could buy at the pharmacy when we were little. A quick search reveals that it is still available at some pharmacies and online. It appears to simply be concentrated coca cola, which itself had medicinal origins. My mom would pour a small amount of coke syrup over ice and have us sip it slowly when we had the flu or an upset tummy. I remember it tasting very sweet and delicious.

I have never tried hibiscus tea, but it's bright red color sounds beautiful. It makes sense that the introduction of new foods when a child is sick and less open to change would be a challenge...If the food remedies are things you wouldn't normally feed your child unless they are sick, you have a dilemma. I wonder if it's worth introducing the "sick foods" during well periods, so they get used to them? On the other hand, I remember really looking forward to my coke syrup, ginger ale, saltines, noodle soup, and popsicles when I was sick. It became part of the ritual for us as kids and signaled that we were getting special attention and treatment. I would hesitate to over-do the sick foods in well times, because I wouldn't want the foods to lose that part of their power.

-Marjorie

P.S. I checked with my mother-in-law about her suggestion of using honey-water for dry skin in babies, and yes, she did mean bee honey. This was a generation ago, so I wouldn't be surprised if women of our generation no longer do this in light of new medical guidelines.