Some of the most popular children's remedies aren't safe for children.

This Saturday Connie takes on the one where the stakes are highest and the labeling is loosest: what to reach for when it's a child — and what to put back.

Start with the part most people have never had explained. A child is not a small adult, and it isn't only a question of size. A baby's liver and kidneys clear things slowly, so what an adult body processes in hours can sit around far longer in a small one. A child's skin is thinner and, pound for pound, there's a lot more of it — which means anything rubbed on goes further in than you'd expect. And dosing follows weight, not birthdays. That's why natural and safe for children are two completely different claims, and why the right answer changes between a newborn, a toddler and a ten-year-old.

Connie is going to name names. Honey before the first birthday. Vapor rubs and anything menthol, camphor or eucalyptus near a baby's face. Benzocaine teething gels, and the amber teething necklaces that keep coming back around. Over-the-counter cough and cold syrups for the under-fours. Aspirin for a child with a virus. Melatonin gummies, and why poison-control calls for them have climbed the way they have. She'll explain what each one actually does in a small body, because "don't" without "why" never sticks — and because the why is what lets you make the call on the next thing someone recommends to you.

The other half of the morning is the good news: what genuinely helps is mostly unglamorous, cheap, and already in your house. Fluids and how to tell a child is getting enough. Saline and a bulb syringe. Steam, humidity and elevation for a night cough. An oatmeal bath. Honey after age one, which has better evidence behind it than most of the syrups. Rest, and a parent who isn't panicking.

And the part Connie won't let anyone leave without: the signs that mean this is not a home situation. A fever in a baby under three months. Labored breathing. A child you can't fully rouse. Dehydration. Nothing on Saturday replaces your pediatrician, and Connie will say so first and loudest.

This week we're covering

• Why a child is not a small adult — liver, kidneys, skin, and why dosing follows weight, not age
• The under-one list: honey, and what else has no business near an infant
• Teething — what actually helps, and why benzocaine gels and amber necklaces are off the table
• Coughs and colds — why the syrups aren't recommended under four, and what parents used before them
• Fever: what it's for, when it's doing its job, and when it isn't
• Essential oils around children — menthol, camphor and eucalyptus, and where the age line falls on each
• Colic, tummy troubles and gripe waters — what's in the bottle, and what never makes it onto the label
• Skin — eczema, rashes, bites and sunburn, where gentle beats clever every time
• The gummy problem — iron, vitamins, melatonin, and why that cabinet needs a lock
• The red flags — the symptoms that mean call the pediatrician now, not after lunch

New to our workshops? You're very welcome. Connie starts each one from the ground up, so nothing this Saturday assumes you've been before. Grandparents, sitters and anyone who watches somebody else's kids — this one's for you too. Bring your questions.

Join us Saturday, September 26

⏰ 11:30 am – 12:30 pm CST

In person: Wise Women Botanicals, 1011B Hwy 24 West, Moberly, MO 65270. $10 per person, limited seating — call (660) 263-1033 to reserve your spot.

Online (free): Can't make it to Moberly? Join the live webinar at no charge. Register on our Wellness Workshops page and we'll email you the meeting link.

Our Wellness Workshops happen every Saturday. Sign up once and you'll get each week's topic and meeting link in your inbox.