vanilla extract?

LynsiBHM · September 2011

A friend of mine had a preemie with a lot of eating issues. Her pedi recommended putting one drop of vanilla in her bottles to make her want to eat. It worked well and they eventually stopped using it. My MIL has told me to do this when P is fussing or distracted and won't take a bottle. (She's from another country and also says to use brandy for teething. I haven't done either.) Then I was watching TV the other day and on "cake boss" their baby had to use some hypo allergenic formula that tasted horrible. The Dr told them to use vanilla too. Has anyone else heard of this or done it?

urbanflowerpot · September 2011

No - absolutely not. I'm from the preemie boards and I've never heard of this. Mayyyybe one of the other ladies have........

JUSTBEYOURSELF · September 2011

I know the pacifier that I got from the hospital has a vanilla smell to it. but I would ask your pediatrician.

NeverEnoughTime · September 2011

I personally wouldn't want to put anything "extra" into my son's food/bottles in fear of him always needing that flavour.

urbanflowerpot · September 2011

We have these - https://www.amazon.com/Vulli-Vanilla-Flavored-Teethe-Colors/dp/B001N45DM2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315876016&sr=8-1

katie4253 · September 2011

I wouldn't do this. Vanilla extract has alcohol in it. Not really something you want to be adding to a baby's bottle.

MelbaToast37 · September 2011

katie4253:
I wouldn't do this. Vanilla extract has alcohol in it. Not really something you want to be adding to a baby's bottle.

That's what I was going to say. Depending on the brand, vanilla extract is up to 30% alcohol - along the same lines as rubbing brandy on the gums of a teething baby.

Sharon21 · September 2011

I have never heard of it before.

g00dg0llymsm0lly · September 2011

MelbaToast37:
katie4253:
I wouldn't do this. Vanilla extract has alcohol in it. Not really something you want to be adding to a baby's bottle.
That's what I was going to say. Depending on the brand, vanilla extract is up to 30% alcohol - along the same lines as rubbing brandy on the gums of a teething baby.

Rubbing brandy on the gums is a time-tried and true way to immediately relieve their teething pain. It's certainly not enough to induce the effects or feelings of alcohol- and I don't think a drop or two of vanilla extract would do any kind of damage. My mother recommended the exact same thing to us when we mentioned that DD will not take a bottle. We haven't had to try it again yet (I SAH, so there hasn't been need for another bottle attempt) but I will definitely be willing to try it if need be. Personally we use an amber necklace and frozen teether for soothing DD's teething, and other than that the baby will be just fine. But just because these are foreign remedies doesn't mean they are any less successful than say acetominophen, which is known to cause lasting liver damage.

MelbaToast37 · September 2011

g00dg0llymsm0lly:
Rubbing brandy on the gums is a time-tried and true way to immediately relieve their teething pain. It's certainly not enough to induce the effects or feelings of alcohol- and I don't think a drop or two of vanilla extract would do any kind of damage. My mother recommended the exact same thing to us when we mentioned that DD will not take a bottle. We haven't had to try it again yet (I SAH, so there hasn't been need for another bottle attempt) but I will definitely be willing to try it if need be. Personally we use an amber necklace and frozen teether for soothing DD's teething, and other than that the baby will be just fine. But just because these are foreign remedies doesn't mean they are any less successful than say acetominophen, which is known to cause lasting liver damage.

I don't think amber teething necklaces or frozen teethers are on the same level as putting alcohol in a baby's mouth. I also don't think they're foreign remedies (unless you were referring to the vanilla/brandy), but maybe that's your perception. Frankly, I'm more comfortable using a small dose of an infant-specific dosage of acetominophen (though I prefer ibuprofen) than even a drop or two of alcohol of any kind.

mamababyrn · September 2011

g00dg0llymsm0lly:
MelbaToast37:
katie4253:
I wouldn't do this. Vanilla extract has alcohol in it. Not really something you want to be adding to a baby's bottle.
That's what I was going to say. Depending on the brand, vanilla extract is up to 30% alcohol - along the same lines as rubbing brandy on the gums of a teething baby.
Rubbing brandy on the gums is a time-tried and true way to immediately relieve their teething pain. It's certainly not enough to induce the effects or feelings of alcohol- and I don't think a drop or two of vanilla extract would do any kind of damage. My mother recommended the exact same thing to us when we mentioned that DD will not take a bottle. We haven't had to try it again yet (I SAH, so there hasn't been need for another bottle attempt) but I will definitely be willing to try it if need be. Personally we use an amber necklace and frozen teether for soothing DD's teething, and other than that the baby will be just fine. But just because these are foreign remedies doesn't mean they are any less successful than say acetominophen, which is known to cause lasting liver damage.

This exactly. My parents rubbed whiskey on our gums when we were teething. They absolutely swear by it. I don't know that I will do that with my LO, but I am not opposed to it. The amount that they would get with a finger dip of alcohol or a drop of vanilla extract is not enough to hurt them.

RayRay007 · September 2011

A friend and I were discussing how gross formula smells and presumably tastes and she said someone told her to put vanilla in it. My initial reaction was that that was weird, but, I suppose it isn't much different than using spice and seasoning in your own food. I didn't know about the alcohol, but I can't imagine that one drop would have any effect.

urbanflowerpot · September 2011

Not all extract has alcohol to be fair to this discussion. My main o_O over this was that a preemie's doctor recommended they do that. That's, like, the opposite of what most of us hear. Preemies are tricky business.

PartiallySunny · September 2011

Ask your pedi. I wouldn't bother because a little fuss is to be expected.

Has anyone ever tasted vanilla? It taste like sh!t. I don't even understand how that would work.

Jaimels78 · September 2011

I've heard that vanilla is a high risk allergy the same as peanuts. That would be the reason I wouldn't use it.

g00dg0llymsm0lly · September 2011

Loppy19:
g00dg0llymsm0lly:
MelbaToast37:
katie4253:
I wouldn't do this. Vanilla extract has alcohol in it. Not really something you want to be adding to a baby's bottle.
That's what I was going to say. Depending on the brand, vanilla extract is up to 30% alcohol - along the same lines as rubbing brandy on the gums of a teething baby.
Rubbing brandy on the gums is a time-tried and true way to immediately relieve their teething pain. It's certainly not enough to induce the effects or feelings of alcohol- and I don't think a drop or two of vanilla extract would do any kind of damage. My mother recommended the exact same thing to us when we mentioned that DD will not take a bottle. We haven't had to try it again yet (I SAH, so there hasn't been need for another bottle attempt) but I will definitely be willing to try it if need be. Personally we use an amber necklace and frozen teether for soothing DD's teething, and other than that the baby will be just fine. But just because these are foreign remedies doesn't mean they are any less successful than say acetominophen, which is known to cause lasting liver damage.
https://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/expert.q.a/12/01/baby.teething.gums/index.html
"Finally, although past generations of parents have used brandy or whiskey to soothe teething pain, no amount of alcohol is thought to be safe for infants so resist any urges you may have to follow in that tradition."
From a much more reliable source than "Well that's what my mom did!!"

You and your internet doctor have a right to your opinions; but I have found nothing that suggests rubbing a finger dipped in brandy is unsafe. Even that Q&A answer didn't say WHY "any amount of alcohol is unsafe." I certainly wasn't damaged by the practice. My pediatrician and I will have to disagree with you on this one.

g00dg0llymsm0lly · September 2011

Loppy19:
g00dg0llymsm0lly:
Loppy19:
g00dg0llymsm0lly:
MelbaToast37:
katie4253:
I wouldn't do this. Vanilla extract has alcohol in it. Not really something you want to be adding to a baby's bottle.
That's what I was going to say. Depending on the brand, vanilla extract is up to 30% alcohol - along the same lines as rubbing brandy on the gums of a teething baby.
Rubbing brandy on the gums is a time-tried and true way to immediately relieve their teething pain. It's certainly not enough to induce the effects or feelings of alcohol- and I don't think a drop or two of vanilla extract would do any kind of damage. My mother recommended the exact same thing to us when we mentioned that DD will not take a bottle. We haven't had to try it again yet (I SAH, so there hasn't been need for another bottle attempt) but I will definitely be willing to try it if need be. Personally we use an amber necklace and frozen teether for soothing DD's teething, and other than that the baby will be just fine. But just because these are foreign remedies doesn't mean they are any less successful than say acetominophen, which is known to cause lasting liver damage.
https://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/expert.q.a/12/01/baby.teething.gums/index.html
"Finally, although past generations of parents have used brandy or whiskey to soothe teething pain, no amount of alcohol is thought to be safe for infants so resist any urges you may have to follow in that tradition."
From a much more reliable source than "Well that's what my mom did!!"
You and your internet doctor have a right to your opinions; but I have found nothing that suggests rubbing a finger dipped in brandy is unsafe. Even that Q&A answer didn't say WHY "any amount of alcohol is unsafe." I certainly wasn't damaged by the practice. My pediatrician and I will have to disagree with you on this one.
Your real life doctor already told you not to do it? That makes you an even bigger moron than I originally thought.
ETA: My "internet doctor" is still a doctor. Like your pedi. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume your mom isn't a doctor.

Um, no, "moron," my pediatrician SUGGESTED it to me. I said my pedi and I disagree with YOU. Geez, some people apparently never passed 4th grade reading comprehension... Indifferent

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