Is Fenugreek Safe for Babies?

Fenugreek is undoubtedly one of the healthiest herbs a mother can take; however, a lot of women tend to forget that it has many side effects, and not always affecting them.

In this post, I’m going to show you the most dangerous side effects fenugreek can have on babies, most importantly, how you can avoid them to ensure that your child is safe and unharmed by this very powerful herb.

Baby smiling

Babies are very susceptible to your fenugreek intake, as it may cause them different side effects ranging from diarrhea to colic.

Is Fenugreek Bad For A Baby?

There are many mothers who are taking fenugreek supplements and seeds daily in order to increase their breast milk supply or for other beneficial purposes, in fact, according to many research studies, fenugreek is one of the best herbal galactogogue known to women, to read more about this, check out the following studies:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4165197/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4585338/

These mothers are not only enjoying healthy bodies but are also having fewer diseases and a better quality of life because of this amazing herb.

Indeed, fenugreek has been shown to contain powerful anticancer agents and other anti-inflammatory compounds.

Fenugreek is also going to help fight off diseases and nourish their bodies due to its nutritional profile, for example, fenugreek seeds; just one tablespoon contains more than 20% of the daily requirements of the mineral iron.

However, most of these women are completely worried about the idea of giving fenugreek to their infants; they fear for their babies’ good health and well-being.

Is fenugreek safe for toddlers? What about fenugreek’s side effects on babies? How to ensure that they are totally and completely safe when it comes to fenugreek’s effect on their health?

Can You Give Fenugreek To Babies?

This is what I am going to answer in this post.

The truth is that fenugreek is completely safe for kids.

however as for most potent natural remedies and herbs, caution should be kept because fenugreek can both be helpful and nutritious for their health and also discomforting and even dangerous because of its side effects!

The first thing you must understand about giving fenugreek to toddlers is that:

Too Much of A Good Thing Is A Bad Thing

You should always have this in mind, even when consuming something very healthy, you should always understand this rule:

Having too much fenugreek can be a bad thing for toddlers’ health, and don’t forget that they are still developing, and their bodies are very fragile and weak.

And let me tell you that fenugreek is a very powerful plant; it’s going to influence the workings of the stomach, intestines, hormonal balance, and even brain chemistry!

So, giving fenugreek supplements or even fenugreek seeds in large amounts to toddlers should be avoided.

Fenugreek Seeds Side Effects on Babies

Breastfeeding baby

You should never give fenugreek, in any form, directly to your baby.

When I was taking fenugreek supplements for increasing my breast milk production, I was feeling good. Still, I noticed that my four months baby was starting to have gas and then irritations and indigestions, and soon after, greenish stools!

Needless to tell you that I was extremely horrified, I couldn’t tell whether this was some disease or just bad indigestion.

When I consulted with my lactation consultant, she started asking me about my daily diet, and when I told her about fenugreek, she immediately asked me the following question: how much were you taken daily?

So, it was decided that I should stop taking fenugreek seeds and supplements to see whether this was going to help my baby or not.

When I stopped taking fenugreek, I realized that all these symptoms started to disappear gradually, and soon it was feeling great again, playful and happy about life!

This is just a little example to tell you that too much fenugreek can be very dangerous for a toddler’s health.

I highly recommend that you check these two links:

https://www.verywellfamily.com/fenugreek-breastfeeding-and-increasing-breast-milk-431839

https://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/herbs/fenugreek/

I have benefited immensely from reading them.

After my bad experience with fenugreek, I soon realized that I was taking more than ten fenugreek capsules a day, when I switched to ground fenugreek and only took one teaspoon a day, my baby started feeling completely normal. It started reacting very well to my breast milk.

The message I want to give you in this post is that when you are dealing with a very powerful medicinal herb, like fenugreek, you have to keep in mind that it can be dangerous. It can hurt someone whose health is still developing and whose body is not yet fully mature!

So, is giving fenugreek to toddlers safe? The answer is yes, it’s safe if you keep your intake low.

Now, here are the most dangerous side effects fenugreek can have on babies:

Colic Symptoms

Although colic is very common during the first six months, fenugreek intake can increase it dramatically!

Colic means excessive crying, and it’s extremely common during the first months of a baby’s life, and it normally stops when your baby is about six months old.

And a baby suffering from colic may exert the following symptoms:

  • Crying that lasts several hours, especially during the afternoon
  • Intense crying for a short period
  • Your baby’s face becoming red when crying
  • Clenching his or her fists
  • Drawing his or her knees to their stomach
  • Arching his or her back while crying

Gas

Because fenugreek is rich in dietary fibers, especially soluble ones, which are organic compounds that are going to pass through your blood and then to your breast milk, your baby may become extremely gassy.

This is probably the most common side effect of fenugreek on babies and toddlers, especially when taking large amounts and exclusively breastfeeding your infant.

Irritation

For example, your baby may start crying when everything seems to be fine, no fever, and no other symptoms of illness.

Vomiting

As mentioned before, in many of my previous posts, fenugreek is highly aromatic and contains many powerful organic compounds.

As you may already know, your baby is still developing, and his or her stomach is still very weak, so it can be very easy for this powerful plant to overtake their stomachs and cause them to vomit occasionally.

Diarrhea

Fibers present in your breast milk from fenugreek intake may also cause diarrhea in your baby since he or she still hasn’t got the necessary intestinal flora to deal with these organic compounds.

This is the same thing that happened to my baby when I found greenish stools.

How Much Is Too Much Fenugreek For Toddlers?

As I’ve explained, ten capsules a day is too much, but when I switched to ground fenugreek and started taking only one teaspoon a day, my baby was feeling completely fine.

So, the safest dosage again is never to exceed six grams a day, that’s less than two teaspoons a day.

And to keep things safe, try never to exceed one teaspoon a day, ground fenugreek seeds.

Fenugreek Leaves for Babies

Can you give fenugreek leaves to babies?

The answer is not, as mentioned before, fenugreek contains very powerful aromatic compounds; most importantly, fenugreek contains large amounts of fiber, which is going to irritate your baby and even cause colic symptoms, which are extremely scary to parents.

So, as a rule of thumb, never give fenugreek directly to your baby or toddler.

It’s okay if you are taking fenugreek leaves or fenugreek supplements or seeds while breastfeeding.

However, giving fenugreek leaves directly to your baby can be very dangerous, especially during the first six months.

Fenugreek Water for Infants

Although fenugreek water, which is soaked fenugreek seeds overnight, can seem very safe since you are not giving your baby ground fenugreek seeds or leaves, the truth is that it’s not, it can also be dangerous.

This is because fenugreek seeds contain high amounts of soluble fibers, the ones we have talked about a few sections ago, the ones that dissolved very easily in water and may pass to your bloodstream and your breast milk.

Well, these are also going to irritate your baby’s stomach and cause colic symptoms and other side effects as well.

The best thing you can do is to stay away from giving fenugreek directly to your baby whether you are dealing with fenugreek water, fenugreek leaves or fenugreek seeds and supplements.