All-Natural Gripe Water

Gripe water, have you tried it? It is amazing for little tummies that are upset because of gas, teething, colic, etc. But it is so expensive! Nearly $10 a bottle in all the stores around us. And some even have sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, and dyes. Blech (I'm kidding, I'm the last person to stay away from junk food laden with all of those things!).
My husband pointed out to me after we flew through the third store bought bottle that we could probably make our own. True, true. So I did some research and was astounded at how easy this is to make! And if you have some of the ingredients already, it costs as much to buy all the supplies (which would last you at least six months) as it does to buy one bottle from the store. And it only takes about ten minutes, fifteen tops.
We have tried three different brands of gripe water, so we were pretty familiar with which flavors and consistencies the baby preferred. Little Remedies was alright, Mommy's Bliss? Oh goodness-me-oh-my no. He hated that stuff!
The first time I made this I had my husband taste-test it. He liked it so much he drank a whole mug full. So it's not just for little tummies!
You ready for the recipe? You'd better be, 'cause here it comes. Don't blink.

 Yup, that's it. Fennel, Ginger, and 1 cup of water. Bam. Gripe water. Now, there are other things that are apparently very useful when attempting to soothe little tummies, so you can add more to it if you'd like.

Peppermint, Chamomile, and Dill Weed are reportedly very good upset stomach soothers. I use Pomegranate juice instead of sugar for sweetener, but raw sugar works too.

*EDIT: Breastfeeding/pumping moms, please note that while peppermint is great for soothing little (and big) tummies, there is evidence that it (along with other mints/mint oils) may suppress lactation if ingested or infused.*
When I was doing research I found numerous sites that said Dill Weed was extremely effective at calming upset tummies. If you like, you can just use 1 teaspoon dill and steep in 1 cup of boiling water for a simple colic remedy.
I like to use 100% Pomegranate juice for flavor instead of sugar, but it is perfectly acceptable to use 1 teaspoon raw sugar, agave nectar, or another sweetener.
Now, there are a few ways to steep the herbs. I just opened up one of the tea bags, added the fennel, and re-stapled it. You can use a loose tea strainer, or if you're using ground spices/herbs you can use a mesh fabric (like a pair of old, clean tights. Cut a portion off, then use a rubber band to secure around the outside of the cup/mug) to steep.
So, enough chatter, here's the recipe. Like I said before, my recipe is sugar-free, but you can add sugar easily.

Ingredients*:
1 cup water (boiling)
1 bag ginger tea (or 1 tsp ground/shredded ginger)
1 tsp fennel (seed or ground)
1 bag peppermint tea (or 1 tsp peppermint leaf)
1 bag chamomile tea (or 1 tsp loose herb)
1 tsp dill weed
1-2 tsp 100% pomegranate juice, to taste (optional, make sure it is pure juice and does not have added flavors and/or sugar)
1 tsp raw sugar (optional, agave nectar works too)

Directions:
Combine dry ingredients in a cup (if using tea bags), loose leaf tea strainer (then place over cup), or mesh suspended over cup. Pour boiling water over herbs and let steep 10-15 minutes, or until almost strong in flavor.
Remove herbs, mix in sugar or juice, and pour into glass jar. Cool in refrigerator before serving.

Keep refrigerated. Shelf life is 2 weeks, refrigerated.

Serving size: 1 tsp or .5 mL
Do not exceed 6 doses in 24 hours.

*Any ingredient except water, ginger and fennel may be omitted.

Enjoy!