Baking soda is a salt, and excessive amounts can be poisonous.  In fact,
years ago in LLL, we used to use very dilute amounts of baking soda in water
to swab out the mouths of infants with thrush, and were told to discontinue
this for fear that infants would ingest enough to become hypernatremic.  I
would imagine that the "dosage" of baking soda in gripe water has been
calibrated to a trace amount (just enough to make the baby belch, probably.)
If the syrup doesn't contain alcohol, it's probably not dangerous per se,
but I am a bit surprised about the lack of concern for gut changes due to
exposure to non-physiologic substances in small babies.  I do appreciate
that most cultures have "remedies" for things like what we call colic, and
that somehow the human race mostly survives these solutions.

Barbara Wilson-Clay, BS, IBCLC
Austin Lactation Associates
LactNews Press
www.lactnews.com

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