All grannies would unanimously respond with a YES for this question. And all doctors these days advise mothers not to give native medicines to newborns - especially sugar water and gripe water. These were generally given in the olden days to soothe babies when they cry because of a tummy ache. A nurse in the hospital I delivered screamed on seeing paladai assuming it was used to give sugar water. due to the adulteration in food these days, doctors advise not to give any of these to prevent infection.

If you are wondering what to do when your baby suffers from a tummy ache, ask your paediatrician before hand. He/she might prescribe some drops. Before I got discharged from the hospital, I made a list of what should I do if he sneezes, passes stools more than so many number of times a day etc etc. And that kind of helped. What is apparently normal for a kid causes concern for us. And we tend to get all the more worried if it is at night.