Mama’s Cough Remedies: Soothing Solutions for Kids

It’s only natural to rely on home remedies for cough. Home remedies are the best solutions for your baby unless it’s getting extremely difficult for them.

You might rush to the pharmacy and try over-the-counter cough syrups for kids.

However, most instances of cough and cold can go away with home remedies. But which home remedy to try? Are they effective? What are the age-appropriate remedies for kids to recover from colds?

Well, you’ll find your answers in this article here. So, keep reading.

1. Drink Warm Fluids

Drinking warm liquids is the best home remedy for your kids when they have a cough and cold. Staying hydrated is one of the ways to fight off cold. You can suggest drinking caffeine-free tea, chicken or veg broth, or hot water with lemon.

Here are the benefits of having warm liquid during cough –

Body temperature regulation

Warm drinks help regulate the internal temperature of your child’s body while keeping it in balance with the outer temperature.

Relief from cough & cold symptoms

This is one of those home remedies for cough that help deal with runny nose, sore throat, chilliness, and cough. It soothes your child’s body just as it gives them the comfort they need.

Warm Fluids to try

Hot Apple Cider: Here’s a non-alcoholic option to try out. This family-friendly drink has apple juice, cinnamon sticks, citrus, and cloves. It is one of the best home remedies for cough in kids.

Ginger Tea: Ginger tea with Tulsi and pudina leaves is also an excellent option for kids with colds and coughs.

Chai Latte: This is one of those home remedies for colds and coughs in kids that suits young adults the most. Chai latte is creamy milk tea made with black tea, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and the right balance of creamy milk.

Hot Toddy: Hot toddy is especially for adults since it contains alcohol. This traditional drink requires liquor, honey, water, tea, and spices.

2. Use Humidifier

Throat irritation and dry cough are among the most irritating things that make your toddler struggle. You can place a cool mist humidifier where your child sleeps.

Why so? It helps balance out the moisture in the air, making their nasal passage and throat clear. It also helps break up mucus and relieve your child from congestion.

But you must remember a few tips while using humidifiers as home remedies for cough –

Tips for Using a Humidifier

Use Cool Mist Humidifier: Don’t go for vaporizers. Instead, choose a cool mist humidifier. Vaporizers can cause burns. So, it’s best to avoid them.

Maintain a minimum distance: Maintain about two meters distance from the humidifier when setting it up in your child’s bedroom.

Clean & Use it Properly: clean the humidifier and use distilled water instead of normal tap water. Cleaning it up regularly helps remove the mineral buildup, making the humidifier last a long time.

Set it to the Right Humidity Level: Set it to 30 to 50% humidity to maintain a balance.

Use it for a short Period: Don’t run the humidifier longer than it generally demands.

3. Warm Water Vapors

Another helpful home remedy for cough is the use of warm water vapor. Inhaling steam is a great solution for dry cough and cold.

Here’s how to use steam as a home remedy for cough –

Boil water: First, take a pot of water and start boiling it. Boil it till the point steam starts to come off.

Lean over: You cover your head and the pot while leaning over it. When you inhale steam, you should do it in a close environment, and covering your head while leaning on it is the best way.

Inhale: Now, you have to inhale the steam. Take deep breaths as the steam enters your lungs through your nose.

Use Essential Oils: add essential oil to the water before inhaling it. You can use eucalyptus or peppermint essential oil for added benefits.

4. Ice Treats

Out of all the home remedies for cough, this is the craziest one you’ll read today. Yes, we are talking about popsicles, sorbet, ice creams, or ice chips for treating cold. Believe it or not, it’s a good home remedy for sore throat.

But before you give ice chips or ice creams to your child for cold, here are a few things to remember –

Popsicles: give popsicles to only kids aged above 4. But kids under the age of 4 can chew on frozen fruit or mesh bags.

Ice Creams: You can use ice cream or sorbet to help your child reduce and ease their sore throat.

Ice Chips: sucking on ice chips can also help your toddlers ease their sore throat.

5. Saline & Suction

Children often breathe through their mouths when they have a cold. That’s when their throat starts to become sore and starts itching. They do this because of the stuffy nose they are struggling to breathe with.

They also suffer post-nasal drip, which happens when the mucus drips down the back of their throat. This can cause coughing.

That’s when saline and suction work as one of the most effective home remedies for cough.

How does it work?

You have to use saline drops or spray in conjunction with a bulb syringe. This helps gently suction the nose.

Once salt water is used in the nasal passage, it thins out the thick mucus and makes it easy to remove it using a bulb syringe.

Who to use it on?

This method applies to people of all ages, including babies. However, young children benefit the most from this method.

The Process

Prepare Saline: First, prepare saline or saltwater using warm water and a small amount of salt.

Apply Solution: Put a few drops of saline into each of your child’s nostrils. Wait for the mucus to become thinner.

Use a Bulb Syringe: Gently put the tip of the bulb syringe inside their nose and use suction. You must repeat the process on the other nostril until the nasal passage is clear from mucus.

Use Honey

When the baby is just a year old or younger, avoiding all the hard methods is best. Instead, give them a teaspoon of honey to help combat coughing. This will help soothe your child’s throat. This is only recommended for children aged under one year.

6. Gargle With Warm Salt Water

Gargling with warm salt water is also one of the best home remedies for colds. This is an excellent remedy when you have a sore throat and can hardly talk.

It reduces inflammation by removing fluids from the swollen tissues inside your throat.

With several trials, you’ll clear out the cloggy feeling that’s holding you back from speaking. It’s great for kids as well. Build a habit of gargling several times a day.

You have to dissolve half a spoon of salt into water and gargle several times a day.

Remember

• It’s not a cure. It will provide you with temporary relief. But you have to go to a doctor for treatment.
• Consult your doctor if you have a high fever or sore throat.
• Younger kids can’t gargle properly. They may end up swallowing the solution.

7. Put Your Kid to Sleep While their Head’s Elevated

Elevating your child’s head while asleep helps reduce cough at night. It’s more of a practice than a home remedy. But the good thing is that it works.

It’s an easy way to drain the congestion and helps them recover from postnasal drip. This is something recommended for children who are older than 2 years.

When to See a Doctor?

Children need to take as much rest as they can when they have a cough. One of the best home remedies for colds is for your child to take enough rest. It helps them heal fast, and all the other home remedies work steadily.

But, if the cough lingers and is accompanied by a high fever, you should rush to the doctor immediately. Symptoms like high fever indicate more severe temperatures. So, it’s best to opt for proper treatment.

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