A cough is a body’s reflex to remove foreign materials from lungs and airway passages. Coughing is just a symptom and not a disease. Cough may have its origin from cold, viral infection, bronchitis, sinus infection, whooping cough etc. It is acceptable if small kids get 6-8 cough infections in a year.
A toddler’s immune system is not fully developed to fight infections, so they are arrested with flu, cold and cough frequently. Running to a doctor every time for a prescription medicine detriments child’s developing immune system. It is always advisable to avoid medicines for cough initially and try to soothe kid with home remedies. These medicines do not come without side-effects and cough is known to cease on its own, so it is worth replacing them with a few counter steps done at home. Read on to help the child overcome cough.
Effective Home Remedies For Toddler’s Cough
Keep Your Toddler Hydrated
Give him a lot of fluids to drink. Though, plain water works best for cough but children easily consume fruit smoothies, diluted juices and milk. Keeping the kid hydrated ensures thinning down of mucus for faster and easier expulsion from the body.
Vaporizers And Humidifiers To Ease Breathing
Buy a natural vapor rub from a local pharmacist, specifically meant for kids. Baby’s rubs would normally use aloe, herbs, oils, beeswax, petroleum oils, and eucalyptus. It should not use camphor and menthol. These rubs do not fight cough but can help child breathe better while sleeping. Rub a little vaporizer on your child’s chest, back and neck when he is sleeping.
Humidifiers are helpful as it moisturizes the air around. Breathing a warm moist air helps clear air passages in body. Have the humidifier going in your child’s room when he or she is sleeping or playing. Remember to clean the humidifier properly before every use else the humidifier may deteriorate the condition by contaminating the air.
Saline Nasal Solution For Clearing Nasal Congestion
Saline solutions are safe and excellent soothers to kids for stuffed nose and breaking the mucus in nose. Saline solution can either be purchased or prepared at home.
At home this solution can be prepared by adding ½ teaspoon of salt to a glass of boiling water. Drop in 2-3 drops of this solution into kid’s nose 3-4 times a day.
Chicken Soup In The Diet To Fight Infection
A warm chicken soup is an age old remedy that is known to comfort colds and flu due to its antiviral properties. Chicken soup, being an anti-inflammatory works as a great relaxant to throat as well.
Grapes To Soothe Lung
Grapes are good for soothing cough, and can tone up lungs to help in cough. Extract the juice of grapes and mix it with a spoon of honey to give it to child once a day till the symptoms subside.
Grapes are good for lungs and are proved to liquefy and expel phlegm from lungs.
White Onion For De-Congestion
Another home remedy is to boil a white onion and squeeze the juice. Mix equal portion of honey into this juice and give it to your child. This mixture will de-congest the respiratory passage. Onions are very good at strengthening immune system, they are natural antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and expectorants.
Turmeric For Dry Cough
Dry roast turmeric root and powder it, in a grinder after cooling. Give 3 grams of this powder mixed thoroughly in a teaspoon of honey, 4 times in a day. Turmeric can also be administered by adding it to kids’ milk.
Turmeric is used as a natural expectorant for centuries, in Asian countries. This is a good anti-inflammatory and an anti–oxidant making it work well for under developed immune system of kids.
Basil Leaf For Thinning Mucus
The Holy Basil contains highly active compound called eugenol that act as expectorant, anti-inflammatory and anti bacterial against cough. It can easily thin down the mucus inside the body for expulsion. Make a paste out of Basil leaves and honey and give it to baby once a day.
Honey And Lemon Drink
Honey coats and soothes the throat and lemon is enriched with vitamin C to help fight infection. Add a few crushed peppermint leaves, for a great taste as well as healing the sore areas. This remedy works to stop that tickle that initiates coughing.
Children will not fight against this as they do for other medications, due to the sweetness of honey. Also honey has contents like bee pollen and propolis that can efficiently fight against bacteria and viruses.
Garlic Tea For Strengthening Immune Against Infection
Peel 2-3 cloves of garlic and boil with 2 cups of water for 10 minutes. Strain the solution and sweeten it generously with honey to make it easier for the tot to consume. Garlic is very good at strengthening immune system, at the same time it is a good anti-bacterial and anti-viral herb. Honey of-course adds to the benefits of this tea.
Caution: Please use Remedies after Proper Research and Guidance. You accept that you are following any advice at your own risk and will properly research or consult healthcare professional.
