It’s miserable to watch your kid suffer through sickness. Help her feel better with these home remedies for coughs and colds.
Cold Prevention
Kids miss nearly 22 million school days each year due to colds. Though you can’t protect your child from every virus she encounters, these healthy habits can increase her resistance.
Make sure she catches enough ZZZ’s. If your child is tired all the time, her immune system may be too sluggish to fight off bad bugs. Unfortunately, a third of all kids don’t get as much sleep as they should. Ideally, babies need up to 18 hours a day, toddlers and preschoolers need 12 to 14 hours, and grade-schoolers should get 10 to 11 hours. It’s probably not practical for your child to wake up later, so if she’s not hitting these numbers, make her bedtime earlier.
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Hand Washing
Practically 80 percent of infectious diseases, including the common cold, are spread through touch, so it’s crucial for your child to wash his hands a lot. To make sure he scrubs for enough time, have him sing a verse of “Old MacDonald” while he lathers up both sides of his hands and between his fingers. Alcohol-based hand wipes or sanitizers are good options for when you’re on the go.
Clean House
Once one person in the family catches a cold, be extra careful about cleaning so no one else gets sick too. It’s a challenge: Viruses can live for up to two hours on things like cups, countertops, and towels, so disinfect frequently touched areas and objects with bleach or antibacterial wipes. “Germs linger on TV remotes, video-game controllers, refrigerator-door handles, and doorknobs,” says Daniel Frattarelli, M.D., a member of the AAP’s Committee on Drugs.
Show your child how to sneeze and cough into the crook of her elbow, not her hands, so she’s less likely to spread germs around the house. Use paper cups in the bathroom, separate toothbrushes to keep them from touching, and never share glasses, plates, or utensils.
Cough Remedies
Coughing helps your child breathe better by clearing mucus from her airways, so don’t try to stop it. “Cough suppressants may actually be harmful: They make some kids hyperactive, dizzy, and restless at bedtime,” says Catherine Tom-Revzon, PharmD, pediatrics clinical pharmacy manager at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in New York City. Nonetheless, all that hacking can leave your kid’s throat irritated. Before the FDA’s recent warning, about one in 10 children took cold or cough medicine in a given week. Now that these medications are out for infants and toddlers, and questionable for older children, try some of these safer, natural cough remedies for kids.
Provide sweet relief. Recent studies show that honey is better than cough medicine for relieving coughs and helping a sick child sleep better. “Honey is safe for children age 1 and older, and kids are happy to take it because it tastes good,” says researcher Ian Paul, M.D., a member of the AAP’s clinical pharmacology and therapeutics committee. Dark honeys, such as buckwheat, may work best because they’re higher in antioxidants. Give half a teaspoon to children ages 1 to 5 years and one teaspoon to kids ages 6 to 11. But never give honey to babies younger than 1; they can get botulism from bacteria in it.
Serve Soup
It’s more than an old folk remedy: Research shows that chicken soup has anti-inflammatory properties. Its warm temperature also acts as a vaporizer, helping to loosen mucus in nasal passages.
Push Liquids
Warm or very cold liquids make excellent cough remedies for kids because they thin out mucus, making it easier to cough up. Plus, liquids soothe a raw throat and keep your little one hydrated. Have your child drink ice water, cold or warm juice, or decaffeinated tea mixed with honey.
Soothing Treats
Children age 4 and older can suck on sore throat or cough lozenges, sugar-free hard candies, or even frozen berries. A Popsicle or crushed ice are great choices for a younger kid with a scratchy throat.
Stuffy or Runny Nose
You may be going through a lot of tissues, but all that mucus helps wash the cold virus out of your child’s nose and sinuses. Don’t panic if you notice his mucus changing from clear to yellow to green: It’s a sign that his immune system is fighting off the virus; it doesn’t mean he needs antibiotics.
Give her nose a squirt. Loosen up clogged mucus with a few drops of saline solution, then suck it out with a suction bulb.
Add Humidity
Keep a cool-mist humidifier in your child’s room to help ease stuffiness. (Warm-mist humidifiers and vaporizers are scalding hazards.) Bacteria and mold grow quickly, so change the water daily and thoroughly clean the unit, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Another good option: Have your child sit in a steamy bathroom or take a warm showe
Prop Her Up
Elevate your child’s head with an extra pillow at night so mucus can drain. For babies, raise the head of the crib mattress by placing a wedge or pillow under the mattress.