Home Remedies For Common Cold & Cough In Children

Common cold & cough are the most common ailments in children. Common cold is caused due to acute viral infection of the mucous membranes of the nose and throat, often involving the sinuses. Cough is generally a response to some irritating condition such as inflammation or the presence of mucus in the respiratory tract. Cough can also occur as an infection or allergy to heavy dust or industrial or tobacco smoke. Common cold and cough generally affect a child’s food intake, sleep, and energy levels. Children also tend to become irritable to some extent. All the said symptoms are obviously very mentally disturbing to parents. Below I have shared a few home remedies for common cold and cough that can be tried to soothe your child. I have personally tried all on my son and have for once and for all sighed relief since all of them HELP & WORK!

Miraculous massage: Warm up coconut oil. Gently massage the coconut oil over the child’s chest for about 5 minutes. Repeat the same on the upper portion of the back. The massage should be given just before you put your child to sleep. If your child is resistant to massages; it can be given after putting your child to sleep. An important point to remember is to not subject the child to cool or cold conditions after the massage. Make sure fans and air conditioners are off. This simple treatment will soothe the child and will keep the cough away and will also help in getting a good undisturbed sleep.

Garlic treatment: Most of us are aware by now about garlic's usefulness as a blood thinner, antioxidant, and cancer preventive. In addition to the said garlic also does a wonder against common cold. De-skin about 5 to 6 cloves of garlic. Prepare a necklace of the 6 cloves of garlic using a normal thread and needle. Put the same around your child’s neck when he/she is sleeping. The pungent garlic will do the rest.

Stay away from the following food items: If your child is frequently down due to common cold and cough it is best you avoid the following mentioned items. Banana and milk are a strict no. I totally understand that if children are asked to stay away from milk it worries parents to no extent. I would suggest parents put their children on Soy Milk; doing so, you would be giving your child the best of both worlds. Give grapes only in the month of February and March. Reduce the intake of tomatoes, black eyed beans, peanuts, any items made from chic pea flour. Another important take away for all parents is to remember "No Water for 20 minutes after consuming any fruit".

One teaspoon of magic: A magic potion that can be made a routine is that of ginger and tea. 1 teaspoon of regular tea with 3 to 4 drops of ginger juice first thing in the morning will keep your child away from common cold.

Say "NO" to those nasty chocolates: Those nasty, sweet things wrapped in shiny attractive papers are known to yield nothing but cavities, cold and cough and add unwanted calories. Chocolates are some of the worst culprits with centers consisting almost exclusively of flavored Fondant and Praline, fondant is virtually 100% sugar and pralines are just as bad.

All the above mentioned home remedies are simple and effortless in comparison to the wonders and happiness they will bring to your life. I would urge you to make all or any of the above remedies a part of your child’s life. Don’t wait to implement them till the next time your child has a running nose and a hurting cough. GOOD LUCK & GOOD HEALTH!!!