22 Home Remedies for Toddler Cough

toddlers cough

Want to find out the best cough remedies for kids? Well, keep reading and find out the best advice you can find! Cough is the most common ailment in children, especially in winter. It can be distressing and frustrating for your child to deal with this harrowing hack. Coughs are of different types- barky, whooping, and dry. The significant causes of cough are upper respiratory infection, common cold, sinusitis, acid reflux, and asthma.

It is accompanied by several symptoms such as difficulty swallowing, sound while breathing, runny/stuffy nose, chest tightness, lethargy, wheezing, difficulty breathing, restlessness, and fever. You should avoid over-the-counter medications, mainly, if your tot is less than 4 years, as they may result in side effects.

Several ingredients available in your kitchen can spill magic. You must consult a doctor immediately, in case, the cough persists for more than a week and the kid has chest pain, blood while coughing, turns red or purple, and a high fever.

Here are some home and herbal remedies to treat cough in children.

Home Remedies For Babies: Below One Year

While medication and doctor’s appointments are necessary at times, there are also simple home remedies you can use to soothe your baby’s discomfort. In this blog, we’ll discuss natural ways to alleviate your baby’s symptoms and make them feel comfortable again.

  1. Use a Vaporizer: A stuffy nose can make your little one uncomfortable and fussy. A vaporizer is an excellent way to provide relief. Add a few drops of red thyme in a vaporizer or in hot water, and keep your baby above it. The steam will help loosen the mucus and clear the nasal passages. It’s also a good idea to keep the air in the room moist by using a humidifier.
  2. Boost Your Immune System: If you’re still breastfeeding, boosting your immune system is an excellent way to give your baby what they need. Garlic, lemon, ginger, and propolis are all great options. These natural remedies help build your immune system, which will be passed down to your little one. You can also make a tea of lemon, honey, and ginger for extra soothing.
  3. Keep Your Baby Warm and Dry: During cold and flu season, it’s important to keep your baby in a warm and dry place to prevent the onset of symptoms. Avoid damp areas or open chimneys, as these can worsen your baby’s symptoms. Ensure your baby dresses appropriately for the weather, and swaddle them to keep them cosy.
  4. Use a Warm Compress: Stomach pain and colic can be uncomfortable for babies and can often cause crying and fussiness. A warm compress placed on your baby’s tummy can bring much-needed relief. Fill a clean cloth or towel with warm water and hold it against your baby’s belly. This natural remedy works wonders to soothe your little one.
  5. Massage Your Baby: Gentle massage can also help alleviate your baby’s discomfort. It can help improve circulation, reduce stress, and promote relaxation. Rub your baby’s tummy in circular motions, or massage their feet to help them feel more comfortable.
  6. Suction bulb: If you want, you can buy a suction bulb and fill it with salt water to then spray in their nose. It’s uncomfortable for the child however it will open up their nostrils and take away the mucus.
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12 Easy Home Remedies for Cough in Kids

With the first couple of ingredients you can easily make a tea against your child’s cough. Heat up some with ginger pieces already in the water. Once the water is boiling take it off the stove and add lemon and honey. If you have red thyme essential oil in the house I also advice putting one drop of this in their tea. The essential oil might not taste very good though so depending on how fussy your child is with food you can opt for it or not.

Avoid giving milk to the child if the cough includes a slimy through.

1. Give your Kid honey to Treat the Cough

Honey soothes throat inflammation in children and suppresses cough in a natural manner. Dosage hinges on your child’s age. If your tot is 2-5 years old, give ½ teaspoon, and if s/he is more than 12 years old, give two teaspoons of honey. It is suggested to give this therapeutic ingredient before bedtime.

Note:

  • Refrain from giving honey to infants below one year, as it may cause botulism.
  • Avoid buying honey cough syrups from medical stores, as they contain chemical preservatives which alter their “natural flavour”.

2. Use Lemon Juice to Treat Your Kid’s Cough

A combination of 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice and honey in 1 cup of warm water can also work great. Give this solution to your child twice or thrice a day.

One of the best times to give them this is right before bed. As your little one goes to bed, a bought of coughing can sneak upon them. Providing them with this easy remedy can help put them to bed with a little more ease.

3. Easy Cough Remedies for Kids: Ginger

Ginger is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. Everything from an upset stomach to nausea can be remedied with a bit of ginger. When it comes to suppressing a cough, ginger can work magic as well. Mix ¼ teaspoon each of cayenne pepper and crushed ginger, 1 tablespoon each of apple cider vinegar, and honey. Add 2 tablespoons of water to this mixture. Give 2 teaspoons of this syrup to your little one.

4. Apple Cider Vinegar: Best Home Remedy for Cough

Take a glass of water. Add 1 teaspoon of honey and apple cider vinegar to it. Stir well. It’s one of the best remedies for quick relief from cough for kids.

Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits & Usage

To learn more Apple Cider Vinegar benefits, how to properly use it for every situation, exact recipes and all the tips and tricks for the fastest possible results.

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5. Use Steam to Treat Your Kid’s Cough

Give your toddler a steam bath. Run a hot shower and shut the doors of the bathroom. Sit inside with your kid at least fifteen minutes before going to bed at night. It will not only help get rid of cough but also provides sound sleep. In the morning, repeat the same procedure for 15 minutes. It will loosen nasal and chest congestion, and make it easy for the child to blow the cough out.

  • Or else, add a few drops of red thyme, sage or eucalyptus oil into the tub filled with warm water. Bathe your child with this water, in order to open up the chest and soothe a cough.

If your little one finds it especially hard to go to bed because of a coughing spell, then giving them a steam bath as part of their nighttime routine can work wonders. Not only will it help to get rid of a coughing spell, but it will also work to soothe them. That way, when they do get into bed, they will sleep a little more soundly and are less likely to be woken up because of a cough. 

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6. Easy Cough Remedies for Kids: Keep His Head in Upright Position

If the age of your baby is more than one, put a few pillows underneath his/her head, back and shoulders so as to keep the head elevated. It will facilitate easy breathing.

If you have a baby under one, do not use pillows or sheets to elevate their head. This is not recommended as they need to be on a flat surface when they are sleeping. One way you can elevate them is by elevating the mattress by about 15 degrees so they are elevated but still sleeping on a flat surface. 

7. Use a Humidifier to Treat Your Kid’s Cough

Run a cool-mist humidifier for a night in your child’s room. It will keep the airways of the tot moist and clear. Open the windows in the morning to let humid air go out of the room. Otherwise, it may result in the growth of molds.

8. Chicken Soup: Best Home Remedy for Cough

Serve warm chicken soup to your kid. According to research, chicken soup has anti-inflammatory properties that temporarily thin mucus, relieve congestion, soothe the throat, and reduces cough. It also effectively alleviates the symptoms associated with cold.

9. Let Him/ Her Rest

Cough can exhaust a child, as it requires a lot of energy to wrestle with an infection. The more your child will rest, the sooner s/he will recover.

10. Easy Cough Remedies for Kids: Keep Him Well Hydrated

Assist your baby in drinking lots of water and other fluids, such as decaffeinated tea, warm or cold juice. Fluids thin the body’s secretions and make it easy to blow the nose and cough.

11. Easy Cough Remedies for Kids: Warm Saline Water

Take a cup of warm tap water and add ½ teaspoon of table salt to it. Put 2-3 drops of this saline water in each nostril one by one. Now, ask your child to blow. This remedy will clear the nasal congestion.

  • Alternatively, fill a neti pot with warm saltwater. Tilt the head of the child to one side and put the pot’s spout inside the nostril. Allow the water to flow through the nasal cavity gently. It will flow out from the other nostril. Instruct your child to breathe via mouth during the rinsing process. Repeat the same procedure on the other side of the nostril.
  • Ask your baby to gargle with warm saline water twice or thrice a day. Add a few drops of lemon juice to make it tasty.

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12. Cough Remedies for Kids at Home: Suck on Popsicle

If your child is 4 years old or more, you can give him/her sugar-free hard candies, frozen berries, popsicles, cough lozenges, or crushed ice to suck on. These cold things will relieve him/her from scratchy throat.

Herbal Cough Remedies for Kids

Herbal remedies are free from side effects and work wonders for kids.

Vapour Rub

Massage vapour rub or balms containing essential oils, beeswax, aloe, and other herbs on the child’s back, neck, and chest. Don’t apply it around the eyes, nose, or anywhere else on his/her face.

  • You can also prepare your chest rub. All you need to do is mix a drop each of sage, peppermint, and eucalyptus essential oil in 2 tablespoons of organic olive oil. Massage it gently on the chest and neck of the kid.

Herbal Cough Syrup recipe

  • In one quart of filtered water, add 1 tablespoon cinnamon, ¼ cup marshmallow root, ¼ cup chamomile flowers, and ¼ cup dried or freshly grated ginger root. Boil it down till the solution reduces to half. Strain it. Mix honey and lemon juice when the liquid is warm. Let it cool. You can store it for 2 months, in an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator. Give 1 teaspoon to the child when required.
  • Steep 1 teaspoon each of thyme leaves and fenugreek seeds, ½ lemon (cut up and deseeded), 1 tablespoon of feverfew in 1½ cups of water for at least half an hour. Strain the liquid. Simmer the resultant liquid till it reduces to 1 cup. Then, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable glycerine and 2 cups of honey. Allow it to cool. Transfer it to a jar and store this jar in the refrigerator. Give one teaspoon for a 50 lbs. baby, two teaspoons for a 75 lb kid, and one tablespoon for a 100 lb. tot, every 4 hours.
  • Steep 1 tablespoon each of Oregon grape root, mullein, thyme, pleurisy root, and cherry bark in 1 quart of water for ½ an hour. Strain it and again put on flames. Turn off heat when the liquid reduces to 1 pint. Add two pints of honey to the warm solution. Give one teaspoon to a 50 lbs. kid, two teaspoons to a 75 lbs child, and one tablespoon to a 100 lbs child, every 4 hours. It will alleviate dry cough.
  • Horehound has been used for ages to cure cough in children owing to its expectorant properties. A compound, called marrabiin, found in horehound triggers the secretion of bronchi and aids in unclogging nasal congestion. Take a pint of boiling water and add 1 ounce of horehound leaves (dried) to it. Steep for ten minutes and then strain. Finally, mix the honey (twice as much as liquid). You can keep it in the refrigerator for 2 months.  Give ½ to 1 teaspoon to your child, 4 times per day.
  • In 1½ cups of water, add one teaspoon each of lemon balm leaves, thyme leaves, horehound leaves, marshmallow root, rose hips, mullein leaves, and licorice root. Steep the mixture for 30 minutes. Strain it and add ¼ cup vegetable glycerin, 1 cup organic fruit syrup or brown rice syrup, and 1 cup honey. When the liquid cools down, fill it in a jar and place the jar in the refrigerator. For a 50 lbs. child, 1 teaspoon would suffice. If your kid is between 75 to 100 lbs, give 2 teaspoons and 1 tablespoon, respectively.

16. Cough Remedies for Kids: Herbal Decoction

Prepare a decoction by combining an equal amount of Acorus calamus roots, Cuminum cyminum seeds, and Coriandrum sativum leaves. Give 10 ml of this decoction to your kid after a meal.

17. Herbal Powder

Take Cyperus rotundus roots, Pistacia Chinensis leaves, Piper longum fruit, Aconitum Ferox bud, and Ocimum sancum root. Churn them into a powdered form. Give it to the kid along with honey.

18. Herbal Cough Remedies for Kids: llium Cepa

Mix 1 teaspoon of Allium cepa juice with1½ a teaspoon of honey. Leave it for 3-4 hours and then give it to the child. It will give immense relief to cough and cold.

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19. Herbal Cough Remedies for Kids: Abrus precatorius

Scrub 10 grams of roots of this herb in 10 ml of water. Give it to your kid two times a day for at least 3 days.

20. Aloe barbadensis

Roast some leaves of Aloe barbadensis and extract its juice. Add Syzgium aromaticum powder and honey to it. Give this to your kid 2 times a day.

21. Anise Seed

Anise loosens the bronchi’s secretions, making it easy for the child to cough up. Add 1½ cups of boiling water and 1 tablespoon of crushed anise seed to it. Let it steep for ½ an hour. Strain it. Simmer the liquid till it reduces to 1 cup. Then, add two cups of honey. When it cools, transfer it in a jar and store it in the fridge. You can keep it for 2 months. Give ½ teaspoon to your baby to soothe a cough.

22. Herbal Cough Remedies for Kids: Herbal Tea

  • Mix 1 tablespoon each of dried thyme leaves, mullein, and white horehound. Store this mixture in a jar. When required, steep 1-2 teaspoons of this herbal mixture in 1 cup of boiling water for 8-10 minutes. Use ½ cup for 25 lbs. children and 1 cup for 50 lbs. kids, thrice a day. It’s one of the best remedies for whooping cough.
  • Take 1 cup of hot water and add ½ teaspoon of liquorice root to it. Steep it for ten minutes and then strain. Give 1-2 cups each day to your child. The expectorant and anti-inflammatory properties of the liquorice will soothe the symptoms associated with cough.
  • Prepare lemon balm tea by steeping 2 teaspoons of lemon balm leaves (dried) in 1 cup of boiling water. Strain the tea and give it to your little one. It is considered one of the excellent herbal remedies.
  • In a cup of boiling water, steep 2 teaspoons of dried hyssop for 10-12 minutes. Finally, strain it. Feed the tea hot to your baby, in order to relieve congestion.

Do’s and Don’ts when Your Kid’s Coughing

Do’s to Treat Cough at Your Kid

  • Teach your child to wash his/her hands frequently. Ensure that s/he scrubs well. When you are on the go, use sanitizers or alcohol-based hand wipes.
  • If your baby has caught a cough, there are chances that other family members may get sick because the virus spreads rapidly from one person to another. So, be extra vigilant about the hygiene and cleanliness of your house.

Don’ts when Your Kid’s Suffering from Cough

  • Don’t smoke when your kid suffers from a cough and cold, as it may irritate the airways, making breathing difficult for the child. Besides, keep him/her away from other sources of smoke, like wood-burning fires and grills.
  • Avoid the use of nasal decongestion sprays or other over-the-counter medications without doctor’s consultation.