39 Home Remedies for the Common Cold in Babies

The common cold is a viral contagion of the upper respiratory tract—mouth, nose, and throat. Due to its symptoms, it can be quite devastating watching your baby struggle with this condition. Unlike grownups, children are susceptible to infections because their immune system, lungs, and other organs, are not completely mature yet. This is why breastfeeding is of utmost importance to a baby’s health; breastmilk is filled with antibodies and chemicals that protect your baby from infections. Continue reading to learn more about the common cold in babies: what causes it, what the symptoms are, and how to cure a common cold in babies with natural home remedies. 

 

Causes

Many cold viruses are airborne. When someone who has cold sneezes, the virus is released into the atmosphere, making your child susceptible to a cold by inhalation. It can also spread through physical contact, so you should be more careful about who touches your baby.  

 

Symptoms

A cold is often shown through the following symptoms:

• Fever
• Reddened eye
• Sore throat
• Loss of appetite
• Cough
• Stuffy or runny nose
• Irritability

Feeding and breathing may be difficult with a stuffed up nose. Since babies cannot blow their noses themselves, it is your job to help clear out the mucus.

 

Home Remedies for the Common Cold in Babies

Because of their harmful side effects, off-the-counter drugs are not often recommended for administration to children under the age of two. This is why parents often prefer to use homemade remedies. Home remedies are often natural and easy ways to cure an infection without having to leave the comfort of your home.

Based on the baby’s age, this article is divided into different sections. Choose the most suitable for your child.

Home Remedies for Babies 0-6 Months Old

1. Breast Milk

Studies have revealed that the breast milk of a nursing mother can help to reduce inflammation, develop the immune system, and form a proper microbiome.

A certain research exploring the immunological nature of the beast, led by Dr. Foteini Hassiotou, has shown that Immune cells known as leukocytes tend to be low in breast milk when the child is healthy, but surges in number when either the child or mother suffers from an infection. If the baby is infected, the breast milk acts to stimulate an immune response and fight off foreign microbes.

This period requires that you breastfeed the baby more often than before. You can do away with other food supplements for a little while until it’s cold is gone. Another way of using the milk is to squirt it in its nostrils.

2. Lots of Rest

Reduce your child’s indoor and outdoor activeness. It takes energy to fight infections, and this can tire your child. Enough rest helps your child heal better and faster.

 

3. Light Steam

Naturally, inhaling steam helps to loosen the mucus in the nasal passages; it also treats cold and chests congestion. Place boiling water near your baby’s bed. You can also steam your bathroom by running hot water from the tap for some time, and then sit in the tub with your child in your lap for fifteen minutes.

 

4. Cover Head, Chest, and Feet

It is important to clothe your child with thick wears to keep it warm, especially during winter.

 

5. Extra Fluids

Taking plenty fluids alleviates dehydration; it also reduces the secretion in your baby’s nose and washes them out.

 

6. Nasal Suction with Pump

The suction pump is useful for cleaning babies’ nostrils. Wash suction pump after use.

7. Garlic and Carom Seed Fumes

Garlic has antibacterial and antiviral qualities that are beneficial for fighting the cold and flu. Ajwains are carom seeds, and they kill bacteria and virus as well.

Get two or three large cloves of garlic and few pinches of carom seeds, roast them on for about a minute. Allow the mixture to cool and put it beside your child. The aroma of the mixture, when inhaled by your child, will treat their cold.

 

8. Saline Drops and Bulb syringe

Since it is difficult for 6-month-olds to blow their nose, saline drops and bulb syringe can help them clear out any debris in their nostrils. Bulb syringe helps in a situation where a stuffy nose interferes with feeding. It should be used fifteen minutes before breastfeeding or bottle-feeding.  

Saline water is salted water. You can prepare it at home with the recipe from American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology {AAAAI}: Mix in a clean jar- three teaspoonfuls of salt and one teaspoon of baking soda.

NOTE: Be sure to use canning or pickling salt that contains no preservatives, iodide, or anti-caking agents that can irritate the nose lining. Use distilled or treated water.

When the saline solution is ready, squeeze two or three drops of the solution into the nostril. Do this while your child is lying on his back and has a towel rolled up, supporting his head.

 

9. Elevate Baby’s Head When Asleep

Breathing can be difficult for your baby when it is asleep due to their stuffy nose. It is important to raise its head, using a cushion or pillow when they are sleeping, to reduce the discomfort and ease breathing.

 

10. Oil Massage

Massage lightly mustard oil or coconut oil on your child’s chest and back. This relieves your baby from a cough and can also help to relax them.

 

11. Warm Liquid and Chicken Soup

If your child’s cold symptoms include congestion, a warm liquid can provide substantial relief. Chicken soup helps relieves cold symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and congestion.

 

12. Coconut Oil with Moringa

Warm up coconut oil and add some moringa leaves. Put it on your child’s hair to reduce their cold.

 

13. Herbal Coconut Oil Massage

Warm up coconut oil; add tulsi leaves and camphor and blend. The healing qualities of the tulsi leaves will be absorbed by the coconut oil. Let the mixture cool, then massage on your baby’s chest just before they fall asleep. You can massage this on their head too to fight the cold.

 

14. Hands Sanitization

If anyone in the house has a cold, make sure their hands are washed and disinfected before they touch your child. If they do not, then it is more likely that the cold will spread to the baby.

 

15. Diffuse Essential Oils In the Baby’s Room

Essential oils are extracted from plants’ roots, stems, flowers, leaves, or a mixture of these. The essential oils that relieve cold are lemon, Eucalyptus, ginger, clove, cedarwood, thyme, rosemary, and peppermint. Diffuse any of these essential oils using water. You can also put in a diffuser for better effect.

 

16. Diluted Lavender Oil Massage

Dilute lavender oil in mustard oil and massage this on your little one—head to toe. This helps in alleviating its fever.

17. Onion in Socks

Traditionally, Indians use onions to cure fever. Cut onions into pieces and put it under your child’s feet before putting on their socks.  This works best when your child is asleep.

 

18. Frequent Physical Contact with the Mother

It is indisputable that a mother and her child share such an incredible and unfathomable bond. Having stayed in its mother’s womb for nine months, a baby will always feel better in its mother’s hold. You’ll be surprised at how much relief a direct skin to skin contact can give to your child.

 

Home Remedies for Babies 6-12 Months

 

19. Warm Vegetable Soup

Give your child warm kala chana soup, dal soup, or tomato soup. These soups warm your baby’s chest and throat.

 

20. Eucalyptus Oil

This is also known as Nilgiri oil. It helps increase blood circulation in the body, expels phlegm and decongests airways. It also keeps the nose moist. Put a few drops on the baby’s clothing, near their chest. This is a good remedy for a cough and cold.

 

21. Apply Vaporub

At night, rub Vicks Vaporub below your baby’s feet and on its chest. Cover the feet with socks after rubbing. The resulting cooling effect helps your baby feel better.

 

22. Dry Roasted Turmeric Rub

Turmeric has antibacterial properties that make it effective in treating cold and cough. Burn a turmeric root to make a powder out of it; add few drops of water to make a paste. Apply this paste on the child’s nose to relieve your baby of a blocked nose.

23. Panikoorka (Plectranthus ambonicus) Juice

This Ayurvedic herb is used mostly in South India to cure a sore throat, cold, chest and nasal congestion in babies. Boil panikoorka leaves for five minutes in a cup of water. When cool, feed two tablespoons of this water to the sick child. This reduces excess phlegm.  

 

24. Basil Leaves

Also known as Tulsi, the juice alleviates your child’s cold, cough and fever. Add few basil leaves to boiling water and add three spoons of this to the baby’s milk.

 

25. Carrot Juice

Carrot is a root vegetable with essential nutrients; it is a rich source of vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. Get fresh carrots, extract the juice, dilute with water and give to your child to drink. This can reduce coughing and speed up the healing process.

 

26. Warm Towel

Soak a clean hand towel in hot water and squeeze the excess out. Check the temperature of the soiled towel to make sure it’s not too hot for the baby. Place the tepid towel on the child’s belly to decrease their gas problem.

 

27. Boil Basil Leaves and Black Cardamom

Put four basil leaves and one black cardamom in a cup of water and boil the mixture. After boiling, let it cool down before feeding teaspoons of the water to your child.

28. Fennel Seeds

Add one teaspoon of fennel seeds to one cup of water. Leave this to boil for ten minutes on low flame. When it cools, strain it and give two teaspoons to your baby at regular intervals. This stimulates gas production in your child’s stomach and relieves it from stomach problems caused by the cold.

 

29. Pomegranate Juice

Giving your child pomegranate juice regularly rehydrates it. You may dilute it with water if you like.

 

30. Cumin Seeds with Curd

Give your child fresh curd with cumin seeds powder to help cure diarrhea

 

31. Papaya

Pawpaw helps to calm an upset stomach. Give your child fresh papaya twice daily to help heal their stomach fit.

 

32. Curd and Lassi

Give your child curd and lassi often to keep them hydrated.

 

33. Lemonade

To make lemonade, add lemon, black pepper, and honey. This also helps to keep your baby hydrated.

Home Remedies for Babies 12 Months and Older

 

34. Jaggery, Cumin, Black Pepper Soup

Boil cumin seeds in a glass of water; add ground black pepper and jaggery to sweeten. This works effectively in reducing cold symptoms and cough.

 

35. Nutmeg

Boil a teaspoon of nutmeg in one cup of water. Serve warm to your baby. This helps cure nausea and puking.

 

36. Dietary Changes

Change your baby’s diet to include meals that are easy to ingest. Their sore throat will make solids tedious to consume. Feed your baby more with liquid and soft foods like yogurt, pudding, and soup.

 

37. Long Pepper and Dry Ginger

Add two pinches of long pepper and two pinches of ginger to a teaspoon of honey, mix to form a paste. Give it to your child to relieve your baby of a cough and cold.

 

38. Sinus Pressure Massage

To reduce your baby’s sinus pressure (pressure within the sinus cavities of the skull, leading to nasal congestion during cold) rub your fingers directly under its cheekbones.

 

39. Vitamin C

Vitamin C stimulates the production of leukocytes which help in battling the cold viruses; it also boosts the immune system to reduce the cold symptoms. Orange is a rich source of vitamin C. Serve your little orange juice daily to rid their cold faster.

Which of these home remedies are you most likely to try? Comment below!

 

References

 https://www.babygogo.in/home-remedies-babies/

http://www.babycenter.com/0_safe-home-remedies-to-soothe-your-childs-cold-and-flu-sympto_10014077.bc

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a78/common-cold

http://m.huffpost.com/ca/entry/3340215

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold-in-babies/home/ovc-20204277

http://www.babycenter.com/0_colds-in-babies_78.bchttp://www.parents.com/health/cold-flu/cold/natural-cold-cough-remedies/

http://udupi-recipes.com/2014/02/pepper-jaggery-drink-black-pepper-panaka-recipe.html

http://codenamemama.com/2012/02/06/natural-remedies-colds-congestion-infant/