Home remedies for Cold and coughs in kids

Hello ILites,

I am starting a new thread for cold and coughs in kids specifically in this forum as my family has been hit hard for the past few months actually. No medicines for my younger one as they suggest that cold/cough medicnes just don't work. I am looking for any remedies other ILites can suggest that has worked for them. I am sure there are a lot of ILites in this situation.

Home remedies in other forums, esp. Chitvish are very good, but I do not access to some of the ingredients and some just dont know what they are.

Right now, he has a lot of thick phlegm, he keeps coughing but unsuccessful in bringing it up. He gargles with plain warm water, but no salt. Please share remedies that have worked for you.

Hi,

Even my son was suffering from cold and fever last week. I tried some of these, apart from going to doc also. It gave good results. Apply vicks vapourb on children feet and put socks while sleeping. They will have a peaceful sleep.

2. Steam inhalation - Take hot water in a vessel, put vicks in it and eucalyptus oil in it. Tell the kids to inhale it by covering them with a blanket. See to it that fans/AC are not on during this and after some time also i.e. around 10 1- 15 mts.

3. You can give honey and ginger juice mix to them.

4. Take mustard oil around 5-10 tsp. heat it, put crushed garlic, ajwain seeds in it like tadka. After it gets fried, cooled, strain and store it in a bottle. Whenever needed, heat it little bit and apply on children neck, throat, forehead and little bit on the head. It relieves cough especially.

Hope this will help you.

Kala

in a dry pan heat the ajwain, omam, in tamil and dry fry until dark then pour water and heat until it turns into 1/4 th of the one ladle quantity now mix this with a little misri, or kalkandu, and give it to the child,

the gujrathis have this habit of storing old ghee and they apply on the front and back top chest portions of the baby and this restricts the wind and cold outside from attacking the child,

another is to heat hot water and let the child's feet into it with a cold pack on the head to correct the circulation...sunkan

My daughter has had very bad cough for the past 3 weeks which has gotten better after I started giving her:-

1) some ginger juice (just a few drops) in her night milk feed.

2) a pinch of turmeric powder in her morning milk feed

3) Steam inhalation before going to bed. I fill the bath tub with hot water..the bathroom becomes quite warm with the steam...and I hold the baby in my arms for about 10-15 min in there...it has loosened her cough quite a bit...

4) Using Baby rub on her chest, back and little bit on the neck. This is different from the Vicks Vaporub but is from the same company. It is specially formulated for infants and toddlers...

5) Using a warm mist humidifier in her room when she is sleeping.

Hope this helps.

love,
Aarushi

Hi,
honey helps in reducing cough..
Steam inhalation is the best for thick phlegm...

Drainage drainage drainage - and intake of plenty of fluids help in drainage - this is what doctors suggest too - meds only give temporary relief - periodic steam inhalation with vicks gives relief to the nasal passages and also helps in draining, even prolonged hot showers are good, stay away from nasal sprays as they have serious side effects.

I have couple of solutions I know and I have followed few.
Let me put everything together. You guys have to try these and find out the one which works for your daughter /son.

The general tip is when you are applying any rub or home made medicine on kids body , apply in the chest , side[main part of the body to free from congestion] and the back.


For infants heat coconut oil and when it's hot put some camphor in it and switch it off. Close it and let it cool for some time. Store it in a air tight container.
Rub them this in the morning and in the night. This will make them free from congestion.

For some kids the cold will not come out and they cannot vommit either. For them heat hot water -1 cup and when it's boiling add omam and betal leaves. [2-3] and let it becomes half. we can use this for one day. Give them wither mixing milk or without mixing anything. This way the flum will come out through the stools.

It's always a good way to have tulsi plants at home or have tulsi oil . if it's fresh leaves , take the juice , add 10 drops in the milk or put 2-3 drops of concentrated tulsi oil in milk. This will remove any type of serious congestion. This is even good for adults.

Always keep warm mist humidifier

Give them vapour bath when they have cold. Close the bathroom when you give them vapour bath.

To have a good night sleep, take 1-2 drops Eukalyptus oil and put it in their clothes [in the front] or in the pillow cover. It'll give a good relief from nose congestion which disturbs kid's sleep. Donot put too much.

Another way is rubbing vicks.

For cough , provide turmeric powder with milk.

For dry cough,Heat ghee in a vessel and add 2 -3 peeper and switch off. Grind it and mis it with ghee and give it to them for 3 times a day. Cough will be cured within 2-3 days.

Hi Lakshmilatest,

I knew about the last solution -ghee with pepper and it really works!!!

Pia

Wow... Thanks to all your responses Kala, Sunkan, Aarushi, Ramya, ladies. Much appreciated.

He takes a hot shower, sometimes inhales steam ( not Vicks Vaporub though), I rub vicks on his feet and put socks before he goes to bed, saline spray couple of times a day, humidifier pretty much all the time, warm water to drink, sometimes he is okay with honey.

I gave some tulsi juce mixed with honey last night and he made a big ruckus

Originally Posted by kalar

Hi,

3. You can give honey and ginger juice mix to them.

Kala

Kala, do you grind ginger to get the juice? Thanks,

Originally Posted by sunkan

in a dry pan heat the ajwain, omam, in tamil and dry fry until dark then pour water and heat until it turns into 1/4 th of the one ladle quantity now mix this with a little misri, or kalkandu, and give it to the child,
..sunkan

Thanks Sunkan. What is Misri? I do not have old ghee. I doubt if he will let me put cold pad on or around his head. He is pretty determined.

Originally Posted by Aarushi

1) some ginger juice (just a few drops) in her night milk feed.

4) Using Baby rub on her chest, back and little bit on the neck. This is different from the Vicks Vaporub but is from the same company. It is specially formulated for infants and toddlers...

Aarushi

Thanks Aarushi. How do you get the juice out of ginger? Crush/grind?
Baby rub is it different in composition to Vicks vaporub?

Originally Posted by lakshmilatest

For infants heat coconut oil and when it's hot put some camphor in it and switch it off. Close it and let it cool for some time. Store it in a air tight container.
Rub them this in the morning and in the night. This will make them free from congestion.

It's always a good way to have tulsi plants at home or have tulsi oil . if it's fresh leaves , take the juice , add 10 drops in the milk or put 2-3 drops of concentrated tulsi oil in milk. This will remove any type of serious congestion. This is even good for adults.

For dry cough,Heat ghee in a vessel and add 2 -3 peeper and switch off. Grind it and mis it with ghee and give it to them for 3 times a day. Cough will be cured within 2-3 days.

Lakshmi, Camphor will melt in hot cocunut oil, right? That is what we are going to store and use as needed. Is that right?

Is tulsi oil, different from juice? I doubt if the Indian Grocers carry this?

Could I put fresh pepper powder in to the ghee instead of whole pepper.

Thanks all ladies. I will try a couple of remedies at a time, and adapt those that work for them. Waiting for your reply.


Rekha

hi
along with all the above remedies ,i suggest u 2 give ur kid warm soothing soups for intake.esp of cabbage or tomatoor broccli along with celery n garlic sprouts in it.
do give in orange juice mixed with little warm water n pinch of salt,if desired also the sugar.
do try 2 give in lot of papaya when the phelgm has thickened.this helps 2 lloosen the phelgm n usually gets offf thru potty.so better.
give the kid vit c enriched foods.
luv
raji