Home remedies for cough in children

When baby thermometers read over 100°F and nights are no longer quiet due to persistent coughs, many parents want to ease their little ones’ discomfort and turn to natural cough remedies that have worked for generations. Here we present some of them.

When winter approaches, the cold increases as well as the cases of colds and flu, especially in young children. According to some medical studies, children can suffer from colds 5 to 10 times a year, with symptoms lasting a maximum of 10 days in most cases.

Hence, an occasional fever, cough and cold rarely become serious complications. However, we must be more careful when there is a persistent dry cough, which affects the normal rest of the child and the development of their daily activities.

But how to find out what kind of cough the child has. In the following lines we explain them concisely.

types of cough

Dry cough: Also known as non-productive, it is one in which there is no expectoration of mucous.

False dry cough: It is the one in which you cannot expectorate and you end up swallowing the phlegm. It is very common in children.

Productive cough: It is the one that produces expectoration due to the movement of the mucosa in the respiratory tract.

Hoarse cough: This is one of the characteristics of respiratory diseases such as laryngotracheitis, it is painful because the vocal cords become inflamed and limit the passage of air.

Whooping cough: These are the well-known “cough attacks”, persistent episodes that can occur as a sign of a serious illness, such as whooping cough, or as a result of aspiration of a foreign object. 

Knowing the different types of cough, it is important to clarify that this symptom works as a defense mechanism that the body has to expel the “foreign object” from the respiratory tract, which in the case of colds and flu is nothing more than the excessive mucus that is produced.

What is also true is that the nocturnal cough, more than a defense mechanism, ends up affecting the rest of the child and the whole family, so it is common for parents to use internet explorers to find how to calm the cough or how to get rid of cough in babies and children

Home remedies for cough

If you took your child to the doctor at the first sign of a cold, they may have prescribed a cough syrup with mucus, because the doctor knows that the symptoms will evolve and it will be necessary to cough up all the mucus produced. 

Many of these syrups cannot be administered to babies under 2 years of age, because they can cause tachycardia, seizures, loss of consciousness, among other serious symptoms.

For this reason, using a natural cough syrup can be a safer, traditional alternative that has worked for generations. Even, you probably already took some remedy prepared by your grandmother when you were a child to cure a dry cough. 

Onion syrup for cough

In many families, it is customary to use the traditional method of cutting the onion and putting it on a plate, near the child’s bed, so that when he sleeps, the gases from the onion lubricate the child’s airways and reduce coughing.

But, another effective way to use this vegetable is to prepare a syrup that dilates the airways and promotes expectoration. For its preparation you will need 3 onions, juice of 3 lemons and 500 g of honey.

Now, place all the ingredients in the glass blender and process them until they are integrated, forming a homogeneous mixture. Use a sterilized jar or container with a lid to store the syrup in the fridge. 

The recommended dose is two teaspoons a day for children over one year of age, while babies under 12 months should not consume this remedy, as it contains honey. 

The classic mint ointment

The years go by and the validity of the Vicks VapoRub is maintained, so if, after consulting with your child’s pediatrician, he authorizes you to use this ointment, you can give the child a massage on the back and chest before going to sleep, as this is a blocker of cold receptors in the nose and throat, reducing coughing.

Also, you can apply a little of the mint cream on the soles of the feet and put on some stockings. This remedy is not recommended for children under 2 years of age, as there are conflicting medical opinions about possible cases of bronchospasm in babies. 

Chicken Soup

Another traditional remedy for children’s cold and cough days is the classic chicken soup, which has shown great effectiveness in recovery, according to a study by the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which found that high levels of iron and zinc in this chicken preparation speed up the expectoration and recovery from viral symptoms.

Here we show you a quick and cheap recipe that you can prepare in a short time for the whole family.

The ingredients you will need are: 1 chicken breast, 1 potato, 1 leek, 1 onion, 2 carrots, 1 piece of pumpkin, fresh parsley, 250 grams of noodles, 1 bay leaf, chicken bones (can be from the breast boneless), salt and pepper to taste, 2.5 liters of water and a bay leaf. 

To start the preparation, bring the water to a boil in a large pot. While it is on the fire you can wash, peel and chop all the ingredients. Also remove all the fat from the chicken. 

Once you have chopped all the vegetables and chicken, you can add them to the pot, season with salt and pepper and add the bay leaf. Now, you should let it cook for two hours over medium heat. After this time, you can add the noodles and let them cook for 5 minutes or until they are al dente. 

Now, all of these remedies need to be backed up by a good fluid intake, so make sure your little one drinks water several times a day. Similarly, keep the room ventilated and free of dust. In this case, you can help yourself with the best vertical corded vacuum cleaner to clean your house, the child’s room, vacuum their plush dolls and everything that could accumulate dust and aggravate the cough. 

We are sure that with this care, your child will recover in a short time and the cough will disappear completely. Otherwise, do not hesitate to go to a specialist so that the child receives the appropriate medical treatment.