Home Remedies for Cold Symptoms
This is the time of year when kids have the sniffles and we all want advice to make our little ones more comfortable. In light of the recent removal from store shelves of cough and cold medicines for children under 2 and an FDA panel recommendation against giving over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to children under 6, what’s a parent to do?
- When your child has a cold, make sure he/she gets plenty of rest and drinks extra fluids (water, herbal teas such as chamomile or mint (even cold), Pedialyte).
- Consider using saline nose drops to soften nasal mucus and temporarily dry up mucus membranes. Drops can be purchased or made at home (1/4 teaspoon of salt to 4 ounces or 1/2 cup of warm water.) Use 2-3 drops per nostril at least four times a day or as often as needed for kids over 1 year. Children under age 1 need only one drop at a time.
- Use a suction bulb to clear the nose of a child too young to blow his own, and help or encourage an older child to blow his or her nose.
- Protect the skin around stuffy noses with Shea butter, Aquaphor, or Vaseline.
- If your child has a fever, read our Fever Phobia section. Consider giving him/her a tepid bath; don’t overdress/bundle your child if he/she is has a fever; ensure good liquid intake.
- Sore throats can be remedied (in children over 1 year) with chicken soup, lemon and honey mixed in equal quantities and heated, herbal tea with honey and lemon.
- Contact your pediatrician at the first signs of fever/illness for infants younger than 4 months.