Autumn is now here and the weather will soon cool down, which is a welcome relief for some of us. On the other hand autumn brings snotty noses, fever and sleepless nights attending to our coughing/restless children. Ahh yes, the common cough and cold! Although they should disappear on their own, (the cold not the child!) within 10 days or so you may be asking yourself what you could do to help? After all, children get an average of 8 colds per year and it’s not recommended to give them over-the-counter medication until at least 6 years or older due to possible side effects.
My daughter was always picking up colds, sore throats and coughs so I researched some natural ways to relieve the symptoms and help prevent future colds. You can always stock up on some great homeopathic remedies and one of my favourite brands is Brauer. I have found their remedies to be very efficient. I also make sure I have essential oils on hand; eucalyptus is my must-have for colds. A simple but worthwhile prevention is to eat a good variety of fruit and veg and give your little ones a good probiotic. A good natural health store or naturopath should be able to recommended one.
Here is my list of homemade remedies and tips. Some are quite well known and others are a bit “out there!” but I can tell you, they have all helped.
Let’s start!
Try a warm chamomile tea for your toddler, it’s a great soother and helps calm irritability and promotes sleep. Choose a good quality tea and brew as normal, you can dilute with more water for younger children.
A warm lemon, honey and ginger drink provides immune-boosting goodness and have anti-inflammatory properties. Although you can buy tea bags, making it fresh is better. Only use honey for children over 1 year of age. Manuka honey is the best to use as it is effective against a wide range of bacteria.
A vaporizer, humidifier or steamy shower helps clear the airways and allows little ones to breathe with more ease.
A natural vapour rub, (in my opinion commercial ones have some not-so-good ingredients in them) rubbed into the soles of the feet at night is believed to do wonders for the cough and cold! Always check what age range they are intended for due to the different types of essentials oils used.
Onion Cough Syrup 
This surprisingly pleasant-tasting home remedy is made from honey and onion and makes a wonderful cough syrup. Both honey and onions have antibacterial properties; in addition, onions have a sulphur-containing compound that reduces bronchial constriction. They also help by reducing the thickness of mucus, allowing it to be eliminated more easily.
Here is the simple recipe:
Peel and roughly chop a red onion. Place in a bowl and cover with honey. Place in a warm room for six to eight hours. Strain the onion from the syrup.
Adult dose is one tablespoon every two hours and for children, one teaspoon every two to four hours.
Another homemade decongestant is the vapour shower disk. Placed on the corner of the shower floor they release the eucalyptus oil into the steamy hot mist and help decongest stuffy noses. These can be made several ways and if stored in an airtight container, they will last the season.
What you will need:
- Baking soda
- Water
- Essential oils: Eucalyptus (Lavender optional)
- Muffin tins
- Muffin liners
No-bake version
- Add 2 cups of baking soda to a bowl
- Slowly add water until you make a thick paste (it should feel like putty)
- Add approx. 10-15 drops of each essential oil
- Spoon into muffin cases
- Leave them out for 12-18 hours
- Pop them out of the muffin cases and into your shower… enjoy!
Bake version
- Add 2 cups of baking soda to a bowl
- Slowly add water until you make a thick paste (it should feel like putty)
- Bake on high for about 20min
- Allow to cool and add a few drops of essential oil to each disk
- Pop them out of the muffin cases and into your shower… enjoy!
I hope you will find some of these methods useful for your child. I do believe it is worth trying some to see their benefits! Please remember to see your doctor or a naturopath if symptoms persist.
Do you have natural remedies you use for your children? Share them with other mums out there who are trying to combat those coughs and colds!
Originally posted 2014-04-21 22:56:20.
Does the cough syrup have to be made with red onion?
My lil one has had a chesty cough for almost 3 weeks I’m fairly desperate to cure it!