Sneezes, runny nose and sleepless nights of your baby are making your worried?

First of all do not get anxious. Cold, cough and flu are common in babies under age 1. Babies have under developing immune system, which is hypersensitive. So, a minor change in the surrounding or smallest of bacteria can cause flu in the baby.

Your baby may suffer from sore throat, fever, irritation, coughing and breathing problem when he/she is infected. Usually this infection lasts for 5 – 6 days but it is better to consult children specialist for proper diagnosis.

According to American academy of paediatrics too much consumption of medicines leads to extreme sleepiness, hallucinations and rapid heartbeat. A recent survey shows that 20 children below 2-3 years died because of over dosage of cold relieving syrups. But that doesn’t mean there is no treatment. If your baby is suffering from cold, cough and flu then the below mentioned home remedies are useful in their treatment. These natural methods are safe, effective and economical too.

Follow the methods mentioned below and help your baby to get rid of flu as early as possible. But do not start them without consulting paediatrician as it very important to know baby’s health before giving any ingredients.

Top 10 easy and effective ways to treat cold in baby:

Method 1: Inhalation

Inhalation is one of the oldest methods followed by everyone to get rid of cold. As it loosens the mucus and make your nasal passage free. So, in order to help your baby to get rid of cold you can follow any of the below given methods.

1. Use humidifiers or cool mist vaporizers in your baby’s bedroom, which provides relief against the cold and bacterial free atmosphere.
2. You can give warm bath or steam bath to your baby, which helps in melting down the mucus.
3. If your baby is above 2 years then, add few drops of menthol oil to the warm water before starting the bath.
4. You can simply take a cloth soaked in warm water and keep on the baby’s chest, back and forehead. This reduces the body temperature and clears the mucus stored in chest.

Method 2: Saline drops

Saline drops and bulb syringe method is used by doctors in order to easily remove the mucus from the baby’s nostrils. This process can also be followed in the home with extra care.

Steps to follow:

• Lay your baby down on the bed with rolled up towel below the head and slowly pour 2-3 drops of saline into baby’s nose.
• Then, by making use of bulb syringe you can remove the mucus from the nostrils.
• Keep your finger on one nostril and keep the syringe on the other and slowly pull back the top of it. Syringe sucks up everything and makes your baby free from cold.
• You clean the syringe and follow this process repeatedly to get rid of baby cold.

Note: Neti pot is also helpful in clearing the baby cold in the baby above 4 years. 

Method 3: Fluid consumption

Cough and cold causes dehydration in the body and it thickens the mucus. In order to get relief from the uncomfortability caused due the cold it is very important to consume much of the liquids. This method helps in flushing out the mucus from the nose and provides fresh breath.

• You can give fresh fruit smoothies or juices if your baby is 6 months and above. Make sure they are hydrated and comfortable.
• You can also give hot soups like chicken, tomato or vegetable soup and herbal teas, which melt down the mucus and flushes it out through the urine or poop.
• During cold try to avoid giving formula milk to babies and instead you can give more amount of breast milk. As this has antibiotic property that fights against the infections and makes baby free from cold.

Method 4: Vapour rub

Vapour rub unclogs the nasal passages and helps in breathing. These vapour rubs contain active ingredients such as menthol, camphor and eucalyptus oil, which can be applied to babies to get relief from cold.

Steps to follow:

• Take small amount of vapour rub on your palm and rub both your palms.
• Now massage gently on the chest and back using your palms and fingers.

Note:

• Do not apply this vapour rub on the sensitive parts of the body such as eyes or some injured skin.
• It is always better to apply this vapour rub during the night time. So, that it provides a sound sleep to your baby. You can repeat it every day till your baby gets relief from cold.

Method 5: Coconut oil

Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which is proven to dissolve the mucus and flushes it through body output. It has antimicrobial fatty acid that provides strength to the immune system.

Steps to follow:

• Take small amount of melted coconut oil and pour it around the baby’s nose and leave for some time.
• You can also use coconut oil for body massaging to get rid of cold.
• Consumption of 1 teaspoon of coconut oil per day can boost baby’s immunity towards such viruses.

Alternative method:

You can add a little amount of camphor powder to the war coconut oil and massage your baby using this mixture.

Method 6: Honey

Haney has various different benefits for health including cold and cough. It has soothing, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties that provide soothing effect to the nose and throat. But this method is useful if and only if your baby is 1 year and above.

Steps to follow:

• Give ½ or 1 teaspoon of raw honey directly to your baby.
• You can continue it daily till your baby is free from cold.
• Or else you can even combine honey and fresh lemon juice in a glass of warm water and make your baby drink it.

Method 7: Turmeric Milk

Turmeric is considered as heat substance, which provides relief against the throat and nose irritation. It is useful in treating various different types of viral infections like cold, cough and flu.

Steps to follow:

• Take a glass of warm milk and put ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder into it.
• Now, pour this milk into feeding bottle and feed it to your baby during bedtime.
• Regular consumption of this milk will help in getting rid of cold.

Method 8: Ajwain

Ajwain is a spice with strong aroma and medicinal use. It works by clearing the nasal passages. Ajwain is proved to provide relief against the bronchitis and asthma.

Steps to follow:

• Take a handful of Ajwain and tie it in the cotton cloth.
• Then, keep this tied cloth on the iron to warm it up.
• Now, keep the warm cloth on baby’s chest to get relief from cold.

Method 9: Garlic necklace

Garlic is a heating substance, which melts down the mucus from the nose and makes nasal passage free from it. So, the breathing can be easier for kids and get relief from cold.

Steps to follow:

• Take few pieces of garlic and a needle with thread.
• Now, start inserting the garlic into the needle and make a necklace out of it.
• Remember to use the de-skinned garlic always.
• Note: For best results you can put this necklace to your babies during the bedtime.

Method 10: Ginger

Ginger melts down the mucus and clears the nasal passages. Ginger has strong aroma which unclogs the clogged nasal pores.

Steps to follow:

• Take a cup of hot water and add 1 teaspoon of grated ginger.
• Now, allow this mixture to cool down for about 10-15 minutes.
• Then, make your baby consume this drink.
• Note: this method is suitable for baby of age 2 years.

Tips and precautions to fight against baby’s cold:

1. If your baby is above 1 year of age then you can slightly elevate the baby’s head while baby is sleeping. This method is also useful in treating cold.
2. Always rinse your hand before and after touching baby because baby has very sensitive skin and get allergies very soon.
3. Always sterilize baby toys and bottles before giving them to play.
4. Keep the floors clean and hygienic because many microorganisms present inside the home are harmful to babies.
5. Apply small amount of petroleum jelly to baby’s nose to ease the breath and clear the nasal passages.
6. Give your baby okra water, lemon water, chamomile tea and cinnamon tea which are equally beneficial in providing the treatment for baby cold.
7. Massaging is very helpful for treating baby cold. You can mix garlic with mustard oil and rub on baby’s neck and back to get rid of cold.
8. It is better to teach your babies to use tissues and remove the mucus to breathe properly. Also tell them to wash their hands after doing this.
9. To reduce the throat irritation you can mix 1 glass of warm water along with 1 teaspoon of salt and gargle thoroughly to make baby free from cold.
10. Do not give aspirin to your babies as it contains high amount of drugs that are not suitable for them.
11. Even after trying these methods for 2 days if you did not find any improvement in baby’s health then, it is safer to consult doctor.
12. Tulsi/ Basil leave have numerous medicinal properties. You can soak these leave in warm water or hot milk for about 1 hour and give it to your baby in small amount.
13. You can also heat 2 tablespoons of ghee and add pepper powder of 1 or 2 peppers and stir well. You can give it throughout the day in small quantities.
14. A lot of rest is required to come out of cold and fever so keep your baby away from the day care center or school during the cold.
15. Do not over feed your baby as it may become hard to digest while they are suffering from cold and flu.
16. Use only boiled and cooled water for your babies as it will be free of harmful micro-organisms.
17. Do not use instant readymade soups for babies as they may contain preservatives that are harmful to babies.

Frequently asked questions:

1. How long does it take a baby to overcome cold?

Cold is very common in new born babies and it occurs due to virus. In general it may take around 5-7 days to overcome cold but as baby is more sensitive this cold will lead to various bacterial infections. Hence, it will take 7-10 days to cure cold.

2. Is it ok to bath our baby during cold?

Cold is associated with the virus but not with water. So, it is ok to bath your baby while they are having cold. Bath provides freshness and kills all the bacteria that helps in easy curing because bath induces sleep in babies and sleep in best treatment for baby cold.

3. How many hours my baby should sleep if he is having cold?

Sleep is very important while babies are suffering from cold and fever. It is recommended that baby should sleep 18 hours a day whereas toddlers and kids must sleep for about 8 hours a day.

4. Which method is best for runny nose?

There are various methods mentioned above but for runny nose you can use saline drops and syringe method. This works out to be best and helps in treating runny nose.

5. Can i give ragi to my baby during cold?

Ragi is rich in iron and is best food for babies. So, you can give ragi to babies and protect them from low iron diseases. Including ragi in baby’s daily diet can help in improving baby’s immune system.

Summary

Babies are very sensitive and prone to infections. So, it is better to take proper care and protect your babies. In the above article we have mentioned top 10 easy methods to get rid of cold. Every baby is different from the other so, if one method works out on one baby then same method may not be effective on the other baby. So, understand your baby’s nature and then, use these methods.

Have you ever tried these methods? How was your experience? Please share to us in the comment section below.