Natural remedies to help with my 13 month old son's cold?

Question

My son is very congested... cough/stuffy nose. Any one have any suggestions on what to do to help? I'm already using a warm mist humidifier in his room and am using an aromatic chest rub. I prefer the more natural remedies if possible. Any other suggestions? Thanks.

Answer 1

chicken broth or vegetable broth, home made is best. serve it warm in a sippy cup. Warm bath with 1-2 drops lavander & eucalyptus essential oil added, let him soak and play, after he is out of the bath, run the shower very hot to steam up the bathroom. Dress him in the steamed bathroom, wrap him up in a blanket then take him to the freezer, open the freezer door, let him breathe the cold after the hot steam.

PLEASE do not give a 13 month old herbal supplements or mega doses of vitamin c unless perscribed by a natropathic specialist!!!
Mega doses of vitamin c can cause severe diarrhea, leading to severe dehydration which can kill a child!

Irrigate his sinuses with saline drops & a nasal aspirator to suck out the mucus. If the child has a high fever(over 101), or will not take fluids take him to a pediatrician or emergency room asap.
I understand the desire to raise a child naturally(I have 2 of my own) but sometimes a few drops of baby tylenol will help soothe his pain & help him sleep (meaning you get some sleep too)

Answer 2

when my little one has a nasty cold, I close off the bathroom doors, and turn on the hot water in the shower, and let the steam fill the room. I keep a luke warm cloth to wipe her off as she sweats it out. I do this every hour or so, for a couple of minutes at a time. Dont let your lil guy get OVER heated, but this works really well for eliminating cough and making the cold go quicker

Answer 3

You can try Pulsatilla. Hyland's sells this in dissovleable tablet form. I have never personally tried it, but I know plenty of people that have and they swear by it. Plenty of vitamin C--I recommend emergen-c. I do swear by that stuff. Not only is it a high dose of vit. C, but it also has 32 other helpful minerals in it. This comes in powder form and you just mix it w/ water. It comes in different flavors too, so it's definently kid-friendly.

*Note* I don't suggest giving the whole packet of emergen-c to your son, just half. I have given this to my 14 month old daughter, and I believe that it prevented her from getting sick when my hubby and I got some kind of bug. Vit. C is a good immune booster and will help. If you don't want to do this, then try orange juice. Granted, you can go overboard with the vit c and diarrhea will result, but in moderation will not harm your baby. Trust me I have tried it and my daughter never got diarrhea. I have plenty of lady friends who have many kids and use herbal remedies on their kids your son's age. It will not hurt them as long as you stick with the recommended dose. Over the counter meds, such as tylenol and motrin are synthetic and there are other natural remedies that you can follow to get rid of this nasty cold. Good luck!

Answer 4

Mix up some warm salty water and drop a few drops in each nostril then use the aspirator to clear his nose. Do it one nostril at a time.

Answer 5

You can try Chinese folk remedies, which appropriate food cures are used according to the nature of cold symptoms.

http://www.shen-nong.com/eng/lifestyles/tcmrole_cold_flu_folk.html

Answer 6

Drink orange juice, water, take a day off from school to rest, and then stay clean and wait it out.

Answer 7

Honey with lemon and warm water

Answer 8

chicken broth soup will be very helpful.... drink plenty of water and juices

Answer 9

Try to get him to eat a zinc, vitamin C, or echinacea tablet, these really help, but they taste kind of bad.