Home Remedies for Cough for Children

During the seasons of the year when the weather is cool and humid, you will find a large number of children suffering from cough and cold. By the time one child is examined by the doctor the other one comes coughing. Even if you are not at the doctor’s clinic but in the market, you can notice the same pattern.

Types of cough

You will notice different children coughing in different tones and with different levels of vigour. Some may sound awful but this does not mean they are serious. Generally children who have dry cough have excessive and repeated bouts of cough. This is generally called barky cough and is caused by swelling of upper portion of airway. This may be caused by virus or allergic reaction and common at the time when the night temperature falls. Younger children below the age of three are more likely to suffer from this condition. The child starts to cough at the mid night time and coughing is noisy. There may also be whooping cough at night in small kids.

In case the cough is associated with a wheezing sound, it will imply that there is swelling in lower portion of the airway towards lungs. This is caused by viral infection. With a fall in temperature at night, the condition becomes worse. During the times when there is low temperature during the day, the child may also suffer during day time, especially when he moves around a lot.

Home Remedies

It is not necessary that when there is cough he should be rushed to the doctor immediately for consultation. There are home remedies which will help your child breathe normally and be comfortable. Some of the home remedies are:

• Take the child to the bathroom, close the door and open the tap of hot water shower. The steam will start to accumulate and enter the respiratory system of the child. Be there for about 20 minutes. The child will feel relieved. A cold humidifier can be installed in the room.

• After covering the child properly you can take him in open air for 10 to 15 minutes and the child will feel better.

• Liquid is crucial and can accelerate recovery of the child suffering from cough. To provide relief from cough, you can give a cup of hot tea to the child. To the tea cup you may add a spoon of honey instead of sugar.

• Some people suggest that the child should be given freshly extracted orange juice. This can be of much help but ensure that the juice is not cold and bitter. It should be sweet in taste.

• You can add a few drops of ginger juice to warm water and ask the child to take small sips. This will have soothing effect.

• Similarly a few drops of ginger juice can be added to honey and the child can be asked to lick honey and ginger juice.

• Garlic soup, though slightly difficult to drink, has excellent antiseptic and antispasmodic properties. Boil a few cloves of garlic in water for about 10 minutes. Strain the garlic press to extract juice from it and make the child drink it warm. It will help open the respiratory passage.

• If the child is 3 years and above, you can buy some over the counter cough syrup and administer a spoon full of syrup to relieve the child from coughing. Many varieties of syrup are available for children. They are made tasty and the child will take them easily.

• You can rub Vicks Vaporub on the chest and nose of the child. This will help relieve congestion.

Keep the child clean, change clothes at regular intervals and you will find that the child will recover fast.