Treating Your Child’s Cold at Home
The cold can make anyone miserable. No one wants to take a sick day from work or school just to stay at home, do nothing but simply feel terrible. It is not easy for parents when their children get the cold either. If you’re a parent, you want to do whatever you can to make your child feel better and to help him get rid of his cold.
You can’t cure your child’s cold but you can treat the symptoms. You can use medicine from your local drug store but it generally tastes bad and it is hard to get your child to swallow it. Many home remedies can be whipped up right in your kitchen and your child will take these a lot easier. The following are some ideas.
The same thing your mother gave you when you had a cold will help your child: chicken soup. Chicken soup has ingredients that help thin the mucus in your body and replace the nutrients the body needs to feel better. Hot chicken soup will encourage the sinuses to drain which will make your child more comfortable. Most importantly, your child will gladly eat a bowl of chicken soup.
Miso is a Japanese spice with natural bacteria that can help your body fight infection. You can add miso to hot soups or broths to help fight your child’s cold off. Make sure not to heat the miso up with the soup or you will kill the bacteria.
A spoonful of honey and lemon juice in equal parts will relieve sore throat pain and reduce coughing. This can be done every few hours. The honey lemon mixture can also be mixed into ginger tea if that is something your child would enjoy.
You can make a helpful nasal spray by mixing 1/4 tsbp. of salt and 8 oz. of warm water and putting it in an empty nasal spray bottle. Have your child spray the mixture into their nose several times a day to help reduce mucus. For smaller children, the mixture can be put in the nose with a dropper.
Don’t give your child milk or other dairy products until he is over his cold. These dairy products will increase the thickness of the mucus, which means the mucus will be more difficult to get out of the system. It’s important to clear out the mucus as soon as possible to help your child get over his cold.
Many over the counter products containing zinc or Echinacea can be found that will shorten the intensity and duration of a cold if used at the first signs of the cold.
It is highly likely that you and your child will get at least one cold this winter. You don’t have to spend a ton of money on cold treatments from the drug store. With a few simple ingredients, you can make home remedies for the common cold that will taste better and make your child more comfortable.
