Sick Kids
My girls are sick...again. My youngest (16 mo.) seems to get a runny nose with a cough every 2-4 weeks, no joke. Even though I've tried numerous methods for easing her cough so she (and the rest of us) can sleep, I still forget to try some of them again the next time. I recently asked friends on a Facebook post what their methods were for easing coughs and here are some of their replies and my comments in parenthesis:
-Put Vicks (or store brand) vapor rub on their feet and put socks on (this does seem to help)
-Ibuprofen or Motrin (this is usually used for pain relief, but maybe it would help)
-Benadryl (again, I'm not sure about this, but it could reduce inflammation)
-Bring the baby into the bathroom and run a hot shower for the steam
-Elevating the head of the crib by placing a folded blanket or flat pillow under the mattress
-Saline spray in the nose (You can make your own or buy it at the drugstore. It definitely helps reduce sinus infections)
-Teaspoon of honey or honey in warm water for kids over 1 (I use a natural cough syrup that has honey in it)
-A humidifier, preferably one that has a place to put in liquid Vicks
-Over the counter cough syrup for kids (some still do it in spite of FDA warnings, which they think stem mostly from too many people overdosing their kids-scary)
Do you have any other methods that have worked for you?
Posted in: colds, cough, Illness on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at at 2:43 PM
I think you should get the girls on probiotics! Maybe that would help ward off some bugs they catch and give you a break from buying tissues! Go to the health food store and ask for children's.
My Nepali family suggests to take a spoon full of honey with a good size chunk of fresh ginger in it for any respiratory issues. I tried that last time I had a cough/cold and it did seem to clear up super fast, which is rare for me...and it was pretty tasty, too :)