Today I’m here to talk about every mom’s nemesis- the viral cold- Nothing makes me feel more like I am in the thick of every frustrating thing motherhood has to offer than when one of my kids brings home a virus and it takes it’s run with every. single. child. Here are tried and true ways to soothe a child’s cold symptoms at home. These are the remedies I use to help my kids get over the aches and hacking so I don’t lose my sanity and they can have a restful and speedy recovery.
Soothe A Child’s Cold Symptoms At Home with These Remedies
After 81 months of pregnancy, roughly 72 months of nursing babies, nine children, 5 hrs average sleep on the good nights, countless sack lunches, and (what feels like) a billion runny noses- I consider myself a seasoned parent. Not seasoned to the point of grandma-dom where you look back with almost all fond memories. No, I mean seasoned and in the frying pan still cookin’ kinda mom. My kids are ages 12 all the way down to Mr. Chubbs who is nine months, and they have given me much flavor-filled seasoning! At this point in my mothering career, I don’t waste time with remedies that are purely a placebo, here is a list of things I have found to really work for dealing your child’s cold symptoms.
Epsom Salt Baths
You can buy this in bulk HERE like I do or your local grocer may carry it. Sometimes it comes scented with Lavender. The truth of the matter is that pouring a hot tub with a cup of Epsom salts will not only soothe your child’s achy body, it will also give them a little alone time (which, in my opinion, grumpy sick kids can use). Last time my six-year-old was sick with chills, I poured him a tub and as I walked out he sank into it sighing- “oh, that’s niiiiiice”. It also makes them feel a bit pampered- which soothes the soul 🙂
Vapo Rub on the Feet
Hacking all night? The worst! Hearing your child NOT sleeping when you know that is exactly what they need to recover- so frustrating! Try this trick and lather the bottom of their feet with a generous layer of Vicks VapoRub, then slip on some clean socks. Some of the rub will get on the socks, but most of it will soak into those little piggies and give the hacking the boot.
There are also some great essential oils that you can use. Be sure to do your research though- especially if you’re using on children. THIS VAPO RUB METHOD HAS ALWAYS WORKED FOR ME. The good news is it’s pretty inexpensive. (note: this method should not be used on children under 6 months old per warning on the Vicks label.)
Family Immunity Tea
I love these soothing, natural teas from Birds & Bees Teas that boost family immunity and ease symptoms of stress and sickness. There are even teas for peaceful pregnancies!
Peppermint Herbal Tea-
The other coughing remedy that I insist on whenever I am personally coughing up a lung is this herbal tea and honey concoction. My kids like it too and because it is caffeine free I feel fine about giving it to them. Take a mint flavored tea (to open up the sinuses, we like the BARLOW brand) and let it steep in very warm water.
Add as much honey as you can possibly handle drinking. (I use local honey to get the benefits of overcoming local allergies and avoid any commercial add-ins). The more honey you can load in the better- it will coat your throat and offer sweet relief from the itchy scratchy’s! I do this just before bed and fall asleep as quickly as I can.
Ouchy Chapped Noses
My next secret weapon is a product called Bag Balm. It looks weird. I know. But seriously, this stuff has serious moisturizing capabilities. (It is also my secret weapon against diaper rash.) Those poor noses get quite chapped from all the blowing and rubbing- I smooth a teensy bit of this around the chapped nose when they are straight out of the tub and clean. It helps create a barrier to the runny faucet and allows the area to heal. Ahhhhh. Much better.
Pillows and Books
Elevate your child, start with adding pillows to give them a steep incline and end with cutting the screen time. It may seem like they are restful watching that show, but it is actually very stimulating and in many cases, sleep preventative. Put a book in front of them instead, something that would be interesting to look at for awhile- my boys are crazy about books with lots of pictures of animals, ocean life, and volcanoes. I picked up some old national geographic at the second-hand store and they will stare at them forever. Except when they are super tired and sick- then they look as long as they can keep their eyelids propped open which isn’t very long when they are this comfy! Getting them to rest is the key.
Five ways to soothe a child’s cold symptoms from a mom in the trenches just like you. Good luck my friends and may the end of the cold season soon be upon us!
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Looking for more tried and true home remedies for your little ones? Here are a few more of our favorites:
Daria Tarrant says
I love your blog and love receiving emails as I’m a subscriber but some of the cold remedies you mentioned surprised me as I didn’t know about them so thank you for informing me of a couple new ways to help soothe my son’s cough without having to use over the counter cough medicines as some of them can be quite expensive.