Toddler’s cough can be worrying, frustrating and stressing to the parents and the child both. Even though cough is one of the very common disorder of child’s health but sometimes it may turn into complication due to less care or weather. There are many natural ways to get rid of a cough for a toddler if you want to try. There are different types of coughs those attack the kids.
Types and cause of cough
Infection in throat, common cold, allergies or asthma among other health conditions may cause irritation in the throat of a child which turns into cough. Cough is a natural way to remove excess mucus that blocks the breathing passages and the type of the cough determines the cause.
1. Wet cough: This cough type is the result of excess mucus or fluids blocking the breathing passages in the body. A wet cough usually helps in removing the excess fluid from the lungs.
2. Dry cough: Common cold or flu is the cause of dry cough. Also may occur due to lower respiratory tract infections like bronchitis, asthma or allergies caused by irritants such as cigarette smoke.
3. Wheezing cough: When a child catches s a wheezing cough, may make a high-pitched whistling sound when breathing. This type of cough occurs when the airways are clogged and narrow.
4. Barky or croup cough: Croup is a viral infection that blocks the upper respiratory track and results in a distinctive ‘barking’ cough that sounds like a seal barking.
5. Whooping cough: This type is named after as sounds “whooping” while coughing. Whooping cough is also known as pertussis and is similar to a dry cough because of common colds. This type of cough may last long after the flu and may get worse after a while but ends in fits of coughing, forcing the child even the adults to breathe forcefully, resulting in a “whooping” sound.
Major Causes of Cough
The major causes of cough are upper respiratory infection, common cold, sinusitis, acid reflux and asthma. It is accompanied with several symptoms such as difficulty swallowing, sounds while breathing, runny or stuffy nose, chest tightness, lethargy, tiredness, wheezing, difficulty breathing and fever.
Apply home remedies rather than medicine to age below 4. But if the cough continues one week more and the kid shows symptom as chest pain or blood while coughing then immediately consult a doctor.
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Natural Ways to Get Rid of A Cough for A Toddler
You can apply home remedies if your child get cough before you visit doctor.
- Encourage For Enough Rest
The body heals faster when it is at rest. If your child has a persistent cough, get him to stay home and rest for the day. The stress of school work, traveling to school and any allergens outside can aggravate a cough. Also, as a cough spreads germs around, keep him at home to avoid the spread of infection to other kids.
- Encourage and engage your child in quiet activities like coloring or drawing, or let him play his favorite video game to avoid outside activities and stay on rest.
- You can read a story book or do puzzles together.
- Insisting to sleep is also a great idea if your kid likes to sleep.
- Steam With Eucalyptus Oil
Steam inhalation can be the best option if your lovely kid has a wet cough, combined with blocked nose and breathing passages, you can do these following tips:
- Warm air from the steam helps loosen the mucus in the air passages and rid it from the body.
- Heat water to boil in a bowl. You can also fill the tub with hot water.
- Drops of eucalyptus oil in the water and let your child inhale the steam through nose. In case you are using boiling water in a bowl, keep your child a little away from it as safety measure.
- You can also run the hot water in the shower and leave it for a couple of minutes with the door closed. This will fill the room with steam, which will provide relief from cold.
- Humidifier to Avoid Cough At Night
Dry and less humid or moist conditions can leave the mucus in the throat and passageways dry. This causes irritation, leading to a dry cough. Using a humidifier may not treat a cough, but it can alleviate it a little. Meanwhile, it may be more effective to keep away your child’s cough at night time.
- A cool-mist humidifier will keep your child’s nostril airways moist and clear.
- Open the windows in the morning to let out the humidity air to prevent the growth of mold.
- Gargling With Salt Water
There are many natural ways to get rid of a cough for a toddler. Homemade saline is always good to ease the pain because of cough.
- A teaspoon of salt mix in warm water is our homemade saline which can help to relief from a sore and irritate throat.
- Gargling thrice a day is a proven remedy to relief from a cough as well.
- Drink More Warm Water
Getting enough fluids into the body will ensure that the toxins are flushed out quickly.
- Give your little one enough warm water to drink and keep hydrated always.
- Also, drinking water helps in thinning the mucus and makes it easier for it to get out of the body.
- Removal of mucus from the body reduces a wet cough.
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- Saline for Nasal Congestion
Warm saline drops is the most effective remedy to ease a dry cough in toddler. Salt water has been an old cure to ease a sore throat and relieve nasal congestion.
- Add half teaspoon of salt into a cup of warm water.
- Put two drops of the warm saline water in the nostrils of the child. Insist your kid to blow away at once to remove mucus fast.
- Insist your child to gargle warm salt water to ease the irritation of the throat.
- Another way to ease nasal congestion is to rinse the nostrils using saline water. This method is suitable for older kids and adults. Tilt the child’s head to a side and use a pot to pour warm saline water in one nostril and let it come out from another. Make sure that the kid breathes with his mouth during this process. Get help from someone knows well about this process as extra precaution.
- Nose Blowing To Ease
A wet cough is often the result of mucus accumulation in the throat. If not cleared well, mucus in the nostrils may move from the nose to throat when the child breathes forcefully, resulting in throat irritation, and therefore coughing.
To prevent worse condition, blow nose from time to time. If the kid cannot do that, teach them to blow the nose by smelling backward, but forcefully. Let’s try these natural ways to get rid of a cough for a toddler.
- Honey to Fight Cough
Honey is considered the best home remedy for children’s cough. It contains anti-microbial agents, which help the body to fight against cold. The sweet taste of honey also helps in producing saliva. The excess amount of saliva helps in thinning the mucus.
It is one of the most effective natural ways to get relief from a cough. Do not give honey to your baby who is less than one year of age.
- Mix one tablespoon of honey in warm water.
- Squeeze fresh lemon juice in it.
- Let your child sip this.
- Apply till cure.
- Lemon to Improve Immune System
Lemon has therapeutic properties and helps improve the body’s immune system to fight sickness and free radicals in the body.
- Few drops of lemon juice with honey make an excellent cough syrup.
- You can also insist your child to have a slice of lemon if he likes the taste.
- Ginger With Cayenne Pepper
Ginger has antiviral properties that make it an excellent remedy for cough by common colds. Ginger has a strong taste, which is why you may have to mix it with honey before you give it to your child.
- Mix one-fourth teaspoon of grated or crushed ginger with one-fourth teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
- Add a tablespoon each of honey and apple cider vinegar to this.
- Mix it with two tablespoons of water to make syrup.
- Give two tablespoons of it to relieve a cough.
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- Chicken Soup to Cure From Cough
A bowl of chicken soup can do the magic to your child’s cough if you do not want to rely on medicine. Researchers have found that chicken soup contains anti-inflammatory property. This soothes cold symptoms by relieving congestion, cough, and a sore throat.
- Milk and Turmeric to relief from Whooping Cough
Turmeric and milk provide instant relief to a dry throat, aching throat and runny nose. It is also one of the best natural remedies for whooping cough in children.
- Add turmeric powder to a glass of warm milk.
- Drink it before bed time.
- Turmeric has an antiseptic property which helps in treating viral infection.
- Apple Cider Vinegar For Dry Cough
Naturally apple cider vinegar able to kill germs that causes infection and sore throat. It has anti bacterial properties that can kiss pathogens in the body. Apply apple cider vinegar while kids affected by dry cough.
- One tablespoon of apple cider vinegar mix with one-fourth tablespoon each of crushed ginger and honey to treat a cough naturally.
- Another way to use this vinegar is to dab your child’s pillow case with it. This is an old epic recipe that enables your child to breathe in the scent of the vinegar, which can soothe the throat.
- You can also use this trick, use this apply cider vinegar to dab your child’s pillow case, so your child to breathe in the scent of the vinegar, to soothe the throat.
- Massage using Mastered Oil
Massaging with mastered oil mixing with garlic comforts and acts to remove coughs in babies or kids even adults. Effective for a dry, wet or a barking cough as well. This massage quickens the body to heal all by itself.
- Make sure you heat both the oil and garlic together to make it effective, wait till warm.
- Apply warm mustard oil and garlic to massage your child’s chest, back.
- For a comfortable sleep massage your baby’s palm and feet.
- Homemade Chest Rub
Rub your kid’s chest while suffering from bad cough. You can prepare yourself as,
- Two tablespoons of beeswax put in a boiler and mix it with half cup of olive oil or almond oil.
- Mix well till the beeswax melt then five drops each of eucalyptus oil, pepper mint oil, rosemary oil and clove oil or cinnamon oil to this and stir well.
- Make sure all the oils and beeswax mixed well, stop heating and leave to cool.
- Dispense into a container and store in a cold place.
- Apply this rubbing oil you just prepared, over your child’s throat, chest and back to provide relief from cough.
- Remember, this mixture is only for external use.
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16. Visit Doctor
If those natural ways to get rid of a cough for a toddler are not working, please visit your doctor to prevent worse condition to your child.
How to Prevent Cough in Toddlers
- Enough sleep to increase immune system, babies need 18 hours a day and toddlers and preschoolers need 12 to 14 hours
- Insist children to wash hands frequently.
- Virus may spreads to others so, take extra precautions about hygiene.
- Hot milk and honey act as a defense mechanism against virus and bacteria. Insist your kids to drink hot milk with honey.
- Healthy immune is important to eliminate cough and therefore green leafy vegetables put in child’s regular diet.
- Avoid smoking while children suffering from cough.
Those are natural ways to get rid of a cough for a toddler tips from Medicpole, you have all the handy natural remedies now in your hands with a simple prevention plan. Stay cool while your baby get in any type of cough, rather than panic and worry, spend quality time with your kid by applying any suitable method mentioned in this article.
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