Get effective natural cold remedies for your baby
As a mama, it is so difficult to see your baby suffering with cold symptoms.
Their tiny noses running, terrible sounding coughs, itchy and watery eyes, and of course just wanting to snuggle and fighting sleep.
But with so many different cold remedies out there, which natural baby cold remedies are the best for your little one?
Of course, you want to stick to the most natural remedies possible in order to avoid any serious complications or potential allergic reactions.
I know for me I was hesitant to give any over the counter cold remedies to my twins.
They were soo little and they were premature when they were born and I just wanted the best for them.
That’s why I learned about natural baby cold remedies that were totally safe and gentle for my twin babies.
Natural Baby Cold Remedies
Sometimes your little one just needs a little extra help to get over those nasty cold symptoms. Here are 18 natural cold remedies and treatments for your little one to help them feel better in no time!
Elderberry Syrup
Elderberry syrup not only tastes great, but it is full of antiviral properties.
This is a great supplement to take right when cold and flu season are around the corner. If you would prefer to make your own, it can be much more cost effective and is so easy to make.
Check out this recipe that only includes a handful of all natural ingredients and takes less than an hour to make.
DIY vapor rub
It’s always a good idea to have some vapor rub on hand to help your little one if they are feeling very congested and stuffy. You can easily rub it on their back, feet, and chest to help try and get some of that mucus out. Easily make your own vapor rub with 1-2 tablespoons of your favorite oil (coconut, almond, jojoba, or olive oil) and 2-3 drops of eucalyptus and rosemary essential oils.
Play around with the ratios to see what is right for your baby.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is another supplement to add to baby’s diet before you start to notice symptoms but can also include into their daily routine when they start to get sick. Taking vitamin C helps to support immunity, increase iron absorption, and has additional benefits for cartilage, bones, and teeth.
Zarbee’s cough syrup
Sometimes your little one just needs that extra boost when they are sick and nothing else seems to work.
Zarbee’s is the standard for natural over the counter remedies for babies and children.
They are safe and effective, using all natural ingredients like elderberry, honey, and agave to support immunity and help kids feel better. All of their remedies are also great tasting so you won’t have to worry about fighting with your little one to take this.
Zarbees includes a number of other natural remedies, such as sleep, immune support, multi vitamins, and probiotics.
FridaBaby Breathe Easy Kit
Part of your poor little one being sick is most likely an excess of mucus and boogie buildup. Help them to breathe easier with the breathe easy kit by FridaBaby. It includes natural vapor wipes, organic vapor rub, and vapor drops.
Use the wipes to wipe away the crusties on their nose. Rub on the organic vapor rub as a no-mess way to open their airways, and put some drops in their bath water or in a diffuser.
Cool Mist Humidifier
If you don’t already have one of these in your baby’s room, this can really help to add moisture to a dry room.
A humidifier can also help to ease congestion and coughing when sick.
It’s best to use a cool mist humidifier for safety reasons, you don’t want your baby to accidentally knock over or touch a warm mist humidifier and get burned by the steam.
You might also opt for an essential oil cool mist humidifier to get the additional benefits of using essential oils in their room.
Echinacea
Not only is echinacea great as an immune booster, it can help to reduce the risk of getting sick in the first place and reduce the time that your little one is sick. Echinacea is packed with antioxidants and can help to reduce inflammation in the body.
Probiotics
Gut health is often overlooked in people of all ages, even babies.
Over half of our immune system comes from the gut, so it’s pretty important to keep that large and small intestine healthy with plenty of good microflora. While it might be difficult to get baby to eat a good amount of fermented foods, taking a probiotic is much simpler.
We used BioGaia for our twins for years after they were babies! They come in drop form and help to build immunity while easing other digestive issues like constipation, spit-up, and colic.
Honey
Honey is packed full of good stuff that not only tastes great but also has some immune boosting properties.
While you should hold off on giving honey to children younger than one-year-old to avoid any potential allergic reaction, it is a perfectly safe and natural food to give to kids over the age of one.
Children ages 1-5 should take half a teaspoon to get all the antioxidant benefits. The best kind of honey you can get is raw, local honey. Local honey is great for seasonal allergies as the same allergens are present in it and provide antimicrobial properties.
If you can’t get raw, local honey, opt for something darker, like buckwheat.
Natural Ways To Treat Baby’s Cold Symptoms
There are plenty of natural things that you can do to help soothe your little one in conjunction with using over the counter and natural remedies.
Beware of Cold Medicines
While there are many natural remedies available, you should be cautious of giving your little one any type of medicine.
Most are not recommended for under the age of two so be sure to check with your pediatrician or pharmacist before reaching for an over the counter infant cold medicine.
Keep Baby Hydrated
I know it can be difficult to get a baby or toddler to do anything you want them to, but do your best to keep your baby hydrated and drinking lots of fluids.
This will help to keep them hydrated and help to break up mucus and stuffy noses. Stick to fluids like formula, breastmilk, teas, and natural broths. Stay away from juices or anything high in sugar which can increase inflammation.
Suction the Boogies
If your little one hasn’t mastered blowing their nose yet, then grab that booger sucker and suck out the snot.
You can suction their nose if it is running a lot or it seems to be clogged up.
Be sure to wash the sucker after each use and not to accidentally blow air into their nose. If their nose is clogged to the point where nothing is coming out but you know it is still stuffy, try using a saline spray.
This will help to break up chunks of boogies and loosen them enough to be sucked out.
Prop Baby Up
Slightly rising the head of your baby’s bed can help them to sleep a little better at night.
When they are laying flat on their back, all of that nasty mucus gets collected. Help to prevent this by placing a rolled up blanket or towel UNDER their mattress. Never give a young child a pillow or blanket as this could lead to suffocation or strangulation.
Snuggles!
Getting a good night’s sleep not only helps to build their immunity but also helps to ease any cold and congestion that they are experiencing. Make sure you are giving your little one lots of snuggles and cuddles to help them get to sleep and stay asleep.
Bring on the Veggies
Just like with offering your baby healthy beverages to keep them hydrated, you should also be offering your little one healthy foods as well.
If your baby is eating solid foods, then make sure they are getting lean proteins, healthy fats, and plenty of veggies into their diet. Don’t forget to wash all of the fruits and veggies before you give them to baby.
And of course, if you are still breastfeeding or pumping, be sure they are getting plenty of those precious antibodies from that liquid gold.
Get Enough Sun
When at all possible, let your little one sunbathe, safely of course.
Letting baby sit by a sunny window helps to stimulate vitamin D production which is beneficial for immune support. You can also supplement with vitamin D if your house doesn’t get much sun exposure or you live in an area where it isn’t very sunny.
Wear Your Baby
If you aren’t able to sit around and snuggle your little one all day, then wear them.
There are so many benefits to wearing your baby, even when they aren’t sick.
Keeping baby in an upright position helps them to breathe easier by clearing congestion and helping them to sleep easier.
Keeping them upright and allowing fluid to drain from the ears also helps to prevent ear infections. If you don’t already have one, there are tons of different types of baby carriers and baby wearing options available.
Ask for Help
Dealing with a sick, crabby baby is no fun. If you are feeling overly stressed, don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Ask your partner to help out, your mother, friend, mom friends.
When you are stressed out and tired, it is only going to make the situation worse. When possible, get some rest with your baby so that you are at your optimal level to take care of them.
There ya go!
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