Treat Baby Cold at Home

Babies cannot be kept away from the common cold however you may try. All what you have to do, just before rushing him to the doctor, are some home remedies which will make you child comfortable without taking high dose of medications. Common cold is a viral infection which affects the throat and the nose, known also as ‘rhinitis’.

Why did your baby get cold?

Medical science has found out that there are more than 200 cold causing viruses and the most popular among them is rhinoviruses. These cause cold in adults and babies alike. Babies tend to get 6-10 sessions of cold a year and are easily transferred from one person to another. Babies easily catch cold because they have less resistance power when compared to adults. If the child is touched by a person who has cold or had cold recently the viruses can very easily get into his/her body. Babies who frequently put fingers in their nose and mouth are prone to cold because viruses can travel easily through their saliva. It is important to know that the virus infects the upper respiratory tract. Babies get cold if they are provided with hygienic conditions. Prevention is best advice. Certain climatic conditions are favorable to the growth of the cold causing viruses and babies can catch cold during this time very easily.

IF YOUR BABY IS DOWN WITH COLD

Stuffy nose and Saline drops

Once the child is down with cold, the first visible symptom is stuffy nose, which could be relieved by the usage saline drops. You need not necessarily get it from store; instead you can make it at your home. Get one cup of purified boiled and cooled water and add ¼ spoon of salt and ¼ spoon of baking soda. With the help of a dropper put one drop in each nose with a gap of 5 minutes. Repeat the process every two hours. This process opens up baby’s nose and it can breathe easily. You should clean the child’s nose regularly to prevent further infections.

Proper rest and mild steaming for body pain

When cold sets on your baby, body pain is inevitable. For that compete rest is required. Complete rest does not mean that baby should sleep all the time. Keep your baby away from dust and other kids. You can lie along with your kid and sing him lullabies, and engage him with his favorite toys and provide him special care when he wants to sleep, by making his bed warm and hygienic. Mild steam will help your baby to get away from body pain. Make your baby sit along with you in front of a steamer with mild heat.

Refreshing warm bath with Neem and Tulsi

A warm bath can relieve your baby from the body pain due the cold. Different from a regular body wash, try adding some Neem and Tulsi leaves while heating the water to bath. Use this water to wash your baby and this would help your kid get rid of the body pain and have a sound sleep.

Soft massages and a humidifier

Give your baby really soft massages when he is ready to sleep. If you have a humidifier in the room where your baby sleeps it can take control of the humidity in the atmosphere and this can bring a positive result on your baby’s health by relieving his cold.

Make use of Soft rubs, but no camphor or menthol!

Soft rubs will help the child get better sleep. Any baby rubs which is baby safe and that does not contain camphor or menthol, can be used. Take care not to use the vapor rub on blistered skin, face eyes , nose or mouth because, it might suffocate your child and make it worse. The cooling sensation provided by these rubs can make the infant feel far better. Keep your baby’s head little bit raised than the normal.

Don’t over feed, but you can feed frequently

A baby with cold cannot feed properly. If your baby is on breast feeding, you should try to feed him whenever his nose is clear or not blocked. Older babies can enjoy warm soup and thin porridge. Never fill your baby’s stomach to the fullest, because it may suffocate your baby. Just bring a change by making one meal divided into two parts and feed it giving sufficient gap in between, so that baby may feel fine with his stomach.

TRY OUT HOME REMEDIES... THEY ARE SAFE...

Honey, great comforter of throat

Along with all these you can give natural home-made medicines to soothe your child. Honey is a great comforter of sore throat. If your baby is less than six months, a drop of honey can be rubbed on to your babies tongue and if your baby is six months above half teaspoon of honey can be given twice a day. This soothes your baby’s throat.

Tulsi and Ajwain drink

Tulsi leaf is a great medicine. Take two cups of water and boil it for 5minutes with 10-15 fresh Tulsi leaves in it. Cool it and this can be given to keep your kid hydrated. Ajwain seeds can work wonder. Boil water with few Ajwain seeds in it and give to your baby. Keeping your baby hydrated is very necessary.

Saffron and milk magic

Saffron is believed to improve our skin tone. Here you can make use of saffron as a medicinal flower. In glass of warm milk add 3-4 splinters of saffron and a pinch of turmeric, and can be used a soothing energizing drink for your baby. For a baby is who is above six months fluid intake shall not be only mother’s milk. The baby can have fresh juices and warm soups. The thing to be kept in mind is that baby should be given lots of fluids.

Soothing Jeera water

Jeera (cumin seeds) water is believed to give soothing effect to sore throat that your kid can have while cold. In a cup of boiling water you can a ¼ spoon of jeera (cumin seeds) and give it to your kid when it is little warm. This also improves digestion of the baby, which might have been affected by the cold.

Shallots eliminates fungus

Shallots can eliminate the fungus on the tongue of your baby affected with cold. This is a medicine which you can try at home only if your baby is over six months. Take one shallot, ¼ spoon of cumin seeds, 5 tulsi leaves, 2 black pepper seeds and one spoon of honey to dilute. Make fine paste of all the ingredients except honey. Mix the fine paste with one spoon of honey. You can rub a pinch of this medicinal paste on your baby’s tongue every one hour. This can help with the baby’s cold and help him improve the taste of his tongue which may be lost due to the fungus infection during his cold (keep in mind your baby should be above six months for this remedy).

Make a vapor-rub at your home

You can make vapor-rub at your home itself. Vapor- rub can help the kid free from congestion due to the cold. All you have to get is 2 big spoon of coconut oil, one spoon of beeswax, 10 drops of eucalyptus oil and finally 5 drops of white camphor. Two simple steps and soft vapor-rub is ready. Melt the beeswax and coconut oil in clean pan do not over heat. Add the essential oils of camphor and eucalyptus to it and pour it in to a clean container. It will set into the consistency of very soft ointment, which you can easily apply whenever needed. Vapor-rub can also be made instantly by mixing two drops of eucalyptus oil in one big spoon of olive oil and can be used as a great congestion reliever.

All these can help your baby feel really better and this can also help the child build immunity against cold viruses by himself, without any medicines. This can make the child less prone to common colds in future. Now all new moms can think once again, just before rushing to your baby to the doctor for just a common cold!