Anyone have a baby cough remedy?

Question

My 4 month old son has developed a dry, hacking cough as well a blocked nose and i want to know if there is any home remedy i can give him.

I know that when i have a cough i normally have hot water with honey, but as honey is a no-go for babies under one i cannot give him that.

I do not really want to give him a cough syrup as they are full of artificial colours.

Can anyone help me with a home remedy as my poor little lad really seems miserable.

Answer 1

I found that a good steam helped mine for a few hours. I would close the bathroom door, and put a towel on the bottom to help escaping steam and put my babe in a swing while I took a hot steamy shower. Then id leave him in the hot steamy bathroom in his swing (usually having a good sleep) until its not steamy anymore! It always helped him clear up his airways for about 3 hours or so.

Answer 2

Run the shower on hot, and sit in there holding him.  Let him inhale the steam.  Also, get saline drops from the drug store.  Drop 1-2 drops in each nostril, then you can either use the aspirator to suck out the blockage, or you can just sit up with him and let it loosen on its own.  Babies tend to HATE the aspirator, so with my kids, I just dropped in the saline and let gravity do it's job.  If that didn't help much, then I would use the aspirator.  I just felt like the poor baby is already sick and feeling crummy, why get them even more riled up.  Good luck.  I know it's awful watching them like this.  =(

Answer 3

Johnson and Johnson makes a "bath" for babies with this problem.  Go to the pharmacy and ask for the Johnson and Johnson medicated baby baths.  You just make a warm tub of water and let him sit in it, and it will help!

Answer 4

run a hot bath and take him in the bathroom the steam will open up his airways ...give him plenty of fluids too......there isnt much else you can do....i know its awful to see them like that......i hope he is better soon. also some vics on a bit of cloth near his head

Answer 5

Plain ol' sugar syrup will calm a tickly throat.

Make sure baby is hydrated enough which will help loosen phlegm.  Steam (bathroom) can help.  As can peppermint tea (not oil)

You can use a mustard plaster but be very careful not to burn the skin.

http://www.drgreene.org/body.cfm?id=21&a...

We know that even a 12 percent solution of sugar can be a powerful drug, relieving measurable pain by half during a circumcision. Perhaps this placebo syrup functioned as a drug. Whether it was the sugar or the children’s minds at work, the syrup dramatically relieved coughs, and could be a gentle, inexpensive first line treatment for coughs from viral respiratory infections. A spoonful of sugar may do more than just help the medicine go down! The next time one of my children has a mild cough

Answer 6

You can try a bit of vicks on the chest. A small amount.

The best, most suggested thing, by DR's, and you can look this up, is to either take him in the shower with you and stay in for a bit, so that the moisture helps to clear him up.

Or, you can run the shower/bath while you sit near it, and it has a similar affect. The water itself, from the showering together, will help the nose to clear up. It will moisten and loosen up the boogies. :)

There's not much you can do aside from that. Keep him in warm pj's? Anyway, if it persists, then you can take him to your DR and let them know your concern, and they can prescribe you sugar and dye free medicine for him.

I've done it all with both my kids. My daughter was the worst. Hers seemed to happen when it was close to seasons changing, winter, and when she had teeth coming in. Of all those, they worked fine. Its just something you're going to wait out, on top of the suggestions. Sorry. :( Best wishes.

Answer 7

vaporizer

raise the head of the bed

I put vicks , vapor rub on his chest and the vaporizer

I also put the shower on hot, steam and walk with the baby in the bathroom, only for a few minutes 15or 20 min.

also , suction out his nose and mouth to get the phlem out. this will help.

They make no-dye decongestants you might want to look into. you dont want fluids building up in the baby and causing ear infections.