How to Get Rid of Baby's Cold

As parents, we can fret over the smallest things when it comes to our baby's overall health. However, this is generally the best way to react, as the baby's immune system is still under construction and there is a chance that something that would appear to be a very small problem could turn out to be a major illness or condition. Babies and toddlers have a habit of touching and at times licking almost everything they see. As stated already, their immune systems are still under development at this stage and with the over 200 viruses that could cause a cold out there, the immune system is not equipped to resist most of them. Once the virus gets onto a child's hand, all that's left for the infection to spread is for the baby to put its fingers in his or her mouth or to scratch the eyes. A coughing fit or stubborn cough may be the result of this and, even though the constant coughing will cause some amount of pain in the baby's throat; this will generally be forgotten in a short while. The cold is an inevitable part of growing up and there is no cure or vaccine for it.

Some tips and remedies on dealing with a baby that has a cold are:

• Breastfeed your baby for as long as possible, as this will provide the child with antibodies that are responsible in fighting off some infections as well as playing an important role in the development of the immune system.
• Avoid smoking around the child as this can increase the susceptibility to viruses.
• Stay away from people with the illness as you could carry the germs from that person to your child.
• When your baby coughs, keep the head elevated so it is easier to cough.
• To alleviate the symptoms, you can heat a teaspoon of milk and add a pinch of turmeric and feed it to your son just before bed.
• Crumble three small tablets of camphor and add it to some hot coconut oil. Heat the combination until the camphor dissolves but make sure that the oil does not catch fire. When the camphor has dissolved, let it cool and then apply it to the baby's back and chest before bed time.
• Combine a little saffron with some water and grid it into a smooth paste and apply it on the baby's back, forehead, nose and chest.

answered by G M

It does sound like your baby is suffering from a bad cold. If he is coughing all the time his throat probably hurts. Most children can forget their pain very quickly and go back to their games. But this does not mean that as parents we ignore their problems. You can try a variety of home remedies to help ease the congestion in your baby's chest.Heat some coconut oil. Crumble three small tablets of camphor into this and heat till the camphor dissolves.

You should take care to ensure that the oil does not burst into flames. When the camphor has melted completely you can let it cool. Now apply this to your baby's chest and back at bedtime. Keep your child's chest warm. Do this regularly and you will find that the congestion has eased. If your child coughs at night in his sleep, it is probably keeping you and your baby awake. You can use some decongestant on the soles of his feet. Apply it all over his feet and the pull on a pair of thick socks. This will keep his feet warm and stop him from coughing.You can heat one tablespoon of milk and add a pinch of turmeric to this and feed it to your son at night.

The turmeric powder can also be added to one tablespoon of warm water and then fed to the baby. The addition of a pinch of turmeric and a small pinch of salt to the milk also works very effectively to reduce the congestion and get rid of the cold.

You can use some Aniseed and wrap it into a ball using a piece of muslin cloth. Heat a frying pan and leave this bundle of cloth on it. When it is hot you can use it on your baby's chest. Do this regularly and you will find that his cold has disappeared.

Another application that you can try requires a pinch of saffron. Use a little water to grind it to a smooth paste. This should be applied on the baby's chest, back, forehead and nose. This will help clear the congestion. You should also use a humidifier in your baby's room since this will help clear his congestion. You can also use basil leaves for a very easy remedy. Grind the leaves and add a tablespoon of honey to it. Get your baby to eat this.

answered by M W