Baby Care : Cough Remedies

Cooler temperatures are upon us and our babies (under 1!) are already suffering through coughs and colds. We don’t use many herbs for babies under one but there are safe, mild, natural remedies to help clear coughs in an infant. We just went through this in our house with Giant Baby who is not even six months yet so I thought I’d post some encouragement and share what we used.

Coughs can be a good thing if they’re clearing congestion. However, let them go too long or be unaware about the kind of cough you’re hearing and coughs can progress into something serious.

By nursing my kids through coughs, I’ve learned that to clear them quickly, it’s best to

• Keep congestion thin and moving (moisturize inside & out)
• Boost the immune system

As I regularly say – natural remedies work best when applied as soon as the onset of symptoms occur. When noses start running and coughs begin, head it off at the pass! The duration of illness is usually shorter and not as severe.

Here’s what we used on Giant Baby. I used all of these steps at once because I don’t mess around with coughs.

1. Steam, Steam, STEAM!
If the coughing isn’t clearing the congestion within minutes and a hacking fit seems imminent, we head straight to the shower. I shut the door, drop a little Eucalyptus oil in the corners of the shower and relax until he’s been cough free for several minutes.

I also shower him before bed to moisten his sinuses & loosen congestion because lying down automatically seems to trigger coughing because it’s harder for congestion to clear in that position. The extra moisture helps! I keep him warm after we get out of the shower.

If he coughs in the night and can’t seem to stop, we head right back into the shower no matter how tired I am. I have learned that it’s worth it. It’s the fastest way to calm the cough. I think we showered about three times a day while he was coughing.

2. Hose the nose.In babies, the nose, throat, ears are so close together and the passages are small. Congestion affects them all. During coughs, congestion or earaches, I “hose my kids’ noses” to loosen congestion so it will clear more easily. Don’t be intimidated by this.

3. Massage the chest.After the shower, using a little coconut oil (NO VICKS for babies this small – it’s just too harsh), we rub that little chest gently but firmly. It seems to help ease the cough and  Giant Baby loves it because we talk with him while we do it.

4. Garlic oil.
Man, this stuff is magic! I use it for my kids (and me!) when our ears are sore and my herbalist also suggested we could safely rub a little on Giant Baby’s feet. I probably used 1/2 t. (maybe less?) and massaged his feet gently. I’m not gonna lie to ya’. It was skunk-a-licious! But, it seemed to calm him and he coughed less afterward.

5. Moisturize the air.
We use either a vaporizer or humidifier in the bedroom to add moisture and keep congestion moving.

6. Eucalyptus oil or Vicks.
I wouldn’t put Eucalyptus oil or Vicks on an infant. But, I DO think it’s ok to use them to scent a room to provide their expectorant powers. I place a little vicks or Eucalyptus oil on an old diaper and wave it around the room (to infuse it into the air) and then lay it near to the bed so we can smell it all night.

***REMINDER!! While Essential oils are wonderfully healing, they are also super concentrated (read: powerful) and should never be left where little hands can reach them. Be safe. Educate your little ones not to touch them & store them out of reach.***

7. Keep the fluids coming.
I would have offered him warm chamomile tea but my little guy wanted to nurse. So, nurse I did. The only caution I’d add with chamomile is that people with known allergies to ragweed should avoid it.

8. Elevate the sleeping position.It’s hard for congestion to clear when a baby is flat on his back. That’s why coughing increases at night. Our baby sleeps with us so it’s easy to elevate him on my arm and keep a close ear on him in the night. I sleep better and so does he.If we used a crib, I’d find a way to safely elevate the mattress slightly (no pillows in a crib!).

9. Garlic.
Again? Yep. Only this is for nursing moms. Since I nurse, my baby gets the benefit of what I eat. I ate sliced fresh garlic on buttered toast to pass on it’s immune system boosting benefits.

10. Echinacea tincture.
Another immune booster for use by the nursing mama. I took a few droppers 3 times a day.

Using these remedies from the very start of his little cold to the end, Giant Baby only coughed for about three days and it was very mild, usually worse at night.

Remember – the key to successful natural remedies is to jump on that cough as soon it projects its loud sound. Don’t wait till it sounds scary.