5 Proven Natural Kids Cough Remedies to Help Them Sleep Better
Proven natural kids cough remedies that can help your little one get some rest! Safe and effective, drug-free ways to ease coughs and seasonal cold symptoms in children. Sponsored by Vicks Humidifiers.
Natural Kids Cough Remedies to Help Them Sleep Better
Like many kids, when my youngest daughter gets a cold, she rarely slows down. However, even though she’s still in good spirits, a lingering cough can cause discomfort, especially when trying to sleep.
And if one of your kids can’t sleep, then nobody sleeps!
Even though there really is no cure for a cough, or a cold for that matter, there are still a few proven natural kids cough remedies that can help your little one get some rest.
Natural Kids Cough Remedy #1 – Prepare your home with a humidifier
Dry air can exacerbate the symptoms of a cold, especially cough and congestion. That’s why as soon as it gets cold enough to turn on the heater in our home, we plug in our Vicks® Cool Mist Humidifier.
In fact, The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends using a cool mist humidifier during the winter to help prevent seasonal symptoms, as well as relieve congestion and cough in children.
One interesting benefit of humidifiers that I recently learned — using a humidifier can reduce the lifespan of flu virus both on surfaces of your home and in the air. Flu viruses thrive in cold and dry places, so using a humidifier to maintain proper humidity levels in your home makes it a less hospitable place for those nasty bugs. How neat is that!?
We bought a Vicks humidifier for our girls a few years ago, and we were delighted to receive the Vicks® Filter Free Cool Mist Humidifier to try because it means that now we can leave one in each bedroom.
The Vicks® Filter Free Cool Mist Humidifier goes one step further than an ordinary humidifier because it has a vented compartment to insert up to two Vicks VapoPads, which provide soothing menthol-scented vapors for up to eight hours of comfort. You get the benefits of the tried and true VapoRub cough remedy, with no mess!
Visit VicksHumidifiers.com for handy tips and tricks, where to buy, coupons, and more! Vicks Humidifiers are also available at most major retailers, both in-store and online.
PLUS — Keep reading to find out how you can enter to win a prize pack with the same Vicks humidifier system that we love and use! A $100+ value!
Trick to Relieve Coughs #2 – Draw a warm bath
The steam from a warm bath helps ease congestion and soothes a sore throat. We’ve used this natural cough remedy for both girls since they were babies!
Murray Grossan, M.D. of the Grossan Sinus and Health Institute points out that hot water soaks have been used for this purpose for centuries, even since the days of Ancient Rome.
If something has been used for hundreds or thousands of years, it must be effective! I can personally attest that soaking for at least thirty minutes in a warm, steamy bath dramatically helps our girls get some relief from coughs when they’ve got a bug.
Tip: Add a couple drops of peppermint essential oil to the bath water to help open airways and promote easier breathing.
Stop Coughing Tip #3 – Keep them hydrated
When your child is under the weather, making sure they get plenty of fluids is crucial. Dehydration can worsen some cold symptoms and keep the body from recovering as quickly.
Both cold and warm liquids can be helpful in loosening up mucus, as well as calming an irritated throat. So whichever your child prefers will work. (Source)
The best hydration options are water or warm tea (decaf) with honey (see #5 for benefits of honey). Juice can also be served if it gets your child to drink more fluids, though we try other options first to avoid the sugar found in juice.
Drug-free Cough Remedy #4 – Eat soup for dinner
Not only does soup provide an extra dose of hydration, with the right ingredients it can also fight inflammation and increase immunity!
One of our favorite recipes, Garlic Chicken Miso Soup, contains a healthy dose of immunity-boosting garlic. The seaweed (found in traditional miso soup) provides Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, and Calcium.
Check out the recipe link above to learn more about the benefits of garlic during cold and flu season, as well to grab a free printable copy of the recipe itself to try in your own home.
Kids Cough Relief Tip #5 – Serve a spoonful of honey before bed
Researchers has proven time and again that honey can be as effective as common over-the-counter cough suppressants in soothing nighttime coughs (source). Note: Honey is not recommended for children younger than one year old.
One example: in a 2012 Pediatrics study, three hundred children aged 1-5 were given 2 teaspoons of honey 30 minutes before bed. The results showed that this dosage of honey lessened cough frequency and severity, as well as improved both child and parent sleep quality.
If eating a spoonful of honey on it’s own isn’t something your kids are crazy about, try mixing into a warm beverage, like decaffeinated tea. This provides hydration, as well as the soothing benefits of honey.
Just be sure to brush teeth thoroughly afterwards!
Enter to win a Vicks® Filter Free Cool Mist Humidifier Prize Pack
One lucky reader will win a prize pack containing (1) Vicks® Filter Free Cool Mist Humidifier (MSRP: $79.99), (1) Family Pack of Vicks VapoPads (MSRP: $14.99) and (1) Protec Humidifier Cleaning Fish (MSRP: $10.99). This is one of our favorite natural kids cough remedies!
Giveaway closed- thank you to all who entered!
One final note — These natural kids cough remedies are based on my own experience and research and are for informational purposes only; I am not a medical professional. If your child exhibits symptoms of a cold that don’t lessen or go away after a few days, consult your family health care provider. A high fever or fever that spikes suddenly is also cause for concern, and should be seen by a doctor right away.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Vicks Humidifiers. The opinions and text are all mine.
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