6 Natural Remedies For Colds In Babies
A cold is a viral infection that is usually accompanied with a cough, making it very annoying.
You will know if your baby has a cold whenever he or she has runny nose or nasal congestion.
Babies are very susceptible to a cold, due to the fact that they’re always around other children and they have yet to develop immunity to infections.
Babies will usually get up to seven colds in their first year.
The cold can range from being mild or severe. And Whenever you get a cold, your loved one or someone you spend a lot of time with, probably has the same cold as you.
Since it is a virus, a cold can be very contagious depending on what kind it is.
As you may know, the cold is the most popular virus in the entire humanity because anyone can contract it and be a host.
With several viruses lingering in the air, the human body can never extinguish every bit, that is why colds happen pretty often and several times in a year.
In the case of people living in countries with winter seasons, it is said that the cold and flu occur more often in that season because of low temperatures and low humidity.
Viruses can spread even through the tiniest droplet in the air, that’s why giving your baby proper protection from a cold is the best thing to do during the flu season.
The cold has been repeatedly mistaken for a flu due to its close similarity with its causes and symptoms but they still differ.
The flu is noted to have much more severe symptoms than the cold and come on quickly.
A sore throat, fever, headache, muscle aches and soreness, congestion, and cough are the symptoms of a flu.
When having a flu, fevers are more likely to happen and can encounter periods of chills.
Your muscles will ache, and experience a runny or bunged-up nose, headache, and sore throat. If you already know what a cold really is, then you won’t have a hard time distinguishing it with the flu.
Since the flu is caused by changing seasons, it is an inevitable disease to avoid. And so, people and researchers have come up with natural remedies to put a stop on the flu.
And for babies, a flu can be life-threatening. Thus, babies when having a cough and a cold, shall be closely monitored for any other symptoms, especially if severe, as it can lead to a flu or something worse.
And if your baby does get a cold, you shall make sure to inform your pediatrician about it, and know what treatments you can use.
As a matter of fact, colds in babies don’t necessarily need treatment as it usually goes away on its own after a few days and antibiotics aren’t allowed for a baby’s consumption.
But of course, you shall do something about it in order to help your baby alleviate their symptoms.
Vitamin C
This vitamin is one of the most essential in its family.
Plus, you can get vitamin c in fruits and vegetables, one good example is an orange which is both affordable and accessible.
While vitamin c isn’t has not yet been proven to prevent cold symptoms, some studies showed shortening the span of symptoms.
Generally, Vitamin C is a great vitamin to add to your diet because of the benefit it gives to your body, as simple as, strengthening the body and immune system in fighting diseases.
Especially for babies, natural ingredients are the best go-to treatments for them.
Give Plenty Of Fluids
Babies will easily get dehydrated when fighting off an illness, thus giving them enough or more fluids is a must.
Give them breast milk, formula milk, or water. Offer it regularly to avoid dehydration.
You will know when your baby is dehydrated when their urine has a darker color than usual.
Suck Out The Snot
When babies have a cold, their passageways tend to get clogged with mucus, making them have difficulty breathing sometimes.
The best way to remove the clogged mucus is through a syringe bulb or any device that can suck out mucus.
You can do this several times in a day whenever your baby has a clogged nose.
Use Saline Drops
This is one of the most effective and simple remedies for colds in babies.
Rinsing the nasal passageway with saline drops can help loosen out the thick mucus clogging it to create better airflow.
It’s either you buy saline drops at your nearest pharmacy or make your own at home. All you need is water and salt to create this rinse.
Just mix half a teaspoon of table salt with a cup of warm water and get a small amount using a dropper.
Gently lay your baby on her back and use a dropper to put two or three drops in each nose.
Elevate Your Baby’s Head
To help your baby sleep better at night, you should elevate his or her head by making an elevation on the head of the bed with a rolled up towel or a small pillow.
This works due to the law of gravity, which will help drain out the mucus making it naturally drip down.
Never use pillows to elevate to prop up your baby as it may result in sudden death syndrome in infants and suffocation.
Chicken Soup
This is a great way to help alleviate symptoms as well as strengthen the body. It is also a natural remedy for a cough that everyone’s mom has been doing for the past decades.
This dish is the first choice your mom would make you eat when you feel under the weather, because it does not only give you nourishment but also energy to fight the virus.
Studies have found that ingredients in chicken soup such as carnosine — a compound thought to reduce inflammation in the upper respiratory tract.
Making soup out of natural ingredients such as chicken, chicken bones, and vegetables, sums up to a very scrumptious and healthy remedy.
Especially for babies, this is actually very helpful in terms of helping them fight off the infection or virus and giving them energy and nutrients.
Comments