Natural Cold Remedies for Babies and Toddlers

Natural remedies are wonderful for babies and toddlers!

In my home, natural remedies including herbs, homeopathy, and essential oils are what I’ve used for over a decade to take care of my family. It can be confusing at first to know what to do when your child isn’t feeling well, so Erin from Eat Real, Stay Sane has put together some info on remedies that can help.

When I was a new mom, I worried about every little sniffle and cough (most moms do right?) When Little Man was 9 months old, he had his first cold and developed a fever of 103. The fever had me worried, so I took him to his pediatrician.

The pediatrician told me he had a cold (DUH) and an ear infection. Poor kid! Of course the pediatrician prescribed me some antibiotics and thought I was crazy when I suggested we try to go a more natural route. The pediatrician also told me that there was nothing I could give him or really do to help him sleep or help with his congestion.

He was an utterly useless pediatrician and long story short, I never went back.

In fact, when my little man is sick now, I never take him to the pediatrician. I take him to our family chiropractor and master herbalist. I’ve received much better care and support with holistic doctors. We love holistic doctors at our house!

I’ve also turned into a wait and see kind of mom when Little Man gets the sniffles, instead of sprinting over to the pediatrician’s office demanding an appointment right away (okay I wasn’t that bad). Most of the time, the sniffles go away within a day or two, especially when I start pumping him full of immune boosting syrup.

I want to share with you how I help my little one feel better the all-natural way when he has a cold. You don’t have to just let them suffer or give them unnecessary drugs like my pediatrician seemed to think.
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Now, just to let you know, I do buy some stuff from the store that isn’t 100% perfect but they are very close.

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Here are my top 10 all-natural cold remedies for babies and toddlers

​Toddler:

1. Give dose of immune boosting syrup every hour. I actually have a homemade version of this stuff that I made at one of my chiropractor’s classes! If I run out of it though, I will buy Kid-e-Mune.
   My little man likes this stuff so much he will actually hand me the bottle if he sees it so he can have a dose. It’s nice that I don’t have to remember to give it to him.
2. Use saline drops to keep the nasal passage moist, dilute mucous, and reduce inflammation. I will do this a couple of times a day. If your baby’s nose is completely clogged I highly recommend the Nose Frida before using the drops. The process is gross, but it works 10 million
   times better than the old school bulb sucker.
3. Use saline wipes, like Boogie Wipes, to wipe their nose instead of a tissue. My little man’s nose gets red and raw pretty quick with just using a tissue. I’ve used regular baby wipes too, but they make my little man break out on his face with the added stuff in them.
4. Give herbal cough syrup when needed. I only give cough syrup when Little Man is trying to sleep and his coughing is keeping him awake or the coughing seems to be doing more harm than good. I have used Dr. Christopher’s cough syrup in the past with great results. However, it does taste terrible by itself so try mixing it with a little raw honey. Sarah has her own herbal cough syrup too.
5. Use homemade vapor rub on chest and feet. Make sure to cover their feet with socks after so you don’t get stuff all over the house (speaking from experience). I have used this recipe from Mommypotamus that I love and she gives great recommendations for what essential oils to use.
6. Give lobelia (or some sort of lung formula that’s safe for babies/kids) for congestion. Lobelia helps open the air ways and break up mucous in the lungs. Lobelia is a very potent herb and can havebad side effects. Start out with 1 DROP per dose. If it doesn’t seem to be working, then
   increase dosage by 1 drop. I give my 2 year old little man 3-4 drops 2-3 times a day in some juice or raw milk.
7. Prop mattress up with a towel so their head is elevated helping the mucous to drain properly. Don’t prop up too high so they roll to the bottom of the crib while they sleep.
8. Give a warm bath and massage before bed to open up airways and help drainage. While in the bath, gently massage lymph nodes under the jaw and rub down the neck to promote drainage. I’ll put a couple of drops of lavender essential oil in the bath water as well.
9. Use cool mist humidifier during the night to help with their breathing. It keeps the airways moist and constricts the nasal passageways for easier breathing.
10. Before bed, give some Hyland’s Baby Nighttime Cold Syrup (or your own nighttime syrup)
    because it has herbal goodness for aches and pains, sleeplessness, runny nose, cough, congestion, and sneezing. It’s labeled for children over 6 months. It does have a couple of undesirables ingredients like sodium benzoate.

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What other all-natural cold remedies do you use for your baby and/or toddler?