Things are most challenging in those difficult times when the little one contracts a disease. The child suffers and the parent shares and bears her agony. Of course, you take her to the doctor and feed her the prescribed medicine, but the aches do not go away with just a few doses. It is heart-wrenching to see your precious angel gulp for breath as her nose is blocked or lose her smile because her food did not sit well with her sensitive digestive system.
I can’t help but think of a January night, when my 1-year-old didn’t sleep all night and me and the husband kept taking turns bouncing him up and down all night long. The minute we lay him down he started crying and we had no clue what was going on. Come morning, we rushed to the paediatrician who nebulized him and then explained to us that my son was having trouble breathing because of a bad case of sinusitis. We continued with the antibiotics for a few days, but on day 3 as a godsend my mom came to visit and she shared her golden nuskhas for cold, cough and many other ailments.
To this day I follow her instructions on the first ring of cough or the slightest of a tummy ache. Suffice to say my son was feeling better in no time, and he always bounces back pretty quick with his nani’s invaluable remedies!
This post lists 40+ home remedies to give your suffering child some relief until the point the medicines take over and do their job. Here, you will find simple solutions using home ingredients that work like a charm to cure several health issues that commonly bother young children.
So, put on your reading glasses and note down some time tested remedies – after all a super-parent does not deserve to see their child in pain.
Quick Contents
Home Remedies for Babies Up To 6 Months
Remedies for Cold and Cough
#1. Breast Milk
There is no better ingredient to turn to or depend upon but Mother Nature’s own antidote of all possible diseases in infants. Make sure your child his having her fill with your milk even when she is suffering from the common cold. Her appetite might be less, so feed her less at a time and feed her more often. Breast milk will work its wonders when it hits your child’s system and speeds up the healing in its own way.
#2. Squirt Breast Milk in Nose
A few tiny drops will do. This will work exactly like a nasal drop and will clear the passage in an instant. But resort to this only when your child is suffering a lot. Otherwise, stick to this next home ingredient.
#3. Saline Water
You can make it at home by adding a pinch of salt to some amount of water. Then, put a few drops of this mixture in the blocked nose of your child. Saline water will help to unblock a stuffy nose and restore normalcy in your life.
#4. Garlic & Ajwain Fumes
Garlic is a very powerful medicine with anti-bacterial properties. Ajwain (carom seeds) also kills viruses and bacteria. Roast 2–3 big cloves of garlic and put a few pinches of Ajwain on Tawa for just one minute. Let the mixture cool down and keep it near your child. The fumes will work wonders for your child and that blocked nose will vanish. Again, a remedy for the extreme conditions!
#5. Light Steam
Naturally, you cannot take your baby near-boiling water but you can bring the boiling water to your baby. Heat some water in a pan up to a boil and let it sit beside your child. The steam will fill the room up, heat things up, and let the accumulated mucus flow out. This will shoo that common cold right away.
#6. Keep babies head elevated
Babies feel difficulty in sleeping when suffering from blocked nose and cold. Elevate your baby’s head with the help of pillow or cushion while she is sleeping to minimize her discomfort. Sleep is the best cure to cold and she needs to be at peace to sleep better.
#7. Hot Oil Massage
Light massage of hot mustard or coconut oil will help your baby to get relief from her cough and cold. You may heat the coconut oil with drumstick leaves or add a few tulsi to turn your potion herbal. Do massage on the chest and back of your baby and allow the heat to seep into her infected areas.
#8. Diffuse Essential Oils in Room
Essential oils (EOs) are extracts of plants. They can come from the roots, leaves, flowers, stems, or a mixture of these. The essential oils that are good to diffuse to help with nasal congestion are Cedarwood, Clove, Eucalyptus, Ginger, Lemon, Melaleuca, Peppermint, Rosemary, Sandalwood and Thyme. Dilute essential oils with water and put in a diffuser for better results.
Home remedies for fever in babies
#1. Skin to Skin Contact with mom
This home remedy should not be surprising to you! Your baby will seek her mom’s presence when she is feeling sick. Give her that, holding her close, comfort her and help her to sleep. She will sleep better in your arms than the cradle during fever and that will drive down the menacing temperature.
#2. Lukewarm Bath
A warm bath helps in bringing the temperature to normal. Give your child a lukewarm bath in the tub or by the sponge. You can also add some vinegar to lukewarm water. That also helps.
#3. Onion in Socks
Yes, you read that right! Traditionally, onions are used to cure fever in India. Cut the onion into 2–3 pieces and put under the feet, inside the socks of your child. Works best when the child is sleeping.
Home remedies for gas in the stomach
#1. Burp after every feed
You have to understand why babies have gas problems more often than elders. When infants drink milk, air accompanies the food into their throat & stomach. The sound of burp happens when the air is released from the stomach. As they said, prevention is better than cure. So, always burp your baby after every feed and in-between the feed.
#2. Exercising baby’s legs
If your baby is feeling uncomfortable with the gas problem, then help her in exercising by cycling legs for two minutes. Don’t do this exercise immediately after feeding but give a time gap of at least 30 minutes. Folding and pressing both legs towards the stomach will also help to release gas.
#3. Stomach massage
Light massage on the stomach will help soothe your child. You can use baby oil as well or just stick to mustard or coconut oil. Do tummy massage for five to seven minutes with light hands.
#4. Hing (Asafoetida)
Hing is a very effective Indian home remedy for gas-related issues in children. Take a spoon of warm water and put a pinch of hing into it. You cannot give hing to infants directly by mouth so apply the Hing water on your child’s abdomen or around baby’s navel in the anti-clockwise direction.
#5. Warm Towel
Boil some water in the pan. Soak a clean hand towel into hot water and squeeze out excess fluid. Check the temperature and make sure the towel is not too hot for the child. Place the warm towel on the tummy of your child and it will start giving relief to your kiddo almost instantly.
Home Remedies to Stop Vomiting & Lose motion in infants
#1. Gripe Water
Gripe water is an effective remedy for diarrhoea in babies. Gripe water gives relief to the stomach and helps cure loose motions.
Home Remedies for babies more than 7 months
Cure a cold & cough with Home-Based ingredients
#1. Dry roasted turmeric rub
The antibacterial properties of turmeric make it an effective solution to treat cough and cold naturally. Take a dried turmeric root, burn it and make a turmeric powder from it. Apply turmeric paste (turmeric powder & few drops of water) on the baby’s nose to help her get relief from blocked nose.
#2. Use VapoRub
Rub VapoRub to bottom of your baby’s feet and chest at night, cover her feet with cotton socks. Your baby will get instant relief from cough. VapoRub actually do not remove congestion, it makes baby feel better with its cooling action.
#3. Tulsi Water
Tulsi juice helps to get relief from cough, cold and fever. Boil a few leaves of tulsi in water & give this water to your baby or you can add 2–3 spoons of tulsi water into baby’s milk.
#4. Boiled water with cumin seeds
Cumin seeds have essential oils that can prevent viral infections & help to cure cough & congestion. Cumin seeds strengthen immunity system as well. Boil cumin seeds in water & give it to your baby when lukewarm.
#5. Carrot Juice
Carrot juice contains essential nutrients, a rich source of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Nutrients found in carrot juice helps to control cough. Extract the juice from fresh carrots, dilute it with filtered water & feed it to your little one.
#5. Warm Vegetable Soup
Give seasonal vegetable soup, Kala channa soup, dal soup or tomato soup to your baby. Warm soups give warmth to your baby’s chest and throat and the nutrients of the vegetables will also reach her to add on to her own fighting strength.
Remedy for Fever in babies
#1. Egg Whites
Take two pairs of socks. Dip one pair of socks into egg whites and cover the little one’s feet with it. Now put the second pair of socks on top of the wet socks. This combo will immediately bring down your child’s temperature
#2. Onion Juice
Onion is great to treat cough, cold & fever. Grate some pieces of onion, make one spoon of juice from it. Feed it to your baby and that will work on her fever. It’s an effective home remedy for infants.
Natural remedies for Gas (7+ month)
#1. Fennel seeds water
Fennel seeds reduce the production of gas in the stomach and give quick relief from stomach problems like bloating, gas. Boil one tsp of fennel seeds in one cup of water for 10 minutes on low flame. When it cools down, strain it & give two tsp of fennel seeds water to your little one. Keep giving it on regular intervals.
#2. Ginger
Ginger is always a great solution to relieve gas and stomach discomfort. But use it very carefully for infants.
Home Remedies for Baby Vomiting and Diarrhea (7+ month)
#1. Keep hydrated, give ORS
Give your baby plenty of fluids. Babies tend to dehydrate faster than adults. Give your baby ORS (Oral Rehydration Salts). ORS is a special combination of dry salts that is mixed with safe water. It helps to replace the fluids lost due to diarrhoea.
#2. Pomegranate Juice
Give pomegranate juice at regular intervals. This will not only soothe the discomfort in the baby’s tummy but the fruit will also help in fighting the disease.
#3. Sabudana Water
Give your baby sabudana water which helps to control motions in babies. Soak sabudana for 1 hour. Then put sufficient water and keep it on boiling mode till the sabudana gets completely immersed in water. Give this water to your baby to cure loose motions.
#4. Jeera with Curd
Curd helps to cure diarrhoea. Give your baby fresh curd with roasted cumin seeds/ jeera powder. Or you can add half a teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of salt and give it to your baby.
#5. Mashed Banana
Give your baby mashed banana. Or you can try to give banana with a little curd. It is the most traditional home remedy to stop motions and works wonders. Bananas also provide strength and energy, much needed when your child keeps losing all her vigour.
#6. Papaya
Papaya is the best fruit to eat when your child’s stomach is upset. You can make a routine of giving papaya to your child in the afternoon or morning to keep his stomach fit.
Natural remedies for children 1 year and above
Cold & Cough remedies for 12-month-old kids
#1. Honey with Lukewarm water
Honey can be given to children above one year of age. Just give one spoon of honey with lukewarm water for best results. You can also dissolve honey in warm water and add a few pieces of ginger in it. Even garlic works wonders to bring down that cold.
#2. Jaggery, Cumin, Black Pepper Soup
Boil cumin seeds (jeera) in one glass of water. Add some ground black pepper and jaggery for sweetness. It’s an effective and safe remedy for cold and cough.
#3. Turmeric Milk
Turmeric milk is the remedy for all ages. Serve the milk hot with some turmeric in it and let it act on that cold. 2-3 glasses for 3 days and all that suffering will vanish.
#4. Betel & Tulsi Leaves
Boil betel and tulsi leaves together for 5 minutes in one glass of water. Give the syrup to your child 2-3 times a day. It will soothe the itching sensation in the throat and also act on the infection.
#5. Bhindi Soup
Take exactly one bhindi (ladyfinger) and cut into small pieces. Boil it in one cup of water for 5 minutes until you see a thick soup-like formation. This simple recipe is effective in curing cold for your little one.
Remedies for vomit & lose motion (1 year and above)
#1. Cinnamon & Honey
Cinnamon and honey are good for chest and stomach related problems in kids. If your child is vomiting or having loose motions, then give a spoon of honey with a pinch of cinnamon powder.
#2. Amla
Amla helps in curing many stomach related diseases but it is difficult to eat for children. You can squeeze a few drops of amla juice and add some honey to sweeten it.
#3. Karela Juice
No child ever loved Karela, but that is what cures indigestion problems the best. Maybe you will have to force-feed it to your kid and swallow a few tantrums but Kerala is a must. Juice it up to make it easy for your child to consume and help her to finish it in one gulp.
#4. Nutmeg (Jaifal)
Nutmeg is a powerful herb for healing vomiting. Boil one teaspoon of nutmeg in a cup of water. Offer the drink while it’s warm.
Home Remedies for Fever in Babies (1+ year)
#1. Ice Cubes
If your baby is having a fever without cold then you can give him ice cubes in a bag and place it on her forehead. Even a cloth soaked in ice-water will also help to bring down the temperature. Make sure to wipe her dry right after or else that will lead to another infection.
And there you are! Things you can use right from your kitchen to reduce your child’s symptoms and give her temporary relief. So, the next time when your child falls sick, you know where to find a quick fix. Make something up from this list and reduce your child’s and your own suffering.
The post 40+ Home Remedies Infants (0 to 1+ Year-Old) for Cold, Cough, Loose Motion, Vomit, and Fever appeared first on Babygogo.
