Article at a Glance
You are that mom who follows her kids around the playground with a bottle of hand sanitizer, but some how your child still managed to come down with a bug. What now? With so few cold & flu medicines suitable for young children, many parents are at a loss on how to help their children.
Luckily these seven simple suggestions can help ease some of your child’s symptoms.
1. Herbal Teas: A simple warm tea made with honey and lemon can help soothe a sore throat and calm a cough. You can also use herbal teas with slippery elm or cherry bark.
2. Mints: Sucking on a mint can help calm your child’s cough. But be careful about giving mints to small children or to children at bedtime as they can be choking hazards.
3. Extra Pillows: Tucking extra pillows under your child’s head at night can help ease nasal congestion and coughing. If your child moves around a lot at night and won’t stay on the pillows, elevate the head of their bed a little by sticking a couple of books under the bed’s legs.
4. Humidifier: Placing a warm mist humidifier in your child’s bedroom at night can help ease a sore throat, loosen up nasal congestion, and prevent coughing. If you don’t have a humidifier, leaning over a bowl of steaming water or standing in steamy bathroom can also help.
5. Warm Bath: A warm bath with chamomile or lavender fragrances can help calm your child and soothe dry nasal passages.
6. Layer Clothing: Children with fevers have a tendency to alternate between feeling too hot and too cold. Dressing children in layers helps them add or shed layers as needed.
7. Damp Towel: Placing a cool, damp towel on your child’s head can help ease headaches by shrinking dilated blood vessels. It can also help bring down a fever.
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