6 Tried & Tested Home Remedies for Dry Cough in Toddlers

We, as parents, feel helpless when our active kids or toddlers are suffering from cough and cold. At times, they even fail to sleep well at night due to sudden continuous coughing. Mostly cold are caused by viruses hence can’t be treated with antibiotics. According to national institute of health, children usually catch cold almost 10 times a year.

So, it is always better to opt for safe home remedies instead of giving them medicines every time they fall sick. Although these tried and tested age-old natural home remedies are less apt for quick action. But surely it will help them to increase their resistance power and immunity.

Identification of dry cough

Dry cough is that kind of cough which persists for long time with no phlegm or mucus in the kid’s lungs. It usually makes your child tired and exhausted due to repeated coughs and sore throat.

The causes for dry cough are:
• Common cold or influenza due to viral infection often leaves the toddler with dry cough later.
• Allergic reactions in the lungs because of dust particles, pollens, pollution and climatic conditions may cause dry cough in babies and kids.
• Whooping cough is a type of dry cough that is caused by bacterial infection that needs to be treated with medical help.
• Acid reflux in babies is very common as food in stomach gets to come up to the throat causing irritation and dry cough.

Let’s go through some tried and tested home remedies for dry cough.

Mothers are the best person to understand her child’s requirement. So depending upon that try these home remedies to make them feel comfortable and relaxed.

1. Ample amount of rest
The little ones are left with too much exhaustion and tiredness due to dry cough. The ideal amount of sleep required for toddlers is 12 to 14 hours. When they receive the adequate sleep hours, automatically they start healing.

Few things that can be done to them for sound sleep are:
• Heat mustard oil and garlic together and use that oil to massage their chest, back, feet and arms.

• Elevate the baby’s head with a pillow while sleeping, so that they can breathe easily. For infants, try putting soft cloth material under the head.

• Hot water bath during day time will relax them to sleep well till the afternoon.

2. Increase fluid intake
Dry cough dehydrates the kid’s body. So try to incorporate as much fluid intake as they can in the form of water, warm milk, warm soup etc. Warm milk with turmeric and chicken soup has anti-inflammatory properties that will help them fight against infections. It also gives a soothing effect on the cough by clearing chest congestion.

3. Dust free home means healthy kids
When someone catches cold, it is very likely to spread among family members as virus can stay alive for more than 2 hours on various places in home. So, try to keep it disinfected by cleaning up the most touched areas/objects.
One main reason for dry cough is pollution or dust. When the toddler is sick try to clean the room by changing the bed sheet, curtains and pillow covers. Allow fresh air to get inside room by keeping doors and windows open.

4. An age-old natural remedy is honey, ginger, clove and basil leaves
Honey is considered to be a most effective cough remedy due to its antibiotic properties. A teaspoon of honey twice daily can be given to toddlers above one year of age. It is strictly not recommended for babies below one year.
Another recipe that can be given to kids to fight against cough is to make a concoction with ginger, clove and basil leaves. The ingredients can be boiled and left it to cool down which is then mixed with honey to feed them. One teaspoon two times in a day can help them to get relief from dry cough.

5. Humidifier, a rescuer from cough
Adding a humidifier in the kid’s room can actually work to tackle cough. It makes the inside air humid. If that is not possible to arrange immediately then try another method of making the bathroom humid by allowing the hot shower to flow for some time. Then let the kid stay in the warm which will hydrate and give relief to the sore throat.

6. Gargling with salt water for throat infection
Dry cough leads to lot of pain in the throat and toddlers can’t express everything through words. Children above two years can try gargling with warm salted water. This will reduce the infection and gives immediate relief.

Try any of the above methods and if the cough still persist then kindly refer to doctor for medication.