Natural remedies for common children’s ailments
It’s well known that prune juice can be used to relieve constipation or an oatmeal preparation to soothe itchy dry skin. Natural remedies offer inexpensive and often highly effective strategies to ease symptoms. Parents have always looked to natural ingredients such as herbs and to treat common infant illness. Today, the use of complementary and alternative remedies is common not just in adults but also children and these remedies are usually free of side effects.
However not all natural treatments are as benign as a spoonful of mashed prunes. Be sure to ask your child’s doctor to make sure anything you use is safe.
Here are two of the most effective remedies for breathing problems that are freely available to everyone. Furthermore they are safe and effective as well as baby friendly.
Decongest With Onion
A raw, sliced onion might not be the best choice as an air freshener for baby’s room, but it can help break up congestion and can ease the uncomfortable symptoms associated with a blocked nose and clogged sinuses.
Simply slice up an onion and place it on a plate next to the bed or crib. Onion is wonderful for stuffy noses, the sulfur content in the onion draws out mucus and fluids in body. If your baby has a stuffy nose, it can loosen that up with no side effects except for the obvious odor in the room.
Make sure the onion is not too strong or too close to your baby that it causes their eyes to sting.
Breathe the Steam
Relief for your baby’s clogged nose and cough may also be as close as the shower.
Some experts say that you should steam up the bathroom, not the bedroom, to decongest little ones.
If your baby has a stuffy nose, go into bathroom and steam it up. Then hold your baby in there for a while. You’ll get more concentrated steam and your room doesn’t get all wet. This will keep your child’s room warm and dry and be more comfortable for them to sleep in.
Chill a Fever with Lemon
Though fevers tend to scare parents, they are a sign that the body’s immune system is working. While a fever in babies under the age of 3 months is cause for concern and should be evaluated by a doctor, most fevers are a sign that the body is working properly and that the immune system is doing its job. A fever is a rise in temperature and is highly effective in dealing with viruses. On the whole it will do little more than make your baby feel out-of-sorts while attacking the virus.
To help take the edge off a fever, slice a lemon over a bowl of warm water to capture the fruit’s aromatic oils. Using a cotton cloth, give your baby a “sponge bath” with the warm lemon water. The cooling properties of the lemon and evaporating water work together in reducing the fever.
Though you should make sure the water is not too cols so as not to shock your child!
Always get medical advice if:
- your baby is under three months old and they have a temperature of 38C (101F) or higher
- your baby is three to six months old and has a temperature of 39C (102F) or higher
Natural remedies are in no way a replacement for modern medicine and must be seen as an aid to be used in conjunction. If you have any doubts as to the health of your child seek medical advice.
