Filed under: children, Info/Resources | Tags: at home remedies colds, best cold remedies, best flu remedies, cold remedies, flu remedies, natural cold remedies, natural cough remedies, treat children cough, treat children's cold
So, the top answer seems to be:
VICKS ON THE FEET BEFORE BED!
I love this one and do think it works for the cold symptoms! We are on the mend, but I’m going to post the top mommy recommended home (and a few over-the-counter) remedies for colds and other wintertime yuckies:
1. Vicks on the feet and chest (soothes coughs and clears sinuses)
2. Raise the head of the bed if it is a cold/sinus issue
3. Hot steamy baths
4. Teas and vaporizers with peppermint, eucalyptus, honey, lemon, tea tree oil, molasses, slippery elm to name a few
5. Orange juice and chicken soup
6. GARLIC!!
7. Vitamin C, Emergen-C (my children love this stuff!) and of course regular vitamins and acidophilus (they have it for children in most health food stores)
8. Ibuprofen (lasts 8 hours, so they can sleep well) and Triaminic strips (these are my fav!!)
9. Pray for AND WITH your children. God is the best healer and comforter, and these times of illness are wonderful opportunities to teach them to ask for God’s help and be quiet before the Lord. Don’t just pray for their healing, ask God to teach them to endure the discomfort and persevere with a trust in HIM to heal them. Then don’t forget to thank God when they feel better, and acknowledge that HE is the one who made them and helped their bodies heal.
One note of wisdom I got from a Dr. years ago: He told me that he has found that if mothers give the cold meds to their children and dry up the drainage while the body heals the virus they seem to be less likely to turn into sinus or lung infections.
This makes sense and has worked pretty well for me over the years. I would rather give the over-the-counter once in a while rather than have them on antibiotics too much. My goal is to rarely use antibiotics so that if we ever really need them, their body will respond well, and not be immune to them. Just my opinion. . .PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU TALK WITH YOUR HUSBAND AND YOUR DR, AND COME UP WITH WHAT IS BEST FOR YOUR FAMILY!!
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One other thing I thought of…Johnson’s makes a “soothing vapor” bath wash that smells kind of like Vick’s. I think there is even a generic brand now. But someone gave me some once, and it does work really well in a hot steamy bath. My sinuses were even cleared out!!
Comment by Joy Folken January 31, 2011 @ 10:43 amMy dad is also big on drinking warm orange juice, but I’ve never done that.
Comment by Joy Folken January 31, 2011 @ 10:45 amGreat list! My boys love a cool damp rag on their forehead with fevers, and my mom used to give me coke syrup with crushed ice for stomach bugs. Not sure if it really worked, but it tasted good! We try to stay away from antibiotics unless absolutely neccessary too. Timon never had antibiotics until he was in the Marine Corps and they made him take them….and he rarely catches the bugs the rest of us get!
Comment by Amber Keller January 31, 2011 @ 11:04 amBe careful with Vick’s. If you have asthma or even sometimes allergies, menthol with actually close up your lungs. I’ve never been able to use Vick’s because of that. I don’t have asthma but I had something milder but similar as a kid.
Comment by Virginia January 31, 2011 @ 11:47 amThanks for sharing this Virginia! I would not have thought of this!
Comment by icaskey January 31, 2011 @ 3:42 pm