Best Cough Remedy

Updated on February 01, 2009
H.B. asks from Mentor, OH
21 answers

My 1yr old has been very congested the past few days and last night has added coughing to the mix. I have been running the humidifier in her room but it doesn't seem to be helping that much. Please advise if you have a great cough/cold remedy - thanks!

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R.P.

answers from Youngstown on

I just heard about 3 days ago that Honey is a good cough syrup... if you try it, let me know how it works!

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S.K.

answers from Cleveland on

I recently did a search for homemade cough remedies and found this one that actually worked: Take a cold washcloth and lay it on the throat. Put a dry hand towel over that. That's it! Now, I realize this might be tricky with a one year old, but it's worth a shot! Hope that helps.

~S.

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S.B.

answers from Elkhart on

As mentioned already, Vicks Vapor rub on the feet!
Slather that stuff all over your childs feet and put socks on her.
Usually stops cough instantly and your feet absorb it so to speak and it opens the chest area for easier breathing and it's safe and better then pumping meds.
Give it a try and let us know how it works!

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J.L.

answers from Cleveland on

Don't use cold medicine.

My husband did find a study that buckwheat honey, very dark honey, will help kids (and adults) stop coughing. He is a doc and very skeptical of this kind of thing, so itw as very convincing.

We found it at Giant Eagle and it worked on our son.

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J.S.

answers from Terre Haute on

Hi H.,
What I've done for my kids and still do it, even for myself; we rub vapor rub all over the chest, back, neck, bottoms of feet and put socks on afterwards, than we make a hot tea solution, perferably with a hint of lemon juice (we do freshly squeezed) and a table spoon of honey. Than we wrap our selves up in blankets and take a nice little nap. The cough is relieved for a few hours. My fiance had done a vinegar and honey drink. He said it helped, but its So Aweful. But it does bring out all the mucous and breaks down the cold. These will take a few days like any cough medicine. Good Luck.

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H.D.

answers from Cleveland on

Hi H.,
I use a 100% natural honey cough medicine, the brand is Hyland's. We've also made decaf hot tea with honey & a bit of lemon & put it in our little one's sippy ~ she loves it! Little ones wiggle a lot, but we also put a pillow under 1 end of the crib mattress to elevate her a bit. I read the other day on THIS site to put Vick's Vapor Rub on the bottoms of feet & put socks or p.j's w/ feet on. We tried it on our 8 year old who has been coughing so much she vomits for the last 3 nights & she hasn't coughed once at night! I have never heard of this & it sounded silly, but we were desperate since she was coughing for nearly 2 weeks. Good luck!
H.

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D.K.

answers from Indianapolis on

EUCALYPTUS oil.....you can put in humidifier and/or just sniff it from the bottle or put a couple of drops on his pillow (on either side of where his head would be). I know I have actually put the bottle under Abbie's nose while she's sleeping if she's congested and you can HEAR the difference as they breathe it. Great stuff! The other option is to put it in a tea kettle or pot of water on the stove and just let the steam go into the air around the house......or ALL of the above.

In addition, might want to get copies of NATURALLY HEALTHY BABIES & CHILDREN by Romm and The ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NATURAL HEALTH & HEALING for CHILDREN by Weber

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S.D.

answers from Indianapolis on

She's old enough to have honey and they say that a TBS of honey right before bed works as good as cough syrup!

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L.S.

answers from Evansville on

Using Vicks Vaporub (there's one available for children) at night has helped our daughter. Also benadryl migth help dry up the congestion. Good luck!!

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C.E.

answers from Cincinnati on

Hi H.,

I am going through the same thing with my 16 month old and it is horrible! Last night was the first night I got a full nights sleep in 2 weeks! Anyhow, I am sure you have gotten a lot of great advice. The best so far has been steaming up the bathroom. I did want to warn about the honey though. I posted this same question earlier this week and everyone suggested honey, which did help with the coughing, but gave my daughter a HORRIBLE stomah ache. I was up until 2 am with her that night. Took me awhile to realize that it wasn't her cold that was bothering her but something else; I gave her some Mylicon and instantly she started farting like I've never seen! After 3 horrible hours of a crying baby my husband and I were almost in tears listening to her fart! She was a completely different child after the Mylicon. I know that it had to be the honey because she wasn't holding any other foods down, and they were foods that she has eaten hundreds of times. Anyhow, just thought I'd warn you to watch out for it if you try. Good luck! The weekend is almost here!

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W.K.

answers from Cleveland on

I heard that you should try Vicks Vapor Rub on the bottom of her feet and then put socks on at bedtime. I tried it on my 3 yr old. I was skeptical at first, but it actually worked. He never once coughed during the night, which meant he got a peaceful and restful night sleep. Hope this helps.

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N.C.

answers from South Bend on

I'm not sure where you are from but here in Indiana we have had a whooping cough outbreak. It starts like a regular cold and dry cough. The chest then gets congested and the cough gets much worse. Even if the child has been vaccinated there is still a 15% chance of getting it. The treatment is a Z-pack antibiotic taken for 5 days and everyone in the house must take it. The key is getting on the antibiotic as quickly as possible.

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G.M.

answers from Cleveland on

I like using the Vicks Baby Rub. You can also try running hot water in the shower and letting her breath it in. If the cough turns croupy take her to the dr. My son would always get a croupy cough and my dr. finally gave me a nebulizer to use at home w/albuterol and it helps so much. He is finally growing out of this croupy cough now. Good luck.

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M.G.

answers from Cleveland on

Totally agree with deb K's suggestion of EUCALYPTUS oil. Also a company called Hyland's sells a homiopathic cold tablet. It's all natural and safe. I haven't used them yet, as children need to be at least one to use them and my girls aren't there yet, but I have used their teething tablets and think they are wonderful! I have found the cold tablets at CVS and have found other hyland's products at target, drugmart, and riteaide jst to name a few.

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R.K.

answers from Dayton on

This is a great all-purpose kit to have around, and has some stuff for coughs:

http://www.hylands.com/products/kidskit.php

I recommend it highly!

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T.B.

answers from Cleveland on

i have found that rubbing vicks vapor rub on the bottom of my daughters feet and puttin socks on her just befor going to bed has helped her from coughing at night,it has kept her from coughing for 6 hrs at a time,hope this helps u too.

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E.I.

answers from Cleveland on

what always works for me is u give them half a tea-spoon of tylenol cold and cough medicine, and run a cool Mist Vaporizer not the humidifier. The cool mist will help w/the cough and congestion and helps them sleep. Good luck.

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J.L.

answers from Toledo on

I don't know if you have access to a nebulizer, but a breathign treatment with albuetrol helped my son tremendoulsy. Asthma runs in my family so we have one on hand and both the dr. and the pharmacist said it was teh best treatment for a cough since they don't make meds anymore for babies.

Also, try a steamy bath or even taking her outside in the cold. If it is a bronchitis cough, sometimes the cold will help the inflamation in her throat on her brochial chords.

J.D.

answers from Columbus on

try vicks on the soles of the feet, for some reason it works like magic. Try it on yourself when sick, too!

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S.S.

answers from Cleveland on

As long as your daughter is age 1 or older, a 1/2 tsp of honey works great for coughs.... our pediatrician recomended for our girls, and I've read also in a number of parenting magazines.

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E.B.

answers from Muncie on

Vapor rub on the bottom of her feet when she sleeps. It sounds weird but it really does work.....

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