How To Protect Kids From Cold And Cough In Winters?

Small children don’t easily get in contact with the viruses which may cause colds and flu and therefore there are very less chances of them to get infected. But it is important to know that children can get infected more quickly than the adults.

If your child has a cough, then there are possibilities that it is caused by a cold, but not all coughing is caused by infections. In the new generations, Asthma is the second most common cause of coughing. If your child coughs through winter, or if this coughing is brought on by exercise, or if it happens only during night, these are the symptoms that they may have asthma. If your baby or child has asthma, be extra careful and keep a watch on them for the symptoms of cold and flu and do protect them from passive smoking.

Cause of Cold-

Almost all kinds of colds are caused by the rhinoviruses which carry invisible droplets in the air or any object that we touch. This virus usually get into the protective lining of the nose and throat which causes an immune reaction, causing a sore throat, headache and a breathing trouble. The dry air both indoors and outside has the capability to lower the resistance of infection by the viruses that can cause colds. But despite of this many say that not wearing a jacket or sweater when it’s cold and sitting outside while our hair is wet does not cause cold.

Symptoms-

When cold approaches then its early symptoms is a tickle in the throat, a runny or stuffy nose, and sneezing. Small children who suffer cold often feel tired and have a soar throat, cough, headache, mild fever, muscle aches, and loss of appetite. Mucus from the nose may become thick yellow or green.

Cold symptoms usually appear 2 or 3 days after exposure to a source of infection. Usually cold gets over within 1 week but many times it may last longer. Normal cold gets cured easily without any specific treatment because medicines only ease the symptoms like muscle aches, headache and fever.

Rather than giving your kids and babies any kind of an allopathic ailment we would recommend a more natural way of treatment in the form of many home made remedies you parents can try out.

Here’s what to try-

➔ Drink plenty of fluids. It helps the thin mucus inside the throat and chest to flow and not get stuck. Also, warm liquids like soup can provide a lot of relief as then help loosen the congestion and soothe the irritated throat.

➔ Rinse with nasal saline. To ease congestion in babies, put two to three drops of saline solution in the nostril and use a bulb syringe to suction it out. You can make a solution by dissolving a half-teaspoon of table salt into 1 cup of warm distilled or sterile water. For older children, use a nasal saline spray.

➔ Gargle often. If your child is up to it, encourage him or her to try gargling with warm salt water to ease sore throats. Use a pinch of salt in a 6-ounce glass of warm water.

➔ HONEY + GINGER

Mash the ginger pulp, squeeze the juice out of it. Add 1/2 teaspoon honey to it and give it to your kid twice a day for treating cold and cough.

➔ HONEY + GINGER + NEEM

Neem has anti-bacterial capacity in itself. When the seasons change and during cough, get some reddish – green new and small Neem leaves. Mash it with ginger and form a paste. Sieve out the juice, add honey and give it. It even helps fight seasonal fever if given as soon as the season changes for minimum 15-20 days. When we were kids we used to eat Neem leaves with black pepper during seasonal changes and I need to say, we rarely got any fevers. A perfect home remedy for cold and cough.

➔ HONEY + GINGER + TULSI

Just as the above mixture, this also helps to relieve cold and cough. You should give at least twice – thrice a day incase of severe cough.

➔ GARLIC + CAROM SEEDS (AJWAIN)

Garlic with its antibacterial and antiviral properties is great for building resistance in the body. All you need to do is, roast 2 cloves Garlic and 1/2 – 1 teaspoon carom seeds, toss them up for the next 2-3 minutes. Let them cool and put it in a muslin cloth. Put this close to your kid’s pillow or you can even tie this in his arm. The slight fragrance oozing out will help relief in blocked nose while sleeping.

➔ Camphor

It is very helpful in opening up the blocked nose. Even if you ask your kid to inhale a box with 10-12 small camphor, his nose will open. You can also add a pinch of powdered camphor in warm coconut oil and massage on your kids chest. Don’t take it closer to eyes or mouth. Ensure that camphor is not taken by your kid in absence of an adult and should not be ingested.

➔ Kadha

Well, this is every granny’s choice I believe. This magical juice has all the natural herbs and ingredients to relieve cough/cold and fever. My granny used to add – Carom seeds, Basil leaves, Ginger, Clove, Black pepper, Black salt, jaggery, cinnamon, a pinch of turmeric, grounded fenugreek seeds to the boiling water. Boil this mixture till it remains half. Let it cool and then give it to your child to drink at least twice a day. Well, this is not truly loved by kids but then if taken, it is sure to show its magical effect within 2 days.

➔ Onion

Well, onion is a lot importance in coughing. One can easily sieve Onion juice and add honey to it and allow it for 2-3 hours to blend it properly. One can take it 2-3 times a day. For older kids, you can even make Onion Broth and they can drink ½ cup 2-3 times a day.

As there are so many viruses which can cause cold, therefore there isn’t any vaccine which can protect against it. To help avoid catching one, kids should:

• Steer clear of anyone who has a cold.
• Wash their hands well and often, especially after blowing their noses.
• Sneeze or cough into a tissue or their elbow, not into their hands.
• Not share towels, drinking glasses, or eating utensils with someone who has a cold.
• Not pick up other people’s used tissues.

Medications will do no good to kids body, but if we can make them immune and resistant, life will be healthier and happier. Use these home remedies for cough.