Top 20 Home Remedies for Cough and Cold for Babiesho and Toddlers:
With the monsoon picking up through India, it is snuffles and kichkich in every household. Infants and kids are more susceptible to infection due to their developing immune system.
There are many home remedies for cough and cold for babies and toddlers out of which I have listed the tried and tested ones in this article.
Please Note – DO NOT TRY all the Home Remedies for Cough and Cold for Babies and Toddlers in one go, these are for your information only, each kid is unique and different, so the remedy which may suit one child may be allergic to others. So be very cautious while trying out these methods.
Also refer to the age of the child while administering the remedy as many of them may not be suitable for infants.
Always consult your pediatrician before trying out anything new….
All the below listed methods work best if the child has
1. Mild running nose (watery secretion)
2. Mild cough without expectoration.
3. Mild Sore throat.
4. Blocked nose.
Home Remedies for Cough and Cold for Babies and Toddlers
1. Camphor
Heat coconut oil and add little powdered camphor in it. After it has cooled, pour 4 to 5 drops to your palm and apply it evenly over the chest of your little one. Please take care to use very little camphor as it may irritate the baby skin.
2. Eucalyptus oil
Allow the baby to inhale the eucalyptus oil.The oil can be also be sprinkled in the baby beddings.
3. Turmeric
For infants, take a dried turmeric piece and burn it in a candle or diya flame, allow the infant to inhale the smoke from the burning turmeric for a minute. The smoke rising from the burning turmeric will be like a thread only, so no fear of smoke inhalation!!!
For kids above 1+ years, a little turmeric can be added to milk and given. Our Little Moppet Foods Turmeric Milk Masala is a life saver and it can helps easily get rid of a toddlers cough.
4. Wedge for sleeping
If your little one has mucus and has a hard time sleeping, build a wedge out of pillows and keep the child sleeping at an angle. The gravity helps to drain the mucus from the nose.
5. Garlic
Peel the skin of 2 garlic pods and allow them to steep in 50 ml of hot water for 10 minutes. Let it cool, feed 2 sips of the garlic water to your little one every 2 to 3 hours. This can be done for kids above 4 years.
6. Ginger
Ginger thins out the mucus and so is very helpful for treating blocked nose. Grate a small piece of ginger and add it to hot water and allow it to cool for about 10 min. This can be given to children above 2 years.
7. Chicken soup
Clear chicken soup can be given from 8 Month onwards.
8. Tulsi/Basil leaves
Tulsi leaves have great medicinal properties, they can be either added to water or milk. Allow them to soak in water for more than an hour and feed the water in sips to kids above 2 years.
9. Honey
For Babies above 1 year, a half a teaspoon of honey can be added to the milk and given twice a day.
10. Ajwain
Roast Ajwain on low flame in a pan, wrap it in a kerchief to make a potli and allow the kid to inhale it or hold it near the nose of infants.
One of Best indian home remedies for cold in infants, full recipe to make ajwain potli here.
11. Saline drops
Saline drops do wonders to blocked nose, pour 2 to 3 drops in each nostril with the head of the baby tilted down to facilitate the easy flow of the saline into the nose.
12. Ladies finger/Okra
The mucilaginous nature of okra have a probiotic effect on the baby’s body and help to remove mucous and reduce the inflammation and throat irritation.
Slice a okra into small pieces and add to a cup of boiling water and allow to steep for 10 minutes, let it cool. The water can be given in sips to the baby. This can be given to babies above 1 year.
13. Chamomile
A diluted mild tea prepared from chamomile can be given to kids above 2 years, it acts as a soothing agent for the throat.
14. Lemon
Lemon is rich in Vitamin C and helps in developing immunity. For babies above 1 year, mix lemon juice with honey and lots of water.
15. Cinnamon
Cinnamon has an antioxidant effect and acts as an effective antibacterial and antifungal agent. This can be given kids older than 1 years of age.
Mix 1 teaspoon of honey with 1/4 spoon of cinnamon, feed this mixture every 4 hours throughout the day when the first signs and symptoms of the cold surface.
This is one of ancient ayurvedic home remedies for cough and cold in babies.
16. Mustard Oil
Mix 5 to 10 teaspoon of mustard oil with crushed garlic and ajwain seeds and tadka. After it is cooled, strain the mixture and store in a bottle. When needed, warm a little and apply on the child’s chest, forehead and throat.
17. Keep the baby/kid hydrated
It is one of the best home remedies to ensure that the baby is taking more of liquids/water (for babies above 6 months).
18. Humidifier
When affected by cold and cough, children are usually bothered by dry air. A warm mist humidifier can be kept in the room to make them comfortable. These are very good home remedies for baby cough and chest congestion
19. Steam Inhalation
Never let the child do steam inhalation as done for adults. Fill the buckets or bathtub in the bathroom with piping hot water, hold the baby in the arms for 10 minutes in the steamy bathroom to thin out the phlegm.
20. Ghee
For a dry cough, heat 2 tablespoons of ghee and add 2 to 3 pepper in it, grind it and give a little of it throughout the day. This can be given as cough remedies for babies under 1.
Hope all these tried and tested natural home remedies for cough in babies and toddlers was useful 🙂
Here is an list of Foods that can be given during cough and cold for babies.
When to consult the paediatrician for cough and cold in babies?
If your little one has the following symptoms please consult a paediatrician immediately
1. Running nose with thick greenish or yellowish secretion.
2. Severe cough with expectoration (Yellowish or greenish discharge)
3. High grade fever.
4. Difficulty in swallowing with inflamed tonsils.
5. Difficulty in breathing.
6. Increased respiratory rate.
Do tell us what home remedies for cough and cold worked out for your little one.
The information provided in this article is for information only, it is the up to the discretion of the parents to decide for their baby, the author does not hold responsibility for the same.
Frequently Asked Questions
What helps a toddler cough and cold fast?
When you toddler is sufferring from cough and cold, here are some tried tested list of 20 Home remedies that will help cure the cough and cold fast !
What is the fastest way to cure baby cough?
The fastest way to cure a baby cough is switch on the humidifier, try the ajwain potli home remedy described in this article.
How can I treat my toddler's cold naturally?
You cna treat your toddlers cough naturally through the following medicinal food , turmeric, ajwain, ginger, garlic, honey, lemon , chamomile. Read this article to know more on the top 20 home remedies for cough and cold for babies and toddlers.
Can you use Vicks on a baby?
It is not advisable to use vicks for a baby ! Instead you can try eucalyptus oil, turmeric, ajwain potli.
What can make a baby cough go away?
keeping a wedge while sleeping, using steam inhalation, using a humidifier and other methods listed in this article will help a baby cough go away
DURING COLD AND COUGH CAN WE GIVE BABY TO BANANA AND APPLE?
Hi,
Yes, you can feed banana and apple during cold.
Such a great help nd good work also Hema G 🙏🙏thanks alot for precious nd priceless suggestions for new moms how to take care babies
It’s definitely our pleasure. Thanks a lot for your love and support.
Hello Doctor
My 1years and 3month old baby didn’t eat what can I do to
Make him eat?
Try giving lots of finger foods. Self feeding is most important for increasing the feeding ability and interest in foods. Slowly your toddler would cope up, no worries.
Thanks for your ideas
You are most welcome Baron 🙂
Hi Dr, can you suggest good organic brand for mustard oil.
Hi Sailaja,
Please check on the link below dear. It will give you clarity on selecting organic oils. Link is provided in the article to shop online.
Link – https://goo.gl/BiK12v
Hello Dr Hema,
Nice to see your recipes. I will definitely try all of them. My son will be 11 months old now. Is it recommended to give salt & sugar through solid foods? My pediatrician is allowed me to do so; so I give him it for good taste through solids. Is it true that we should not give cow’s milk to babies up to 1 year. I am giving him cow’s milk since 9 months of his age as recommended by my pediatrician. I do not breastfeed him since he completed 9 months due to insufficient milk consistency. What is the substitute for breast milk: Cow’s milk or Buffalo’s milk (how should it given).
Dear as you have already given the little one cow’s milk from last two months then you may continue it. Yes we suggest that salt and sugar intake should be nil until one year, as babies do not actually need it. If you have already started just ensure that it is used minimally.
Can I given 75ml of honey to my 5 months old girl? As she is sufferring from severe cold and cough?
No dear, we recommend no honey till the baby is one year old. Hope the little one is better by now.
hi doctor
my son is 3 year old. Every 15 days of the month he suffering fever, Khansi and cold. Doctor Says weather affected your son and It Process continuous for 3 years. I m so upset.can u give me a solution( Home Remedies).what i do
Dear some kids struggle with seasonal cough and cold until the first few years and the best prevention are keeping an eye on their diet, increasing immunity, keeping them covered when they step out to play, avoid playing with water during cold and the remedies listed here can be given too. You can also opt for homeopathic to see if that helps.
Hello Dr Hema,
Few months ago I read in news paper one baby die by using Vicks vapoup, I just want to inform you about this. Parents of that baby apply Vicks on baby nose and baby is not able breath then baby after some time baby in no more.
Thank you, the article has been updated.
Hi
My baby 3 month old. He have cough and cold doctors prescribed mucolite drops and naso clear.. but still cough and cold thr. . I want to know that improper mixture of formula leads to cold ..?
Pls reply
Hope the little one is better now. That should not be a reason of cold though. You may check some of these remedies so that the little one feels better. https://www.mylittlemoppet.com/diy-ayurvedic-oil-for-cough-and-cold-inbabies/
and https://www.mylittlemoppet.com/top-20-home-remedies-for-cough-and-cold-for-children/
Hi Doctor,
This is Aishwarya,. My 10 month old baby suffering very badly due to sore throat for the last 20 days. Doctors saying it’s a viral infection and it will take its course. She cannot drink milk or anything. She is crying badly when swallowing food. Any remedies for this please?
Hi,my baby z seventeen months old having cold and cough,her body temperature is under 97 but she has burning feet and palm is it normal ?
My baby 9 months old has running nose since today morning, no other visible problem.
Plz suggest me some home remedies fit for his age..Will be highly thankfuk
Hi…
My son is 3 weeks old, has severe cold. please advise. home remedies, as abroad i dont get medicines
Hi hema,my daughter is 14 months 5 days old.she is have severe cold.i have used delcon syrup for 6 days but it did not cured.new cough also started from 3 days. pls give some nice home remedy.
My son is 22 months old . We have shifted from Bangalore to odisha in the month of Jan 2016.
From Feb 1st week he is suffering from Cold, running nose, Snezzing and sometimes fever.
We have shown to many pedestrian but still no use.
We used to apply mustard oil on leg and palm. applied vicks vaporub on chest, neck and nose, still he is having cold.
Can you please let me know which home made recipe will help to cure cold and cough
Dear Basab.
This might be due to the change of climate, it wil take some time for the little one to get accomdated to the new environment, don’t worry , you can try turmeric milk in the nights
My baby girl is 9months hv cough and fluu about one week now.i try antibotic bt not work.pls help me
Hi dear, Hope the little one has recovered by now. Sorry i missed to reply on this. For future here are some home remedies you can pick on https://www.mylittlemoppet.com/top-20-home-remedies-for-cough-and-cold-for-children/ based on your child’s age.
Hi Hema,
I have 2 months old girl baby with cough and chest cold. I went to a doctor, he prescribed Mucolite drops and I also tried camphor with coconut oil. But, no use. Can u give me a solution. She is suffering a lot.
Thank u..
Dear Karthika,
For a 2 month old baby, it is better to take the advice of the paediatrician than to resort to home remedies as she is too little for home remedies, you can try the humidifer though
Hello Hema, your work is really appreciable. Your website really work as a quick solution for every mom. Dear, plz also help me. My baby is 18 months old, having severe cold, Blocked nose, Little cough ,getting irritated day by day and not able to have meals properly. Just 1 or 2 bites at a time. What should I do. How to heal his blocked nose. It’s been now five days or so. What recipes also to follow. Plz help me, hema. Thanks.
Dear Jyoti,
Try the nasal saline method, it works wonder or use Nasobuddy nasal aspirator
Hi
Dr .my baby 4 month old suffering from bloked nose. And not taking bottle milk.I had little bit cold can i do breastfeeding.
Hi Hema,
My baby is 8 months old. Since a week she was suffering from stuffy nose. I tried the above mentioned ajwain potli remedy for her. The very next day she had a runny nose. Since 3-4 days she has dry cough and now a runny nose. She also not eating much. She only wants to breastfeed and avoiding purees /soups/ semi solids.
The runny nose is clear water but is making my baby very restless. Every time I try to clear her nose she starts crying.
My Paed is avoiding antibiotics.
Plssss suggest a remedy for her Runny nose and cough.
Hi Kunal, hope your baby’s feeling better now. At this age, it’s natural for babies to want to only breastfeed and to refuse other foods when sick. Just go with the flow and let her get better on its own. It is best to avoid antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. You can always use a nasal aspirator for the runny nose.
Hi,
my baby difficult to make high pitch sound last two days. when she make noice she split out saliva. she is 5 months now.please give me a solution ASAP. thanks
Hi Sumi,
It is always best to consult a paediatrician in such cases as I can’t give advice without seeing the patient
Hi hema
It’s been long I am using all ur baby recipes …and I really liked it …recommended so many friends of mine .
U did gr8 job for the first time mom ..I really appreciate????
HI Shweta,
Your appreciation means a lot to me , Thank you 🙂
Cheers
Hema
Hi Doctor,
Such a useful & informative site that is helpful to all the parents in bringing up healthy and happy babies:)
Thanks a lot with all my heart.
My baby is 8 months old , but very often he gets nose block and cold.
Here in B’lore weather too frequently changes.
Can u suggest me a home remedy for that.
Thanks in advance
Hi Chaitra,
Thank you for your appreciation, it really means a lot to me 🙂
Yes I can understand how difficult it is for you to see your baby sufferring, try the nasobuddy aspirator to relieve your baby of nose blocks, you cna try the other home remedies stated above suitable for his age.
Happy Parenting
Hema
Hi Hema,
my daughter 18months of old,she looks like lene her weight is 8.3kg at present ,consulted doctor said haemoglobin less 9.8.
My son also same problem age is 3yrs(12kg)
pls suggest me for wt gain and to improve haemoglobin level what food I can give to both.
we are vegetarian
thanks,bye
Hi Bhagya,
The following post can help you
1. Top 20 weight gaining food for kids
2. Iron rich food with recipes for kids
Hi Hema,
Wonderful tips. My 6 month old is suffering from blocked nose and cough.
Apart from above remedies can you also suggest some foods (soups/juices/purees/porridges) that can help to fight with cough and cold.
From when can I start giving lemon to my baby.
Hi Kunal,
For a 6 month old baby best remedy will be mother’s milk, nasal saline and few of the above remedies which has been approved for babies. It is better to avoid lemon now as it is acidic
Hii. Mera baby boy 10 month ka hai. Uska weghit nahi badh raha hai. Aur use sardi aur cough hai. Pls help me
Hi Riya, Check if your baby is in the correct weight range using this chart if so then don’t worry, as long as he is active and healthy
Hi hema,
Thanks for ur good work ….. This blog is very useful for first time mom who are away from hometown ….
Thank you Mathumitha 🙂
Hi Hema
above mentioned all very useful tips. These all grandma medications they say in tamilnadu. For my baby since if he faces cold wevused this camphor treatment and one more which i would like to share.
take small omavalli leaf ,small tulsi leaf,little vethalai kambu, four jeera,one black pepper.
boil water put all the leaves. jeera and pepper grind it with stone then put in boiling water.
Water qty must be very less to size of one full sangu which we used to give medicines for new born . on boiling this full sangu water should come down to half.
give this mixture after filtering and after baby takes bath when u feel little congestion within baby.. baby will cry for this but the cold will be alright soon without taking antibiotic.. but this will work when cold in starting stage
Hi Hema,
is it that turmeric milk can be given only for babies above 2 years? ..what about 1yr old one?
Yes, it can be given after 1 year Sheba
Thanks for that quick reply..
Hi hema
My lo is 5months old and she got running nose n mild cough.all your suggestions are for kids above 1yr..please give me Some home remedies
Thanks in advance
If you, try camphor home remedy it works for babies
Hi mam,
My son is 4 year’s old.he is always suffering from cold ,cough & fiver in every month.
Please help me…
Dear Sameer,
Do check this post on top immune boosting foods for kids that will help boost immunity of your little one
Thanks a ton.. Right post at right tym.. My baby s suffering frm cold wad wondering wat to gv him..
Thanks once again..
Thanks, hope your little one gets better soon
AMAZING AND REAL SUPERB HOME REMEDIES
Thank you
For the mustard oil remedy, you can also apply it at the bottom of your kid’s foot. Then let the kid wear socks. This helps in giving relief from congestion. One more remedy which is good for kids and grown ups is Mix Jaggery(Gur) , Turmeric powder, and Ghee. Make small balls. Eat it as required. It helps with itchy throat. Jaggery is good for winters, turmeric is antiseptic and Ghee gives a smooth coating to an itchy throat.
Helpful post Hema.
Alpana
(www.mothersgurukul.com)
Thank you Alpana, these are very useful remedies 🙂
Please share the quantity of these three things…and dosage for 1 yr kid
Which three things??
thanks Hema for sharing this article.. very useful….i m doing steam inhalation for my daughter (1 yr 4 mths) with plain water as we do or sometimes adding vicks , euc oil while having stuffy nose…is it advisable??
Hi Beulah, for small children it is better to do it only with water.
Hi hemapriya,
I am a follower of your website and postings.regarding the ‘camphor” home remedy, my paed told me it’s not good for the baby..it does more bad than good..
Thanks Suganya for the info, I had cross checked all the remedies with a pediatric friend of mine, anyways will look into it more deeply.
Thanks for sharing,
This year’s weather has been real bad, and these tips sure come handy.
Good that you find the article useful Deepa, Thanks for dropping by 🙂
Yes still I feel we should go for home remedies than allopathic Vicks. If you google "vicks vaporub banned wiki" this you will come to know how danger vicks is even for Adult. Its my personal Approach just sharing with you..
No probs, love to hear your feedback 🙂
All remedies are too good but Vicks Vaporub is like poison to child. I think why we should use any allopathic medicine if we have so many ayurvedic option which are given by you and these are effective too :)<br />read very bad about "Vicks Vaporub" so please dont use that to any one
The vicks I have mentioned is the baby vicks not the regular one that we use for adults….
Ghee with pepper sounds yummy to me .. I am sure to kiddos too.. 🙂
Yeah, sangeetha my son loves the combination 🙂
My son is 9 months old DOC.. Right now living in Kuwait from last 2 months. Here the climate is too cold so ma son is having cold & cough which doesnt allow him to.sleep. can u.suggest home remedies for this..
Thank u…
Ur suggestions are appreciated 🙂
home remedies always come handy