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Having a cold at any time of the year is tough. However, when your baby has a cold, now that is a different story! Suddenly, you’re willing to pray to anyone who can give you the sickness instead so that their suffering ends. You’re also willing to try all remedies for babies to help your little one feel better faster.
Recently, my 10-month-old son had back-to-back colds and when I tell you I was exhausted, I truly meant EXHAUSTED.
It started out with just teething symptoms like extra drool and extra snot plus the fussiness of the discomfort. Then it escalated to slight fevers, more discomfort, not sleeping, a nasty cough, and trips to the doctor to determine that he had a cold.
He ended up getting a cold on top of another cold. Let me tell you, when you work full-time and you’re not getting much sleep, it makes for some really, REALLY tough weeks.
With my recent experience with my baby battling colds, I thought I’d share some remedies that we used to help him with his cold. Below is a list of suggestions for remedies to use with a baby’s cold. **These remedies worked for my family and are only suggestions. These are not to be used in lieu of seeking medical attention.**
9 Remedies for Babies with a Cold
1. NoseFrida
I caught a lot of flak from others when I put the NoseFrida on my baby registry because of the concept of the device. Basically, you suck the snot out of your baby’s nose using this device.
And no, the boogies never make it up the tube and into your mouth, contrary to popular belief.
My baby was having difficulty breathing and breastfeeding due to the constant drainage of his nose. Thankfully, I had a NoseFrida! Even if it only provided temporary relief, it was relief nonetheless. At that point, I was grateful that he was able to eat.
The best time that we chose to use the NoseFrida was right after his evening bath. The warm water softened up the mucus which made it easier to remove.
Additionally, it was right before bedtime. This meant there was a chance of a couple of hours of sleep before the boogies built back up again.
2. Little Remedies Saline
In addition to the NoseFrida, the saline drops worked to break up the mucus that built up in my son’s poor nose. If you use the saline with the NoseFrida then you are helping out your baby even more!
The natural saline drops are also safe to use on newborns. When reading the product description, this product is safe to use as needed to help baby’s nose. There are no drugs used in the product. You better believe I had a stock pile of this stuff on hand!
3. Humidifier
When I took my son to see his pediatrician for his cold, his doctor recommended we invest in a humidifier. The humidifier helps keep moisture in the air. This in turn helps baby to breathe better at night. Consequently, it helped him to stop coughing so much while he tried to sleep.
As soon as we left that doctor appointment, I purchased a humidifier. We saw a noticeable difference in his quality of sleep the very same night that we began using it.
The humidifier is easy to use. We made sure to get one that had an auto-shut off so that when the water ran out, the humidifier turned off by itself. One less thing that I needed to worry about!
4. Boogie Wipes
When you’re constantly wiping the running boogies from your baby’s nose and face with tissue, there can be some really painful after effects. Raw skin and crusty boogies that linger can become uncomfortable for your little one.
My son would scream at the sight of a tissue coming towards his face. You could tell the tissues were starting to cause irritation around his face from all the wiping.
Using Boogie Wipes was a game changer! Boogie Wipes are moist wipes that have natural saline in them. This helps make those crusty boogies soft so that you can get them out. Also, they are soft on baby’s skin so no more irritated, raw skin on his nose or face. Plus, they smell great!
I won’t say that my son completely stopped screaming when he saw the wipes coming towards his face because I would be lying. However, these wipes were at least effective in getting the job done compared to just regular tissue.
5. Vicks VapoRub Ointment on Feet
This tip sounded weird to me. However, since my mother recommended it to me, I figured she knew what she was talking about. After giving my son a bath, we lathered up both of his feet with some Vicks. Then we put socks on his feet to help seal it together for a longer lasting effect.
Vicks helps to clear up the sinuses and this was evident when we started putting some on his feet at night.
6. Essential Oil Diffuser
Humidifiers are supposed to be used with water only and nothing else. Therefore, we used a diffuser for the bedroom and added in some eucalyptus essential oil to it. Eucalyptus is recommended to use for aches in muscles as well as for sinus relief.
Typically, products like Vicks or shower bombs have eucalyptus in them because of the relief it provides. When I’ve been sick, I would spend time in a eucalyptus steam room to open up everything and I felt better faster than if I hadn’t used it.
I wanted to create this kind of environment for my son. Therefore, I made sure the diffuser was ready to go at bedtime to help him breathe better which equaled better sleep!
7. Baby Thermometer
Another baby registry must have! You never know when you will need a baby thermometer. Therefore, it is always best to have one on hand from the very beginning.
When my son was first born, we used the thermometer to see what his normal temperature range was. That way, when he did get sick, we knew for reference what a fever was considered for him. Some babies just run a little warmer than others. Knowing my son’s normal temperature helped us notice if a fever was on its way.
Not only is it good to record this information at the beginning, but knowing your baby’s temperature when consulting a doctor is good to have. That was always one of the first questions I was asked when making his appointments; “What is his temperature?”
The temperature lets medical professionals know the urgency of medical attention needed. This is why you always get your temperature taken as soon as you arrive for your own doctor’s visits.
8. Zarbee’s Naturals Baby Cough Syrup
This natural cough syrup is great to use for baby. I asked my son’s pediatrician about it and she said there wasn’t much else out there we could use that would be safe other than Zarbee’s.
It really works to suppress the coughing with mucus relief. Best of all, my son loves taking it so apparently it has a great taste. I’m not one of those moms who tastes or tries my baby’s stuff so I’ll take his reaction for face value!
9. Coffee for Mama
The most important remedy of all: coffee, coffee, COFFEE for Mama! Keeping your little one happy while sick is no easy task and taking care of your own needs while trying to take care of your baby is next to impossible.
Most nights with a sick baby means lack of sleep or interrupted sleep so coffee is your best friend. My very thoughtful co-worker saw me one morning and just knew it had been a rough night. The next thing I knew, she had brought me an extra coffee to help get me through my day. At that point, I had considered hooking up a caffeine IV drip to myself!
In the End…
The best remedies for babies always include lots of love and snuggles. As hard as it is to get through the cold season, take comfort in knowing that you are the best remedy for baby’s healing. Sometimes all we need are extra hugs to make everything better. Make sure your supply of hugs and kisses is always stocked!
Which Remedies for Babies Have You Tried?
Each baby is different and some remedies won’t work for all babies. Have you found other remedies that were helpful to you when you had a sick baby? Which of these remedies for babies are you going to try? Help other parents learn of the best remedies for babies by sharing your experiences in the comments below!
Always,
Samantha <3
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