Home Remedies to Cure Runny Nose in Babies & Kids (Along with Acupressure Points for Instant Relief)
Change in season, causes discomfort for children as well as parents. I am a mother of a 3-year-old and I often get worried when my son catches cough or cold. We adults can pop a pill quickly to fight such problems but when it comes to kids, it is better to opt for home remedies rather than seeking allopathic medicines. Medicines do give positive results very soon but allopathy medicines do have many side effects also.
I’ll share with you some home remedies that will help your child fight common problems like cold and cough.
What causes the cold and cough in babies?
If you are getting worried why your baby catches cold and cough more often, it’s due to the low immune system. Babies are agile and curious, and they like to touch whatever they see around. They often put dirty hands in mouth, eat whatever they see on the floor. This leads to the entry of virus in the body, which in turn lead to low immunity and cause germ or bacterial infection.
Also Read: 25 Effective Home Remedies To Treat Cold And Cough in Babies & Kids (3 months to 3+ years)
Symptoms of a runny nose:
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- Watery, clear liquid which turns to thick and translucent liquid slowly.
- Running liquid/mucus from nose whole day. Once you clean it, after some time it becomes messy again.
- Baby picking nose very often as not able to understand what is exactly happening inside the nose, so they put their finger inside the nose to clear.
- Baby feels itching in the nose all the time which makes him irritated.
Now the question arises. How can you cure a runny nose?
List of Home remedies to cure cold in babies (3 to 6 months):
Newborns have a tendency to catch cold often as their immune system is in a developing stage. Babies become more cranky and irritable and their sleep pattern is also disturbed because of running nose. Here are a few simple home remedies that might comfort your baby:
#1. Breast milk: It is a commonly known fact that breastfeeding helps to develop immunity in babies. It keeps the baby hydrated. Along with these, it has the essential bacteria that helps the baby fight cough and cold.
#2. Garlic and Carom seed pouch: Take dry roasted carom (ajwain) seeds, add two cloves of peeled garlic. Tie both ingredients in a lean muslin or cotton cloth and place in baby cot, crib or near pillow. Their fragrance helps in clearing nasal congestion.
Image Source: What to Expect
Also Read: Is Homeopathy safe for Babies?
#3. Dressing the baby in comfortable warm clothes: When the baby catches cold, it’s advisable to cover him properly in warm layers. So the chest of the baby is covered and remain warm. At this time, avoid covering the baby with any blanket or quilt, as that might cause suffocation.
#4. Saline drops: Mix 1/4th tsp of salt in boiled and cooled 1 cup of water. Put few drops in both nostrils and make sure to tip the head of the baby backward. You can buy the ready-made solution of saline water from the market.
#5. Steam: The safest and fastest way to treat cough and cold is giving babies some steam. Close the door of your bathroom and open shower or tap with hot water supply. Sit in the washroom along with your child for few minutes while the washroom door is closed. Steam will help in relieving runny nose and chest congestion.
Home remedies to treat a runny nose in babies (6 to 12 months):
#6. Mustard oil with garlic: When the baby is suffering from cold, massage the baby with mustard oil infused with garlic pods.
- Take a bowl of mustard oil.
- Heat it properly, add chopped garlic pods and fry them till they turn golden.
- Once this is done close the lid and let it cool. Once lukewarm, massage baby with this oil.
Best time to use this oil is night time. Massage baby and cover properly. Be careful not to use this oil on the face or the head of the baby.
#7. Eucalyptus Oil: Eucalyptus oil also helps in treating a runny nose. Put few drops of this oil in warm water and let your baby take bath with this oil.
#8. Camphor and Coconut Oil massage: Make a paste of camphor with coconut oil and massage this paste all over your baby before sleep. This helps the baby to get a sound sleep. It also clears chest congestion.
Note: Don’t use this paste over face and head.
Also Read: Colic: symptoms, reasons and home remedies to treat the colic in babies
Home remedies for running nose and sneezing in toddlers (12+ months):
It’s always better to try home remedies rather than paying for any costly medical treatment.
Here are some tips and tricks personally tested by me:
#9. Jaiphal and Milk: Mix a pinch of jaiphal powder in a tablespoon of boiled milk and give this to your baby for instant relief.
#10. Ginger and Honey: This is an ancient formula to treat cough and cold. Grate ginger and extract its juice. Now mix the ½ spoon ginger juice and ½ spoon honey and give it to your baby twice or thrice a day. Make sure not to give water at least 30 minutes after giving this.
#11. Basil Leaves: This is the most trusted and used ayurvedic remedy. This is an excellent cough repellent. Grind 3-4 basil leaves, boil for 2-4 minutes in a cup of water. Add honey and give lukewarm to drink to a child.
What foods to be gven to toddlers suffering from cough and cold?
Toddlers get very fussy when they sick. Making them eat food does become a challenge. At that time, giving them liquid diet is a must to retain energy and keep them hydrated.
#1. Give broth soup (for non-vegetarian).
#2. Clear vegetable soup (for vegetarian).
#3. Hot rasam (South Indian dish) made with garlic, jeera, turmeric.
#4. For Babies above 1 year of age, you can give warm water with honey and ginger juice. It works as the best remedy for sore throat.
#5. You can give apple juice which helps in building immunity and fight allergies.
#6. Turmeric milk is one of the best remedies with the antibacterial property. Found easily in all homes.
Also Read: 5 Things To Take Care Before Giving the Bath To Your Baby In Winters
How to instantly cure a runny nose?
A runny nose can be more irritating for your child. If your child wants to sleep, but due to a runny nose can’t breathe comfortably, it is obvious the baby gets cranky. Massaging a few points on the nose might provide some relief.
Acupressure points to relieve a runny nose:
- Massage these points for a minute using fingertips. Be sure not to apply too much pressure as doing that might cause pain.
- Massage in either clockwise or anticlockwise direction.
- Baby will feel much relief after the first massage.
#1. Draw a line downwards extending eyebrows, just in between eyebrows, you will get the point at the starting of the nose, as shown in the picture (blue dot).
#2. Press the points just at side of the nostrils to get relief from the running nose instantly.
Hope these remedies will help you and your child combat the effects of cough and cold.
Read more: 21 Iron Rich Foods for babies and toddlers
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