Five Ways To Alleviate a Childs Cough

I hate when my kids are sick! I’m asthmatic and when most of my boys get sick (who are also asthmatic) they get a really nasty cough and more often than not they end up on the nebulizer and I spend long nights trying to stop their deep barking like cough. Thankfully Joseph is not showing any signs of being asthmatic but I’m extremely aware of every cough and breath he takes when he’s sick. Last night the poor little guy was up all night coughing and crying. I’m not a doctor but I do have some experience in dealing with nasty coughs so I thought I’d share some of my tricks for alleviating coughs for any first time moms out there that might be dealing with an asthmatic child or just a case of a nasty cough.

Five Ways To Alleviate a Childs Cough
1. For humidifiers, I like the Crane Drop sleek model (see picture above and click here to see the variety of colors and models that they have). Whenever my little guys were sick I would bring them in my room, put on the humidifier and shut the door to keep the air damp. **Make sure to rinse out in the morning
2. If the humidifier won’t work I sit with them in the bathroom while the shower is running with hot water. **Bring a book because this is the perfect time to read a bedtime story..
3. If my little guys were under a year old I placed them to sleep in their carrier (strapped in of course) to keep their head elevated. This is the best for those nasty coughs but if you have older children you can easily place towels under the head of the mattress to elevate their head.
4. For younger children sips of warm water to soothe itchy throats. For older kids I use a mix of 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp and 1 tablespoon of honey.
5. **If you have a nebulizer – I would put the saline in the nebulizer and put their face mask on. Since my kids hated saline drops, putting their face on the mask made the process much easier. The saline soothed the nose making breathing easier. Don’t have a nebulizer? For older kids you can try a saline Neti Pot kit. **they’re not really sold everywhere so I buy my online (click here for a selection)