Children and colds seem to go hand in hand. It’s not easy to protect your child from catching a common cold at least once in every few months. Toddlers and school goers especially have more possibility of catching a cold.
Moreover, a cold comes along with many symptoms such as cough, headache, and congestion. But a kid with a runny nose is the worst of all. The kids have a tough time too when the mothers ask them to blow their nose every now and then. And to add on, we have hygiene factor. We have all seen how our kids wipe their nose with the back of their hands, clothes or on walls.
Though there are drugs and medicines for a runny nose, they make your kid drowsy and dry out their nose, mouth, and eyes.
What Causes A Runny Nose?
There can be various reasons for a runny nose. Allergies, common cold, exposure to cold weathers, influenza are some of the causes. Each one of these has different symptoms which are listed below:
- Allergies- sneezing and/or red, itchy eyes
- Newborn congestion- accumulation of mucus during gestation
- Exposure to cold weather- running nose, shivers. It can either be due to the cold weather or sometimes due to consuming spicy foods
- Common cold- running nose, mild fever, sore throat, cough, watery eyes and sneezing
- Influenza- chills, muscle ache, dizziness, sore throat, loss of appetite and running nose
- Foreign object in nose- pain, discharge and sometimes blood
While there are many medicines for all of the above-mentioned causes, it is best advised to first try out home remedies. Below listed are a list of home remedies you can try when your kid has a cold.
1. Saline Spray
If your kid is not old enough yet to blow his own nose, this just might be the best remedy. A saline spray will help thin the mucus after which you can suck out the mucus with a nasal aspirator. A saline sprayer is safe and nor harmful even for your toddler babies.
How to use:
Hold your child with the head in a lower position than the feet. Gently squeeze two drops of the solution in each nostril. After 2 or 3 minutes, use a nasal aspirator and suck out the mucus. Repeat the same in the other nostril.
2. Snot It Out
If your kid is old enough, make your kid blow the nose frequently to clear out the mucus. Ensure your kid washes hands after blowing his/her nose.
3. Drink Liquids
Give your kid lots of liquids like water, milk, juice, soup as these liquids will help thin the mucus in your kid’s nose.
4. A Warm Bath
A warm bath is a most common and most advised remedy being used from ages old. The steam from the warm bath will help in the thinning of the mucus, making it easy for your child to either blow his/her nose or to suck it out with a nasal aspirator. If your child is above 2 years old, you can even add eucalyptus oil or lavender oils to make it more scented.
5. Ginger Tea
Ginger tea is best for a speedy recovery from cold. Sometimes, kids tend to swallow the mucus which leads to an irritated tummy. A mild ginger tea can help you settle down the soreness.
6. Sleeping With An Elevated Head
Keeping your child’s head a little elevated will help the mucus from running back and causing congestion. When you elevate your kid’s head, the mucus runs out of the nose more easily.
If none of these remedies work or if your kid shows any of the below symptoms, it’s time to consult a doctor.
- Running nose with high fever for over 2 days
- Shivers/chills, body aches, vomiting and diarrhea
- Any foreign object in your child’s nose
- If you think it’s due to an allergy
