Natural Remedies for Coughs in Children

No child escapes his first few years without suffering at least a few fits of coughing. Coughing can be caused by irritants in the air, or due to a viral infection of the mucous membrane in the nose and throat. Coughing is a more serious ailment in children than in adults because it can affect a child's food intake and sleep, if the coughing disrupts their sleep. Children also tend to be more irritable than adults when dealing with coughing. Rather than taking your child to the pediatrician over every coughing fit, try some natural remedies.

Exterior Treatments

• If your child is coughing due to phlegm or a dry, scratchy throat, you need to soothe the breathing process as best you can. Foods will provide your body the right fuel but for immediate relief, place a humidifier in your child's bedroom. Warm coconut oil and rub it onto your child's chest for five minutes, then repeat on the upper back. This will soothe your child and help keep the cough away while they sleep, allowing a good night's rest to let their immune system do the work. You also can de-skin five or six cloves of garlic and thread them along a string. Tie the string around the neck to form a necklace your child can sleep with. Garlic is considered a wonder remedy for the common cold and coughing, and your child will benefit from breathing in the fumes as he sleeps.

Dietary Remedies

• Start your child's day off with a small dose of ginger and tea. Add 3 or 4 drops of ginger juice to one teaspoon of regular tea for your child to take. This will help alleviate and prevent coughing. Give grapes or grape juice, which act as an expectorant, to your child. One cup of grape juice combined with a teaspoon of honey is a recommended daily dosage. You can make an excellent cough syrup by mixing 1 teaspoon of fresh onion juice with 1 teaspoon of honey and allowing the combination to sit for four or five hours before administering. Have your child take 3 grams of turmeric powder twice a day to battle the cough. For hard dry coughs, brew tea with aniseed in it and drink it twice daily.