5 tips to handle rough nights with kids who have a cold
23.2.2024
Translation: Eva Francis
Without superpowers, no child will get through winter without a sniffle or cough. How can you help kids sleep better when they have a cold and what does a hardback binder have to do with it? Read on to find out.
There’s sniffling, sneezing and coughing everywhere at the moment – on trains, in offices, in supermarkets and especially at nurseries. As a parent, you’ll know it’s just a matter of time until your child brings home the next cold.
Health experts (link in German) assume that picking up eight to twelve flu-like infections per year’s usual for kids up to school age. There’s so much advice on how to cure a cold that you might not know where to start. I’ve tried quite a few things over the last few years. The following five remedies helped my kids most.
1. Wet laundry in the bedroom
A humidifier often works wonders. If you don’t have one, there’s a simple alternative. Hang your wet laundry up in the children’s room. Your congested child will be able to breathe better at night and will be less bothered by a chesty cough.
2. Breast milk into the nose
My midwife once recommended that I drip a little breast milk into my baby’s nose when they had a cold. It seemed strange to me, but it worked. That’s because breast milk has antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. There aren’t many things you can do to help a newborn with a cold, so this remedy is really handy. Provided, of course, that you’re breastfeeding or have frozen breast milk at hand.
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3. Potato balm on the chest
Most of the things in your medicine cabinet aren’t suitable for babies. Potato and angelica balm are exceptions. Massage the balm onto their chest and back like a cold ointment. It will warm your baby, clear their nose and make breathing easier.
4. Hardback binders under the mattress
For safety reasons, you should only have a mattress in the crib during the first year. This means, you shouldn’t place a pillow under your baby’s head if they have a blocked nose. And very few baby beds have a height-adjustable slatted frame. But there’s a simple solution to this. Take a hardback binder and place it under the end of the mattress to raise your little one’s head. This also works wonders with babies who often throw up.
5. Onions next to the bed
This old household remedy really works. Chop an onion into small pieces and place it in a bowl right next to your child’s bed. Sounds disgusting – and it is – but it’s effective. The sulfur content in the onion draws out mucus and fluids in body. That’s why chopping onions makes your nose run and your eyes water.
What remedies and tricks have helped your child when they had a cold? Share your tips in the comment section.
Header image: Shutterstock/Dragana Gordic
Katja Fischer
Senior Editor
Katja.Fischer@digitecgalaxus.chMom of Anna and Elsa, aperitif expert, group fitness fanatic, aspiring dancer and gossip lover. Often a multitasker and a person who wants it all, sometimes a chocolate chef and queen of the couch.
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