If you’re a parent to toddlers and young children, it may seem like they catch colds every other week. The truth is, no matter how clean your home is and the daycare facility your child attends, kids transfer their germs to one another at nearly every interaction. Unfortunately, there is still no cure for the common cold, instead it is left to up to us parents to aid our children back to health.

Do you live in Trumbull and you’re looking for a new day care center for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners? Then stop by Strong Start Early Care and Education for a tour of our early child care center today!

In our previous blog, we discussed when it’s best to keep your child home sick, now we’ll provide a few helpful home remedies to get your little one back to normal quicker!

Cold Remedies For Kids

The common cold is a virus that just needs to run its course. While you can’t cure a cold with antibiotics, you can relieve the symptoms to make the cold a little more tolerable. Administering over-the-counter cold medicine is the most common way parents treat their child’s cold, but sometimes you need a little more of a boost to help comfort them. Here are the best all-natural cold remedies for your child:

• Rest
  Sleep is nature’s best medicine, and it’s important your child gets plenty of it when they are sick. Encourage napping by keeping them comfortable in their pajamas with lots of comfortable pillows, a blanket, and a generous selection of their favorite movies.
• Humidifier
  A cool-mist humidifier can go a long way to relieve dry, stuffed up nasal passages. Humidifiers are most effective when they are used at the first sign of a cold. Leave them on at night while your child is sleeping, and keep one on during the day while they are resting.
• Drinking fluids
  It’s critical that your child stays properly hydrated to flush out germs. The best drinks to keep hydrated are clear fluids like water, fruit juices, herbal teas, and broth. Keep milk and sodas to a minimum as they do not offer as many benefits as other beverages.
• Chicken Soup
  Turns out that chicken soup is good for the soul, and the body! The steam helps loosen congestion and the broth hydrates. Some believe that the chicken and vegetables in the soup also provide an anti-inflammatory effect.
• Warm baths
  In addition to using a humidifier, allow your child to take warm baths before bed. Warm water works really well reducing high body temperatures.
• Gargling salt water
  Post-nasal drip is an annoying symptom of colds. It causes coughing, sore throats, and excessive blowing of the nose which irritates the nose even more. By gargling warm water with ¼ teaspoon of salt will temporarily relieve discomfort and can be repeated as often as needed.

Strong Start Early Care and Education is Trumbull’s Top Rated® Local child care center. Our passion is to provide a healthy foundation to educate your children in a safe and fun environment. Visit our site to learn more about our Trumbull day care and contact us to schedule a tour!