Grandma's Advice :Home Remedies

What do you do when your little one has a flu or fever, or she can't breathe because of a stuffy nose? Home remedies are a better option than medicines especially for your child's developing immune systems. They rarely have side effects, cost next to nothing, and consist of items you probably already have in the house.

They are natural and safe for your child, and may well alleviate her symptoms as well as medications.

Prickly heat

Avoid playing outdoors till the rash heals completely. You can make your child bathe with cool water multiple times a day, so that the body cools faster and the rash subsides. Staying in an air conditioned room offers significant relief for prickly heat, and is a good option if you have a small child who can't seem to bear the stinging sensation. Use soft cotton fabric for your kid.

Place thin cucumber slices on the skin or you can grind the cucumbers into a puree and apply on your child's skin to cool it. Put some ice cubes in a cloth and press gently on the affected area. Don't leave it on for too long.

Flu

Offer the little one some tea made with mint, ginger and a drop of honey. Try running the humidifier during the night when your child sleeps, since that may be the time of the day when the flu is particularly unbearable for them.

Do your best to get your child to eat. Start with a hot organic soup even if it is just the broth and include ingredients like thyme, rosemary, sage, and garlic, all of which contain antimicrobial properties. You can also add vegetables and proteins that will become very soft in the broth, such as, carrots, potatoes, tofu, onions, and celery. When your child is resting, she is healing. So make her rest a lot. Offer her warm clear chicken soup.

Fever

Place a cool, damp washcloth on your child's forehead while she rests. Give the little one a lukewarm bath or a sponge bath. Offer your kiddo plenty of fluids and tummy-cooling foods, such as yogurt, to help cool the body from the inside out and keep her hydrated. Remove layers of clothing so your child can lose heat more easily through her skin. Dress her in one light layer. Stay indoors in a cool place.

Cough & Cold

Allow the little one to inhale the eucalyptus oil. The oil can be also be sprinkled in the baby beddings. Offer her clear chicken soup. A half a teaspoon of honey can be added to the milk and given twice a day.

Roast ajwain on low flame in a pan, wrap it in a kerchief to make a potli and allow the kid to inhale it or hold it near the nose of the child. Put two to three saline drops in each nostril, keeping her head elevated.

Mix one teaspoon of honey with 14 spoon of cinnamon. Feed this mixture every 4 hours throughout the day. A warm mist humidifier can be kept in the room to make them comfortable.Take a pan and add 5 to 10 teaspoon of mustard oil with crushed garlic and ajwain seeds and fry a little. Apply warm on the child's chest, forehead and throat. You can include tulsi water in your kiddo's diet to cure cold and cough.

Colic

Make sure to burp your baby. A warm bath relaxes the intestines. Using your three middle fingers, massage his tummy in a circular motion. You can also make a rub by mixing one teaspoon of almond oil with a drop of lavender or dill oil. Take black cardamom, roast it on tawa on slow flame and take out its seeds. Crush them and give to your kiddo after adding some honey.

Ear pain

Use a warm towel compress to reduce pain around the ear and neck area. If the warm compress is not helping, use a cold compress instead. Crush the basil leaves; extract its juice and put a few drops in the ear. Apply the warm oil lightly around and inside the affected ear with a clean earbud. Crush a couple of garlic cloves and heat it with some sesame/olive oil. Strain using a clean cloth and apply this garlic oil in and around the affected ear. Put a few drops of fresh breast milk into the infected ear.

Nosebleeds

Tilt your child's head forward to drain out the blood from the nose. Apply pressure using your finger and thumb on the soft part of her nostrils below the bridge of the nose. Cut 1 onion into thick slices. Press one slice under your nose and inhale the fumes. The bleeding will stop within minutes. A cold compress is another common remedy to stop a bleeding nose.

Nausea and vomiting

Take fresh ginger and extract juice from it. Now, take a spoon of ginger juice, along with honey. Keep your child off solid foods and offer him more fluids such as electrolyte water, water, sugar-water to avoid dehydration. Add a spoon of honey in a glass of warm water and give it to your baby.

Courtesy: ParentLane