15 Natural Home Remedies For Baby Cough Relief In Summer

Updated: 12/13/2019

You've heard a lot about “the baby cough disease”, but what do you know about it? With any disease, if you do not understand it and do not know its symptoms, it is difficult to detect it early. Coughing is a very common condition in a baby. This disease can cause complications to the health of the child. However, the fact is that not many parents have the necessary knowledge in the prevention and treatment of cough in the baby.

Often, only when the baby has a long-term cough without being cured, parents take their children to see a doctor. This is a very wrong view, because then it is possible that their child's illness has changed badly and is difficult to be treated. If you are experiencing the same situation, this article is for you. It will provide you with the most basic information as well as home remedies for baby cough relief in summer for this condition.

What Is Baby Cough(Also Known As Whopping Cough)?

Cough is a disease caused by acute respiratory infections. One type, called pertussis or whopping cough, is cute caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. These bacteria bind to the fimbria (they are very small and straight like hairs and line in the inner part of the upper respiratory tract). This bacterium releases toxins, damages fimbria, and causes inflammation (edema). Cough usually occurs at night, and spells are prolonged causing the baby to have a red face, tears, nasal discharge, fatigue, and even insomnia.

Coughing is common in young children and infants. This disease can be spread through the respiratory tract, so people need to avoid direct contact to prevent spreading the  infection. Teenagers are known to carry pertussis without having symptoms and can expose other healthy babies. 

WHO, the World Health Organization, estimates that there are about 30 to 50 million cough conditions that occur worldwide each year, of which around 300,000 are fatal; most of them are children under one year of age, and 90% are patients in underdeveloped countries and countries with temperate climate.

What Are Common Causes Of Baby Cough?

• Weather Change

Coughing is a common disease in erratic weather. As the young body is still developing, immune resistance is low. As the weather changes, the pathogens can become more virulent. If you do not know how to take good care and avoid infection, children are very susceptible to infection.

• Environmental Pollution

Environmental pollution can compromise the lung status of the baby allowing, bacteria to more easily penetrate the respiratory system. The lungs and trachea are injured by inhaling the dirt and toxic substances leading to increased susceptibility to whopping cough.

• Getting A Cold

If a child coughs is due to a virus that causes the common cold, parents do not have to worry too much because most children experience coughing. However, to identify if a child has a cough due to a cold or something more serious, parents can look for the combination of these signs: sneezing, runny nose, cough, high body temperature or fever, cough with phlegm, increasing breathing rate or increased effort to breath.

• Pneumonia

If the child has a cough, sore back, foot pain, fever, runny nose, hoarseness, nausea, or a combination of symptoms, the cause of cough may be due to pneumonia, a serious infection of the lungs.

• Sinusitis

Sinusitis is also a cause for prolonged cough where bacteria enter the sinuses, causing increased mucous drainage and coughing attacks.

• Swallowing Something

Children with cough that lasts weeks without any other signs of illness or allergies, may have swallowed a small object in the throat or in the lungs. Children have a habit of playing with toys and mouthing them, so it is easy to swallow fragments of toys.  They also have a habit of putting small toys in the nose which can become lodged causing a chronic cough.

What Are Common Symptoms Of Baby Whopping Cough?

Symptoms usually change over time as the infection progresses:

• The Incubation Period

Incubation period usually lasts from 2 to 30 days. However, the average is 5 – 12 days. During the incubation period, the patient does not have any abnormalities but is contagious.

• The Onset Period

This period usually appears from 3 to 14 days, accompanied by manifestations such as: fever (light and progressive), dry cough, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, and eventually more frequent episodes of coughing.

• The Worst Period Of Illness

This period usually lasts 1-2 weeks. The worst manifestations of childhood pertussis in young children occur during this period and may progress suddenly. The cough is especially at night,  and, in some cases, the patient may have the appearance of pale skin, red eyes, and even inability to breathe normally. These manifestations often occur in younger children and some  may require hospitalization.

If the disease is not detected and treated promptly, the baby's body will not be provided enough oxygen to breathe. Children may have respiratory failure, high fever, loss of appetite, extreme exhaustion from prolonged coughing episodes, and some cases can lead to death.

What Are The Complications Of Baby Whopping Cough?

Coughing can cause serious and sometimes life-threatening complications in neonates and young children, especially those who have not been fully vaccinated against B. pertussis.

About half of children under 1 year old have to be hospitalized. The younger the child, the more likely to need hospital treatment. Among infants hospitalized for cough, about:

• 23% of patients will have pneumonia (lung infection)
• 6% of patients will have convulsions (tremors and uncontrollable tremors)
• 67% of patients will have apnea (slow breathing or no breathing)
• 4% of patients will have encephalopathy
• 6% of patients will die

Who Is At Highest Risk Of Baby Whooping Cough?

Infants and children under 12 months who did not receive the vaccination series. 

When To See A Doctor?

You should take your baby to the doctor if the following symptoms are present:

• Your baby has an acute cough with cramping, wheezing and cyanosis (turning blue). This may be because the child has swallowed an object, but can occur with more severe cases of whooping cough. In this case, the child needs first aid and is taken to the hospital as soon as possible.
• Your baby has a cough with a fever of 39 degrees Celsius. The doctor will check whether the baby has pneumonia or not.
• When a child coughs with fatigue, chest tightening and excessive swallowing, it may be a sign of bronchitis or asthma. In this case, parents should take the baby to see a doctor to assess breathing.
• If the cough is accompanied by a hoarse voice, the child may have acute laryngitis. Parents should take her to see a doctor soon. If delayed, children may have trouble breathing.
• If the baby is under 12 months old with cough at night and has nausea, you need to see the doctor to check if your child has gastroesophagealreflux.

There, you have discovered some information about baby cough. It is time to find out what the best natural home remedies for baby cough relief are. Take a look at TrueRemedies.com!

Top 15 Natural Home Remedies For Baby Cough In Summer

Please note that some of these remedies are suggested from centuries of use in multiple types of ancient medicine techniques.  Large scale trials are needed for supportive research evidence. Safety profile of the individual components is known and these are accepted as safe for the ages stated.  

1. Lemon

An amazing finding is that your baby can stop coughing with a single lemon. If your child likes to drink lemonade, give it a try. Lemon juice can remove mucus and soothe the throat. For safety, do not feed the baby lemons directly as they can damage dental enamel. Squeeze lemons into water or soak them with a little organic sugar and give your baby a drink.  If the child is below 4 months, limit the amount of water to 2-3 ounces. 

2. Steam Therapy

Among home remedies for baby cough, steam is one of the most effective. Having a steam bath at night to reduce cough is also an effective solution^[1]. Remember to close the bathroom door to allow the water to diffuse throughout the room.

Learn more: 20 Natural Home Remedies For Oral Thrush In Babies And Adults

3. Herbal Tea

This is another must-try home treatment in this list of home remedies for baby cough. A cup of warm tea can help soothe the throat of an infant over 5 months. Certain mild herbal teas can be an effective cough medicine such as chrysanthemum tea, chamomile tea,  and mint tea. 

4. Ginger

The next treatment in this list of home remedies for baby cough is ginger. Ginger or ginger tea when coughing is a very good way to lower inflammation. Ginger can remove sputum in the throat and soothe the cough. When using ginger as medicine, it should be noted that it is not recommended for children with dry mouth or constipation. 

You can choose one of the following methods, or apply all of them to treat cough in your baby:

Method 1: Ginger And Salts

To implement this method, please follow the steps below:

• Prepare 50g old ginger, 20g granular salt, and 1 liter water
• Peel the old ginger and wash under the tap
• Crush ginger into small pieces and then cook them with 1 liter of water and salt
• Boil water and leave for 5 minutes, then you have ginger tea to use gradually
• According to this medicine, when children with a cough and runny nose, adults can use warm ginger water with salt to soak your baby's feet and massage the soles before going to bed

The use of ginger oil to massage is mainly used to treat colds.

Method 2: Ginger And Water To Drink (Children Over 5 Months)

To implement this method, please follow these steps below:

• Prepare 100 gr ginger and a glass of water
• Boil this mixture to make ginger tea for your baby to drink

Use ginger tea when ginger tea is hot. This kind of tea will help to reduce the cough immediately.

5. Thyme Leaf

Thyme leaves help breakdown and remove mucus in the throat^[2]. Research has mostly been performed on adults.

To do this remedy, please follow the steps below:

• Soak 2 teaspoons of thyme leaves in a cup of boiling water for about 10 minutes
• Then filter the water, add honey and lemon
• Take this thyme tea and lets your baby drink it. The sweet taste of honey will make your baby very fond of

Regularly apply this remedy, your child's coughing condition will improve soon.

Learn more: 20 Natural Home Remedies For Scabies In Infants And Young Adults

6. Garlic

This remedy is quite effective for both young children and adults. Garlic can treat cough because it contains a large amount of allicin – a natural microbial agent that can kill viruses, bacteria and soothe the throat.

This remedy can be made two ways: 

Method 1: Garlic And Honey (Children Over Age One Year Only)

To implement this method, please follow these steps below:

• Prepare 2 garlic cloves which are crushed and then mix them with 2 teaspoons of honey
• Steam them with water. In this way, garlic does not need to be steamed too much. You just need to steam garlic until the garlic has a specific garlic smell
• Let’s your baby drink 1/2 teaspoon

Please apply this method 1-2 times a day. You should let your baby drink water before drinking this garlic mixture^{[3] [4]}.

Method 2: Only Garlic

To implement this method, please follow these steps below:

• Prepare 2 -3 cloves of crushed garlic, a little alum sugar and a little water
• Mix garlic and sugar together
• Put this mixture in half a bowl of water to steam for about 15 minutes

Take this mixture for children to drink 2-3 times a day to treat cough and cold symptoms.

7. Onion

This is considered one of the best natural home remedies for baby cough. Onion has an anti-inflammatory effect, and helps to reduce sputum.

Method 1: Onion And Sugar

This is the method for children under 1-year-old. To implement this method, please follow the steps below:

• Gather onion, 20g sugar, and hot water
• Peel and slice onion, add, and then steam this mixture with water for 30 minutes
• Let the water cool until slightly warm before giving to your child. If your baby doesn't drink all of the onion water, you can keep it for future use.  Always serve slightly warm for best result. 

Method 2: Onion And Honey (Children over age one year only)

To implement this method, please follow the steps below:

• Peel and slice a half of a bowl onion
• Steam onion with water for 30 minutes
• Let it cool down (still slightly warm) and mix with 4 teaspoons of honey
• Use this mixture for baby to drink. You can also let your baby eat the residual onion for the best effect. If your child does not drink all of this mixture, you can keep it for future use.

Don’t skip: 26 Best Home Remedies To Reduce Body Heat In Babies & Adults

8. Lemon Basil Leaf

The next one in home remedies for baby cough is using lemon basil leaf. The lemon basil leaves contain the essential oil with the main component, cavaron. Therefore, lemon basil leaves can be used as a natural cough and sore throat relief.

To implement this remedy, please follow these steps below:

• Prepare some lemon basil leaves and a little sugar or honey
• Wash lemon basil leaves, add sugar or honey and then steam with water
• Give this mixture for your baby to drink 1-2 times a day to reduce cough

9. Shallot Leaf

Shallot leaves are used to treat newborn coughs very effectively. It is a remedy that are used by a lot of mothers and fathers whenever there is a change in weather causing new coughs to the infant. The use of shallot leaves to treat an infant’s cough not only treats the cough quickly, but also helps provide nutrients.

To apply this remedy, you can refer to the following methods:

Method 1: Shallot Leaves And Honey 

The combination of shallot leaves and honey makes an effective way to treat baby cough for children older than one year. To implement this method, please follow the steps below:

• Pick up a handful of fresh shallot leaves, then wash them cleanly
• Let the shallot leaves are drained. Then we cut the shallot leaves, put them into the bowl and put the honey into this bowl, so that the honey can cover the whole shallot leaves
• Steam the mixture above with water until the shallot leaves are soft and smooth.

Every day, you should let your baby drink this solution from 3 to 4 times, from 2 to 3 teaspoons each time. By applying this method, baby cough can be treated quickly.

Note: Do not use for children under 1 year old because honey can cause toxins for them.

Method 2: Shallot Leaves And Rock Sugar

This method is very popular. It can be used by infants under 1 year of age. Your baby does not need to be abstained as with these remedies above.

The use of the combination of shallot leaves and sugar to treat newborn infants is very simple. To implement this method, please follow the steps below:

• Pick up a handful of fresh shallot leaves with moderate thickness, then rinse thoroughly and let them drain
• Put all the shallots into the bowl with a sufficient amount of rock sugar and steam until the shallot leaves in the bowl soften and sugar melts completely

Please drink this solution 2 to 3 times a day, 2 to 3 teaspoons each time to have the best results.

10. White Radish

According to scientific studies, radish contains a lot of nutrients such as protein, sugar, fat, minerals, B vitamins, vitamin C, and a lot of good amino acids for the body. Radish is used to treat respiratory illnesses.

To apply this remedy, you only need to do the steps below:

• Prepare about 5 slices of white radish
• Then boil them with 1 cup of water for about 5 to 10 minutes
• When water is cool, give it to your child

Give this water for your infant (greater than 5 months) to drink 1-2 times a day to reduce cough. That will help reduce cough and sputum.

11. White Rose Essential Oils

This is another must-try home treatment in this list of home remedies for baby cough. Essential oils from white rose petals are very effective in treating cough and sputum in young children.

The way to implement this remedy is very simple, you only need to do the steps below:

• Rinse the white rose petals cleanly and mix them with water and alum sugar
• Steam the mixture and filter for the juice

Please give 1 teaspoon of juice 3-4 times a day to get the best result.

The above-mentioned natural home remedies are claimed to be able to reduce symptoms of cough. Although the home remedies for baby cough above are quite time consuming, slow-acting, their results are surprising when done consistently. Choose some of them and alternate them in your treatment plan to see how effective they are. 

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• Respiratory
• Throat