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Natural Remedies for Your Sick Baby

I distinctly remember the first time our daughter developed her first cold. She was about 8 months old and it was heartbreaking to see her not feel well. I was so worried and not sure what to do to help her feel better.

Since that day almost 5 years ago, we’ve dealt with many colds and coughs. I’ve come to realize there isn’t a magical wand you can wave or use to take away the sickness immediately.  

However, I’ve learned there are a few things you can do to help your sick baby in the mean time.

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Is your baby sick? Not sure how to help her congested nose and cough? Here are 7 natural remedies to help keep your baby comfortable during sickness.

As always if your baby is sick, please do your own research and find out what is safest for you and your baby. This is not medical advice, just a post sharing my experiences a mother. 

7 tools to help your sick baby fight her first cold:

NOSE ASPIRATOR:

Most children hate these things! But they really work. Did you know babies are obligate nose breathers for the first few months of life? This means at first babies almost always breathe through their noses.

We love the Green Sprouts Baby Nasal Aspirator for little babies. It separates easily which allows you to thoroughly clean it and it was the perfect size. It may not work for older children since the spout part is fairly small.

As our kid’s got older (12 months and up) we started to use the NoseFrida. Our pediatrician recommended it and it’s amazing at clearing out all the snot! 

SALINE SPRAY:

We want to avoid medicating our baby so we turn to non-medicated saline spray when they have a cold.

It helps dry her out and keep her nose clear! The NoseFrida also comes with a nice saline spray to loosen up the congestion. She actually didn’t mind the spray and we found it easy to use. It’s also helpful to spray your baby’s nose before you use the nasal aspirator. 

HUMID AIR:

Since our baby was born, we haven’t used a humidifier. I didn’t want to risk mold growing in it and spraying all over her room! Instead we place a large glass bowl of water by heat sources (our fireplace, the vent in her room, etc.). It helps add moisture to the air and every week I clean the bowl and refill the water. If you do decide to go with a humidifier use a cool mist one.

TAKE A SHOWER:

Take a shower with your baby! Or at least turn on the hot water in your shower and stay in the bathroom with baby to help clear his or her sinuses. We also found after we stand in the steam room for a 10-15 minutes it is easier to suction whatever junk is up our baby’s nose.

Natural remedies for your sick baby. How to deal with your baby's first cold.

EUCALYPTUS OIL:

During the hot steam showers we sprayed eucalyptus oil in the air. We also added a few drops to the water bowl in our baby’s room. Before you decide to use any essential oils do your research! Make sure you take precautions when using oils with your new baby.

WATCH LIQUID INTAKE:

If your baby is still nursing or drinking from a bottle make sure they are getting enough liquid throughout the day. When our kids were 10 months we introduced water. Our kids now love drinking water, but if I’m worried they aren’t getting enough when sick I add a few drops of grape juice.

I also make sure I have baby pouches on hand.

RELATED: Read the secret to getting a child who refuses a cup to drink from one!  

LET GO OF YOUR SCHEDULE

As soon as we could, we put our baby girl on a schedule. We like predictability and her schedule provided that for both of us. I was happy to find she thrived on it! However, this past week I’ve learned to let go of our ‘schedule’. She didn’t always want to nap when she was scheduled to nap. We tried to give her extra snuggles and instead of a feeding schedule I let her feed as often as she wanted. 

What do you find most helpful? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

How do you care for your sick baby?

Disclaimer: In this post I shared what we used to help our baby with her first cold. My intention is to share my experiences and information, this is not medical advice! Please do your own research and find out what is safest for you and your baby. Have a discussion with your pediatrician about medications and essential oils before you decide the best course of action for your little one.

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7 Comments

  1. Lauren, I wish there was a magic wand. I use the car seat for sleep and the swing because it helps to keep him in an upright position. This was advice from my doctor. I also use the vicks humidifier to open up nasal passages at sleep time.

  2. I wish I had seen this a few weeks ago! Great post and all these things helped my sick baby! Another tip would be the Eucalyptus oil on the feet. My son sleeps in footed PJs so the scent wasn’t too strong and it definitely helped unclog that sniffer!

  3. Great tips, I’ve tried all of these ( accept a eucalyptus oil) when my kids were sick! You’re right it’s the hardest thing when they’re that young & sick. You almost feel helpless. I used to saline spray and the aspirator most.

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