Soothing Natural Cough Remedies for Kids

We just went through a nasty round of colds again and there were a few days when Mack was really looking miserable. So instead of forgetting about my collection of essential oils until the cold was almost over, I actually remembered that I could probably make her more comfortable by mixing something up.

Coughing is a symptom of something else going wrong in the body — and it’s really more a reflex from the body as it tries to clear something irritating from the throat or airways. Coughing means that the body is doing what it’s supposed to do, and fighting off the cold, but if it’s excessive, you know you should seek a doctor.

If you or your kiddo is suffering from usual cold symptoms (runny nose, congestion, cough, fever), you can also use the natural cold remedy mixture which I also turn to all the time. This cough remedy is very similar to that blend, actually. But this time around, because Mack was taking some other medicines already for clearing the bronchial paths and Tylenol to bring down her fever, I figured I would keep the mix simple and just try to resolve some of the hacking cough that clearly was causing her some discomfort.

To say that she wasn’t a fan of most of the medicines is an understatement. Even if they were flavored to taste pretty good, her immediate response after swallowing them was “YUCK!” But eventually she gave in (gummy bears and Skittles work wonders). And thankfully with essential oils, you often don’t need to convince your kids to swallow something — just to let you rub it on them.

When you’re dealing with a cough, keep your child warm and give them plenty to drink. Don’t let them run around like crazy or hang out around smokers. You might want to try a steam bowl or humidifier as well to keep the air moist. A wet towel over a hot radiator will also do the trick.