Natural Remedies for a Baby Cough So You BOTH Can Get Back to Sleep

The following are a few natural remedies or tips for baby cough to help them get some sleep so that you can too:

1. Increase nursing: The worst thing you can do for your baby when they have a cough is let them get dehydrated. If they are on formula, make sure you switch to a non-dairy variety so that they are not getting increased congestion. If you can, nurse your baby. Breast feeding is a huge help when a baby has a cough, so increase their nursing if you are breast feeding.

2. Give them a warm bath, and add in a few drops of essential oils. If your baby has congestion, a warm bath can help break it up so that they can breath more readily. So, run them a tub, and then add a few drops of peppermint or eucalyptus oil. The vapors will aid in the clearing of the congestion, and will help it stay clear so that they can breath easily while they sleep.

3. Turn on a humidifier in their room. Often when a baby gets a cough, their nose and throat become very dry. A humidifier will help improve their mucus linings, and keep them from becoming dried out. In addition, if you add some drops of essential oils to the humidifier, it can help keep them soothed and calm (lavender or rosemary), and can help keep them congestion free (peppermint and eucalyptus).

4. If your baby is really congested, one suggestion to help rid their lungs of mucus is to bottle feed them a little bit of warm tea. A thyme or sage tea, or a eucalyptus tea will help control congestion, and can soothe them and help them sleep better so that you can sleep as well.

5. If your baby’s cough is keeping them up, try a chest and back rub made from olive oil and essential oils. You just combine a few tablespoons of olive oil with some eucalyptus, sage, rosemary, peppermint oil, or a combination of a few of them. Then, rub it on their chest, back, etc. and swaddle them or bundle them up so that it will evaporate and the vapors can get in their nose, throat, and lungs to help alleviate congestion and soothe them.

6. If their nose is really dry, consider a saline or salt water solution. This will help reactivate the lining and help them breath easily without pain.

7. Prop them up. If your baby has a cough and it is keeping them awake, consider propping them up, or having them sleep in a sitting position as this will help their airways stay open and make breathing while they sleep easier, so that they can get some sleep and you can too.