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‘Tis the season for winter colds and all the discomfort that comes along with them. However, you can provide safe cold relief to your baby with something as simple as a warm baby bath and plenty of fluids.
Cold Medicine
While adults have medicine cabinets stocked with over-the-counter medications to help ease their symptoms, babies have few safe options for relieving cold symptoms. In fact, the FDA and the medical community strongly advise against using cold and allergy medications on children under two years old! (Grandparents need to know this.)
Congestion Relief
A runny nose and congestion are often the first signs of trouble that parents notice. Unfortunately, your baby will not be able to blow his nose effectively until he is about three or four years old. Until then, you will need to rely on using a nasal aspirator to suction the mucous. This task is made much simpler by first allowing the mucous, which is often thick and sticky, to moisten with steam vapors from a warm baby bath.
Another method of relieving congestion is by using baby bath made with real lavender extract. The lavender extracts provide aromatherapy to help comfort your infant, whether he is under the weather or causing a storm.
Coughing and Coughing
Where there is congestion, there is bound to be coughing.
A warm baby bath is the perfect remedy for a coughing baby. Before undressing baby, sit in the bathroom with a hot shower running. This will help warm the room and make it steamy. Then, start a warm bath for baby and add lavender baby bath to help loosen mucous and allow for more productive coughing. This, coupled with suctioning, should help relieve your baby of those dreadful cold symptoms.
Fever Reducer
Babies run fevers like Usain Bolt runs races. However, not all fevers need to be treated with acetaminophen or ibuprofen. In fact, it is better to first try to reduce the fever without medication. A lukewarm bath can help lower the baby’s body temperature quickly, but don’t plunge baby into the water too quickly. Because his temperature may be considerably higher than the water’s, he may not tolerate it well. (Imagine jumping into a cold swimming pool.)
Instead, use a washcloth to slowly acclimate him to the temperature of the bath water. Then, lower him into the bath slowly, feet first. After his feet have been submerged for a few seconds, lower him to his bottom, and so on.
If cooling off baby with a baby bath doesn’t reduce his fever, it may be time to dispense fever reducer.
Of course, consult your pediatrician or health care provider and consider the health and specific circumstances of your child before trying any of these remedies.
