Cough Remedies for Kids

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Bonnie (Dallas, TX) on 02/22/2007
★★★★★

My son has been coughing for more than 2 weeks and it kept getting worse the last two days. He coughed so much that he threw up everything he ate. We took him to the Doctor and he was diagnosed with viral infection. The Dr. suggested to give him over the counter coughing medicine. We tried different brands but none seemed to work for him. Yesterday, my husband found this remedy from earthclinic.com and suggested us to try on him. It was amazing. I just couldn't believe it. My son stopped coughing immediately after 15-20 minutes of taking about a tablespoon of the mix. We bought Apple Cider Vinegar and mixed it with raw honey. It doesn't taste good but it really works. I'm writing here to thank earthclinic.com. It's like a miracle happening to us

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Donna (Corona, CA) on 12/05/2006
★★★★★

My 9 yr old daughter was sick and out of school for a whole week. I was giving her cough medicine, cough drops etc...it wasn't working so I took her to the DR. and they gave her some stronger cough medicine and antibiotic's. It wasn't working neither. It got a little better after giving her the entire bottle, but it wasn't completely gone. After sending her back to school for two days, we had a wind storm and it got really cold so she got back sick at school playing outside in the cold. The bad cough and cold came back so this time I went and got $25.00 worth of over the counter cold medicine and a vapor risor, multi-vitamins with extra C etc.. She was still coughing non stop after all this medication and I decided to go online and see what kind of home remedy I could find. God as my witness, it was like a miracle when I gave my 9 yr old the vinegar (2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar) and water mixture she stopped coughing after about 30 minutes. She was coughing so bad I felt helpless and didn't know what else I could do. After only1 dosage the cough stopped for about 4 hours after that it started back a little and I gave her some more and she's been fine and back to school without any problems. Thank you for a very valuable site! It's amazing I have another story about my son who later that evening got food poisoning from McDonalds and I came to the site for more advice. I gave him 2 tbsp spoon of vinegar and he's 11 year old. He was fine after that and went to sleep without throwing up or being up all night. The next morning he ate breakfast without any problem. Before when he had food poison it was a night mare I'll never forget. I was up with him all night and he was constantly throwing up. I wish I had of found this when my first child which is 19 yrs old now was born.

Vicks

Posted by Teena (Victoria) on 06/29/2017 233 posts
★★★★☆

Last night my boys had a terrible barking cough. I put Vicks on the bottoms of their feet and covered with socks. I also have them each a large soon of warm honey with cinnamon mixed in. This gave 6 hours of sleep (relief) before it started again. I am also giving doses of vitamin c, zinc and vitamin D3. We are still fighting the bugs but as I am reading I realize I was lucky to get 6 hours of relief so will do again tonight, also excited to use recipe advised by earth clinic for homemade. Oh to protect myself I am putting drops of oregano oil under tongue and sucking on cloves, unfortunately the kids do not cooperate with any of these meds..

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Brenda (Charlotte, Nc) on 11/11/2012
★★★★★

2 Tablespoons water, 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 Tablespoon honey. It worked! My daughter has the flu, and has been coughing non stop for days (a dry, non-prductive cough. ) I tried vapor rub, plain honey, cough medicine, and finally her nebulizer. Nothing worked. I saw a recipe for the acv and honey and was thrilled to see the success rate. I am SO relieved, plus I now have a bit of silence now and then ;)

Onions

Posted by Willowone (Athens, GA) on 05/02/2009
★★★★★

Onions for cough and congestion: My first child was colicky and had several colds with congestion. The doctors gave him antibiotics that did not seem to help. I felt like the cold went away on its own. My grandmother told me about the onions. My second and third children never had to take antibiotics. I would take a onion or part of onion about the size of a golf ball and grate up in a bowl.Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of sugar. Cover and put in the fridge for 45 minutes. The sugar draws the syrup out of the onion. I would then take a dropper full and give to the child. It does not taste bad (try it yourself). It clears their chests and helps them sleep. I never had a problem with using it. Now when I feel like I am getting a cold I always eat more raw onions.

Cayenne, ACV and Baking Soda

Posted by Sheryl (Edison, NJ) on 12/11/2007
★★★★★

My 3 year old had a very bad cough, chest congestion and fatigue for 2 days...i gave him lemon juice and Apple Cider Vinegar and baking soda. No much effect on cough and it was getting worse. Finally mixed 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne in 2 teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar, baking soda with 1 teaspoon water. Cough stopped instantly and in 10 mins he was playing. chest congestion cleared 80%. Thank you earthclinic. i visit this website regularly.

Flaxseed Tea

Posted by Cher (Virginia, US) on 04/12/2015
★★★★★

Flaxseed tea worked wonders for my eight year son who had kept us up 3 nights in a row. We tried everything with only temporary results. We gave him the tea right before bed. He coughed for about 20 minutes and then slept all through the night. God Bless the person who discovered this and thank you!

EC: Recipe from Grannyguru, AZ:

"You put about a tablespoon or so of whole dark brown flaxseeds (for some reason golden seeds do not work anywhere near as well) into 2 cups of water and boil it until it just begins to thicken. It will seem to take forever, then suddenly it thickens quickly, so the minute you notice it thickening, remove it from the heat.

Add lemon juice or vitamin c and sweetener, like grade b maple syrup, or even just sugar. Drink. I found I did not like it when it was thickened, but I could put it in a thermos and keep it by my bed, and it would break down into just a soothing liquid, but would work just as good as the thick syrup I didn't like.

And of course if you add honey and vitamin c it tastes like apple juice."

Onions

Posted by Melissa (Alberta, Canada) on 03/26/2012
★★★★★

I never write in to these things, but the red onion recipe is great.

I have a 4 year old who has been battling a nasty cough at night. It was horrible, she would cough so hard that she would throw up. I made the red onion recipe (sliced the RED onion and put a little honey on top of each slice and then stacked them neatly in a bowl. Within a few hours the mixture was quite runny... So don't overdo it, with the honey! ). She woke up at 11:00pm, hacking and coughing, so I gave her 1 teaspoon (even though it hadn't been the 15 hours a previous poster had recommended... More like 8-10ish). She went straight back to sleep without coughing, but woke up again about an hour later coughing up a storm. I gave her 1 tsp. Again and she went straight back to sleep. She woke up this morning (after sleeping until 9:30!!! Without a cough) claiming that she feels much better.

It does taste onion-y though, but the honey disguises it nicely.

EC: Remember, no honey for babies 12 months and under.

Heather's Cough Formula

Posted by Heather (Ortonville, Michigan, Usa) on 03/04/2010
★★★★★

Hi recently out of frustration i mixed this up for my 5yr old because he was coughing constantly for a week and nothing was coming out. I knew he was at risk for infection because I had the same thing and got myself over it in less then 4 days, however it is not so easy to get a little one to take things. should have treated him sooner.

I took freshly squeezed juice of a half of an organic orange, half of an organic lemon, 1 tsp organic non pasteurized etc. apple cider vinegar, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/8 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, splash of Tabasco sauce, few drops of organic garlic juice, few drops of juice from freshly chopped onion (after sprinkling sugar on chopped onion and setting in fridge for 20 min or longer till juice comes out) and finally a large spoon of raw organic honey. mix all together in pan on stove till warm not boiling. Drink with plenty of water after. Will be spicy but sweet and tangy. Does not taste near as bad as it sounds! My 5yr old son started pouring out snot after one dose and stopped coughing right away! I gave him one more dose that night and he slept through the night. I gave him one more the next day and he went back to school the following day!!

When I was using these ingredients on myself. I increased the amounts, 1 tsp instead of 1/2 etc. use common sense. Thank you earth clinic for helping me through trial and error figure out a magic potion to heal myself and my baby! Medicine in your cupboard, I tell everyone. Thanks again and God bless!!!

Vicks

Posted by Ranjana (Arlington, Tx Usa) on 09/14/2009
★★★★★

I have had wonderful success with coughs for my child with this. I slather the vicks on his feet, put on socks and the coughing stops immediately for 6 plus hours, so we can all get a good nights sleep. If he wakes up coughing, I repeat this, and the coughing stops again. I have not figured out how to stop the cough in the daytime. Have had some success with honey with a pinch of black pepper.

Coconut Oil

Posted by Mmsg (Somewhere, Europe) on 11/05/2017

Cheryl, I would first get a doctor's diagnosis for such a young 'un and then go from there.

Essential Oils

Posted by Jackie (Belfast, Northern Ireland) on 07/10/2010
★★★★★

My daughter gets occasional asthma and on some of these occasions the coughing is quite troublesome at night. It not only disrupts her sleep but mine too. However, I have found that mixing 2 or 3 drops of each of the following essential oils (frankincense, cypress and lavender) has soothed the cough, allowing everyone to get a good night's sleep. I have used this for years and I can truthfully say that in her case it has worked everytime.

I would "not" recommend using an oil burner with a candle for night time use. It is safer to use an electric oil burner. Or if you do not have one, just try putting the oils on the pyjamas/pillow/tissue etc. Or maybe even in a bowl of water or place on a damp cloth over a low heat radiator. Just so long as the oils are being inhaled.

Garlic, Honey, Lime

Posted by Marcela (Malge Mountain, Utah, Usa) on 12/22/2008
★★★★★

My son 7 years old and he had a bad cough the kind that would not let anyone sleep..i heard about the garlic honey and lime..i blended 6 cloves of garlic 2 tablespoons of 100% bee honey and 2 big limes..this will last a few days..i gave my son 1 small tablespoon and right away calmed his coughing..he did not cough at all and when i heard him cough i gave hime another dosage..for three days i gave him this remedy and now he doesn't cough at all..

Garlic, Honey, Lime

Posted by Kara (Chatham, Ma) on 11/11/2010
★★★★★

My husband is from the moutains in Jamaica. When I was pregnant and could not have cough syrup, I learned this remedy from him. It works! You can make a thick syrup or tea. Something about the three ingredients together soothes the cough for hours.

Onions

Posted by Faith (Louisville, KY) on 12/03/2008
★★★★★

When I was younger, around 10 or 11 years old, I went with my grandma to visit her relatives. I think I caught cold during that time because I played outside a lot in the snow with my cousins.

When the night came, I was coughing non-stop. No body could sleep because of me. Needless to say that we were at some village far from civilization, lol, and they could not take me to the doctor. Well, in the middle of the night, the lady of the house got up and came to me asking me to get up and eat some onion. Nooo!!! I hated onions. But, she talked me into eating some. I wrapped it in a piece of bread and swallowed quickly without chewing. Amazingly, I did not cough at all for the rest of the night.

I think it really worked, and I tried it few times later in my life. It is not pleasant to eat raw onions, but it will help you, that is for sure.

Now, when I get sick and cough, I cut up a whole onion and mix it with cottage cheese and some sour cream add some salt and eat it like a salad. It tastes so much better and helps me get rid of the cold much faster.

Vicks

Posted by Kristin (Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA) on 07/26/2008
★☆☆☆☆

I've tried the Vicks remedy several times on my 6 year old daughter. It has never worked for her.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 11/09/2007 490 posts
★★★★★

Apple Cider Vinegar used half & half with honey makes a very good cough syrup which will also cure strep. When my 3 youngest children got chickenpox at the same time, the older and younger of the 3 were faring much better than the middle one who kept running a fever. The next morning he had classic scarlet fever rash in groin to explain why. Yep, ACV / honey mixture to the rescue - I gave all 3 a tsp. every two hours or so. Next morning the ones rash in groin was decreased, and the other 2 never got it. I kept them on it for a couple more days.

After hospitals dis- covered they were spreading pseudomonas aeruginosa via the oxygen equipment, they removed this "hospital scourge infection" by soaking the equipment in 1 part vinegar - 7 parts water, so who knows what else it will cure.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Layla (Norway) on 12/07/2015

Hi,

You want to watch your intake, especially for a child. For some people a moderate daily amount is fine, for others consuming ACV daily is too often and they end up with problems like corroded teeth or bleeding stomach. It is vinegar, after all. I use it myself to address specific problems when they arise, otherwise not more than on salads and such.