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

If your baby has a cough and it is keeping you both from sleep, you will want to do what you can to treat it so you can both get back to bed. One of the problems is that babies are not old enough or strong enough for most over the counter type cough treatments, and so the following is a look at some of the natural remedies you can use to help ease your baby's cough and symptoms so that you can both get back to sleep:

Start out by clearing their nasal and throat passages so that they can breathe well. Then begin by nursing your baby. Breast milk is not a dairy product, and will not add to their congestion. Increase nursing to help give them antibodies to fight the cold, and to help them feel comfort. If you are not breastfeeding, try a non-dairy formula to help them get plenty of fluids and the comfort most babies get from feeding.

After they are well fed, try giving them a warm bath. This will often loosen the congestion making it easier for the baby to breathe. You can even consider adding a few drops of an essential oil into their tub so that they breathe in the vapors and get the benefits of doing so. Also, increased body heat makes sleep come easier. You will want to soothe them, and help them feel relaxed and comfortable. If you need to suction their nose again, do this before the bath so that they have a time to calm down before they go back to bed.

Get them out of the tub and dry them off completely. Then, rub their chest and back with an herbal rub. You make this by combining a few tablespoons of olive oil with a few drops of essential oils. A good combination for a baby with a cough is some eucalyptus oil and some rosemary. The vapors from the eucalyptus will loosen the mucus and congestion, and the rosemary (lavender works well too) will help calm them so they can rest. Get them dressed, and swaddle them in a blanket, and then lay them in their crib, with a blanket under them to help prop them some to help make breathing easier.

Turn on a humidifier in the room to help keep their congestion lose so that they can sleep. Put a few drops of an essential oil in the humidifier for better breathing. Good options include eucalyptus, sage, rosemary, or peppermint oil. The vapors from these oils will help keep their passages clear.

If this does not work, then consider mixing a saline solution (salt water), and putting a few drops in their nose, as they might have really dry mucus membranes, making for discomfort that keeps them from sleeping.