Good News Tommy is resting in bed and blowing his nose while recovering from a cough or cold.

Your Child’s Cough and Cold: Safe Home Remedies That Really Help

December 19, 2022

There are few sounds parents recognize faster than a cough coming from their child's bedroom.

One minute, everyone is sleeping. The next, you're searching for tissues, checking foreheads and wondering whether anyone in the house will get a good night's rest.

Colds are a familiar part of childhood. Most are caused by viruses and improve on their own, although coughing, congestion and sore throats can make children uncomfortable while they recover.

Fortunately, there are simple ways to help children feel better at home.

But not every traditional home remedy is safe, and not every popular treatment has good scientific evidence behind it.

The goal isn't to cure a cold overnight. It's to help your child feel more comfortable while their body recovers—and to recognize when medical care is needed.

1. Honey Can Help Soothe a Cough—After Age One

Honey is one of the better-studied home remedies for children's coughs.

Research suggests it can reduce nighttime coughing and may help children and their parents sleep more comfortably. A 2018 Cochrane review found that honey probably provides more cough relief than no treatment or placebo, although the available studies had limitations.

According to American Academy of Pediatrics guidance updated in December 2022, children ages one and older may be given approximately 2–5 mL of honey as needed to ease coughing.

You can offer it by spoon or mix it into a comfortably warm drink.

Important: Never give honey to a baby younger than 12 months. Honey can contain spores that cause infant botulism, a rare but serious illness.

Cup of warm tea with lemon slices and honey, which may help soothe coughing in children older than one year

2. Saline Drops Can Help Clear a Stuffy Nose

When a child's nose is blocked, eating, drinking and sleeping can become more difficult.

Plain saline nasal drops or spray can help loosen mucus so it is easier to remove.

For older children, encourage gentle nose blowing. For babies, a caregiver may use an appropriate nasal suction device, particularly before feeding, following the product instructions and avoiding excessive suction.

Use a commercially prepared saline product intended for children, and follow its age and usage instructions.

For nasal irrigation devices used by older children, water safety is especially important: only sterile, distilled or previously boiled and cooled water should be used. Ask your child's healthcare professional whether irrigation is appropriate for their age.

Saline doesn't kill the cold virus. It simply helps manage one of the symptoms that can make children miserable.

3. Offer Plenty of Fluids

Children with colds may eat less than usual, particularly when their throat hurts or their nose is congested.

Keeping them hydrated is more important than insisting they finish every meal.

Water, broth and other age-appropriate drinks can help. Warm liquids may be especially soothing for a sore throat.

For babies, continue breast milk or formula rather than substituting water or herbal drinks. Offering smaller, more frequent feedings may help when congestion makes feeding difficult.

Watch for signs of dehydration, including unusually little urination, a dry mouth, fewer tears or unusual sleepiness.

If your child is struggling to drink or showing signs of dehydration, contact their healthcare professional promptly.

4. Chicken Soup Is Comforting—But It Isn't a Cure

There's something reassuring about a bowl of warm chicken soup when you don't feel well.

Soup provides fluid, nourishment and warmth. Its steam and warmth may temporarily make a congested child feel more comfortable.

But we should be careful about the claims we make.

Chicken soup has not been shown to cure the common cold or reliably shorten its duration in children.

That doesn't make it any less welcome.

Serve soup at a safe temperature, and choose ingredients and textures appropriate for your child's age and chewing abilities.

Bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup with carrots and herbs, a comforting meal for a child recovering from a cold

5. A Clean, Cool-Mist Humidifier May Ease Dryness

If the air in your home is very dry, a cool-mist humidifier may help keep your child's nose and throat from feeling excessively dry.

But cleanliness matters.

Empty and dry the tank regularly, replace the water as directed by the manufacturer, and follow the manufacturer's cleaning instructions. A poorly maintained humidifier can spread microorganisms or other irritants into the air.

Choose cool mist rather than a hot-steam vaporizer to reduce burn risks around children.

Do not add essential oils unless the device is specifically designed for them—and avoid treating concentrated oils as a safe cough remedy for young children.

Skip the old-fashioned bowl of boiling water. Having children lean over hot water or breathe steam under a towel creates a scalding risk and isn't necessary to treat a cold.

6. Make Rest Comfortable—Without Compromising Sleep Safety

Sick children may want to sleep more, cuddle on the couch or simply spend a quiet afternoon looking at books.

Let them rest when they're tired, without feeling obligated to stay in bed every minute of the day.

Reading a familiar story, listening to gentle music or sharing quiet conversation can provide comfort without requiring much energy.

For babies younger than one year, safe sleep recommendations still apply during a cold.

The AAP's 2022 safe-sleep recommendations advise placing infants on their backs on a firm, flat, non-inclined sleep surface, without pillows, loose blankets or other soft objects.

Do not prop up a baby's head with pillows, wedges or an inclined mattress to relieve congestion.

The photograph below shows an older child resting in bed. It is not an example of a safe infant sleeping environment.

Older child sleeping in bed with a stuffed animal while recovering from an illness

7. Be Careful With Cough and Cold Medicines

When a child is coughing throughout the night, reaching for a bottle of cough medicine can be tempting.

But over-the-counter cough and cold medications are not automatically safer or more effective than supportive care.

The American Academy of Pediatrics' 2022 guidance recommends:

Under age four: Do not use over-the-counter cough and cold medicines.
Ages four through six: Use them only if recommended by your child's doctor.
Older than six: Follow the medication label carefully and use the correct dose for the child's age and weight when applicable.

Cold medicines can contain multiple ingredients. Giving two products together may accidentally duplicate an ingredient or lead to an overdose.

Antibiotics do not treat the viruses responsible for ordinary colds. They may be needed for a diagnosed bacterial complication, but that is a decision for a healthcare professional.

For fever or discomfort, ask about age-appropriate acetaminophen or ibuprofen and the correct dose. Never give aspirin to children unless specifically directed by a healthcare professional. Do not give ibuprofen to babies younger than six months unless their clinician directs you to do so.

8. Know When a Cold Needs Medical Attention

Most uncomplicated colds improve with time and supportive care.

But a cough or fever isn't always caused by a routine cold. Other illnesses, including influenza, RSV, COVID-19, asthma and bacterial infections, can cause overlapping symptoms.

Seek emergency help immediately if your child is struggling to breathe, has blue or gray lips, becomes difficult to wake, or shows other signs of a medical emergency.

Contact a healthcare professional promptly if:

A baby younger than three months has a temperature of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher.
Your child shows signs of dehydration or cannot drink adequately.
Breathing seems faster or more difficult than usual.
A fever is persistent, unusually high or concerning for your child's age.
Your child appears to be getting worse rather than better.
Symptoms persist longer than expected or improve and then return with worsening fever or cough.
You are concerned something more serious may be happening.

For young infants, children with underlying medical conditions and children who appear unusually ill, seek individualized medical advice rather than waiting for symptoms to progress.

What About Essential Oils, Herbal Remedies and Supplements?

Natural does not necessarily mean safe, especially for babies and young children.

Concentrated essential oils can irritate the skin or airways, and some can be toxic if swallowed. Herbal mixtures and supplements may contain ingredients that have not been adequately studied in children.

There is also no convincing evidence that popular remedies such as high-dose vitamin C, herbal mixtures or essential oils reliably cure a child's cold.

Before giving a child an herbal product or supplement to treat an illness, discuss it with their healthcare professional.

For most routine colds, familiar measures such as fluids, age-appropriate honey, saline and rest are a more sensible starting point.

A Simple Comfort Plan for Parents

You don't need ten different remedies lined up on the kitchen counter.

Start with what is actually bothering your child.

Stuffy nose? Try age-appropriate saline drops or spray and gentle nose clearing.

Nighttime cough? For children over one year, a little honey may help soothe it.

Sore throat? Offer comfortable-temperature fluids and soft foods.

Tired and uncomfortable? Make room for rest, comfort and quiet activities.

Something doesn't seem right? Contact your child's healthcare professional.

Sometimes the best medicine for an ordinary cold isn't a complicated recipe.

It's a comfortable room, enough fluids, careful attention to symptoms and a parent who knows when to ask for help.

At Storybooksong, we believe family moments matter—even when the day doesn't go according to plan.

You might not be singing and dancing around the living room today.

Perhaps today is simply for sitting together, reading a favorite book or listening to a quiet song.

That's part of caring for children, too.

The science behind this article: We reviewed pediatric guidance and research available through December 2022. Home remedies can help relieve symptoms, but they do not cure viral colds. This article provides general educational information and does not replace advice from your child's healthcare professional.