How to Treat Toddler Cough Without Medication

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned parents in January 2007 not to give children ages 2 and younger cough or cold medicine. According to the CDC, more than 1,500 children under 2 went to emergency rooms in 2004 and 2005 due to the toxic effects of such medicines. The Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, concurred with that finding in 2008. This has left parents who relied on over the counter medications to relieve their little ones' cold or flu symptoms scrambling to find acceptable alternatives.

Things You'll Need

• cool mist humidifier
• petroleum jelly
• saline nose drops
• bulb syringe
• fluids
• honey

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Instructions

How to Treat Toddler Cough without Medicine

• 1

  Use a cool mist humidifier, especially in the room where the child sleeps. The moisture will help ease congestion, soothe a dry irritated throat and help clear up mucus.

• 2

  Treat the nose to keep the throat more comfortable, which will ease the cough. Put petroleum jelly under the nose. Use saline drops and suction mucus out with a bulb syringe.

• 3

  Get the child to rest as much as possible.

• 4

  Give the child plenty of fluids. Warm liquids are especially soothing to a raw throat, but sometimes a popsicle is the easiest way to get a toddler to take in liquids.

• 5

  Give toddlers over the age of one a spoonful of honey to help soothe sore throats and coughs. Infants under one can get botulism from honey, which can be fatal.