Helping Baby Sleep Through a Cough

So your baby’s cold has moved into her lungs and coughing is keeping her up at night? Whether you’ve read through my previous posts about how to help your baby overcome a cold, or are just starting here, here’s a few basic (and not-so-basic) tips:

1) Clear her sinuses with a bulb syringe before bed. It’s usually drainage that causes that “tickle”, so help eliminate the source for her before going to bed. Plus, leaving that yucky stuff in there overnight is probably the number one cause of ear and sinus infections.

2) Do a eucalyptus treatment while they are in the tub, as well as when they are in bed. The menthol (and other similar “-ol” chemicals) which are present in eucalyptus not only help curb the need to cough, but also fight airborne bacteria and viruses. (I covered how to give eucalyptus treatments in my previous post; this time, just place it under your baby’s crib.)

3) Give your baby a lavender body rub. Just add a few drops of lavender essential oil to some oil or lotion (don’t apply it plain or it will irritate your baby’s skin). Lavender has great antimicrobial properties, and rubbing it into the skin is a direct means of safely introducing it into the blood stream. Plus, it is known for its relaxing properties as well. If my baby seems especially uncomfortable, I also add some chamomile. Coughing is less likely to occur during the deeper stages of sleep, so the idea is to get them into a deep sleep as quickly as possible. Lavender and chamomile are both good for that.

4) For toddlers, a sippy cup of water can be kept in the crib so that if baby should wake up at night, will she will see it and take a drink. Sometimes room-temperature water is just what she needs.

5) Also for toddlers, consider pulling milk and dairy from their diet for a day or two. We’ve even gone as long as a week for our little guy. Milk and dairy make mucous thicker, whether in the sinuses, lungs, or digestive tract. Pulling it from your child’s diet for a day or two and giving them clear liquids instead will help them overcome this last stage more easily. (If your child is less than a year old, keep giving milk or formula as usual, and just hang in there!.)

6) A note on homeopathic cough remedies: It is important to understand that while the correct way to identify a homeopathic treatment for an illness is through its symptoms, that does not mean that taking a homeopathic cough remedy will make your child stop coughing. It means they will overcome their cough more quickly. Still, I recommend using one. We like Hyland’s. (More about homeopathic remedies in previous posts).

7) Probiotics are always an option for helping your child to get better more quickly. By aiding digestion, you are helping their body to rid itself of waste products, including dead germ cells, and also freeing up more physical energy for fighting off the cold. (More on probiotics in other posts).

8) Sunshine In homeopathic practice, one of the most basic means for deciding which remedy to take (or give) involves simply going outside. Then ask yourself, ‘Is the cough worse inside, or outside?’ It may seem counter-intuitive to take your child outside during the cold months if they have a cold, but you might find that it helps them feel better during the day-which makes it easier for them to rest at night. Also, they get the immune-boosting benefits of Vitamin D, sleep-enhancing benefits of a balanced serotonin/melatonin cycle, and the antibiotic properties of the sun’s own UV rays. If, however, you find their cough gets worse outside, then use your own judgment. A day of Moby Wrap or Sesame Street just might be in order.

9) Be available to provide your baby the comfort she needs while she isn’t feeling well. And if you can’t be there to comfort them, then make sure that somebody is. But, if your child is needy to the point that it is exhausting to you or you cannot get anything done, you can always give them a baby dose of Pulsatilla. In addition to helping speed recovery, homeopathic remedies are also great for treating the emotional side of illness-and Pulsatilla is a near-specific for the emotional, crying, neediness that can come to drive any sleep-deprived mom batty. (I used to just give the Hyland’s teething tablets, even if the discomfort was from a cold, and they worked great).

10) Remember that although the nights feel long, this time with your sweet baby is short. Last night, as my husband converted our daughter’s crib into a toddler bed, I replayed all those long nights of holding my warm, wiggly, sometimes unhappy little snuggle bug, and I teared up. It’s so true what they say about how you just blink, and it’s already over. So be patient, and be kind, and do your best to enjoy the sick days, too. Before you know it, they will be gone.