Saturday, July 24, 2010

How2 Relieve Chest Congestion


When your toddler is suffering from chest congestion, it can be difficult to know what to do. Recent recommendations by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggest not giving any type of cough or cold medication to children under the age of six. See your pediatrician if your toddler's chest congestion does not improve in 10 days, or if it worsens after five days.

However, it's important to note that if you should use them for yourself, Cough expectorants thin out the mucus as opposed to a suppressant.

Give extra fluids during the day. The advantages of this are twofold. First of all, it will help prevent dehydration. This is a common problem, especially if your toddler has a sore throat or is running a fever. Secondly, the extra liquids will help thin out the drainage and mucus that is causing the chest congestion. The best choice is water. Offer juice diluted with water if your toddler is not a big water drinker.

Sit in the Steam / Go play in the bathroom. Turn the shower on to its hottest setting for a while and close the door to let the steam accumulate. Take some toys or a favorite game with you and your toddler. Close the door and watch your toddler carefully during this time to prevent burns. Pat your child on the back firmly. The steam and the patting help break up and loosen the congestion. This might cause your toddler to cough, which can be a good thing. A productive cough helps relieve the chest congestion.

Give a teaspoon of honey four times a day, especially before nap time and bedtime. Honey has antibacterial and antiviral properties. It also helps soothe a sore throat and chest.
! DON'T give honey to infants under one year of age for fear of causing botulism.


Apply Vick's BabyRub to your toddler's chest and back, especially before bedtime. Also apply it to your toddler's feet, make sure to cover them with socks or place him in footie pajamas. The BabyRub contains eucalyptus, rosemary and lavender, which will help soothe your toddler and calm his cough. Vick's BabyRub is safe for toddlers.

Turn on a Humidifier in the bedroom while he sleeps. A humidifier adds moisture to the air, which will help to loosen mucus and congestion. Be sure to clean the humidifier according to the manufacturer's directions.

Sleeping in a more upright position will help relieve some of your toddler's cough and allow him to sleep better. Simply place a pillow underneath the end of the mattress where your toddler normally lays her head to get a gradual slope.

Dry fermentation: Take a cotton cloth or thick napkin and heat it on a dry pan and use this to ferment the chest, back, forehead to relieve congestion. Test that it's not too hot before touching your child.

Roasted Chickpeas and rock salt fermentation: Cover these in a cotton cloth and tie the loose ends. Heat on a dry pan and use this to ferment the chest and back to relieve congestion. Test that it's not.

Onion, Vinegar and Cornmeal fermentation: I have recently read this but haven't tried yet. Any feed-backs welcome.  Slice an onion very thin. Saute' the slices in apple cider vinegar until clear. Add cornmeal to the onion/vinegar. Just enough to slightly thicken. It will thicken more as it cools. Cut a large square of an old t-shirt and fold it twice to make a thick pad. Put the mixture into this pad and tie loose ends with a string. Use this pouch to ferment the chest, as hot as one can stand it. The "fumes" from the onions and vinegar will penetrate and break up the chest congestion.
 On babies, it's not advisable to apply directly on the chest. Rather, cradle the baby in your arms with a blanket thrown over them and hold the pouch in your hand, under the blanket, so they will breathe it in.


If you can get them to do it, the mucus will come up and be clear in an hour or two. You may need need to keep doing this for several applications if the congestion is really bad.

 Also see:
How2 Relieve Colds and Coughs
How2 Boost your Immunity

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