12 Effective Household Tips To Relieve Child From Illness

For any parent, their child’s good health definitely tops their list of priorities. As urban parents when you try to oscillate back and forth between work and household responsibilities, you may sometimes find it hard to crack the code to your child’s perfect health.

The way a child’s laugh and playfulness can light up the whole house, his or her sickness can leave the entire family feeling somber and tensed. Caught up in their daily chores, parents may also find it hard to take the child to the doctor from time to time. In that case, the old and trusted ‘Daadi Ke Nuskhe’ can work wonders.

# A Sore Throat in Children

- Ginger has been known for ages to have therapeutic properties. For a sore throat, mix1 tsp fresh ginger juice with a pinch of turmeric. Since most children will cringe because of the bitter taste, adding ½ tsp honey can reduce the spiciness of the warming herb. Swallowing this mixture thrice a day helps in soothing the throat.

- For older children, parents can add ½ a raw onion, 2 cloves, 4-5 mint leaves, 2-3 black peppercorns and a small stick of cinnamon to boiling water. After straining the water, honey can be added for its healing properties and served lukewarm to the child.

# Common Cold

- As the name bears, cold catches children very commonly. Be it a running nose or a blocked nose, cold can cause days of trouble and discomfort. To avoid that, warm ¼ bowl mustard oil and add 4-5 cloves of chopped garlic while it is being heated. Once the garlic is completely burnt, cool the oil. Similarly to Vicks, this oil can be applied on the nose, neck and chest before the child is ready to sleep.

- Phlegm can often accompany cold. In that case, boil 1 tablespoon pepper powder in a cup of milk along with a pinch of turmeric (haldi) and give once daily for at least three days.

# Constipation

- Another common illness that targets children is constipation. If the child is constipated, boil 5-6 Currants (munakka) without seeds in milk. While the milk will provide relief from indigestion, it is also important that children eat the currants.
- Talking about seeds, even carom seeds can help alleviate constipation. When boiled with a pinch of carom seeds, strained water can be given to babies 1 teaspoon at a time twice in a day. For older babies, 2-3 teaspoons twice a day can be given.

# Loose Motions

- Childrens’ sensitive stomachs are prone to infections such as loose motions. To avoid making multiple bathroom trips with your children, take 1 teaspoon each of coriander seeds and cumin seeds and soak in water for an hour. Crush and strain the seeds, add a little sugar and give to your child for relief from diarrhea.
- Another effective alternative is a pinch of nutmeg with a quarter teaspoon of honey..

# Colic

- Colic, or periodic crying of children for longer than usual can be very distressing for the parents . To pacify your child, take half a cup of water and a pinch of fennel seeds, boil them till the water becomes half in quantity, cool and strain the water before giving it to him or her. One teaspoon at a time, 2-3 times in a day will give relief from colic.
- Remember when your mom or grandma talked about the benefits of hing? Well, it’s time you applied those. If the baby’s stomach is hard and the baby is crying then its colic, or gas pain. Dilute a pinch of Hing (asafoetida) in lukewarm water or oil. With the help of cotton apply, around the navel in a circular motion to provide soothing from colic.

# Vomiting

Inappropriate food, weather conditions or a sick stomach can cause the child to vomit. But, don’t worry, we have an easy do-at-home technique for your child. Boil 3 teaspoons of powdered cardamom peels in 6 cups of water till it is reduced to half. Cool it and keep giving spoonfuls of this water often to prevent vomiting

# Dry Lips

Does your child’s incessant licking of his or her lips bother you? Just apply a little mustard oil on the child’s belly button after bath every day, and they will never have chapped lips.

# Loss of Appetite

When you see your child’s poor food intake, does it cause your worry lines to show up? Well, here is a quick solution: take equal quantities (a pinch to one-fourth of a teaspoon) of freshly ground black pepper, asafoetida, dried mint powder, thyme and seeds of large cardamom. Boil in water till one fourth remains. Give it lukewarm to the child, combined with a bit of honey for 2 times a day.

# Flathead in Babies

To prevent flathead in your babies, apply this trick. Take 1 meter of a soft cotton or muslin pre-washed cloth and make a pillowcase out of it. Fill it with washed and sun-dried mustard seeds (around half a kg) and stitch the fourth side with double or triple stitches.

# Teething Pain

Those baby teeth can be very painful! Mix 1 drop clove oil with 2 teaspoons of sunflower oil, and massage gently on the gums to relieve teething pains in a baby.

# Skin Rashes

Children’s soft and sensitive skin can easily develop rashes and itching. In that case, combine a small amount of turmeric powder with aloe vera or water to form a paste, and apply on the affected area.

# Baby Massage

- A good massage is not only central to a child’s good physical growth but also in giving a bonding time for the mother and baby, it also Use a good Ayurvedic oil to massage babies every day before bath. Many children have what is known as “growing pains” and have muscular pain in legs and arms during the night. A gentle, ayurvedic massage before bedtime would ensure that they don’t have any pains and sleep well.