hi all n hetal

my baby is 13 months old now can i give her honey
she has cough...she is not even sleeping well bcoz of that.

i posted the same problem a month before too. actually last time in oct start and this time too i have come to london from india and as i reach here just after a week my baby get cough and then cold last time too and this time too...she is having severe cough...i went to doc last timee too but they says its flu and no med for it...but she is so restless i m trying all the remedies at home hetal u and sonia suggested me last time but its not improving...like massage with ghee and ajwain garlic and musturd oil boiled and then applying on het chest and neck ..keep her covered takes care a lot when we go out...giving her luke warm water all day...turmeric milk in night give cardamoom seeds in her mouth when in morning when cough is more.givibg her homeopathy med too which i brought from india

actually her thoat is too dry can i give honey for lubraication any suggestion shall i add kaali mirch pinch too or plain....

pls reply soon

thanks alot in advance.
PP Hetal replied. home remedies are not for permanent cure,,its for soothing patient until you are able to reach dr,, and as i mentioned earlier they are to be used only for 3 days,,and later checkng with dr is wise enough....and i think you did check up with dr,,
if your dr says that she is having flu,,why is it that flu shot is not given,,because a 13months is ready for a flu shot ...
because as to what i understand,,,children from 6months to 5years have high risk for flu and its related complications,,and in that case, mostly all drs prefer to give flu shots if not before the season thn atleast when its diagnsd...from oct to jan and march to may is the best time as well to get vaccinated !

giving honey is not a problem for 13month old, unless otherwise your baby is feeling choked with it..

make her drink water boiled with some ghee, after every episode of dry coughng she will feel better..at that time prev when you mentioned i think she was having cold as well,,and now its dry cough..
the remedies were for cold with mucous, which m sure was understood...

i will not comment on kali mirch as i dont know about it !

offer her warm soups,,she will like it..other trick is crush tulsi/basil paan and add few drops of honey to it,,feed it to your baby,,it helps soothe child's throat..
you can do other things to soothe her :

1.add some garlic seasoning/pwder to her foods,,mild touch,,it will help her to get out cold and cough...for dry cough, avoid oil,replace ghee..carrot,squash and tomato soup with crushed jeera and hing,with some garlic seasonng in tadka of ghee...

2.make sure to offer good vit c diet,,pref fresh juice,100%.mostly fresh oranje juice/mosambi juice.

3. keep her in room where warm mist humidifier is onn ! or standing inside the bathroom in which a hot shower was onn a couple mins ago,,will also soothe him to some extent...

4.and last i know is jethimadha(herb) pwder 1tsp boiled in water(around 1-2cups) with some basil leaves,,and strain it thru strainer,,offering these water in tsp after every episode of coughng esp dry coughng reduces the coughng,,actually jethimadha pwder is mixed with honey and thn offered to kids but kids are not able to swallow tht paste thats why offerng its water is alternative.this pwder doesnt harm baby and is perfectly safe.the other remedy is turmeric pwder in honey cures dry cough....

BUT, all these will not eliminate dry cough,esp if the reason is throat infection/croup/strep throat or some other infection or is case of flu ! these remedies help when the its mostly seasonal and not critical...

and if you get a chance, take a second opinion,,for dry cough,
ne thing that is bothering for more than 2-3 days with or without homeremedies,,,requires dr attention and treatment..esp flu needs medication..if not shot..

please note its better to take drs medicine when it comes to serious coughs,cold and fever,,instead of relyng on ne home remedies..home remedies are until the limits of home and helps soothe the patient,,curing is just upto limit of seasonal cases..

take care, and keep updated..hope she gets better soon..