As moms, we’re constantly making decisions that affect our kid’s health. From what food they eat to what type of medicine to give them, it’s a lot for us to consider and it can often feel stressful when making these decisions.
When my husband and I first gave our son Tylenol for the first time, it broke our hearts. He had a fever of 102 and could not sleep. Simply put, he was miserable. As first-time parents, we didn’t know how to help him feel better and whether it was severe enough to take him to the ER. We called our pediatrician who recommended giving him Tylenol. It was hard to see him in so much pain so we decided to try the Tylenol which resulted in a lot of guilt. Did we make the right decision? Is this going to have long-term effects on his health? Although we had the approval from his doctor to provide him Tylenol, we still struggled with the guilt. I hated that our only options were to give him Tylenol or see him suffer through his sickness.
To be clear, we’re not opposed to taking medicine. We take medicine when we ourselves are feeling sick and when absolutely necessary. But when it came to our son, it felt morally wrong because he had no say on the matter and we were basing our judgment on how miserable he looked. Since this experience, we’ve searched for natural homeopathic alternatives, which has helped us navigate through those tough sick days with our son.
First off, what does the literature say about giving Tylenol (acetaminophen) to kids and why do we avoid it?
Tylenol, also known as acetaminophen, is a common pain-reliever and fever reducer, for kids and adults alike. Although Tylenol has been known to be relatively safe for children and recommended by pediatricians, there have been increasing evidence indicating that early life exposure to acetaminophen can cause long-term neurodevelopmental problems, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Other studies have shown that early exposure to acetaminophen can also lead to increased risk of developing asthma, eczema, and allergic runny nose later in childhood (National Center for Health Research).
In addition, other risks associated with giving Tylenol to children include the risk of overdosing, which can lead to liver damage although this is less of risk, especially when parents are following dosing instructions from their doctor and/or pharmacist before giving the medication to their child.
With these risks associated with acetaminophen in early childhood exposure, our family decided it was not worth giving Tylenol to our child so we searched for homeopathic alternatives that felt more safe and natural.
Homeopathic Alternatives and Other Essentials for Sick Kids
Homeopathic alternatives is a great way to promote your health, prevent and reduce sickness. Not only do we use these natural cold remedies for our son, we regularly use these products for ourselves.
If you’re a parent who is looking for natural ways to promote better health for your child, below is a list of our recommended products that we use for our son. We love and still use all of these products.
- Beekeeper’s Kids Propolis Throat Spray. This Beekeeper’s Propolis Throat Spray contains bee propolis extract which offers immune support with antioxidants, vitamin C, zinc, iron, B vitamins, and other beneficial components. It is great for when your kid is coughing or needs an immunity boost. Our entire family uses this product when we’re sick with the common cold or just as part of our daily vitamin for immunity support. There is a kid’s version of this and an adult version. Note that the kid’s spray is for 2+ years and older so if your kiddo is under 2, it is not recommended to use this supplement.
- Chestal Kids Cold & Cough. We love this Chestal Kids Cold & Cough Syrup as a homeopathic alternative when our son has the common cold and cough. It’s super easy to take as the syrup is more thin like juice and not thick like honey or other cough syrups. It tastes like honey so our son isn’t fighting us when we give it to him. This cough syrup is made with natural herbs and is alcohol-free and dye-free. We feel completely comfortable with giving this to our son as an alternative to other medicines like Tylenol and Ibuprofen. It helps soothe his throat and reduce his coughing during the night. Please make sure you read the label and directions carefully, and always consult with your doctor before giving any new medication to your child.
- GaiaKids Black Elderberry Syrup. GaiaKids Black Elderberry Syrup is great for immunity support when your little ones are sick. When our son started preschool, we knew he would be at a higher risk of getting sick so we stocked up on this elderberry syrup which we believe has helped reduced the severity and duration of his sickness. The syrup tastes like a grape flavor so we add it to our son’s pouch or smoothies to give him the immunity boost.
- Frida Baby Breathe Easy Kit. This kit is a must-have for every parent with a sick child! We bought this since our son had his first cold around 1 year old and we still use this ‘til this day (he’s now 28 months). The Breathe Easy Kit includes natural vapor wipes, a vapor rub, and vapor drops. We ran out of the vapor wipes very quickly and refilled with the Boogie Wipes instead since it is more cost effective. The vapor rub and vapor drops comes in handy for those sick days. We use the vapor rub when our son is having a cold or cough by gently applying it on his chest. The vapor drops smells amazing! It’s a mix of eucalyptus and lavender. We use it during bath times and steam up the shower to loosen the mucus and reduce congestion. We also use the drops as an essential oil for our son’s diffuser in his bedroom when he sleeps during the night to humidify his room. We love this kit and highly recommend it to all parents!
- Boogie Wipes. When kids are sick, their nose is like a water faucet! Do not underestimate how often you will be wiping your kid’s nose when they are sick. Before we started using boogie wipes, we used regular Kleenex tissue and unfortunately, our son’s nose would constantly get chafed. His nose was irritated and he hated when we wiped it. Once we started using the boogie wipes, a natural saline wipe which includes aloe and chamomile, he no longer gets irritated. The boogie wipes are moisturizing and gentle on the skin. We use it as a hand wipe and body wipe as well.
- Once Upon a Farm Immunity Blend. Our son loves all the Once Upon a Farm pouches. When he’s sick or returning to school after a holiday or summer break, we will stock up on the Once Upon a Farm Immunity Blend which comes in three different blends. We love that it works as a delicious on-the-go snack and as an immunity support. If you have the time, we have also made our own smoothies using a blend of elderberry, apples, bananas and pineapples. You can create your own mix using your child’s favorite fruits and vegetables to make it a complete nutritious snack!
- Frida Baby Snot Sucker. This is an amazing invention and a more hygienic option than the traditional snot suckers that you normally get from a hospital. We use this every time our son is sick with a runny nose and congestion. Since he refused to blow his nose, the snot sucker is great to clear the congestion out, which may help to prevent those ear infections as fluid builds up behind the eardrum.
- Turmeric. Turmeric is known to help fight cold and flu symptoms, making it a great alternative to your traditional medicine. Turmeric has the ability to reduce inflammation in the body linked to common cold symptoms while increasing antioxidants to boost immunity. You can make a warm tea using turmeric and ginger like this ginger turmeric tea recipe or add turmeric to a non-decaffeinated tea like chamomile served with honey.
- Garlic. Garlic contains many natural health benefits, including the ability to fight the cold and flu, lower blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar level (National Institutes of Health). Whenever our son is sick, we will make our favorite soup recipe, this Korean Beef and Radish Soup, which contains a lot of garlic and is delicious for the entire family! You can also serve garlic in other favorite recipes like marinara pasta, steamed vegetables, or eat it raw if your kid is willing to try!
Hopefully, this post has provided you with alternatives that will work for your child when they are sick! Please share your favorite cold remedies for your child in the comments below.
