5 natural tips for children

If being sick is difficult for adults, it's even worse for our children when they come down with colds and flu.

A headache, sore throat, stuffy nose, fever and cough, or stomach flu. It's easy to feel miserable and worn out when you're little, and as an adult, you naturally want to ease your child's symptoms and make things as comfortable as possible.

Here are some natural and completely non-toxic life hacks you can use when your child gets sick!

1. Serve organic honey water with ginger

Honey is a fantastic food with many beneficial properties. Among other things, it contains minerals and vitamins as well as antioxidants that help protect the body from free radicals.

Honey has an antibacterial effect as well as expectorant and cough-suppressant properties. That's why honey is excellent to eat when you have a cold.

Recipe for honey water:

• Approximately 325 ml of water
• 1 tsp organic honey, unpasteurized (remember that children under 1 year old should not eat honey)
• 1 tsp fresh organic ginger

Here's how:

1. Bring approximately 325 ml of water to a boil in a kettle or saucepan.
2. Let the water cool to approximately 38 degrees and add approximately 1 tsp of organic honey (honey should not be heated above 38 degrees, as it then loses its beneficial properties).
3. Press approximately 1 tsp of fresh ginger through a garlic press into the water.
4. Stir the mixture in the mug or shake the bottle.

Adjust the recipe according to the child's age and size. This amount of Power Honey Water is suitable for children between approximately 1 and 3 years old.

It can often be difficult to get children to drink water and fluids when they have a fever or a cold, and this honey water can be a lifesaver because it tastes delicious thanks to the honey.

2. Fight off a sore throat by gargling with salt water

Having a sore throat is really no fun. It feels raw and sore, and like you've swallowed sandpaper. A sore throat can make it difficult to swallow both fluids and food, which are so important to consume when you're ill.

Help your child soothe their sore throat with a completely natural, homemade remedy - saltwater gargle! The recipe is super simple and contains just two ingredients that most people have at home.

Children can often learn to gargle at around 4 years of age. A smart tip is to teach the child to gargle with plain water before letting them gargle with something that should be spat out.

Let the child gargle with a sip of warm water and teach them to always spit it out. Once the child knows how, you can move on to gargling with salt water.

Recipe for saltwater gargle:

• about 2.5 dl of warm water
• 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

Here's how:

1. Teach the child to gargle with plain warm water first.
2. Boil approx. 2.5 dl of water in a saucepan or kettle.
3. Pour hot water into a mug and stir in the salt.
4. Make sure the salt water is at a suitable temperature for your child and not too hot, so they do not get burned.
5. Have the child gargle with the salt water for approx. 30 seconds and then spit it out. Feel free to gargle several times until the contents of the mug are finished.
6. Remember to keep stirring the mug so that the salt does not settle on the bottom.

Gargle with salt water as needed and up to 3-4 times a day. Most people feel relief immediately.

3. Try the onion trick for coughs

Yellow onions are also a fantastic food with many beneficial properties. Onions contain sulfur compounds that may help combat mucus and promote the expulsion of mucus from your airways during colds.

Many people consider onions to be the most powerful natural antibiotic, capable of fighting both viral and bacterial infections and relieving coughs. Onions have traditionally been used for coughs for hundreds of years.

When your child has a cough, you can try the onion trick overnight to relieve coughing fits, or why not make your own homemade cough medicine?!

Recipe for the onion trick (relief from coughing at night):

• 1 organic yellow onion
• Bowl or deep plate
• Hot water (optional)

Here's how:

1. Peel the onion.
2. Cut the onion into slices or wedges.
3. Place the onion on the bedside table next to the bed or on the floor beside the bed.
4. If you like, you can pour hot water over the onion so that it is almost covered. Try it out and see what works best for you.
5. Leave the onion in the bedroom overnight so that it can relieve the cough.

Recipe for onion syrup (homemade cough medicine):

• 2 organic yellow onions
• 10 tbsp organic honey (note that children under 1 year old should not eat honey)
• Juice from 1 organic lemon
• Glass jar

Here's how:

1. Peel and roughly chop the yellow onions and place them in the glass jar.
2. Mix the honey with the lemon juice and pour the mixture over the onions.
3. Screw the lids onto the jars and leave them in a warm place for approx. 24 hours.
4. Strain the mixture into a new, clean airtight jar and store it in the refrigerator (should keep for approx. 1-2 weeks).
5. Take 1/2–1 tbsp of syrup 2-4 times a day for coughs.

Onion syrup is an old-fashioned remedy for coughs that our ancestors used extensively. However, onion syrup can have an unpleasant taste for both children and adults, and one effective tip is to hold your nose while taking it. That way, you don't taste it as much! 😉 The lemon juice also makes the taste more palatable.

4. Load up on vitamin C

Vitamin C has long been praised for its health benefits when you have a cold or the flu, and most of us have probably heard that we should stock up on vitamin C when we are ill.

However, the body does not produce its own vitamin C, so we need to get it through our diet. So how do we get our children this important vitamin?

Here are some tips:

• Make a smoothie with frozen banana slices, blackcurrants, strawberries, plant-based milk, and add Pink Pitaya Powder, which is rich in vitamin C, B vitamins, fibre, and minerals.
• If your child can swallow a capsule, Dr Mercola's Liposomal Vitamin C is excellent. Suitable for all children aged 4 and over. For those who cannot swallow capsules, there are MaryRuth's Vitamin C Liquid Drops. Also suitable for children aged 4 and over.
• Make homemade rosehip soup using organic rosehip powder.
• Slice yellow and red bell peppers and eat them as they are!

5. Rehydrate with plain water!

Children's bodies can easily become dehydrated during colds, high fever, or stomach bugs. Therefore, remember that your child may need to drink extra water while they are ill. Plain water works very well, and you should avoid cordial, soft drinks, and other drinks with a high sugar content, as they can make your throat feel phlegmy.

If your child has vomited or lost a lot of fluids, you can use a homemade, sugar-free oral rehydration solution with honey.

So how do you get your child to drink fluids? Here are some tips!

• Let your child drink through a straw.
• Give your child a water bottle they can carry with them or keep beside the bed. An insulated water bottle keeps the water cold and refreshing for a long time!
• Freeze ice cubes and add them to the glass of water. All children love ice cubes!
• Flavour the water with freshly squeezed lemon, orange, or another fruit your child likes.
• Make ice lollies with water and berries.

Recipe for homemade, sugar-free oral rehydration solution with honey

• 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
• 1 litre of water
• 2 tbsp organic honey (please note that children under 1 year old should not eat honey)
• Juice from 1 organic lemon

Here's how:

1. Heat the water and salt in a saucepan.
2. Let the mixture cool to approximately 38 degrees and add approximately 2 tbsp honey (honey should not be heated above 38 degrees, as it then loses its beneficial properties) and the lemon juice.
3. Stir and pour into a glass jar, chill, and serve.
4. Store in the refrigerator. The oral rehydration solution will keep for approximately 3 days.

Last but not least! Children need plenty of closeness and love when they are sick. Take the time to cuddle with your child, read a book, play a game, and give them plenty of quality time with both mum and dad!

Please leave a comment with your best life hack for sick children so that we can learn from one another!