Homemade Remedies - For those Touchy Sniffles

It is that time of the year, or wait…  can we even say that when it feels like our tinies are down with a cold, cough and congestion almost every week?! Let’s just say virals have taken over the lives of most of us parents! While of course, a doctor’s check-up is the eventual solution when the going gets tough, we thought we’d let you in on a few natural, home-made concoctions to veer off those nasty viruses right at the on-set.

Disclaimer: these are just a few best practices that have worked for our kids, please do follow these at your own discretion keeping in mind your child’s allergies and doctor’s orders.

On that note, new mommies, welcome to the world of babies, medicines, and the whole hullabaloo and fuss. Trust us, barring sick days, it is a blast!

Every time we forget, nature has a way of reminding us that she nurtures. Enter Carom (Ajwain) seeds, an ingredient that is used in most concoctions to help ward off that cold. It has proved so effective that the Comfort Doll available at Mama Naturally comes filled with Ajwain so that you can heat her up and have your baby hug her not just to stay warm and happy but also to inhale the scent of the seeds which is an effective way to fight congestion. For those who don’t know Ajwain has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-microbial properties thanks to the Thymol in them.

Many of you would have home remedies passed down from your mothers and grandmothers that have been running in your family for generations. Here are a few quick fixes that have proven useful for my kids and worked wonders every time.

Roast a few garlic pods in a hot pan/wok until they turn brown. Add in the carom seeds and roast them together. Once the raw smell goes, add some mustard oil, cook the concoction for a minute on low flame and then turn off the heat.

When the concoction warms down, gently apply some on the chest, back, and soles of your little one’s feet. This natural remedy not only allows your little one breathe better but also clears the congestion and helps them sleep better.

Dry roast two teaspoons of cumin seeds in a wok until they turn dark. Add the browned cumin seeds, a handful of betel leaves, and Indian Borage Leaves together in about a litre of water and let them boil until they reduce to a quarter portion. Strain and cool this decoction and give your little ones 5-10 ml at regular intervals, and watch the remedy work wonders on your baby.

This 6-ingredient recipe helps you make homemade lozenges and store them for those irritating days when your little one might have an itchy throat. Gather ginger, palm jaggery, honey, black pepper powder, and lemon juice. Add water to a pan along with palm jaggery and bring it to a boil. Grate some ginger directly into this mixture, add honey and black pepper powder, mix them well and let the mixture boil till it reduces to almost half and thickens. Mix in the lemon juice and turn off the flame. Place parchment paper on a tray and drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto the paper to form circular drops. Let the circles cool down completely and turn hard. Remove the cough drops from the parchment paper and store them in a jar for the SOS days.

So mommies, There you have it, a few home-made remedies that have worked for us Moms when we’ve tried to shoo away those colds and coughs, naturally. We’re all about hearing tips that have worked from other mums, share your home remedies with us by tagging us @mamanaturally.in on instagram.