How to ease cold symptoms in children without using cough syrup

Few things are worse for a parent than seeing his or her child sick.

We know you, as a parent, want to do absolutely everything to make your child feel better. But before you reach for the cough syrup, it's important you know this: Codeine is not safe for children.

This blunt statement comes courtesy of American Association of Pediatrics (AAP). It is crucial parents understand codeine, a common ingredient in cough syrup, is an opioid. Yes, the same opioids that are the foundation of American's opioid epidemic that causes 78 deaths every single day, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

In an interview with Huffington Post, one of the co-authors of the study that led to the AAP recommendation said, "People have this very false misconception about codeine, thinking that it’s safer than other opioids." The study found that codeine is not only dangerous because it is an addictive opioid, but also because it can cause life-threatening and fatal breathing reactions in children. According to AAP, a person under the age of 18 can die after taking just a single dose of cough syrup.

You might think something so dangerous would only be available by prescription and only prescribed in the most dire of situations. But, in fact, codeine formula cough syrups are available over-the-counter in 28 states, according to Huffington Post.

So what to do?

WebMD recommends a number of drug-free remedies that effectively treat coughs and colds in babies and toddlers.

The first step is to increase fluids. This is sage advice for people of all ages. Fluids can work a miracle because they thin mucus, making it easier to cough it up.

At bed time, give children 1 year and older 1/2 tablespoon of honey. (Never give infants younger than 1 year honey.) Encourage your child to sleep with a few extra pillows under his or her head to help him or her breath better. You can create the same effect for babies by placing a small pillow or folded towel under the head of your baby's mattress in order to create a slight angle. Your child will likely also benefit from sleeping with a humidifier.

Parents echoes WebMD's recommendations and adds a few more.

Sleep is key to recharging a person's immune system at every age. However, children need much more sleep than you do. Babies require up to 18 hours of sleep a day; toddlers and preschoolers need 12 to 14 hours; and grade-school children demand 10 to 11 hours each night.

Soup. It's not just good for the soul. Researchers at the Nebraska Medical Center conducted a study that suggested chicken noodle soup is anti-inflammatory and can actually help cure a cold.

These home remedies really do work. Do the right thing. Before trying even just a drop of codeine-forumlated cough syrup, try these home remedies. And as always, if symptoms worsen or persist, talk to your child's pediatrician.

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