How to drink chamomile for children with colds and flu?

Chamomile is a plant that can be used to treat colds in almost all family members, regardless of age, including small children. After all, the plant does not have a harmful toxic effect on the body, does not slow down the growth and development of the child, does not have an adverse effect on the fragile skeleton and immune system of the baby. On the contrary, its anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antimicrobial and soothing effects will help the child's body cope with the disease faster.

In some sources, you can find information that chamomile is contraindicated for children under 1 year. It is unclear what this statement is based on. And pediatricians themselves recommend using chamomile decoction literally from the first days of a baby's life: for bathing in case of irritation of delicate skin, allergic reactions or childhood illnesses, and for internal use if the baby has a cold, which often happens when a child is overcooled or first sweats and then freezes. Many overly caring parents try to wrap up their child, which provokes frequent colds.

Doctors recommend giving weak chamomile tea to children under one year of age for oral administration. The only serious limitation in childhood is the daily dose of chamomile preparations. A newborn can be given chamomile for a cold in just a few spoons, carefully observing the baby's condition. It is recommended to first apply the prepared composition to the skin in the wrist area and observe for 24 hours to see if an allergic reaction occurs. If no spots have formed on the baby's hand, he has not become overly restless, has not begun to scratch the place where the composition was applied, then you can try giving tea to drink in small portions instead of water.

Chamomile tea will help a baby not only fight a cold, but also avoid the occurrence of painful intestinal colic. However, if the child is breastfed, the amount of chamomile tea offered to the child will need to be limited even more so that the herb does not interfere with the absorption of iron from the mother's milk. In principle, mother's milk itself contains almost all the necessary substances to fight colds and infections.

How to give children chamomile for colds? Babies of the first 4 months are given 2-3 teaspoons of chamomile tea per dose or pour it into a bottle with water, offering the baby in small portions. Older children (5-6 months) for coughs and colds can be given chamomile tea or a decoction of flowers in an amount not exceeding 100 ml per day, divided into 3 equal parts. The composition should have a temperature of about 40 degrees. For children 1-3 years old, the daily dose is increased to 150-200 ml.

Chamomile tea will also help babies in case of bacterial or viral infections of the ENT organs. In this case, chamomile decoction can be used for gargling (when the child has already learned to do this), taking it internally, inhaling, and warm compresses on the neck area.

When cold symptoms such as runny nose and cough appear, inhalations with a filtered liquid herbal composition are especially useful. You can pour it into a steam inhaler or nebulizer (if this is not prohibited by the instructions for the device) or let the baby breathe over a bowl with fairly hot (but not scalding) steam.

Such inhalations will help to ease nasal or oral breathing due to the moisturizing and anti-inflammatory effect. Particles of the medicinal composition, settling on the mucous membrane of the nose and bronchi, will relieve inflammation and swelling of the tissues, thus expanding the lumen for air to enter the lower respiratory tract. And the antimicrobial properties of chamomile will help to fight bacteria settled on the mucous membrane.

In the treatment of children, you can use not only tea, infusions and decoctions of chamomile (single-component and combined with the use of other medicinal herbs). The highest concentration of useful substances is contained in the root of the plant and essential oil of chamomile, which can also be used for inhalation. But here there are certain limitations. Doctors do not recommend inhalations with essential oils for children under 3 years old, since in this case there is a high risk of developing broncho- or laryngospasm, which are noted as a special type of allergic reaction in young children.

Chamomile Recipes for Kids

A child's body is considered more delicate and sensitive than an adult's. That is why children often have allergic reactions and spasms of the respiratory tract during inhalations. Usually, medications intended for the treatment of children have a lower dosage. A child's weight is much less than that of an adult, so doses that are insufficient for treating parents are effective for treating a baby.

But the condition of lower doses concerns not only synthetic drugs, but also herbal compositions used for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes. A low dosage of the active substance will reduce the likelihood of side effects and the appearance of overdose symptoms.

Let us mention right away that chamomile tea, infusions and decoctions of chamomile flowers and herbs are not the best choice as a healthy drink for every day. Weak chamomile tea can be given to a child during the period of rampant infection as a preventive measure, which can be taken in small portions and preferably once every 2-3 days.

It is recommended to drink chamomile infusions and decoctions daily for colds, but for no more than 7 days, after which you must take a break for at least a couple of days.

Tea for a child should be less strong than for an adult, so for its preparation it is recommended to take 1 tablespoon of herbs per 1 glass of boiling water, and a teaspoon of herbs. If the baby is not allergic to honey, you can add it to the tea to improve the taste. But raspberry or currant jam will also do.

You can dilute chamomile tea with a decoction made from raspberry twigs, and then it will effectively help with cold symptoms such as high body temperature, fever and chills.

If both adults and children are sick in the family, it is not necessary to prepare chamomile tea separately. You can prepare it according to the “adult” recipe from 2 tablespoons of chamomile and 1 glass of boiling water, and then dilute 1:1 with warm boiled water.

For colds, you can give children chamomile infusion. However, in infancy, mothers still prefer a weak decoction, the proportions for which will be suggested by a pediatrician, based on the condition and characteristics of the baby's body. Self-medication at this age can have disastrous consequences.

How to give chamomile to a baby with a cold? It is recommended to give weak chamomile tea to children under six months, pouring it into a bottle with a nipple. A portion for one dose should contain about 2-3 spoons of the drink. Offer the child the drink several times a day, making sure that the total daily volume does not exceed 100 ml.

A six-month-old baby and older children can already be safely offered chamomile infusion. Take 1 tbsp of dried chamomile flowers per half-liter of boiling water, place the container with the infusion in a water bath and keep on low heat for at least 20 minutes, then remove from heat and leave to brew for another 45-50 minutes. Children who are already sitting can be fed from a spoon. But if the child refuses to take the "medicine" this way, then you can pour it into a bottle, mixing it with a favorite drink (tea, compote).

Children can be offered the infusion prepared according to the above recipe 3-4 times a day. In this case, a single dose should be 50-60 ml. A teenager can be offered to drink 70-80 ml (a third of a glass) at a time to treat a cold. Usually, the course of treatment with chamomile infusion does not exceed 1 week, but if the disease does not subside, we continue the treatment, taking a short break.

Gargling with chamomile for colds is an effective treatment for adults and children. Chamomile decoction is usually used for it. We prepare a decoction for gargling children's throats at the rate of 3-4 tablespoons per half a liter of water. Boil the mixture for a quarter of an hour over low heat (you can use a water bath), then leave it to brew for about 40 minutes. Gargling should be done for a week at least 4-5 times a day, which will quickly relieve swelling of the mucous membrane and prevent the spread of infection. But this procedure is only suitable for those children who know how to gargle correctly, spitting out the gargling mixture into the sink or a prepared container. Swallowing the used decoction is not recommended.

If the child is small and has not yet learned to gargle, the mother can use the decoction to wipe the child's palate and tonsils. To do this, wrap a bandage around your finger and, soaking it in a warm decoction, gently treat the inflamed areas of the child's throat.

Pregnant women with a risk of miscarriage, with the doctor's permission, can drink a little chamomile tea prepared according to the "children's" recipe. But if there is no such risk, you can take 2 teaspoons of chamomile per glass of boiling water. It is better to infuse the tea in a thermos for 1-2 hours.

Gargling the throat and nose with chamomile decoction, prepared according to the "adult" recipe from ½ liter of water and 2-3 tablespoons of dry chamomile raw material, is considered a safe procedure for all expectant mothers. The main thing is that the woman is not allergic to this useful and aromatic herb.