Cold and Flu Health Center

Cold and Cough Home Remedies for Children: What Works?

Concerns about the safety of over-the-counter cold medicines for children have left many parents searching for alternative remedies for children's cold and cough symptoms.

Popular over-the-counter cold and cough remedies for infants have been withdrawn from the market after the FDA warned in January 2008 against giving those types of medicines to children younger than 2 because of the possibility of serious harm or death.

While the FDA is considering whether to change the guidelines for children ages 2 to 11, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association in October 2008 said they would voluntarily change the labels on cough and cold medications to say they should not be used in children younger than 4. An FDA advisory panel made a similar recommendation in October 2008, saying that nonprescription cold medicines should not be given to children ages 2 to 5.

The nonprescription remedies include antihistamines for runny noses, decongestants for stuffy noses, cough suppressants, and expectorants for loosening mucus to relieve congestion.