Skip to content

Pro Tip: VapoRub and Socks to Calm Baby’s Cough

2013 February 1
by WWGD

vaposocks

I wish someone had told me about this years ago.

Kai came down with a little cold this week. My boy is quite the trooper when it comes to getting sick, but his runny nose and cough were still annoying everyone in the house (especially him), particularly at night. Two nights ago, he literally coughed all night long. He slept in between fits, but it was exhausting nonetheless.

I had seen this home remedy online a few months ago but had never given it a try.

Silly me.

You take a little bit of VapoRub or tiger balm, rub it on the soles of your baby’s feet before bed, cover it up with thick socks to minimize the smell and voila – cough-free for the night!

I did it last night for the first time and I can tell you he literally slept all night long without coughing ONCE. And no, the cold is not miraculously just gone, because he has still been coughing this morning.

I used the Baby VapoRub since Kai is only two and it has a lower concentration of essential oils. And I used a fairly thin layer.

Given how busy these sick bugs seem to be lately, thought some of you might be able to put this to good use this weekend. Or if not, at least file it for later.

Here’s to a weekend full of sleep!

Do you have any great mom tips like this you’re hiding from the rest of us? Share in the comments!

Disclaimer: clearly I am not a doctor and there are reports that VapoRub can cause breathing issues in some kids, so proceed with caution and/or consult your doctor if you are concerned.

8 Responses
  1. Bri permalink
    February 1, 2013

    I learned this with my first child two years ago and swear by it. My son has terrible sinuses and it works like a charm.

  2. liz duncan permalink
    February 1, 2013

    Thank you for the tip. My niece coughs a lot and it makes me sad when I see her suffering. Sometimes I think it’s more than a cold, but I think I just seem to catch her when she has a cold. I will definitely tell my sister about this!

    • WWGD permalink*
      February 1, 2013

      Please do! And my daughter had a chronic cough for a while too and it did turn out to be allergies. Once she was tested and put on some antihistamines that worked for her, it went away. Would definitely recommend she get it checked out, if she hasn’t already 🙂

  3. Julie permalink
    February 1, 2013

    I have heard of this a few times but never tried it. Ella has had a cough for 2 weeks so when i read this i literally said “Chuck- Raluca knows. Go get some baby vaporub now.” He just left 🙂 Let’s hope tonight is cough-free!!

  4. Julie permalink
    February 1, 2013

    My pediatrician recommended this for our daughter when she was about 8 or 9 months old, and we’ve been doing it ever since – it was a game changer for our family! It also really helps when they are congested but not coughing. We use the baby vicks too, and our daughter is now 2 1/2.

    • WWGD permalink*
      February 2, 2013

      Nice. What other tricks does your pediatrician have up his/her sleeve? 😉

  5. Alex @ Before The Baby Wakes permalink
    February 5, 2013

    When my oldest was about a year and a half someone suggested that tip and it worked like a charm, been doing it ever since. It also works for adults too. Tried it last week on myself.

Trackbacks and Pingbacks

  1. The Week in Pictures | WhatWouldGwynethDo

Comments are closed.