How to get toddler to take honey

[StitchesGr8Fan]

My 2.5 year old woke up with a cough, and experience tells me it will keep her up all night. I can't get her to take honey and she isn't old enough for cough medicine. I've tried warming up the honey and she wouldn't get past the first taste. I've tried the Zarbees stuff and the taste was so bad she threw up. How can I "hide" the honey so she gets enough in her to help her cough?

 

[nugov2]

Zarabees is disgusting, so i dont blame her. After i bought it the kids said why would anyone add flavor to honey? I'd go get some really good buckwheat honey, which is what zarabees is and try to get her to take a little taste. Honey is hard to take for a little one because it is so thick. The taste isn't bad if the quality is good. I would have her take a little at a time and let her suck on a popsicle in between little spoonfuls. That helped with my youngest, but they all are used to it and just take it down. Do you use essential oils? If you put some in a carrier oil and rub it on her chest or feet that can help. Check out plant therapy. They are very helpful with recipes, maybe you could grab some at a local health food store.

 

[ericstac]

honey, lemon juice and hot water always worked for us. try that good luck, i remember all those horrible nights of the babies coughing through the night.

 

[AppleDumpling]

Try giving her a tsp of maple syrup or corn syrup instead of honey.

 

[punkin]

Try some hot (not too hot) tea with honey to sweeten it. Lemon in it would be nice too.

 

[MSLRAC]

Have you tried pineapple juice? It's really good for a cough too. No one in our family likes honey for various reasons.

 

[Mizzoufan]

can you make into some sort of popsicle

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

2 ideas:
1. Make some jello but don't let it set until firm. Have her drink it. The gelatin will coat the throat.
2. Vicks rub on the bottom of her feet. It sounds CRAZY but I really do swear by it for coughs.

 

[LisaR]

You can make honey lollipops. I used to do this when mine were little.

http://www.pistachioproject.com/2011/09/homemade-cough-drops-and-cough-drop.html

 

[dotfurio]

We used Hyland's products for our kids when they were too young for cold and cough medicine. Walgreen's carries them, not sure who else. We also ran a humidifier.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Children's Dimetapp--seriously. I've been giving it to my daughter since 18 months--both regular and nighttime version. You can find the weight based doses for it online (and they are on children's hospital and clinic websites--not random blogs so it's legit.)

Infant/toddler cold medicine was taken off the market due to parents being abusive with it and overdosing their kids with it--not because it was unsafe when used correctly--Google it if you want.

I don't think we could have made it through some colds without Dimetapp. I hated seeing my baby suffer.

 

[lynxstch]

You can make honey lollipops. I used to do this when mine were little.

http://www.pistachioproject.com/2011/09/homemade-cough-drops-and-cough-drop.html

Interesting, thanks for the link to that!

 

[North of Mouse]

Will she sip water with lemon, or even add in a little honey to that??

Works for us.

 

[Tinkermommy]

I second rubbing Vicks on her feet then adding thick socks. I have never had luck with cough syrup but this works great.

 

[tvguy]

I thought you weren't suppose to give kids honey until they were a certain age because of bacteria in it.

 

[bookgirl]

I thought you weren't suppose to give kids honey until they were a certain age because of bacteria in it.

They can have it once they are 1 year old.

My mom gave me scotch or whiskey with a spoon of honey in it for cough at night. Not sure which one helped more. LOL

 

[anniemae]

I never found the honey to work. I have heard pear juice quiets a cough, and peach juice too, like in the fruit cups. You can get the 100% juice fruit cups.

 

[low-key]

my dad would just say "if you dont eat this ,Im gonna bust you"

 

[DisneyOma]

Is it a dry tickle or a productive cough? If it's a productive one, then just keep her hydrated. Have her checked by the pediatrician if it gets heavy or dense. If it's a dry tickle (sinus discharge running down back of throat, etc) have her checked for a sinus infection.

The tea, honey, lemon, juice, popsicles, etc. just coat the throat for a bit but won't clear up the problem. My older daughter used to develop 'winter cough' after a viral infection. The only way to clear it up was to keep her hydrated. She did go to school with a pocket full of hard candy to suck on, as one of her teachers was a germaphobe and sprayed her desk (and her face as she was sitting at the desk at the time) with Lysol when she would cough in class.