Hi all, My 3 year old daughter has got cold now.. I give her head bath once in a week (ie on every Sundays).. now that she caught cold I'm afraid to give her head bath. I've been having this doubt since she was a lil baby. Pls suggest me home remedies for cold n cough. Though I start home remedies on the first day only everytime she has to be given antibiotics she catches cold :-(
Roh The catch with home remedies are that you have to be consistent with its use and also try many at the same time,because what might work for one child may not work for another.Try this link http://www.indusladies.com/forums/baby-kids-foods/16330-cough-and-cold-remedies.html About head bath,well i used to avoid giving a headbath for the first 2-3days after the onset of cough,but you can avoid the fontanel and wash head too.
I avoid giving head bath the first few days. If the symptoms reduce then I give head bath. I heat gingely oil with either pepper corns or garlic and then give head bath.
You can dust the hair with cornstarch and brush it out to refresh the hair until she is well enough for real shampooing.
If DD has a cold, I would refrain from massaging oil on her head but would still massage the rest of her body. I would wash her hair too if required. The steam from the shower helps bring out a lot of phlegm. Then I towel dry her hair immediately and run the hair dryer through her hair on low heat to ensure that the scalp isn't damp. I am not expert but in DD's case, this hasn't worsened/ prolonged her cold...
try avoiding mostly but when hair becomes greasy because of pollution or sweat then go for it. as guesshoo said, a hot shower will be soothing. i also do the same, give her a hot shower, towel dry her hair and see the tower has got all the moist and then run a hari dryer in a low heat and keep the dryer at a distance. one tip is, while doing all this, keep your kid in the bathroom only so that he/she is not cold because of the air outside and also this may help us not to run after them.
Roh, welcome to Idusladies. You have got some very good responses. What i do with my LO who is 2 years old is judge how strong cold/cough are. generally for my LO, when she has cold, she has fever. When I give her medications, she sweats. Since she has curly hair, she sweats on head too. If the fever and cold are not too bad, I give her a quick head bath, immediately drying her hair with a hair dryer. So, the whole thing is not more than 15 minutes max. If she is sweating, you may want to wash it really quick and dry really quick, not the usual long baths.
OP, it seems general consensus is to avoid washing hair during cold. But I really don't see a connection. I always give my son a bath even if he has cold, cough or fever. As guesshoo said it helps in loosening phlegm and also brings down the temperature. My son has long, wavy hair and I wash his hair daily. Also, there is a common misconception that antibiotics help with cold symptoms. It is not true. Cold is due to viral infection not bacterial and antibiotics are for bacteria, not for viruses. In India most doctors prescribe it because they get hefty commission from pharmaceutical companies. Hope your DD feels better soon!
Agree with Nuss. I don't see a connection between cold and bath. Actually it might help them to get all the phlegm out. My daughter always had hair bath even if it's cold, it actually helps her sleep and breathe better I think. I add eucalyptus oil, lavender oil in the bath so it helps.