Since the FDA released a public health advisory warning parents not to give their children cold medicine, kids sick with colds and associated coughs suffered many sleepless nights. So did their parents. Luckily a new study found that honey is close to nature's own cough syrup. Yep, a spoonful of honey eases nighttime coughing in children better than the cough syrup ingredient dextromethorphan. This is great news for parents and kids alike!
It is believed that honey helps ease coughs for a variety of reasons. It not only soothes sore throats, but honey is also high in antioxidants and has antimicrobial effects. I guess if you are using honey as cough syrup, you really won't need a "spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down!"
If you are interested in the recommended dosage, just read more
Children ages two to five = 1/2 teaspoon
Children ages six to eleven = 1 teaspoon
Children twelve and older = 2 teaspoons
Isabella Oliver
Comfort
Basile
It probably does work. I know it soothes my throat in tea and it's better than sugar. I jus thope children aren't choking on it. Aren't you supposed to not give children up to a certain age honey because of choking? I guess I'm always playing devil's advocate.
1Works great!
2Please please don't give honey to infants 12 months and younger as there is a risk of botulism
3Thanks thcc! You beat me to the comment about this! Actually, I wouldn't give it to under 2 yrs just to be on the safe side!
4hey thcc...it's actually bad for kids under the age of 2.
5One of the major brands (robitussin, I think) makes a cough syrup that has honey in it, and it works better than anything else that I've tried.
6Another great natural cough medicine is tea with Slippery Elm Bark, Marshmallow root, and Licorice root. There are a bunch of brands available under names like "Throat Coat" and "Herbatussin."
They're great for sore throats or hoarseness. Professional singers commonly use them.
7My mom used honey for my coughs all through childhood. My parents kept bees as a hobby and she was well-informed of the health benfits. Using honey through childhood that is from your local area will also prevent allergies, as the honey is made from the pollen that usually causes allergies, and your body builds up a tolerance for it. This may help even in adulthood - I dont know. Anways, I never had any allergies until I moved from my hometown. And it's true, never give honey to a kid under 2!
8Wow, thanks! I hate hate hate giving cough medicine to my kids, but if they can't sleep, they can't get better. I will definitely try this!
9I never connected the dots, but honey always treated my throat really nicely whenever it was scratchy or froggy. This is great news!
10Hey Fit... Are all forms of honey bad for kids under 1 year? I never gove a drop, but would a product like Honey Cheerios pose the same risk of botulism?
11my mum used to give me & my brother honey with lemon juice sometimes when we weren't due for another dose of bronchitis medicine.
12Honey is so gross to me, it makes me gag. I could never do this! The smell of it is nauseating too. I only like raw honey.
13Yes, suzanne. All forms of honey--cheerios, grahams, granola bars, etc., shouldn't be given to kids under at least 1. I just had my infant care class and they stressed this point. It can be deadly.
14It's under 2! They recommend not giving children under 2 honey. I only repeat this because people are still saying under 1, and that is wrong and could hurt your child.
15I just had a long bout with bronchitis and the only thing that helped my nighttime coughing was honey. I read a study that even found honey to work better as a cough suppressant than codeine. Also, raw honey works as an immune booster, I try to take a spoonful every day.
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