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All-Natural Cold & Cough Remedies

It's miserable to watch your child suffer through the six to 10 colds she's likely to catch this year. And to make matters worse, experts now say that kids under 6 shouldn't use over-the-counter cold and cough medicine because of potentially dangerous side effects. So what's a concerned parent to do? We asked experts to tell us how to help fend off germs in the first place and how to help her feel better fast if she does get sick.

Prevention Plan

Kids miss nearly 22 million school days each year due to colds. Though you can't protect your child from every virus she encounters, these healthy habits can increase her resistance.

Make sure she catches enough zzz's. If your child is tired all the time, her immune system may be too sluggish to fight off bad bugs. Unfortunately, a third of all kids don't get as much sleep as they should. Ideally, babies need up to 18 hours a day, toddlers and preschoolers need 12 to 14 hours, and grade-schoolers should get 10 to 11 hours. It's probably not practical for your child to wake up later, so if she's not hitting these numbers, make her bedtime earlier.

Parents.com