Published: October 1, 2025
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
During busy cold and flu season, Norton Children’s offers multiple convenient care options. New patients can find a pediatrician and schedule online.
Existing patient? Book through Norton MyChart. When you need fast access to care, urgent care and telehealth visits are available.
When your child is struggling with a stuffy nose, cough or congestion during cold and flu season, you want to find good strategies for child congestion relief.
“It is easy for a parent to get overwhelmed standing in the cough/cold aisle in the drugstore, looking at all those medications and trying to decide which to use,” said Patrick K. Hynes, M.D., pediatrician at Norton Children’s Medical Group. “However, there really is not a study that shows any of those medications are doing much to truly help your child and relieve their congestion when you need it. There are several tried and true methods that can bring comfort and help your child breath more easily while their body fights off the illness.”
Here are five simple ways to ease your child’s breathing, tailored for young children through teens.
Dry winter air can thicken mucus and irritate airways. Moisture acts like a natural decongestant, loosening mucus and soothing irritated passages. Aim for 30% to 50% humidity. Too much moisture can lead to mold, so monitor levels, if possible.
Young children: Use a cool-mist humidifier at night. Keep it clean by changing water daily and following the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions. A short bathroom steam session (sit in the bathroom with the shower running for 10 to 15 minutes) also may help. Avoid using face steamers or hot bowls of water to prevent burns.
Teens: Encourage them to keep a humidifier in their room or take warm showers to breathe in steam.
Fluids thin mucus, making it easier to clear instead of letting it settle in the chest. Hydration also improves energy levels while the body fights infection.
Young children: Offer frequent sips of water, warm broth or diluted, low-sugar juice. Ice pops (like Popsicles) also can be soothing. For infants under 6 months, breast milk or formula is best.
Teens: Keeping a refillable water bottle on hand is a simple reminder to continue drinking fluids. If they’re reluctant, try sugar-free sports drinks, or add fruit slices to water for flavor.
Lying flat makes congestion worse. Sleeping with the head slightly elevated uses gravity to drain mucus and reduce coughing.
Young children: Place a pillow or rolled towel under the mattress, not directly under the child. Never use loose pillows or blankets in cribs for babies under 12 months.
Older kids and teens: Try an extra pillow, a wedge pillow or even resting slightly upright on the couch or recliner.
Saline spray or drops loosen mucus, making it easier to clear. Unlike medicated nasal sprays, saline is safe to use several times a day to help your child with congestion relief.
Infants and toddlers: Use saline drops followed by gentle suction with a bulb syringe, especially before feeding or bedtime.
Teens: Teach them to use saline spray independently, followed by gentle nose-blowing. Children 8 and older may benefit from a neti pot or rinse system with proper hygiene protocols.
Most viruses resolve within seven to 10 days, but parents should watch for signs when medical care is needed.
Call your pediatrician or visit an urgent care clinic if your child has:
Seek emergency care immediately if your child has:
Most cold and flu symptoms will pass on their own. In the meantime, simple strategies like adding moisture, keeping your child hydrated and easing nighttime congestion can make a big difference with child congestion relief until your little one feels better.