Do you feel like your kids are constantly catching colds? It can feel overwhelming to manage the endless sniffles, sore throats, and sleepless nights. Back in the 1950s, families expected 6-10 colds or bouts of the ‘flu every year—and they tackled them head-on with simple, time-tested methods. Those old-fashioned remedies are still the best way to nurse your family back to health.
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Why Old-Fashioned Methods Are Best
When it comes to treating colds, sometimes the simplest methods are the most effective. A fascinating study at Chicago’s Children’s Memorial Hospital drives this point home. Doctors observed 159 young patients, all battling colds or similar respiratory infections. They divided the children into three groups:
- Group 1 received traditional care—bed rest, plenty of fluids, and aspirin if needed.
- Group 2 had the same treatment but with a sulfa antibiotic.
- Group 3 was given penicillin-type antibiotics along with standard care.
The results were eye-opening. By the end of a week, 56% of the children treated with old-fashioned care had completely recovered, compared to only 39% of those treated with the different antibiotics. Additionally, complications like ear infections and pneumonia often appeared after five days in the antibiotic groups, but all the complications in the control group appeared by 5 days, before complete recovery. The study’s conclusion was clear: potent drugs can mask symptoms, and even hide severe secondary infections that take hold while the immune system is weakened, making it harder to address serious complications early on.
This research underscores a truth that homemakers and home nurses of old understood instinctively: nature needs time to heal. With proper care and attention, you can support your body—and your family’s bodies—through the natural process of recovery.
Let me address a few questions I get asked about vintage home nursing and old-fashioned sick care:
Do old-fashioned remedies really work?
They absolutely do, and here’s why:
- They’re designed to treat the body, not just the symptoms. They help alleviate uncomfortable symptoms without masking more dangerous signs.
- They support the immune system without side effects., by relying on wholesome, natural practices that don’t interfere with the immune system.
- They avoid the risks of overusing antibiotics, which can lead to resistance.
The beauty of these remedies is in their simplicity. You don’t need to run to the pharmacy every time someone sneezes. They aren’t miracle drugs so you can get back to work, either. They are tried and true methods of supporting and building up the immune system so it can do what it is meant to do.
Are these methods safe for kids?
Yes, as long as you follow the basics:
- Avoid giving aspirin or other medications, even Tylenol, to children under 12 unless directed by a doctor. And always keep a record so that if there is an emergency, the information will be available to avoid an overdose.
- Never use leftover antibiotics or medications. Never, ever, EVER.
- Consult your doctor if symptoms persist or worsen.
Old-fashioned methods emphasize safety, common sense, and careful observation.
What if the cold seems to linger?
Colds that stick around might indicate something more serious, like sinusitis or an underlying infection. Here’s what you can do:
- Track symptoms daily, noting any changes, medication, temperature readings, etc.
- Look for red flags like high fever, persistent cough, or ear pain.
- Don’t hesitate to check in with your doctor.
Old-fashioned methods are incredibly effective. But they also date to a time when children might get something dangerous and REALLY serious, like scarlet fever, measles, or even polio. Therefore, vintage home nursing encourages you to stay vigilant, and hopefully avoid serious complications and illness by taking even a common cold seriously.
Six Tips for Nursing a Cold the Old-Fashioned Way
Here are some timeless tips to help your little ones recover. And if YOU are ill as a homemaker, I have another article all about that!
1. Keep Children Home
When your child comes down with a fresh cold, keep them home from school or activities. Doing so helps them recover faster and prevents spreading the illness to others.
Separate them from siblings when possible. The Red Cross Book of Home Nursing is one of my favorite vintage references, and it talks about how to set up a child’s room as a sick room. The most important things are no drafts, and encouraging rest with cozy blankets and favorite books or toys.
2. Never Underrate a Cold
Colds can cause serious complications if not taken seriously. Trust your instincts, and don’t wait to call the doctor if something feels off.
Complications
Complications from infected ears were commonplace, and patients were advised to use care in blowing the nose, so as not to force the infection from the sinuses to the eustachian tubes in the ears.
Bronchitis and pneumonia were serious concerns for secondary infections, also. Back in the 1940s and 1950s pneumonia and flu were two of the leading causes of death.
Pneumonia
Pneumonia, then as now, was a most serious acute disease. It regularly appeared as a complication of colds and flu, especially in winter and after exposure to cold or wet. Crowds were another common factor.
Proper care and nursing were considered essential in cases of pneumonia, and the patient was always treated as acutely ill, which meant bed rest and isolation.
3. Stick to Trusted Remedies
Some remedies never go out of style for a reason. They work.
The home remedies that were considered most helpful for cold were mustard foot baths, sweating it out with hot blankets and hot water bottles (affiliate link), and hot lemonade or orange juice. Aspirin was also recommended, but nowadays, please talk to your doctor before taking anything or giving medication to your children!
Preparations of oil, camphor, menthol, and eucalyptus bring relief and comfort when the nose and lungs are irritated (I use Vapo-Rub (affiliate link)). A mustard poultice also helps with chest congestion.
Also, a patient with a cold was advised to drink 6 oz. of hot lemonade, orange juice or water every hour. And experts also recommended adding the tiniest bit of baking soda to the water to make it alkaline, since colds were thought to flourish in acidity.
Use a warm saltwater gargle to soothe a sore throat. Keep the recovery room warm and well-ventilated, but not drafty. Moist as opposed to dry air was also thought important.
Focus on a nourishing diet of soups, fruit juices, and eggs to support recovery. Soft-boiled eggs with dry toast, chicken or beef bouillon with crackers or dry toast, milk-based puddings, plain fruit-juice gelatin, fresh-squeezed orange juice, hot tea, and chicken noodle soup are all traditional convalescent remedies. Some modern studies have even found cold-fighting compounds in traditional chicken soup!
And whatever you do, resist the urge to grab leftover antibiotics. If your doctor prescribes any medications, you’ll need fresh ones.
4. Treat the Symptoms, Not the Cold
You can’t cure a cold, but you can make it more bearable by addressing the symptoms.
For congestion, try saline nose drops. For a sore throat, gargle with warm saltwater. For chills, bundle up with warm layers. For fatigue, insist on bed rest—it’s the best medicine.
Remember, the goal isn’t to eliminate the cold overnight but to help your body fight it effectively.
5. Watch for Chilling Factors
Sudden, sharp changes in weather or exposure to damp and cold can weaken your child’s immune resistance.
But lack of sleep, chronic and acute anxiety and worry, poor diet, overindulgence in food and drink, and even just a dramatic change of scene or routine are also known to reduce immune system function enough for all sorts of bacterial infections and viruses to catch hold. (That’s why it’s so much easier to get sick on vacations!)
Keeping your family well-rested and nourished, keeping your house clean and free of dust and grime, and bundling them up against the wind and weather are all ways that you, as a homemaker, help to keep your family well.
6. Know When to Seek Help
Sometimes, complications sneak up so subtly that you barely notice them. If the cold drags on, becomes acute, or keeps coming back, it’s time to call the doctor.
Also, keep an eye out for other symptoms. With old-fashioned childhood diseases like measles, mumps, whooping cough, and even polio making a comeback in the world, it is important to know what to look for — especially if you or your children are not vaccinated.
Those old childhood diseases are dangerous. Just because there is a modern anti-vaccine movement DOES NOT MEAN that the diseases the vaccines are preventing are suddenly less dangerous. The really scary thing is that often the disease IS worse than the vaccine–polio comes to mind.
Old-fashioned homemaking values intuition and observation. Trust your instincts, and don’t let modern skepticism or denial overshadow the wisdom of a mother’s care. You know what’s best for your children.
Other Acute Illness
Most other acute illnesses, such as stomach flu and measles, were treated the same way as acute respiratory illnesses–with bed rest, isolation, and judicious use of home remedies to provide comfort. Proper nursing care and treatment by a physician were considered essential, lest complications ensue.
Even now, it’s a good idea to consult your doctor when you are sick. Vintage home remedies can help with comfort and regaining health, but a doctor can help prevent life-threatening complications!
Old Home Remedies? Sure, But They Work.
Old-fashioned cold remedies may seem simple, but they stand the test of time for a reason. They emphasize rest, nourishment, and attentive care—the kind of medical care that was just as valuable in the past as it is today.
Let’s bring back the art of caring, one cold at a time.
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