To make your child more comfortable without medications: 

• Keep him hydrated. Drinking plenty of fluids also helps loosen mucus.
  
  
• Try drops and bulbs. Saline nasal drops may help stuffy noses, and mucus can be gently suctioned from the nose with a bulb syringe.
  
  
• Humidify. Placing a cool mist humidifier in the room may help relieve a stuffy nose.
  
  
• Candy! If your child's pediatrician says that he's old enough for hard candy, (usually 4 year and older) sucking on hard candy or cough drops can help sooth a cough.

Fevers and Pain
When your child is complaining that "it hurts!" or he's burning up with fever, you'll want to bring his fever down to make him feel better. What you need to know:

• Infants under 2 months always require medical treatment if they have a fever over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).
  
  
• For older babies on up, a mild fever may need nothing. Most children with fevers under 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius) need no treatment.
  
  
• Even if the fever is higher, if your child is getting plenty of fluids and is acting normally, it may be best to let the fever run its course.
  
  
• When you give a fever reducer, always check your child's temperature before each dose. The fever may have gone down on its own.
  
  
• Don't expect a fever reducer to get rid of a fever entirely—they just reduce it
  
  
• Use pain relievers sparingly, too. Little bumps and bruises don't need any medication. However, if your child insists that the pain is severe, see a pediatrician. It might be something serious.
  
  
• Acetaminophen reduces fever and relieves pain, but doesn't help with inflammation. While it is generally considered safe and effective for children, it is not harmless, and overdose is common. 
  
  
• Ibuprofen relieves pain and reduces fever and inflammation. More powerful than acetaminophen, it often relieves pain better and can be used to treat higher fevers. It is considered safe for most children, but in rare cases there can be serious side effects.
  
  
• Never give aspirin to anyone under the age of 21, especially if they have a viral illness. It has been linked to Reye syndrome, a serious and life-threatening condition that causes detrimental effects to many organs, especially the brain and liver.