Colds and Medicine

When my baby had a cough, I ran the shower until the bathroom got all hot + steamy and held her on my lap for 15 minutes. It really helped clear her throar. Also get a good humidifier + change water daily. And cool air helps too!

Cough medicine may affect immature digestive system. That's the worry!

My son gets croup a lot and most recently we have had luck with the Vicks warm mist vaporizer. I usually turn it on about an hour before nap time and bedtime to let it get going. Also raise the head of her bed so she's elevated.
Good luck...I know how frustrating it can be!

Cough medicine is NOT SAFE for this age! Use a humidifier, lift the head of her mattress to help her sleep, and call the pediatrician if it's not clearing up.
Good luck. I hope she feels better soon. I've just read so many stories about how unsafe cough/cold meds are for little kids and babies. They're not FDA approved anymore. I don't want anyone to risk it...it's not worth it. Call the Dr if you're worried and she's not getting better.

Have you tried vicks on her chest? Or a humidifier? Those things seem to help my son a bit. Sometimes before bed, I take him into the bathroom with some books and turn on a really hot shower and let it run, letting the steam clear his chest. It could be allergies this time of year. You might want to ask your pedi if you can give her a teeny bit of benadryl, maybe her throat is itchy? Good luck!
L.

I haven't read all the responses but I recently read that honey is just as effective as cough medicine. It couldn't hurt. I use it on myself and 4 year old.

no cough meds. try the humidifier, and give her a steamy bath in a steamy closed bathroom. lots of fluids. and follow your instincts. the cough from a cold or upper repiratory infection/bronchitis can take forever to go away, but if you feel it is something else, then go back to the doc. be sure they check for pneumonia and rsv. im not sure about rsv at 18 mos, my daughter had it at 4 mos, and it was a blood (maybe urine?) test, very quick and definite. dont ever worry about being a pain in the ass, or getting a different opinion.

"Honey juice" (honey and warm water) always works for my daughter, and she loves it. You should NOT give her cough medicine - it's not approved for young children, and has been shown not to help. Honey is approved for infants/children over 1 year old (not 2, as someone else said). Also, definitely put a humidifier in her room; if you don't have one, steam up the bathroom and play with her in there for a while, that might help, though the humidifier is much better.

I hear that a teaspoon of honey works pretty well to suppress a cough and is fine for a child over 12 months. If she seems like she might be wheezing, you should bring her in to the pediatrician, where they may give her albuterol in a nebulizer to help open up her airways. Good luck. Having a sick kid is NO FUN!

Hey A.,

Everything I've read, and all the advice I've been given says the cough medicines are no good at all- that is why there are so many....
Is the problem that she coughs because she can't get enough breath? or is too congested? (cough medicine might dry that out a bit for nights- but that dose might not be safe)

I have children w/ reactive lungs- meaning any time the saesons changed or s little cold bug was in the air they'd get a coal miner's cough and runny nose. When they were small like your baby, I's sit them up in the stroller, and strap them in for sleep. That let the mucus drain down instead of into the lungs. Because the air passage ways are so very small at this age, it made a huge difference. And while we didn't sleep through the night- we got some good 3-5 hour stretches in, and I felt less zoned the next day.
You can put a pillow under one end of her mattress and prop her up that way too.

Do you have a humidifier? One that blows warm or cold air? Adding mositure to the room can ease the cough, if it dry.

Bring her into the shower, or sit her by the shower while you are in--lots of steam and hot baths to help her drain. Putting eucaliptis oil in an diffuser while she is in the bath or sitting in a bathroom with the hot shower running also helps. You can do this in the middle of the night when the cough is bad.

SOmetimes milk products cause extra flem or mucus to build up. You can try avoiding dairy products for a few days and see if that makes a difference.

My kids usually had the cough for about 10 days before I tried these ideas.

Good luck,
M.

Steamy baths/showers, lots of liquids including chicken soup, bowl of water on radiator and/or humidifier... Limiting dairy may help reduce the mucus too.

It has recently come to light that cough medicines are not recommended, and may even be harmful to young children.

try Vicks rub on the bottoms of her feet and then put socks on her. My whole family does it...it really works and it's very homeopathic.

I can totally sympathize with you as my daughter gets a cough every year and it is so hard for her to sleep. Humidifiers seem to help her. We give her a teaspoon of honey (dark honey is best) which coats the irritation. You could try Vicks vaporub for babies which is a little gentler.

I hope she gets better soon.

try some baby vicks and a nice steamy shower or bath before bed (make sure there is plenty of time for hair to dry before laying her down though). I have done steamy showers in the middle of the night too. As far as sleep...try and nap during the day if you can because there really isn't much you can do but ride it out.

A., OTC cold/cough meds are not recommended for babies. Please always check with your ped and pharmacist before giving any medicine to your baby.
Coughs may take a long time to clear up. I would increase her fluid intake and raise the head of the mattress when she sleeps.
Good luck

Hi Allison. Do not give your children cough medicine they can end up overdosing on it. Talk to your doctor make sure the baby does not have walking pneumonia which they sometimes can not hear. Also a neublizer with albeturol works great to by opening the airways and suppressing the cough. You can also try a warm bath with vapor bath steam up the bathroom. Try giving the baby a teaspoon of honey, or boil Camile tea let the baby breath in the air, or put it in a sippy cup and cool it off. let the baby sip on it. also be sure to let the baby drink alot of fluids and try to give protein b/c protein fights infection. Make sure wherever the baby is you are using a vaporizer and prop the mattress up in the crib it will help with the cough. One last thing and i heard it works. take Vick's baby rub and apply to chest and feet cover the feet with socks and the cough will subside. Good luck but make sure if the symptoms persist or get worse take the baby back to the doctor and insist on some relief for your child.Oh tylenol can help,bring some relief as well it takes down the inflamation. I went to my doctor for 3 weeks with my daughters cough they told me it was a cold she had walking pneumonia and if it weren't for me being a pain then it would have gotten a lot worse.

I have never had to use cold medication with my daughter. All we use is a air humidifier nightly and when needed some saline nose spray. If used regularly it seems to really work.

I agree with everyone else - NO MORE COUGH MEDICINE!
If it's been a week and she seems to have a cough, I'd see the doctor. Most of the time coughing is a good thing; it means she's clearing her throat out! If she seems to be in a great deal of discomfort try to make her warm water, or sleepy time tea before bed [it's kid friendly, and caffeine free]

Our doctor told us to use 1/2 tsp. Benadryl Allergy & Sinus or if you can't find that - Triaminic Nighttime Cold & Cough (1 tsp.).

It definitely helped our guy.

I agree with the masses, I have been told do a vapor steam, and they make drops to go into the humidifiers-brava I say. Honey is tempting but not for an 18 month old (should steer clear of it until 2 years old). A vapor patch may be a good option as well. We've even let the shower run hot in our home to create a "steam room" then let the girls sit in there for a few moments. And I know it sounds very basic but when my girls have a "coughing" cold I prop their heads up really high (about a 45 degree angle) when they sleep.

I know cough medicines are not widely suggested, but if you feel you must try something, always opt for the bare minimum. Be very symptom specific- if it is a cough with lung congestion, find something with only an "expectorant" like guaifesin (sp?) and a cough suppressant. It is really difficult to find medicines that are not souped up with extra pain relievers and unneccesary junk, or even nasal decongestants when one is not needed. (which these drugs are very strong- things like pseudoephedrine and dextromethorphan are what kids use to get high on, unfortunately) Mostly you find added acetaminaphine (tylenol) or ibuprofen (advil/motrin).
This is where your overdoses are reported when children are recieving a cocktail of pain relievers and other things that are unneeded- sparking the "unsuggested usage" by pediatricians.
To find something that will help and is symptom specific, plan to read labels for about 20 minutes! Always look to see what the drug listed is used for and stay away from the extras. Shop in the robitussin area (or generic robitussin- it's all the same stuff, really!), there are many symptom specific mixtures that will provide the relief you and she are looking for, just pay close attention to dosing and base it upon weight more than age. I hope this helps!
-I am an avid "label reader" myself, a mother of two incredible boys and my methods have not failed me yet! lol

The air in her room is too dry. Use a vaporizer or humidifier and buy some house plants.

no cough medicine. a few years ago those were labeled as unsafe for children under 6 years old. and they don't help. i am surprised the pediatrician hasn't given you a nebulizer for her cough (albuterol is the emdicine given via nebulizer). call and ask him about that. otherwise not sure what else you can do except raise her pillow a bit to help her breathe better.
good luck

Hi - have you tried non-medicated nose drops ? Sometimes that helps move things. With my older boy (just 5) i give him a spoonful of honey if he has coughs taht keep him awake. I know 18 mos is a little young for that - but you can try it. Tylenol might help her sleep in those cases....But if it's really that long you should have the doctor look at her again in case there's an infection in her sinuses or her ears... That happens with my 17 mos old if his colds last along time.

I would suggest:
1) a humidifier for her room at night. I like the Crane ones (they look like pigs, frogs, pandas, etc.) They run about $20 at Target or Bed Bath & Beyond and they have a variable output. They run really quietly, and I couldn't live without mine! Don't turn it up so high that the room has "dew" in the morning, but play around with it. I like to put it close to my child's head and turn it up to about 30%

2) Vicks makes a vapor rub specifically for children. You can start using it at 3 months. It's scented with lavendar, instead of menthol, so it's not nearly as harsh. It seems to help my toddler breathe a lot easier when she's got a cold.

Good luck, Mama!!