Cough & Congestion

Pediacare Night rest formula or Tylenol Cold plus formula if you are having to give him Tylenol too (it is already in the cold medicine) and if the cough continues to be bad, call your Dr. about a nebulizer you can use with either Pulmicort/Albuterol or both. Put your foot down.
That's what we do for my son who is 2 1/2. Mucinex works, but I have never had anything other than the Pedicare that was worth anything. You may also want to check because they recalled all the cold medicines not too long ago and Triaminic was one of the ones recalled.
Good luck!
C.

I heard putting Vick's on the bottom of the feet helps (???) My kids have not had a cold since I learned this information, so I don't know if it works. It's worth a try.

J. - Delsym - it's so awesome and it works like a charm! They have it for little ones as well as adults. Give it a try! HTH K.

i know how you feel. we as moms want to help our kids feel better. but nothing really works..lol.
musinex works great and delsym for the cough
i have reworked my meds methods to only three things.
tyelonal for fevers/pain, musinex and delsym for cough.
that way i don't have tons of meds that can't be given with any other and are for fever and congestions or fever and cough etc but they don't have a fever and only a cough.. no need to give them the other meds in that..

i would do what the PA suggested in the other post. lots of water, humidifier, vapor rub, rest!, stay away from milk and juices and especially pop with caffein.(some kids at 2 actually drink pop.. )

sometimes it can take 10-14 days for a cough and congestion to make it through their system.
i would give the musinex during the day to help it thin so it can work it's way out. and the delsym only at night if their coughing is causing them not to sleep. other wise during the day let them cough so they can get it out of their system. coughing is the bodies way of getting it out.
my dr has always told me that if they get a fever 7-10 days after the initial fever and cold has started that they want to see my child incase the cold has turned into something else like flu/pneumonia.
keep track of how many days they are coughing or congested for. it helps when talking to the drs. i always call mine alot..lol lol my dr's nurses know me pretty well. but say i'm don't call as often as some do but pretty average.
that's what i would do,, or have done. find out what your dr's protical is on this type of thing. not all dr's think the same..

J. -

I am a pediatric physician assistant and I am very nervous about people getting their medical advice from forums like these. "Backyard" medical advice can be very dangerous. However, these ladies that have responded are pretty accurate on this topic.

Overall, over the counter cough and cold medications are safe medications when used with the right doses and the right dosing intervals. Your doctor was not wrong to advise you to give them a try. However, the evidence shows very little effectiveness in ANYONE - not just children. The only over the counter medicine that showed any benefit in controlled studied was mucinex (guafenisin). So i would try this one if you want to do any medicines at all.

The most important thing for you to realize is that your child has every tool that he needs to get over this illness. We as mothers want to make everything better - but things like this they have to do on their own. Water is one of the best mucolytics (breaks up mucus) that there is. Skipping the fruit juice, pop, or other sweet drinks for water would be a great idea.

You are doing everything right. . .give him love, and empathy. Feel free to continue the vapor rub and humidifier. I have heard some parents rave about the vapor rub on the feet thing - although I am sure that is not scientific. . .but hey, it won't hurt to try.

Good luck -
E.

My understanding is the you are NOT supposed to give children cough suppresants or decongestants any longer. The recent news indicated it's dangerous for toddlers/babies. The very best thing I have found when my little boy gets a cough is long bath or shower in an enclosed room so that it gets really steamy. Then using humidifer works WONDERS! It's amazing how well a humidifer works - my little boy rarely coughs at night when we use it.

So, you may question my sanity, but I swear to you it helps. At night, rub the Vapo-Rub on your son's feet and then put his socks or pjs on. My daughter had a nasty cough that would wake her up when sleeping. We did this for several days, along with running a humidifier, and it helped so much. My daughter, also 2, seemed to do better with a 1/2 of a Triaminic cough and cold strip than with liquid meds. Good luck, hope he feels better soon.

Hi J.,

My family uses essential oils (aromatherapy) to treat a lot of common illnesses like colds, coughs, headaches, blisters, etc. If you're interested, I would try an bath with orange oil. It's very soothing, helps build his immune system and helps calms coughs. Also, using a couple of drops each of tea tree oil and eucalyptus in a mug of boiling water (as if you were making hot tea) and then leaning over the warm steam to inhale helps loosen up what's in the chest when you're congested. I hope this information helps!

If you'd like to know where my family buys our essential oils (they are organic, don't have filler chemicals or fake chemical scents) then shoot me a reply back.

Good luck!

E.

Hi J.,

It's really a hard choice to know what is right for a child at such a young age. Colds are a common thing that ocurrs everyday with children under 3 and how miserable when you can't give them relief.

I simply just read the labels and try to find the one that can help with his symptoms. With so many choices it can be overwhelming. I would try the Tylenol cold/cough. It helps with the symptoms and not get them drowsy.

Make sure he drinks lots of fluid, he'll get better soon.

Have you tried putting the vicks on his feet? I have used this method and it really seems to work much better. Just rub it on the feet and cover with socks, I usually put on footed pajamas as well. good luck

Please, ask Your doctor, if you can use Dayquil and Nyquil in pills (maybe half only), as these two work wonders, but I do not know if it is okay for a 2 year old boy.
Also, while such things occur, and they certainly do, please do not feel very depressed, as while they live through coughing, their immune system gets stronger which is a good thing after all: it is like a practice homework for the immune system to stay alert. Say, it is a working situation.
Now, while such days, use GARLIC in your own food, and also when your little son goes to sleep, take one tooth of garlic, cut it into veeeeeery tiny little pieces, put them on a little curds-fabric (thin, with many holes), cover or wrap into a tiny bundle and tie with a string, and place this bundle near your sleeping son's nose, if he sleeps quietly, or close to his head if he stirs a lot. Keep putting new cut garlic-tooth every night, and you will see it helps also. This is absolutely friendly, and I even do it to myself when the flu hits hard on my nose :). And, find your best mood, be smiling and feel well at heart, as this is a part of healing process: smile is contagious !!! GooDay, many healthy moments, J.!
M.

Hi J.,
I wouldn't use any decongestants. The FDA has done many studies and they can be very harmful. Not to mention they don't work. My doctor also recommended I give my almost 2 year old a decongestant and I didn't do it. You should do some research on this subject before you give him anything else. I know the feeling of wanting to help your sick child but just continue what you are doing and it will pass. Good luck.
Chris

Unfortunately, there really aren't any decongestant medicines or cough suppressants that work for small children. Triaminic and other companies claim to make medicines for children, but recent studies have shown that they do very little good. I have occasionally tried such things with my daughter, but never saw any improvement. Nowadays the best advice is to avoid them altogether. I think the previous poster's recommendations are the best you will get.

Keep doing the vaporizer, that does help more than you think. Also, try putting the vicks on his feet, then put socks on. I have 3 boys, and this works for me. They have pretty much pulled the really good stuff off the shelves for coughs.

I've just been told that if you put the Vicks on the bottoms of his feet at night, it will supress the coughing and help him sleep. I let my son try it just last week and he slept well that night and his cough is going away.

I guess your feet can absorb at a better rate.

I hve also heard the vicks on the feet work wonders. I have used Delsum for my son. It is in an orange box at your local grocery store or you could get it al Walmart. Good luck it is not the funniest things for a child to have.

i believe as long as he is 2 years old he is able to take the Robitussin CF. (ask your nurse or Dr.) Helps stop the cough, and what did the Dr. Say- that he has? did they put him on an anti-biotic?
also try putting Vicks on the bottoms of his feet and put socks on them to keep them warm. this also helps mine.
i have a 15 month old and a 2-1/2 year old and 2 teenagers.
good luck- hope this helps!

Try putting Vick's on his feet then put socks on. The Vick's is absorbed through the blood vessles in his feet throught the rest of his body and will calm his cough.
I know of several people this has worked for.

strange as it sounds...the vicks on the feet w/socks always works for my kids. also, Traditional Medicinals makes an organic kids tea. They have one for colds. My two year old will drink it...not sure if all will.

I disagree with the Dr. due to the fact that I do not believe that you should keep trying over the counter medicine. Nothing works better than a humidifier, some vapor bath, and SALINE nasal spray a few times a day. Good Luck!

This is just to help alleviate the coughing for a few hours. This sounds crazy, but I have been told by reliable sources that it does alleviate coughing for a few hours. When you put your son to bed rub vapor rub on the heels of his feet and put socks over them. Something about this relieves the coughing so he can at least get some rest. Both my mom and brother-in-law have tried this and swear it helps for a few hours. I haven't had to try it yet...

J.,
My 2 year old had that junk for over a month, I finally went back to the doctor and demanded something stronger. I said it was not fair for my child to have to suffer through the winter months. It was a miserable Chritmas that broke the straw over the camels back. The gave him some antibiotics and it was cleared up in three days. It was worth the fight with the doctor.
Good Luck.

I have always used over the counter Walmart brand cough and cold syrups. Have you tried putting the vicks vapor rub on the bottoms of his feet and putting sox on while he sleeps at night? Sounds silly I know, but its something I have only recently read about on the internet and I have personally used it on my 10 yr old son and my 7 yr old granddaughter and it worked both times.

Hi. Our pediatrician recently informed us that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends not giving cough or cold medicine to children under four and they will probably soon be raising that to age six. Apparently, despite what some may say, they are not effective and have risks.

The methods you are using, humidifier and Vicks, are the right things to be doing. Try saline nasal drops, too, if you haven't already, and wait it out. Sorry your little guy is so miserable. I have three young boys, ages 4, 2, and 10 months, and there is nothing worse than waiting out those colds.

Good Luck.
E.

It is not a cough syrup, but it does help a lot. I am a mother of four and grandmother of 19. SO rub the vicks on the bottoms of the feet(especially at night) and put socks on him/her. Sure works miracles!

I would only give normal Tylenol or Advil for pain, no cold medicine. Crank up the humidifier, and vaporizer, you want moisture on the inside of your windows...just till he is better.
A nice steamy bath works wonder too.
Saline drops are nice but don't force it if he puts up a fight it will only make him cry and get more gunks up in his little nose.
If he starts retracting (you can see his ribs when he breaths) or his lips get a blue tint, get him to the doc right away. Same if he suddenly gets a fever.
Don't feel bad about bugging your doc. you pay for insurance for a reason, USE IT!
You know your child best, if your doc doesn’t understand that find another. I have a great one in the grand haven area.
Dr. James Postema, in DuneWoods Medical center behind the hospital.
###-###-####.

Hi:

Looks like this is a cough & cold season.My little one is 17 months old had the same cough and congestion last week .these are the things I tried and it is getting better for her I would say.

*i tried vicks vapor rub on her chest, at the back and along the sides of her ribs every night. also small amt on the outer side of her nose

*i avoided Milk for a few days. Then slowly mixed milk with water (50-50) and gave her since milk tends to aggravate the condition.

*Alo gave her bath in hot water so that she could sleep well at night.

* also lot of fluids ( water, pedialyte, gatorade helps)

* i just gave apple ( i heard from my mother-in-law to aviod banana as much as possible during this time).

Hope the above helps. and do hope that your little one feels better

--S. M

Put the vicks on their little feet and then cover with
socks. It works great!

I have been reading a book on how to cure kids naturally. It says to give them lots of warm fluids and to add a herbal mix in the vaporizer at night. The mix consists of 1/2 ounce each of burdock, and eucalyptus. PLace the herds in a cheesecloth bag and boil for 20 mintues in 2 quarts of water. Strain. Place in vaporizer, thn dilute with water to reach proper level. Let steam all night near child. I have not tried it yet because my daughter had not been sick since I read the book but it sounds like a good idea. Good Luck

jan...hi my name is D...im a 41yr mother of three...my suggestion is delsum cough medicine and mucinex...works real well with my younger son that frequently visits the doc...still use the vaporizer...but take him in the bathroom and turn the shower on hot and close the door so the steam fills the room....bring something to have him do so he can be preoccupied and he will stay in there longer and really get the affect you want to open up his airways...do this as many times it takes...let me know how he doing...D.

Hello J.,

I'm new to Mamasource as of yesterday. I've had some experiences with this that I can share with you.

Be sure to eliminate all milk products until his congestion subsides. This even means hidden milk products. Milk produces more congestion that acts like glue to our respiratory sytems. I would also limit meats, temporarily. And also junk food, candy, chemically-laden stuff.

I haven't found the OTC meds to be very helpful, but I used them for my children when they were young anyway. We used a pioneer menthol-based product found in Eastern Idaho that's stronger than Vicks, but still has the menthol product. My favorite thing - but this would be difficult with a 2 year old - is to put the menthol product on their fronts and backs, then place a spoonful in a pan of boiling water, create a tent with a towel, and have them breathe it in for 10-15 minutes - which seems like forever. But the boiling water would be dangerous to a flailing 2 year old. If you can somehow come up with a creative idea and think of a way to do this with him, it may help.

One final thing I do, which again, may not work for a 2 year old, is to get some Chinese hot and sour soup. (I actually make ours now from a recipe I found on recipezaar.com.) It really seems to help my family to loosen congestion and feel better.

Good luck. I know how awful and helpless this feels.

S.

I have tried Robitussin DM (the one with Guifasin in it, which is an expectorant). It's not the best tasting - and usually involves bribery to get my 4 yr old to take it....but it did help. And I've also tried Night Time Cough & Cold, the Meijer brand. That one you can get in grape/cherry flavor and is usually much easier to get them to swallow it. Also, sometimes it's helpful to ask the pharmacist if there is one that is more recommended. Good luck and I hope your little one is feeling better soon.

Hello J. -
Have you tried the Vicks Vapor Rub on his feet? I know that sounds crazy but I have read a lot about it. Before putting him to bed, put the rub on his feet with socks. It is proven to work. Also with my kids, I use the Delsym cough syrup. It has the most cough supressent allowed for children in it. It is wonderful and does not have a bad taste. That has always worked for me. I am a mother of 3 children also. My kids ages are 12,9 and 6.
Good luck and I hope my advice helps.