Cough Meds for My 1 1/2 Yr Old

Sadly, NO there is NO OTC medication that you can safely give your 18 month old child.

They "won't" prescribe it or give you a dosage because it's not a.) safe or b.) effective.

Many toddlers are given an overdose-worthy amount of medication because they "guess" at what/how much to give. And I'm sure you're smarter than that!

All you can do is things like push liquids, run a humidifier at night, prop up the head of the crib to help with congestion.

Good luck!

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I have found that a spoonful of honey helps with a cough. I have been told that local honey is even better, but any helps. Good luck with your little boy! I hope he starts to feel better and remember that he is building immunity!

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Vicks on the bottom of the feet with thck socks and a cool mist humidifier over the bed - my daughter gets croup with every single cold and we can't give her any sort of cold meds yet - but the vicks on the feet works wonders (i even use it myself!) but try the adult vicks, not the baby vicks, I believe your son is above the recommended age for it. Oh- also try VIcks Soothing Vapors Bubble Bath! close the bathroom door, turn the heat up and run a nice warm bath with the vicks bubble bath! Vicks also makes a "grease-less" rub, but I don't think it works as well - for REALLY BAD colds we use that on the chest and back in addition to everything else. Oh and Saline nose drops to help break up the congestion and get it to come out.

Good Luck!

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Yes to the Vicks on his feet! We've used the baby version of Vicks on our daughter's chest and back, as well as her feet, at night whenever she's congested and it makes a noticeable difference. We also do honey with lemon juice (around 1:1 ratio, unless you need more honey in it so he'll take it). The lemon seems to help cut through the "crud" in her throat and the honey sooths the cough. My kid is almost three, but a nurse recently recommended giving her a spoonful of corn syryp to help sooth her cough at bedtime. I would think honey would be a better option, but thought I'd pass it along in case it's helpful. (I also used an age-appropriate homeopathic cough syrup for her when she was under 2 years old, and that helped, too.)

we use a cough medicine that's all natural - it's the only thing we've found that is safe for children 2 years old and older. It's got a yellow label that says Cough Syrup with 100% natural honey 4 kids, and says "multi-symptom" on it. It's made by Hyland's Homeopathic. They also have a "cough and cold" one too. The dose for a 2 year old is 5mL, and when our daughter was 1 1/2 we gave her about half that usually, though your son is close enough that he could probably take the 2 year old dose, if he weighs about 20 lbs or more (that's what our doctor told us back then, when I asked him - our daughter is now 3).

Vicks, humidifier, and a teaspoon of honey right before bed and if the cough gets too bad during the night....it helps to coat the throat, is soothing and has antibacterial properties. Your kiddo is over 1 year so honey is AOK. Good luck! I know the coughing sucks....had a kiddo with consistent cough for 8 weeks 2 autumns ago!

He shouldn't constantly be on antibiotics he could possibly become immune. My son will be 12 months and my pediatrician perscribed him a decongestint/cough suppressant. Your son needs a good night sleep and so do you( i usually hear my kids coughing all the way down the hall from a dead sleep) See if your doc will perscibe something. I would find a new dr. sounds like a jerk to me . should not be avoiding your questions or concerns. I know people say Vicks works wonders but its not really as good as cough med. I do put it on my sons and myself while taking med. but by itself for us its not that good but its better than nothing. Good luck to you

I have two things to add to all the responses you've gotten thus far. If your son is congested, try aromatherapy. I've used a combination of essential oils - a few drops of each in a small infuser with water - and it really helps. I've used it since DD was 6 months old and because it's just infused into the air there is no risk of skin irritation and minimal risk of reaction at all. I mix Eucalyptus, Peppermint, and Tea Tree oils. You can get infusers and oils at places like Whole Foods or your local co-op.

Also, I've used homeopathic cough remedies for my dd since she was 2. It's still not recommended under 2, but it definately works. Hylands Cough for Kids or Cough and Cold for Kids seems to work the best. It was recommended on the Doctors tv show and my DH and I use an adult dose when we're feeling under the weather. It's homeopathic so it works with your body's natural immune system to fight the sickness and has little risk of reaction if taken properly.

Good luck, I hope his cough gets better soon!

My pediatrician in Omaha gave me permission to give my kids triaminic nighttime cough and cold medicine.They are now 2 and 3 years old, but I have given it to them since they were about 18 months. They have always been on the higher end of the weight category so this may be the reason why? They weighed around 25-29 pounds at 12 months. My daughter is 2 and weighs 31 pounds. My son is 3 and weighs 42 pounds. When they were younger I gave them a 1/2 teaspoon and now I give them 1 teaspoon as needed. At any rate, I am glad my doctor lets us use it because my kids are prone to sinus issues and croupy cough, so I give them this at night when they have a non-stop cough. It works itself out within a couple of days and we have avoided doctor visits many times. Perhaps you should look around for another pediatrician? I think as long as you aren't giving your son liberal amounts of cough syrup all the time, you should be ok. Good luck!

Please go to the CNN website and search "children dying from OTC meds", that's the story that started all the OTC meds being discontinued. Children were dying from the meds because they were not made for them and they didn't metabolize them, they stayed in their system longer so they were getting overdosed. Even Tylenol can do that.

Don't give any meds the doc does not prescribe, including Benadryl.

Think about it this way:
Coughing kids, is it dry cough or congested runny mucus cough. I am having a dry cough that won't go away and if I took Benadryl I would be in the ER to get nebulizer treatments to get moisture back in my lungs. It is to dry up runny noses and eyes. It dries up the mucus in the lungs too. It turns to super glue goo and becomes very dry and won't be coughed up.

If it's a runny productive cough then the doc could give some type of steroids or other med to help reduce the inflammation in the bronchial tubes and throat so it wouldn't hurt so much and possibly have less coughing. Clear runny mucus is good mucus. It's not infected, not showing green and yellow, and getting it up and out is good and on the way to healing.

Perhaps the doc will prescriber a nebulizer breathing treatment with Xophenex. Albuterol makes their little hearts race and the shake like crazy, it doesn't hurt them but it's hard on the moms. Xophenex is basically the same med but is purer so it doesn't have the side effects.

Some things you can do:

If the mucus is dry...take your child into the bathroom, put stuff around the bottom of the door if there is a crack. Turn on the shower on hot, hot, hot water. Let the bathroom get really steamy and hold the child as high as you can, don't sit down on the toilet...stand up and hold them upright. This gets moisture in the sinus' and lungs so the cough can get more out. Crying during this time also gets the moisture deep in the lungs so if they are unhappy it's okay.

Give them several warm showers a day, it washes off any allergens and helps get moisture in the sinus' and lungs.

Use sterile saline nasal spray and suction the nose out several times through the day. Getting the snot out of the nose is the start of getting the snot out of the lungs.

Use a warm mist vaporizer instead of a cool mist. Cool adds moisture to the air but the warm makes it more steamy and sometimes their bodies respond better.

If the mucus is runny and just won't stop:
Make an appointment with an ENT/ORL doc and they may have better ideas about a med that will work...after all the are professional in eyes, ears, nose, and throats.

There are natural cough meds out that are otc that are honey based. One brand is Zarbee's. I found mine at the pharmacy at our grocery store and also at Walgreens. It is by the kids cold medicine. If you can't find it or another brand like it just ask the pharmisist (sp?) and they should help. It is honey's coating actiton that helps, it worked on both of my kids.

They discontinued infant cough medicine b/c they have found it not to help and kids were being overdosed too easily. I am the mom of a 16 mo, so I feel your pain, but we just fight through it. I have, a couple of times, given my daughter benedryl when her cough was bad enough that I just wanted her to sleep. You probably need to get on the internet and look up dosage per pound to figure out how much to give. I use this sparingly as a last resort.

They won't give you the cough medicine because those things are being taken off the market half the time, and they are not safe for little ones according to new research and recommendations. The doctors should be more clear with you instead of avoiding your questions - they shouldn't be ignoring you. The FDA won't let them prescribe it anymore because too many kids had dangerous side effects.

What vitamins are you giving your child? Very few commercially-available vitamins have much potency or absorption. They probably also have warning labels on them! Ridiculous but true - due to the manufacture and ingredients in them, they have to be regulated. Probiotics aren't necessarily bad, but some major companies have just been fined and required to pull their commercials because they are making unproven health claims. Dannon is one that comes to mind - they pushed Activia and DanActive, and there is no clinical data to support their claims. Their current ads are much more general and benign, like "Oh, I FEEL better on them."

Elevate the head of his mattress with a crib wedge or a couple of folded towels. I am a nutritional consultant and can help you strengthen his immune system - which can be done easily. It is NOT true that kids must get sick all the time. A lot of them DO, but it's not necessary. You both need some relief and it's available. Happy to give you more info in between your studies and your work!

Be careful about giving your child honey. Children under 1 year of age should never have honey due to the fact that they can get Botulism from it.

"For a child under twelve months of age, there is a risk of botulism from eating honey and it should be avoided. The spores of the Clostridium botulinum bacteria can be found in honey, and when ingested by an infant, the spores can release a toxin that causes botulism.

According to the CDC, infants with botulism 'appear lethargic, feed poorly, are constipated, and have a weak cry and poor muscle tone,' which may 'progress to cause paralysis of the arms, legs, trunk and respiratory muscles.'

Although parents often know not to give their infants under twelve months of age plain honey, they often overlook other foods that contain honey in them, such as Honey Graham Crackers, Honey Nut Cheerios, Honey Wheat Bread, etc. Although the honey in these foods may be processed, it may not be pasteurized, and so may still contain botulism spores in them and should be avoided. If you feel strongly about giving these foods to your infant, call the manufacturer to make sure that they are safe."

from
http://pediatrics.about.com/od/weeklyquestion/a/04_infant...

But I do give my older kids (6, 9, &12) a homeopathic cough syrup containing honey and it works very well. Just make sure your child is old enough.

They won't recommend cough/cold medicine because it's not safe for children under 4. If you think it's a sinus issue/post nasal drip cough you can ask about benadryl.

I agree with many of these. Just prop up the head of the mattress, run a humidifier and suction what you can. He's at that early age where the runny nose could last a while. I remember mine was like that. I swear by the Nosefrida instead of the bulb to suction. It seems much more bearable to my son. I would not recommend antibiotics unless the doc thinks there is an actual infection, not just a virus. My son was given antibiotics for 2 ear infections back to back and ended up with C-dif. Trust me, you don't want to have to deal with that! I only give antibiotics now if it is 100% needed.

Get some baby chest rub from the drugstore (I use the Up & Up brand from Target). It contains aloe, eucalyptus, rosemary, and lavendar. Just rub a tiny bit on his chest and/or back under his pajamas so he can't touch it. It is very soothing and helps quiet my son's cough every time. Along with the humidifier running at bedside and keeping his nose clear (saline and suction), that's about all you can do. Hope your little one feels better soon!

(I agree about the antibiotics, unless it's a proven bacterial infection, don't give them. C. diff can be serious, especially in a child that young, and it's contagious.)

My daughters dr would not let us use cough meds until she was 2. Why I do not know. But once she turned 2 they told us that we can buy OTC meds. If it has a dosage for 4 and up to cut it in half. I was so relieved when they told us that. Until then they won't let you use anything. Maybe cause it is too strong for a baby that age.

Vicks Vapor plug-ins (for the wall) Still too young for cough syrup but you can give him a teaspoon of honey since he is over a year old. :)

My two toddlers have had their share of coughs and colds this winter. I suction their noses to help clear them out so they can breathe/sleep better and run a humidifier in their room. The only OTC med I have very occasionally given them is children's tylenol, ask your doctor about that. If the doctor's are giving you an antibiotic I'm assuming he has a bacterial infection rather than a virus?? I would listen to the doctors and stay away from OTC cough meds because as another P said they really aren't safe! His cough will pass in time. Hope you can both get some rest soon!

Denise is right. No good doc would even begin to tell you a dosage because it's not tested/recommended for ones that little. How would you feel if she/he gave you a dosage and it affected your little one in an extreme way.

Try a cool mist humidifier or the warm type. I have to experiment to see what will work with my little ones depending on what they have a the time. A little bit of infant tylenol to soothe any aches, baby vicks on his chest, prop him up using a crib wedge (life-saver when mine are sick-$10 at babiesrus-fits tightly under the sheet-same width as the crib).

wow, i cant believe someone else didnt suggest this already....put vicks on the bottom of his feet and cover with socks. he should be able to sleep for a good 4-6 hours without coughing. my mom (and i do this too) used to put vicks on our chests and then put a nice warm towel over it and pin it at the back of the neck then on with the jammies and snuggle down in bed. honey for the cough. good luck hope he feels better soon!

My doc will tell me it's ok to give a small dose of Dimatap - but I don't do it unless he specifically tells me to. It helps to dry up the cough.