Excess Coughing at Night Causing Child to Trow Up, Runny Nose, Chest Congestion

I too experienced the sames exact symsptom with my 2.5 y/0 daughter. I tried over the counter meds but it never resolved the cough,runny nose. After a wk and a half of the same symptoms, I took her to her pediatricians. She was prescribed Amoxicillin. This was her first ear infection and throat infection. Take care

My daughter had this very same problem after we moved to Central Texas. I was in denial for over a year, but she truly does have asthma. The night time cough is a major symptom. The pollen and allergens in this area is very high. Please go to the pediatrician or to a clinic and ask about preventative nebulizer treatments in addition to rescue treatments. My wake-up call came when we were rushed to the hospital by ambulance after several unsuccessful breathing treatments were performed in the doctor's office. My daughter was vomiting up phlegm and was very oxygen deprived because she could not catch her breath.

I know this sounds crazy, and I'm guessing you have other responses that will say the same thing.........Vicks Vapo Rub on the feet.

Give them a nice warm bath, get their PJ's on, rub down thier feet with Vicks Vapo Rub, put on thier socks and tuck them into bed. You will be amazed at the results. Can't explain how or why it works, but it does!

Sounds like they may have asthma. I would take them to the doctor, just to be on the safe side.

Over the counter cough medicines do not work. We tried them with our son, and his cough never seemed to go away. He was finally diagnosed with asthma.

It's well under control now.

Good Luck.

Try dimetapp (sp) cold&allergy or cold/cough. Also try baby vapor rub on Chest/feet. Lastly teaspoon of honey (even works for adults well)

Hi, I am not really quick to try OTC products...to many recalls and side affects. I did a little research and found the best natural remedy for a cough is honey, buckwheat honey actually and saline solution for the nasal passages, I like Ocean but there are others. I gave the honey to my kids and they slept very peacefully during the night when they had a cough. I also gave some to my nephew and his mom found out later that his pediatrician swears by it, even sales it in the office! If you try an OTC I would recommend Umcka for children. If this has been going on for a while or if the mucus is yellowish or green, I would suggest going to the doctor. It may be an ear or upper respiratory infection.

I have a 3yr old and a 5 month old with the same symptoms. I've been using benadryl for the 3yr old and my pediatrician said I could use a quaret of a tspn for the baby, ( I only tried that once, it didnt do anything). Niether of them have had a fever so the Dr. said dont bring them in. I'm at a loss too. We haven't had too much cough, but a lot of congestiopn and mucous. I do have humidifiers in their rooms and I got a little thing called a SinuCleanse, I love it. I've been buying them and giving them as baby shower gifts. It is a super fine mister for the nose, it gives little measured doses of sterylized saline water. and it's safe to use on infants. Getting drops up there can be hard, and my baby screams when I suck anything out with the nasal aspirater but she hardly flinches or notices when I mist up her nose. You dont have to stick it way up there, you just put it right in the opening, I think its a must have for all parents. It's been helping, but I still dont know what they have, I guess it's just a cold. Good luck T. M mother of three under 5

you need to take them to the doctor, it sounds more like asthma to me if this is a persistant problem with your kids.

When that happened to my child I took her to the doctor, they were concerned. Musinex was a MUST. They also gave her an antibitic that REALLY helped. I would suggest the doctor on this one. NO MILK and lots of pedi-a-light (gatorade watered down)

When my son was 2 it seemed he spent the whole year sick like that. But that was when the FDA pulled cough medicines off the shelves for kids under 4. So we basically had to try natural remedies for coughing and runny noses. Here's what we did:

Saline nasal spray
Menthol bath (J&J Soothing Vapors)
Nebulizer using 1 -2 squirts of saline only
Teaspoon of honey
Vicks Vaporizer Steam at night
Cool mist humidifier at night

I also believe in the power of garlic so I added as much garlic as I could to anything he ate, including pressed garlic juice in orange juice. Keep them dairy and sugar free, as dairy and sugar tend to build up mucus.

Good luck!

Give them Claritin D. You will need to ask the pharmacist for it. it does not require a prescription, but the ingredient for the "D" (decongestion) requires it be kept behind the counter. You can also buy the store brand, they're just as good. Mucinex D will also work, but not sure if it comes in kid strenght. Basically you will need an alllergy medication with a decongestion med, and those are only available behind the counter. Make sure you give them plenty of water and juice cause the decongestion med tends to make them constipated (basically it dries you up). I tend to overmedicate my kids the very first day, it's a 24 hour med and I give it in the morning and at bed time, just to kick start the relief, then I go back to just in the evening.
Hope this helps.

Make sure you keep there heads elevated at night on a pillow because the drainage runs to the back of the throat and makes them cough. I hope everything gets better God bless ...D.

Do you have a humidifier in the room with them at night? I noticed that once I got mine, my daughter didn't cough near as much when she was sick.

I don't know of an over the counter drug that could help. A couple of ideas that may help though. One, reduce or eliminate sugar from their diet. Secondly, reduce or eliminate dairy (makes you form more mucus). Third, we use a waterless vaporizor and it works like a charm. My daughter gets a seasonal cough (allergies--lots of ragweed in the air right now) and it is the only thing that works. Vicks Vapor Rub may help (put on bottom of feet with socks over so it won't get on sheets). Wash their sheets in hot water ( gets out pollen and dust mites) and bathe them at night especially if they have been playing outside. Try to feed them healthy foods from the earth instead of processed (anything in a bottle or a box).

I'm amazed all the drugs people are recommending to you for your little ones, not good for them at all. Whole Foods has sambucol syrup and some other cough remedies that are all natural with no side effects. Most important, get them off MILK IMMEDIATELY! No milk or yogurt until the coughing and mucus is GONE! What milk does is cause the mucus to multiply by leaps and bounds, and those little lungs are working so hard to get it out and you keep giving them more mucus milk. No sugar either. Get a vaporizer and put a couple drops of eucalyptus oil in it (also available at whole foods) and have it going in their room at night. Follow these steps and watch the cough disappear.

This sounds like my daughter. Eventually she got ear aches and a sore throat from coughing so much. I felp like a bad parent because I didnt bring her in right away. The doctor gave her benadryl and amoxacillin...shes been on it for 4 days now and is sooo much better. She still coughs at night but not nearly as much and her runny nose is almost gone. I tries using tylenol or motrin over the counter, i noticed motrin works better, but nothing was better than the amoxacillin.

We have had the same thing going at our house....our pedi told us benadryl -didn't really work so well-I asked a pharmachist(sp) he suggested clariton. Workded a lot better for us.

Mel

try adding a humidifier to their room at night the humidity will help with the cough and everything eles!!!!

Hi i use to use Tylenol and Robitussin and other brands for my children when they were not feeling good.I no longer use them and i use Mucinex brand for what ever symptom they are having.It is VERY FAST acting med that i will continue to use from now on. Its WONDERFUL!!!

My son recently had a cough following a course of antibiotics. No fever, acted like he felt fine, just this nagging cough. Turned out he had walking pneumonia. If it doesn't subside, I'd take them in to see the doc.

Mucinex works pretty good and it has the only ingredient in it that they say is ok for kids. Works well for adults-the adult version. Use the humidifier-cold mist one. My neighbor uses those vicks plug into the wall things. I'd rub them down with some vicks on their chests and backs and their feet (the feet thing is mother's advice) put socks on them. Instead of vicks for my son I use eucalyptus oil mixed with some olive oil and spread that on him-his allergic to the vicks- and i also put some in a cotton ball close by him so he can breathe in the smell or put it by the humidifier so it spreads throughout the room. My kids had coughs/congestion forever it seemed last year!! It's starting again! I also gave them some chamomile tea to help them sleep, about 1/4 cup. During the day though let that nose run-that is what you want-to get it out! Hope something helps!!

Hi. My son had a cough that lasted too long and had chest congestion and phlegm. I took him to the doctor and he told me it was bronchial asthma. I had tried robitussin, delsyum, mucinex for kids, motirn, tylenol and it was not getting rid of the symptoms. When I took him to the doctor, he listened to his lungs and took an x-ray. He prescribed some medication and told me to buy a nebulizer and the medicine for the nebulizer. Needless to say, that was what was going on and after giving him the medication and having him on the nebulizer for three days when my son got better and it wasn't till almost two weeks and a half that the cough was completely gone. Who would have thought that was what my son had. Certainly not me. But he did tell me that it had to be treated now or that in the future it could result in Asthma if he had another episode. Please take them to the doctor. At least if it isn't anything serious you'll be glad to know it, and if it is something a little more serious, you'll be helping your kids to recover. God bless you and your family and I hope they feel much better soon!

My Son was doing that several of months ago, and we just had to go see the doctor. The ended up giving him two antibiotic shots in his leg. So, I highly recommend taking them to the Doctor on Monday. I also recommend going to get a humidifier. There is one out there that you can pour vicks vapor stuff in it, and so it humidifies, but also send out the vicks as well. It's a cool thing, and I would recommend it. Even if they get better, I would use the humidifier every night. It has helped my son sleep a lot better, by allowing him to breath alot better.
Hope this was somewhat helpful.

Take them to the doctor.

Go to the doctor as it could turn into a reaspirtory problem. That is one of the ways the flu attacks the little ones. Call the doctor!

The only time my daughter ever threw up from a cough, she had pneumonia. Take her to the doctor to have her lungs listened to by the doctor. Some pneumonia requires antibiotics - here's did and the cough was totally gone in 48 hours. Her dad had it as well and apparently gave it to her. COughs can be quite dangerous in young kids very quickly so I would avoid the OTC medication and have the kids examined.

A spoon full of honey will coat and sooth the throat, and act as a cough suppressant.

I give a spoonful to my son before bed and it really helps with the horrible cough he has right now...also, I put a wedge under him in bed to prop him upright. Sleeping in an upright position also helps him not cough so much at night.

On www.askdrsears.com they have an over the counter medicine they recommend that is safe for kids with colds. Sinupret or something like that...they also have the best advice to help get you through the worst of cold/flu season.

Good luck and hang in there we are all fighting the cold/flu/tummy bug season. Hugs!!

a previous poster suggest collodial silver. That is a natural antibiotic and does work wonderfully if an antibiotic is needed, but does no good if it's not. You deffinitely need to get a medication targeted at runny noses. You also need to get an expectorant (guathinasen but I don't know how to spell it.) Musinex makes a child's version but I just buy the store brand. You might only be able to find it in a version with cough syrup. If that is the case make sure that the runny nose med does not have a cough suppressant (you don't want to over medicate.)

Delsym and Robitussin CF are the best over the counter meds. we have found.

Check with the nurse at the Doctor's office and see which one the Doc prefers.

If I remember corretly, we have used Robitussin the day to get things moving and coughed up and Delsym at night to suppress the cough and let them get rest.

Be careful with Mucinex, as someone suggested you try. My kids sometimes throw up with Mucinex b/c it really can lead to aggressive coughing. SOunds like you already have some throwing up problems....may not want to add Mucinex to that.

Read all boxes carefully before buying and administering.

Try getting a cool mist humidifyer. We got one from Walgreens that is Winnie the Pooh. My daughter gets excited when she sees it. Also try putting vicks vapor rub on their feet and putting their socks on. It will help with the congestion. It they can sleep on an incline that will help as well. Using the saline solution called Ayr is good for cleaing the nose out. If possible, try not given them dairy while they have the mucus.

Hi M.,

I am sorry to hear that ur babies r sick....it's good that they spit up all that mucus but of course at night they need a good nites rest....rub vic's vapor rub on their chest and back and rub some on their feet....and put on socks....the coughing will stop so they can rest....hope this helps....hope they feel better soon.

Try Mucinex. It helps to break up the mucus causing the congestion. I love it.

My daughter, 22 months old, is just getting over the same exact thing.

Our pediatrician told us Children's Mucinex Plus Cough. Dosage: 1/2 teaspoon twice a day.

My daughter did this for 10 days. We finished the bottle. Before Halloween weekend, I decided to take her in b/c she still had her cough. It ended up she had gotten some fluid in her lungs which was diagnosed as pneumonia. It was such a small case that he was not concerned. He prescribed her some antibiotics for 5 days and said she could continue going to school and playing. The only thing she could not do was swim.

She never had any fever or acted sick. I was just concerned about the cough.

She just went back to the doctor and the pneumonia is gone and her cough is finally going away. She is still on the Mucinex.

With the exception of the chest congestion, this sounds like what my daughter had last year for months - sinusitis. If so, antibiotics are what the doctor will prescribe after confirming the diagnosis with an x-ray. If antibiotics don't work, in extreme cases, having the adenoids removed can clear up chronic sinusitis. That's what did it for my daughter. Have you been able to get to the doctor? If so, what does he/she say? Also, have you tried running a humidifier in their room(s) at night? That can sometimes help the congestion.

I don't think they sell/recommend over the counter decongestants for little ones anymore. It my only be 3 and up.

Have you checked with your Dr for medicine recommendations and to see if they have the flu? May be a good idea with it going around.

I would also suggest the old school humidifier and vicks rub.

Good Luck I hope your little ones get better soon. Sounds like you are all probably exhausted.

I have just discovered something I consider a miracle! Colloidal Silver (it's a liquid) You can get it at a health shop, don't know about a pharmacy or you can get it on-line. Myself and my 3 sons were coming down with something, we all took some and within 24 hours we were all fine. It's better to take it immediately when you start feeling something, so with your kids, it will take longer to get them well, but go on line and read about it. It really worked for us, and we all take a maintanance dosage everyday now. Hope this helps.

Try a humidifier and a vapor plug.

Hi M.,
so sorry your little ones are having these issues. If they are only having these problems during the nite time hours then I would try to find the cause. I would first look at your laundry products- regardless of what TV and other advertising media claim- there is always a harmful residue left in laundry even after several rinses. This residue comes from the chemical make up of laundry products. There is a product on the market that is not advertised in main stream media that is 100% void of chemicals and toxins that can remain in clothing and bed linens- and cheaper than store products- PM me and I will send you the link and you can do the research to see about this product. I am not trying to "sell" you anything- just helping you find a solution for your children without filling them full of over the counter stuff for their relief.
good luck and blessings

I would recommend children's mucinex. It thins the mucus and allows for it to come out/up. They have different types for your symptoms.
Good luck.

i saw the symptoms of the flu included throwing up! i was so supprised. perhaps your little one can tell you if he is achey all over. check if they are running a fever or not. with the little ones its hard to figure out there meds and dosage. we always call our pedi nurse and ask. most often we dont have to take him in!

You really should consider taking your small children to the pediatrician.......

Time to take them to the doctor! Estimating OTC meds for little kids can be risky and ineffective.

Hi, you can try Mucinex. I think they make one for kids.

I read some suggestions but honestly I think you need to see a doctor immediately. This is not the sort of thing you can figure out on your own. I hope you have insurance but if that is what is keeping you there are clinics that take you too. I hope she gets better! With the swine flu scare lately I am more on guard too. Not saying she has it! Just see the doctor do not try anything on here before you do:)

I would agree with some of the other posters that you should probably avoid all the OTC cold medications. The only thing that does any good with coughs is Mucinex - it loosens the mucus and makes their cough more effective. The other thing I agree with is that you should take them to the doctor. My daughter gets a bad cough that causes her to throw up every time she has a cold. Finally I took her to the pediatric pulmonologist and she put her on asthma meds. She is much better. So, maybe ask about that. God be with you!