Toddler Coughing All Night Long

It is possible that Asthma type things are going on. My son went through that. I would definately make an appointment with an allergy dr. Otherwise, rubbing vicks on her feet and putting socks on for sleeping, a WARM humidifier, and a little pillow should do the trick! If you are in Colorado Springs, Dr Soteres at Asthma and Allergy Associates is a great child Dr. My son loves him!

I have a wedge crib pillow I got from Amazon. You could also put a rolled or folded towel under the matress at one end to elevate it just a bit.

Hi A., looks like you have a lot of ideas here. I too use the vicks on the feet but also try warm apple juice before bed. It relaxes the air ways and is not as weird tasting as honey is to kids that haven't really had it before. Good luck and I hope your dd feels better soon.

I was also going to suggest the vapor rub on the bottom of the feet too. They even have vapor rub for babies. Seems weird, I know, but I just did it with my 18 month-old last night, put her in some feet pajamas and didn't hear a single cough all night. It's an easy thing to try before going to more serious methods. And, the baby stuff smells pretty good. My daughter likes it. :-)

Hi A.-
The Vicks and socks thing is awesome and it really works (on adults too). I put some on my baby's chest and back too. Get the Baby Vicks as it is a little less harsh. I hope she feels better soon.

Try Vick Vapor plugs ins and the rub for her chest.
The plug ins last up to 8 hours and fill air with that great vapor smell, rub some on her chest. I tried doing in on my kids feet last year, didn't help them but I hear it helps some people. Since you cannot elevate her crib try even giving her benadryl at night, it dries up the mucus that is draining down her throat, causing the irratation. My Dr always recommends a anti histamine if my kids have a lot of drainage with colds.
I wouldn't give her a pillow as she will roll off that probably too, try the rub for her chest and the plug ins. They are like $6 and come with three refills, it is a night light too, just remember to unplug it in the morning.
Good luck! Tis that time of year!

I agree with Sarah K. I have been giving Delsym to my 15 month old since she was about 1. The great thing about it is that it is a 12 hour cough medicine. It is also for adults, so you aren't buying two kinds for the family. I always have a bottle on hand. The dosages for kids meds for children are generally based on weight. Our kids are larger than average, so I have always given them meds earlier than recommended on the bottle IE Delsym and Tylenol. I do however cut the dosage in 1/2. I am always amazed at how well a 1/4 teaspoon of Delsym works. Hope this helps.

-M.

hello
i wonder if you are familiar with croup? croup generally flares up worse during the night time hours and can become severe if not treated properly. children between 6 months to two years or so are most prone to catching croup. does her cough sound like a seal barking? croup is basically the narrowing of the wind pipe resulting in the cough like a seal barking. see your doctor if she doesn't get better soon. and watch the lips and nail beds on her fingers, if the have a bluish tint she's not gettng enough oxygen. hope she feels better soon

My doc let us use a pillow at that age.
I don't know if anyone has said this, but I rub vicks on my kids feet and put their socks on. Don't know how the heck it works, but it does. It helps the coughing.

A.,
An old trick my mother used on her 7 kid, me on my 6 and all my nieces and nephews is a very simple one. Just mix about a tablespoon of softened BUTTER, not margarine, and add about 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar. Give her a little spoonful every 5 minutes or so until the cough is relieved. Mind you, this is an emergency ("I can't sleep until she does!") remedy. It sure works, though. It's not harmful, habit-forming or dangerous.
Good luck!

When my little one had the same symptoms, it turned out to be a manifestation of asthma. He wasn't really wheezing, just coughing. Breathing treatments stopped the coughing. You might check on that.
L.

i think pillows are fine after one year (that's when we started) but i doubt it will make much difference to the coughing. our pediatrician recommends keeping the room cold at night and putting more clothes on the baby (we're using a sleep sack now) because a warm room can irritate her throat even after the cold passes. it seems to be helping - our daughter is coughing much less now.

Have her checked for Asthma! My three year old was diagnosed a year and a half ago and had the exact same simptoms as your daughter. Her pediatrician thought it might be... but I got another opinion from a pediatrician that was a pulmonary specialist. We started the breathing treatments and he put her on a daily dose of singulair/chewables and has made a world of difference. Now she only gets coughing when she has allergies or a real cold. We just get her on a few breathing treatments to get it under control. He said she will most likely outgrow it someday because there is hardly any asthma in our family history. Though she did have RSV as a baby and this is a big reason why she has the asthma now. Good Luck.

You mentioned she's sick again. Could it be allergies? Our son so appreciates not coughing all night since starting allergy medicine.

Wow, this sounds like me a few weeks ago. I too have a 13 month old (9/22/07) and he started coughing really bad at night but not so much during the day. I took him to the doctor and he said he had a drainage issue caused by allergies and when he would lay down his nose would drain down his through thus causing him to cough all night and he put him on Zyertec (sp?) Two weeks have gone by and it has gotten worse, in fact over the weekend he would cry after sneezing or coughing so I took him in for a second opinion yesterday and found out he has Strep throat. I feel horrible that I let it go as long as I did.
So I guess I don't have any suggestions for you but just keep your eye out for this. When the doctor looked in his throat and I saw it for myself his throat was red really red. Good luck.

now that she's over a year old you can give her a half teaspoon of honey or so at bedtime, it will help coat her throat and calm down the coughing

You might think I am crazy - and maybe you've already heard this- but put some Baby Vicks rub on the bottom of your daughters feet then put on socks. I did this as a "well nothing else has worked" solution when my son was sick. And shockingly it works! I don't know how or why, and truthfully don't care as long as it stops the coughing! Good luck!

When my little has a cough I put vick's baby rub on the bottom of her feet it seems to help a lot.

I started using a crib and larger quilt in the crib at that age. I used a travel pillow with tightly fitting case (knit ones hug the pillow and don't roll off.) I made quilts that were about lap size and I tucked them way under the mattress. I think this also hel transition to the bed as the child gets used to sleeping in a directional manner under a cover.

I would also consider carpet cleaning and airducts. It is amazing. Finally did it (after saving up $600). My son and i both finally can breath when we wake up. also make sure she isn't getting mold in her room. Otherwise, maybe time to visit an allergist.

We had the same issue with our son last year. I was desperate and decided to attempt something that I had read in an Email. I slathered a bunch of Vapo-rub on his feet and put socks on him. Worked like a charm! Sounds like it doesn't work for everyone, but I think it's worth a shot. I would say a pillow for a 13-month old is fine. Good luck!

ugh i feel your pain, my daughter tends to get back to back colds during the winter months so i am constantly hearing this night-time cough. I am the only one who loses sleep due to it everyone else can zone her out which is good or we would have a lot more sleep deprived people in the house than just me. I have tried everything, except the vicks plugins. Might have to try those myself. I dont know if the vicks on the chest really helps or just makes things a little more cozy while trying to go to sleep. My daughter will be 2 in december and she sleeps on pillows and that doesnt really seem to help. One thing that does help is delsym (although they say you arent supposed to give a child under 6 now cough medicine, this really does help) The dosing wont say for children under 2 or 6 i dont remember but i have a guide that was released before they made this a general age and i give my daughter 1/4 tsp and she weighs 22.7 lbs (petite) Good luck I know how tiring this can be. Benedryl can help a little, i haven't had great luck with bendryl, claritan or zyrtec.

Buckwheat honey - one teaspoon. It REALLY does work - It does for my daughter!

The last time my daughter had a cough with her cold, the pediatrician said to give her a teaspoon of honey VERY last thing (after teeth brushing) before sleep. Honey coats the throat, relieving irritation. I didn't hear a peep that night or any other after that I've used that trick. Vick's Baby Vapo-Rub is great too.
Keep up the great mommin' A.!