Child Coughing at Night - No Other Symptoms

My son does this regularly with his asthma, but when it seemed to worsen we took him to the doctor and found he had a sinus infection. The doctor said also that allergies are to blame much of the time and they see this more often when the weather changes.

She might have post-nasal drip and of course, laying down only makes that worse. Additionally, IF she only has it when laying down, could be dust mites.. they like to burrow into mattresses and pillows and it's their , how shall I say this.. "left overs" that are what makes a person sick. Often kids are allergic to them. Dust mites are common in the bay area as they like that damp air...... it's a good breeding ground for them..hence, makes it hard to get rid of them. You can buy plastic pillow encasing and the same for a mattress that is suppose to help somewhat. I have heard that to know what or IF a child is allergic to something environmentally BEFORE about 6 or 7 is too young. why? because they haven't had enough time yet to experience a full year of seasons . It's only when they are older that doctors can begin to rule out pollen and hayfever.... for now, maybe it's a food allergy and that is what is causing the phelgm and in turn, the possible post nasal drip. I would take her to a children's ENT or your regular doctor (although they don't always know too much about allergies)
if it's that..
best of luck

I agree that you should talk to your doctor about asthma. Does your daughter sleep on her stomach? My son sleeps on his tummy and we found that he is allergic to fabric softener. He would cough at night and his nose would get stuffed up. As soon as I stopped washing his matress pad and sheets with fabric softener....he's been fine. Worth a try? Hope that helps.

Best of luck,
S.

My 18month son is going through the exact thing right now. I notice it more at night when he's sleeping (he also has no fever, but a slight runny nose which has been getting better). I had just called the advice nurse yesterday and she said there's nothing to give them at this age - and that it should sort itself out within 8-10 days. If it gets worse or doesnt improve by then, then I'd schedule something with the doc. She suggested a humidifer/vaporizer and said that he needs to cough in order to break up the phlegm and stuff so to just let nature take its course. My co-worker's pediatrician had advised giving her daughter a teaspoon of honey before going to bed. (They're old enough to be able to have honey now..) I tried that last night, and didn't hear any coughing last nite!

I agree. My son has asthma and would cough at night.

I would take her to the Dr's, my daughter had a really bad 'laying down' cough when she was 2, also. No other syptoms when she was up - actually decent energy. Turns out it was whooping cough, and she had to have serious antibiotics to get rid of it! The coughing was going on for a bout 3 weeks. It could be nothing but you would definitely feel better. Do you have an advise nurse you could call before you make an appointment? I find that they are always very helpful!

if you feel better about it, contact your dr. Sometimes it's dry air from the weather. My girls go through that for a few nights then it stops. Humidifier does help. Sometimes I put a little bit of vicks on their chest.

Hello,
My 8 month old son was doing the same thing for 2 months. I would bring him into the dr saying that I think he is sick bc he is coughing when he is sleeping at night and during naps. Every time the dr told me that he sounded clear. Finally I called again saying that this is not normal....she told me to try giving him 1/2 tsp of Zyrtec at night only to see if it was allergy related. Since then he has not coughed at night or during his naps and sleeps much better. May be worth calling the dr and see what they think. Good luck! I know how frustrating it can be.
J.

Applying vicks vaporub on bottom of feet usually helps stop the cough and sleep better. I give honey based homeopathic cough syrup (available at wholefoods) to my son whenever he has cough. However, if none of these help or show improvement and cough is lingering for more than three weeks, then visit the doctor.
-Rachna

you might want to think about asthma.. my daughter was diagnosed recently and one of the questions the dr asked was did she cough at night.. just a thought....good luck

When in doubt take her to the doctor.
Good luck

Sounds like it could be asthma, Your Doctor can tell you for sure

Yes, for asthma the kids cough more at night, or with exertion, etc. But if it has just been recently it could just be the crud that is going around right now. You can also try raising the head of the crib by putting a 2x4 under two of the legs. When I was little (I have asthma) I slept on a wedge to help with the congestion. It also helps when there is any post-nasal or just congestion for me or my son. If it is waking her up and seems to be bad, take her to the doctor, they can listen to her lungs. If it is something that just needs to be mentioned to the doctor, wait for her 2 year. I called my nurse recently and they are weighing the urgency against getting whatever it is that is going around right now. You can always ask for their opinion.

My daughter had similar symptoms last year at this time. I took her to the doctor and after getting a mis-diagnosis of a sinus infection I had her tested for allergies and found out she's really allergic to dust mites. The carpet in her room and her bedding were harboring the mites and the forced air heat in the winter makes the situation much worse.
We cleaned her carpet and had the heating system professionally cleaned. I also wash her bedding with hot water at least once a week. The cleaning of the heater system wasn't cheap, but her symptoms have been MUCH better this year.
I ended up giving her Claritin for a few months last year and that helped a lot as well. If the symptoms aren't too bad you can also try Hylands allergy tablets for children. They have really helped as well.
Good luck. Many children are allergic to dust mites and it's fairly easy to get your daughter tested.