My 2 year old gets colds often, but at the start of every cold, he gets a dry cough for about 24 hours that keeps him (and everyone else) awake for the entire night! I have tried everything I have heard of to get him to stop coughing (Vicks on the feet, on the chest, Tylenol w/ Codeine (from a previous drs visit), humidifiers, honey, tea). Nothing works! Right at this moment my son is passed out cold on our living room florr b/c he didn't get any sleep last night. I feel so bad for him.
hello...i know you said you tried honey...but have you tried BUCKWHEAT honey? it works great for my son! definately relieves his cough! i hope he gets better soon!
My 4 year old son has a similar experience when he gets a cold, but he also has seasonal allergies and it is the same cough. He takes Zyrtec for his seasonal allergies and I started giving it to him at night when he got a cold because for him, it is the post nasal drip that causes his cough. They are now selling Zyrtec over the counter. Benadryl would have a similar effect, but Zyrtec lasts 24 hours. Maybe it is post nasal drip that causes your child's cough as well. I don't know the dosage for a two year old, but maybe you can ask your doctor or maybe it is on the label. I hope this helps.
My son had a very bad respiratory infection (bronchiolitis & croup) when he was 10 mos. old and I got a nebulizer for the wheezing and coughing, and now just about every respiratory infection I have to give him 1-2 days of nebulizer treatments b/c of the bad coughing and tightness he experiences. I understand that b/c he had that original infection that made him predisposed to having future asthma-like symptoms. Did something similar happen with your son? Maybe you should see someone regarding allergies or a pulmonologist to try to find out the actual trigger. I know my son would be so much worse if I didn't have the nebulizer, it helps his dry, irritating cough immediately and I can tell when the 4 hrs. is up and he needs another treatment.
My daughter had a similar problem with a constant cough and my pediatrician recommended nasal saline. It really seemed to help. It's a little bottle and you give a squirt in each nostril. They won't like it at first, but will get used to it. The idea is that it clears out the nose and throat of irritants. I use Ayr nasal saline (just plain nasal saline, not their other treatments) about 4-6 times per day when she's sick/coughing and for a few days afterwards to make sure everything is cleared out. My doctor says you can't do it too often. It seemed to clear things up for my daughter.
Good luck!
