Coughing Only at Night, Only in His Room?

Did you paint the room recently?
Is his mattress new and fume out some toxins. Toys sometimes have fumes they trigger coughing.
I work with chemical insensitive people.

Updated

Did you paint the room recently?
Is his mattress new and fume out some toxins. Toys sometimes have fumes they trigger coughing.
I work with chemical insensitive people.

Is there carpet in his bedroom? That might be the problem. Maybe get it professionally cleaned. I think Stanley steamer does an allergy cleaning. Or remove the carpet completely.

One of mine only coughed at night, lying down and it was post nasal drip. No other signs. He just had it collect in the back of his throat and it would tickle and he'd cough. Hack. To the point of almost being sick. Water by bed. Also in the end my child went on antihistamines to dry it up. But that was after a doctor checked him over, diagnosed the problem and told us what to get.

I have a child who is allergic to dust mites. He outgrew the coughing bit, but when he was young, he would cough non stop. I switched his bedding and bought dust mite mattress and pillow protectors. Also got rid of stuffies in his bed.

Just two ideas - if it were me, I'd take him in and have them check his throat and have them examine him. He can't be getting much rest and at 3, he really needs it. Not to mention it must be disturbing the other one's sleep (at least somewhat).

Besides the deep cleaning suggestions already, where is his room? Is there a chance it is drier than your own? My in laws put a humidifier in their sons' room. While he was fine in their room, their youngest would get really stuffed up and cough all night when moved to the other bedroom. Their room is closer to the kitchen and bathroom and gets the humidity from both cooking and showers while the boys' room doesn't. The humidifier has helped a lot.

Perhaps there is an allergen in his bedding?

I suggest this because, while our kid doesn't have this problem, we noticed something with our cats. When we first got Sally, she was having asthmatic reactions to something, we didn't know what. What I have noticed over the last two years (and it only clicked this summer) is that she didn't have problems in the summer, just in cool months.

My guess is that it's the feather down duvet we were using. We take it off the bed in summer. No reactions, no waking up at 3 a.m. to her wheezing. We are replacing it with a hypoallergenic duvet this time around. :) So, check for feathers in his bedding, as well as doing a deep cleaning. Also check UNDER the bed, box spring, etc, in case there's something amiss down there. Of course, it could be humidity/lack thereof, but it's good to check the bedding nonetheless.

I have allergies and certain things will make me cough over and over. It's like a tickle in my throat. I use dust mite pillow covers and mattress cover. I got rid of all carpets. The kids have mild allergies too. The kids and I got tested (the back scratch test) which was nice to learn exactly what we are allergic to and how allergic (but expensive). Often this can lead to allergy induced asthma the doctor tells us. I have to use cleaning products that are natural with no fragrance. No dryer sheets. No perfume. His room could have loose windows that let in more pollen when things are blooming...there is a fall bloom too that affects me. I have not tried a humidifier or a quality air purifier, but I know people who say that helps too. Raising the head while sleeping helps. It could be what is in his pillow! Or what they stuff his comforter with if it is different from your bed. I take a Zyrtec every day and also Nasal spray (2 kinds) which work a totally different way on the body. If things get really bad I will take a Sudafed. I know you don't want to put all this in your kid though! It is worth it for me. My kids will take children's Claratin or a Children's sudafed if their allergies are crazy bad (which usually is only certain times of the year). Focus on cleaning his room, carpet, pillows, comforter, and check the air ducts. He could be allergic to a mold that is in the wall or carpet in that room He could have more dust/dust mites. It could be what his bedding is made of. Anything you can think of. Good luck.

allergins in carpet, mould in the wall, flowers outside of a old drafty window, different older mattress thats full of dustmites and such?
i would do a deep cleaning and remove any carpet, if its still an issue talk to the chids dr, my pedi put my son on a 24 hr allergy med.

Maybe dust mites?

http://www.webmd.com/allergies/tc/controlling-dust-dust-m...

Sounds like maybe an allergy to something in the room.

Something in his room is causing this. Deep cleaning should help including cleaning the mattress and box springs, carpeting, rugs, and wiping down all baseboards, walls, and toys.

Why only in his room sounds like there's something in there that he's allergic to.

Get him a new mattress and buy a plastic cover that encases the entire mattress. There are non-allergenic mattress covers (so he can't hear and feel the plastic) - get one of those. Research what kind of pillow to get him. Wash his sheets in hot water.

Is there carpet in the bedroom? If there is, pull it out of the bedroom. Hardwood floors only. Wash the curtains. Don't let a pet in his room.

You should really go to an allergist and have him tested. It might not be easy, but he needs testing at some point. My sister did the exact same thing - my daddy used to walk the floors with her while she coughed. I don't know why it was at night, but it was bad. She ended up getting allergy shots, and over time, she got much better.

You have to be like a detective with things like this. It's really important.

It sounds like there is something about his room that is making him cough. Something that isn't present in your room or other rooms of the house.

A scented plugin or other product in there?
An aquarium or cage pet?
Potted plants?
Carpet vs hardwood? Or perhaps the carpet in the kid's room is vacuumed/cleaned less often because their clutter makes it a pain?
Stuffed animals that haven't been washed in a long while?
A problem with humidity? Sometimes people use humidifiers when they are sick/for sick kids, but sometimes it can cause a mold/mildew issue.
Is the coughing twin's bed under/near a window? An air draft can be drying, and it can also stir up dust from the sill and curtains, causing a terrible throat tickle.

Get him checked out for cough variant asthma.

Is his head propped up in your bed (i.e. bigger pillows)...that might help to stop the coughing. Maybe he needs 2 pillows instead of one. Also, you should actually wash his pillows, bedding and put a plastic allergen cover over the mattress. It would seem like the same allergens are in your room though unless there's an animal that sleeps in his room.

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I would definitely have the room checked for mold. My friend had a problem with her breathing/asthma for a couple of years before discovering there was mold in her bedroom that she never new about. After taking care of the mold, her symptoms cleared.

My daughter coughs at night. It's usually post-nasal drip. You can have him tested by an allergist to see if he has allergies and bring it up to the pediatrician who may suggest some sort of antihistamine at bedtime.