Toddler with Cough

What worked for us last fall when my son had the cold/flu: steaming bathroom with eucalyptus oil in the water, saline drops throughout the day (we've always done them morning/night, but add a few extra times), tablespoon of honey and/or lemon juice in warm water (he would only take it on a spoon, like he was eating soup), chicken broth. I wouldn't use the Vicks, only because its to help clear and unclog, not really soothe/heal the throat? Good luck!

I'd nix the Vicks - it could be making it worse. Menthol triggers the body to create mucus and for some the body will make too much. There were are number of news stories on it a year or so ago, and I can tell you that as a child, my dad insisted on using Vicks on me and I almost died from an asthma attack.

Lots of fluids will help thin out the mucus and for some reason, chick broth does too.

Hang in there!

i also totally caved in and gave 1/2 a teaspoon of children's benadryl which is below the dr recommended dosage bc i was so nervous, but it was so worth it for her to get a good nights sleep. the coughing is probably from the post-nasal drip and the benadryl dried her up really well. i also was told to not rub any vicks anywhere on her.. my daughter is almost 19 months old.

I'd try honey and putting the Vicks on her feet with sock or her sleeper over it. I don't know why, but it works! Lots of fluids, and the humidifier. THis is just one of those things you have to get through! :-(

Sorry to hear your family is having such a rough go these last few nights. We are too - and for the same reason! My 4 year old has allergy induced asthma, but, despite only having outdoor related allergies, we seem to be experiencing the same cough every couple of months. That said, here are a few things we do in addition to those you already mentioned.

Push liquids - a lot of them. I take little guy to the grocery store to pick out his own juice boxes (which I typically don't buy, so it's a treat for him). He loves the looking at big bird, cookie monster, etc., and I'm just happy he's drinking a lot of something!

Elevate the crib/bed mattress. We usually fold a few bath towels and put them under the head of his mattress. It really does help with the post-nasal drip that irritates his throat.

People will surely doubt the following, but for us it does help. We limit the amount of dairy products during a cold. I usually limit or hold off completely his intake of milk, yogurt, etc. since it does seem to increase the mucus for our son.

I really hope these suggestions help - and sweet dreams to all of you :)

Try honey or warm (not hot) raspberry tea with honey. Good luck!

We just went through this a few weeks ago with my two year old. Keep up with the humidifier and Vicks. Also, elevate her mattress when she sleeps. We also tried honey, which I'm sure would have been great, except my child wouldn't take it (not even in tea). Finally, we gave her two shots of nasal saline spray in each nostril every time we changed her diaper. To our surprise, after about two days, she did not fight us on the spray - I guess b/c she realized it was helping her. Still, even with all of this, it took a good week until she was noticibly better, and about two weeks total until the cough was gone. It's a nasty thing going around! Good luck!

H.,
We LOVE Chestal cough medicine by Boiron! It's available at Whole Foods and it's homeopathic. It does contain honey, and it really helps when my 2.5 year old has a bad cough. I highly recommend it!

Good luck,
T.
Barefoot Books Ambassador
www.ReadandGrow.com

just so you know there is a cold out there were you cough all night long for 3 nights then just some during the day.
Good luck

my baby boy has an aweful cough too.....i have been putting a pot of water with some peppermint oil in it on the stove and letting it get real steamy in the house. It seems to help him and it actually refreshed me too:)

I've found that infant ibuprofen (motrin) sometimes helps with cough. I would keep an eye on her, though, and take her back to the doctor (or ER) if she's having trouble breathing or if you hear wheezing or rattling in her chest.

Sounds like you are doing everything right. As of now, there are no approved cough medicines, but some of these natural rememdies can help.

Good luck! (I've done the steamy shower one and it really does help)

http://www.ehow.com/how_###-###-####_soothe-toddlers-coug...

my son and i have both had coughs for about two weeks. i'm not overly worried because neither of us has any other symptoms anymore - the cold only lasted a couple days, but this cough is just hanging on forever. it's not really keeping us up at night though. i think it must just be a strain that's going around right now. don't they have cough/cold medicine for little ones that small? i thought after a year they could take them. i would look at the choices at the pharmacy, i'm sure there's something that could help her (and you) get some sleep.

You actually are not supposed to use Vicks on a child that age, it COULD cause severe respitory problems in some children. However, I'd guess that if the little one hasn't reacted adversely yet to it, then it is fine to use. As you probably know, you aren't to use cough medicine either...

I have four kids, all of which have had at one point or another a bad cough (usually in the wintertime) during a young age where we had to "wait it out". It WILL get better eventually. The thing that really gets me is that you can't really get them to spit out any mucus that they cough up, they will just swallow it. Therefore, a cough easily lasts longer with them than with older kids and adults.

Their doctor is right... HOWEVER, keep a good eye the coughing, and if it persists for what you think is TOO long, get your child back to the doctor- to ensure that they don't have pneumonia.

My 4 yr old has had the same thing for the last few days (today day 3 it seems to be subsiding). I have been giving my daughter cough medicine before going to bed , that seems to help. Also she has a pillow , I know yours is too young for a pillow but you could try propping her mattress up with some blankets so that she isn't led flat? Other than that not sure what else to suggest.

I agree with what most people said...push liquids, limit dairy, use the humidifer...and just keep an eye on her. Mine have awful colds, awful coughs, and fevers since Sunday night. We went to the Dr, today and they said a virus, but to certianly pay attention b/c they have been seeing a lot of cases of pneumonia. Good luck!

Saline nasal sprays, like Simply Saline, used several times per day will thin out the mucous and clear up the cough.

Keep an eye on it because my son had a horrible cough for over a week. He was diagnosed with the RSV virus but then that turned into pneumonia. If you feel it is getting worse head back to the doctor just to be sure it's not getting worse. I wish I could give you advice for the night, what everyone said is what I did. Unfortunately it took five nights of virtually no sleep before he got better and things got back to normal. Good luck, I know it's frustrating.

H.,
I thought you would like to read a few old threads that were on the same subject. I agree with the other Mothers. Honey. It is what worked best for us.
Our daughter had a cough for the better part of six weeks. Honey helped more than any over the counter cough syrup. It has also been tested against those cough syrups and did better.
We mixed it in 4 oz of non caffein camomile tea, 30 min before bed. The tea is said to help relax. I have also heard that caffeinated teas can help to relax the coughing reflexes. webmd.com
http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/14117349842414010369
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