4 y.o. has HORRIBLE COUGH - suggestions?

[Mamma2004]

I know I can't give him any sort of medication but I am hoping that there is a TnT remedy that might work. He was well enough for school today but now he is hacking miserably and keeps asking me to help him :-(

I need to teach tonight and unfortunately he makes the trip with me. We won't be home until 8:30 and by then I'm sure we'll be desperate.

Thanks so much for your thoughts!

[caheinz]

Honey is supposed to work wonders. Haven't tried it yet.

1 teasp, or a small amount of tea sweetened with honey should do the trick...

Good luck!

[Tondi G]

thoughts would be

Warm tea and honey
chicken noodle soup
hot bath with vapor bath
vicks vaporub
I've heard that Vicks on the soles of their feet and then putting socks on to keep the feet warm helps with coughs at night!

I would give him a dose of Motrin too in case the cough hurts or is giving him a headache from hacking

does he have a runny/stuffy nose? If so the cough is probably from a post nasal drip and your best option would be an antihistmine like Dimatapp to dry him up. I use it at bedtime if they are really coughing and their nose gets stuffed up. Helps them sleep too!

Hope he feels better.... my 7 year old has a nasty cough right now too... it's going around big time in our neck of the woods!

[kedss]

hi-

my ds gets bad coughs too, no fevers, just coughs, my mom, who is a ped thinks it may be partly asthmatic, he seems to worse when there is a seasonal change or high molds. maybe thats something to look into?\

nak

[WatchingThemGrow]

Running the humidifier while he sleeps, and Vicks vapor rub on his feet are our two first options.

[Gena]

Personally, I feel very comfortable giving my 4 year old a 1/2 teaspoon of Delsym for a very bad cough. It has a single active ingredient, is very effective, and has an agreeable taste.

Of course, some parents want to avoid all medications and I respect that. It's a personal decision.

[sidmand]

I have also heard that honey works wonders. We tried it, but DS wouldn't take it. But I know mothers IRL who had tried other medicines and found honey worked best!

[KpbS]

Running the humidifier while he sleeps

I've found this helps greatly. Fill it up all the way and then crank it up all night long.

We tried the honey last winter and it helped some I think. Not as much as I hoped it would. :( Keep him hydrated w/ water, juice, soups, gatorade, etc. and that will help.

You can elevate his pillow some if he is having problems w/ congestion at night.

Hope he feels better soon.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Honey, humidifier and lots of water help a bunch.

Beth

[KrystalS]

The humidifier is the only thing that has helped us other than prescription cough medicine from the doctor. DD had a horrible cough for over a week about 6 months ago, none of us were getting any sleep. I tried everything that others have posted, honey, vicks on the feet, and after not sleeping for 2 days I tried several OTC cough medicines, nothing worked. I finally took DD to the dr to find out that it was allergies. He gave us cough syrup and it was the only thing that worked.
I feel for you! Nighttime coughs are the worst!

[elaineandmichaelsmommy]

We use delsym for bad nighttime coughs. It does work VERY well, but be careful with it. We've used it a couple of times for bad coughs that have both in the end needed antibiotics, one of those time was pnumonia(sp?). But for a night or two I don't see the problem myself.

We also find that the humidifier works well. I've never tried the honey or the vicks. Good luck.

[DrSally]

Honey? I think I read it is supposed to help nighttime coughs.

[neeleymartin]

i agree with the vapor rub on the feet. we use the baby rub. more natural ingredients. i forget whats in the adult version, but something that i read to avoid. i also smear it on his chest.

the humidifier works also. vicks makes a liquid to add to it. makes the room smell "vapory"

good luck.

[gatorsmom]

Vicks vaporub smeared on their chest under their pjs (the menthol seems to be calming), and a warm- air humidifyer set on high humidity has always helped us. Oh, and keeping them well hydrated with gatorade or whatever they want to drink has been our best bet.

I try to stay away from those things that shoot vapors into the air- I just don't want them breathing that stuff. I also don't want it sticking to our walls.

hth

[Mamma2004]

Thank you for all of your suggestions thus far. DS has been hacking all night long and I just left his room to check the Internet for anything else I might be able to do.

He has had lots of fluids and I made him a very healthy soup with organic chicken broth, pureed veggies (celery, onion, garlic, lots of carrots) and organic, whole grain alphabets. He has eaten nearly all of it in two days. I also tried the honey trick - he hated it but got down at least 1/2 tsp. I rubbed Vicks on his feet and also on his chest. His room has the humidifier running and his head is up on the pillow (we tried two but it was ridiculously high for him).

I'll call the dr after 8:00 to ask if he should be seen.

AAAAAARGH, it's just awful when little ones are sick. I am so grateful to have the support of the BBB, now and always. Thank you!

[nfowife]

I concur on the delsym.

[Mamma2004]

I concur on the delsym.

OK, I am emerging from my anti-medicine mentality to ask about delsym. I am totally ignorant - what is it and how do I get some?

Thanks!

[o_mom]

Just a suggestion for tonight - I find that elevating the end of the mattress by putting folded/rolled towl under it works better than extra pillows. They just don't stay on the pillows or they look too high.

[WatchingThemGrow]

OK, I am emerging from my anti-medicine mentality to ask about delsym. I am totally ignorant - what is it and how do I get some?

Thanks!

Delsym is fabulous - for me! The last bottle I bought was at a drugstore and on the very bottom shelf, maybe with an orange label. It always worked. Never tried it on DC.

[egoldber]

Delsym never worked for Sarah and then I was irritated because it's long acting so I couldn't give her anything else.

I would try a single ingredient Benadryl (diphenhydramine) first and then add a single ingredient expectorant medicine (guaifenesin) if that doesn't help.

[Melbel]

I suggest that you may want to have him checked by the pediatrician to rule out bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma and/or allergies. My kids have had wheezing and crackling (indicative of pneumonia) on several occasions that was only detected because I took DC in. Other times, their chests were clear, but I simply cannot tell without a stethoscope. If it is in fact more serious, it is better to catch it early.

[supercalifragilous]

We live by the honey around here. I used to swear by Delsym too but just got tired of medicating DD all the time. I did LOVE it b/c it lasted so long!

Now we just give buckwheat honey by the spoonful. I don't bother with diluting it in tea or hot water b/c DD would just take longer to drink the supersweet tea. This way she downs a spoon of honey and I feel like it coats the tickle in her throat just as well.

If it's postnasal drip, I put a wedge in her bed to elevate her head, and that seems to help a lot too.

[Gena]

OK, I am emerging from my anti-medicine mentality to ask about delsym. I am totally ignorant - what is it and how do I get some?

Thanks!

Delsym is a single ingedient cough suppressant. It lasts 12 hours and has a pleasant orangy flavor. Most drug stores carry it.

Like anything else it works great for some people and not for others. I love it for myself and for DS. My parents use it too.

The adult and pediatric formulas are the same, even though the picture on the packaging looks different. Both packages show the dosing for adults and kids. This is nice because you only have to buy one bottle for the whole family.

Here's there website with product info:
http://www.delsym.com/Default.aspx

ETA: I only give DS the Delsym for coughs due to colds/viruses and not for coughs related to his asthma. Over the years I've learned how to tell the difference.

[fauve01]

honestly, the ONLY thing that works for DD when the cough is keeping her up all night long is the prescription cough syrup with codeine. i hate to give it to her, but it is the ONLY thing that works for her. i figure she needs to rest to overcome the cold, so we use it.

DD takes singulair daily for allergies. earlier this year, we travelled overseas and ran out of singulair. when we got home, dd had a cold and was coughing at night. i assumed she cought something on the plane, but after a couple weeks, i finally took her in. DD's ped mentioned that one of the interesting effects of singulair is that it *really* helps a lot of kids with coughing at night. it was sure true with DD!

to the OP, i second the PP who said to take your DC to the doctor and make sure there are no underlying serious lung issues.

anne + DD 10-03

[ThreeofUs]

Well, the researchers say that the only thing that make the medicines seem effective is the coating it puts on DC's throats - which you can get with honey or other sweet/thick liquids (like molasses), if you don't follow them up too quickly with liquid like juice or water.

We get great results with diluted honey, but I must say I'm not sure I believe the research, b/c we used use a 1/2 dose of an OTC cough suppressant and got really good results. But that's the consensus among the medical community.

I'd second raising the mattress, too, as this provide cough-free drainage.

Best of luck to you and your little one!

[KrystalS]

honestly, the ONLY thing that works for DD when the cough is keeping her up all night long is the prescription cough syrup with codeine. i hate to give it to her, but it is the ONLY thing that works for her. i figure she needs to rest to overcome the cold, so we use it.

DD takes singulair daily for allergies. earlier this year, we travelled overseas and ran out of singulair. when we got home, dd had a cold and was coughing at night. i assumed she cought something on the plane, but after a couple weeks, i finally took her in. DD's ped mentioned that one of the interesting effects of singulair is that it *really* helps a lot of kids with coughing at night. it was sure true with DD!

to the OP, i second the PP who said to take your DC to the doctor and make sure there are no underlying serious lung issues.

anne + DD 10-03

Same issues here! DD takes daily singulair and claritin. I've found that if we run out and she misses several doses she will get a runny nose which then leads to a nighttime cough. The cough syrup with codeine is a life saver if she has a bad night time cough. I try not to use it but sometimes its our only choice aside from no sleep!

[randomkid]

Late coming into this, but how is your DS doing? Have you taken him to the ped? When I hear of a horrible cough that persists, I start to think of bronchitis, or possibly pneumonia. I have had bronchitis many times and that cough is terrible.

I agree with giving a cough medicine, maybe an expectorant would help? It thins secretions. I think you are doing all you can - push fluids.

[Mamma2004]

Thanks so much to everyone! I did call the ped.'s office yesterday and when the nurse heard DS cough, she said to bring him in. We saw our regular doctor (whom we adore) and after thoroughly checking out DS, he declared it a cold. I am relieved but I still wanted him to be able to sleep so I asked Dr. N. what more I could do. I ended up giving him 1/2 tsp. of Robitussin (sp?) and while not a miracle cure, it definitely enabled him to get significant rest.

We'll keep up with the steamy bathroom, the humidifier, the homemade chicken soup, the extra fluids, etc. but DS refuses to try the honey again (too bad - I love it!).

Thanks again and I hope your kiddos stay healthy!