Cough - Fargo,ND

my doctor said that cough syrups don't work either but last month my 15 month old had a pretty good cold and a cough to go with it. despite what the doc said i went and got PediaCare Infant Drops- Long Acting Cough. It worked!! i don't use it often, only when a cough is pretty persistant. i also use a little vicks on the chest to help her sleep when she is not feeling well too.

You might want to try elevating the head of her bed, not pillows under her head but could place the pillows underneath her mattress so that the heat to torso is in alignment (45 degree angle) and use warm humidifier. This will keep the secretions from pooling in the back of her throat.

It sounds like she has some kind of allergy. My child has night time allergies and some minor sinus problems. I took her to an allergist and she got better. I think you should get a second opinion about the cough 1 month is way too long to be coughing.

I know that this remedy may sound strange, but my mom used it on us when we were kids and her mom used it on her, I have used it on my kids a few times and it does work pretty good. It also helps soothe a sore throat from all the coughing. Use 2 tablespoons of honey 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and one teaspoon of whiskey, heat it in the microwave until the honey is soft enough to mix the other ingredients, wait for it to cool, but not get cold, the warmth also helps. It helps to clear and soothe and relaxes enough for sleep. You can also try some teas, traditional medicinals have alot of good teas for colds. Hope you find something. Good luck.

I have never bought any cough syrups. What works best is a closed window no draftd or fresh air at NIGHT as night air will make her cough more. Also the best homemade remedy ever that has always worked for my kids is honey in a cup with lemon juice either fresh lemons or the frozen bottle from Minute Maid its a yellow bottle in a black, yellow and white box found in the frozen juice section of your grocers. Stir in the lemon to a couple tablespoons honey. Till it looks like a good consistency. The honey coats the throat and the lemon juice heals the sore throat. It does not work instantly and takes a half hour to kick in . But your child will sleep through the night like a baby !So will you! Jean

We used Vicks Vapo Rub and put it on our son's chest. Also, there is a Vicks Vapo something (a liquid) that you can dispense on your humidifier, at least ours worked that way.

I don't know what else, maybe put a blanket under the matress in the direction that her head usually lays to elevate it a little. We've done that too.

Hope that helps. :) B.

First of all, I like your pediatrician! Don't give her medicine that has only been tested on adults, even products sold over the counter. Please don't even consider steroids without a 5th opinion.

Are you sure it's a common cold. Is she running a fever? If not, she could be having an allergic reaction to something in her crib. Also check her diet. Did she start eating something different a month ago? She could be sensitive to it at this age.

As for making her more comfortable, I like what Britta suggested. Vicks vapo rub on the chest and some Chamomille tea before bed. You can sweeten it with honey or molasses. My twins like molasses. If the humidifier is helping then keep using it.

Good luck,
Dr. L.

Elevate her head when she sleeps, this helps will he drainage and slows the cough. Also they have patches you put on their chests for cough cold symptoms that work really well. I hope I helped!

i don't know who you're seeing...but my son is 1 also and cough medicine works wonders on him. i give him pedia-care nighttime cough medicine. it works!! dimatapp also works. my son seems to have a constant cold right now and the lack of sleep was taking a huge toll on the both of us. thats when i found the pedia care. they only make it for 2 years and up. but you can safely give it to her. i give my son 2ml and it helps the both of us get some rest!

My son had the same thing...we called it a reacurring cough. It'd come and go mainly at night. He was tested for everything..asthma, allergies, etc. We finally took him to a Ear,Nose,throat specialist and found out it was his sinus'. The cough was caused by drainage from his sinus'. It took years and alot of test's to determine the cause. Once he was diagnosed w/ chronic sinutitis he was put on nose drops. It helped clear him up and the cough eventually went away. I would suggest you take her to an ENT and see if it's her sinus passage.

hi...we are close to in the same boat. i'm a 28 yr. old with a one year old daughter whose dad is KIND OF only home on the weekends. he works and goes to school so he is gone from 4:30 a.m. until 9 ish p.m. during the week. blah! this will all pay off someday, right?

so anyway, for the cough...try those sudacare plug-ins at night and baby vicks rubbed on her chest. that is what really helped us when my daughter, livia, had a cold.

good luck!
S.

Hi. I'm a manager at a local health foods and supplements store. Similar to Misty's advice, I would try adding some essential oils to your humidifier. Eucalyptus is good for colds, but it's really just for clearing nasal passages and sinus issues and probably won't do much to help the coughing. Thyme essential oil is highly recommended for respiratory ailments. There isn't any counterindications so you could add both to your humidifier. I would also, however, try a warm steam breathing treatment with the Thyme essential oil or even the whole herb added to the water. You'll have to be careful that the water isn't too hot for her and I'm not sure how long you can get her to lean over a pot with a towel on her head, but it's worth a shot. As an alternative, you can add it to her bath water. The warm steam and water really helps the oils penetrate into the lungs nad passages. In addition, I think it's excellent advice to prop her up and also to cut out ALL dairy as other people suggested.
Good luck and hope you get some sleep soon!

I would go BACK to the doctor, explain it AGAIN, andhave him run some tests.....coughs like this, that start from a runny nose MAY be a sign of allery induced asthma.....or some sort of allergy period...

L.,

Try a vaporizor (the hot ones) with the menthol smelly stuff. It works lots better than a cool mist humidifier. Vicks Baby Vapor Rub works well too, just make sure she's in tight pajamas so she can't easily get her fingers into it and then rub it into her eyes.

FWIW, when we went through this it got to the point where my son was coughing so much he'd vomit during the middle of the night. Not terribly restful for any of us. My pediatrician finally gave us Singular (they usually give it for asthma) and it worked like a charm. It comes in "granules" that you can mix with food or milk so it is easy to dose a little one. Abuterol syrup works okay too in my experience but not as well as Singular.

T.

I don't use cough syrups with my kids. However, there is an infant's tylenol cough and cold that works great. Also, I burn eucalyptus oil in my oil burner. This always seems to soothe the cough and clears the sinuses. You can by the eucalyptus oil at wild oats. They also make those night lights that you can put the vicks strips in and it makes the room smell. However, this can cause wheezing in young children. My naturopath also has us cut out wheat and dairy products when the kids are fighting colds. I don't pull out all dairy, just milk at first. If I don't see the cold clearing in a couple of days I pull all dairy out. Best of luck.

There is some cough medicine OTC called Delsym. It's a VERY GOOD cough syrup....it's strictly a cough syrup nothing else. But you can only give it every 12 hours! Read on the label of how much you can give..I believe it's 1/4 tsp for 1 yr old. But read the label. I LOVE THAT STUFF!
It's a bit pricey but worth every cent, for my sanity!
Turn off the cold mist for a couple nights, sometimes that could be a part of the problem.

Get the cough syrup today!! :o)

~D.

I always used Vicks vapor rub on their neck, chest and nose under their pj's. Try a little bit first to make sure her skin isn't too sensitive for it. I always used cough medicine tylenol cold for my kids and they worked.

I've had pretty good luck with Delsym in the past, but these days I'm inclined to "let it run its course". It is postnasal drip, so even a decongestant might help lessen that dripping. Sleep with pillows to elevate head. And just remember it will be over someday. There are worse ways to lose sleep... :( Good luck

hi L.

My daughter had the same symptoms however, she is 4 years. Is your daughter's nose green or clear? I suspecting it is allergies. I asked the dr to give her something for her cough but then noticed the watery eyes and running nose and sneezing. Ask your dr if it could be allergies and if there is anything she can take. My daughter takes Zyrtec, 1/2 tsp every 24hr. I only give it to her if she needs it but it works like a champ.

If you want to talk live let me know.

L.

My one year old just went through this. The turning point really seemed to be using the suction bulb to suck the snot out. She absolutely hated it, but it made a huge difference. I used it before naps and bedtime, when she woke up during the night and sounded snarfly, and any other time she had a major snot-fest going on. After a few days now, she's doing great.

Of course, maybe it just needed to run it's course!

Our doc recommended AGAINST night-time decongestants, saying it doesn't stop the production of mucus, just dries it up so it doesn't flow (so in other words it gets blocked up in the sinuses or something, I guess).

Good luck!

Just to add to the response you got about the honey lemon and whiskey if you mix it in some tea it makes it easier to drink.

My son went through this. He was sick for what seemed to be 2 months when he was around 18 months old. I thought it was seriuos too but at the time I did not have any medical. so I had him sucking on those suckers they sell in the cough drop isle and put vicks on all the time. the baby vicks has lavender in it and might help her sleep better. also if you coulds take a hot bath with her with the bathroom door closed to let the steem get to her lungs that might help right before bed time. The cold steem can't be that great all the time. the lavender hot bath will do fine. I think they ell a sleepy time bath for babys with colic. try that. that way she'll sleep and might not keep you up all night. make sure she is drinking plety of water before bed. and her throat might not be as dry. I hope it helps.
A.

One thing I discovered with my children when they had colds like this, and since the doctor states her chest sounds clear, and she has a runny nose, this means the cough is from all the fluids draining. One thing I did for both my daughters that helped a great deal was propping them up at night, maybe bundled in a carrier or with pillows. If they were old enough to take children's cold medicines I only gave them those for runny noses (cough suppressants won't work with this) at night so she (and I) could get a good night's rest. The rest of the day I lets the fluids drain and gave them lots of juice and water to drink. Also, it may be a persistant tickle in the throat and sometimes just a few bites of bread helped ease the scratching that caused the coughing.

Hope this helps!

HI, have you all thought maybe she could be having an acid reflux problem? I do know that produces a cough as well. I get that patch that goes on their chest. I can't recall the name but that helps for kiddo's and yes I used it on a one year old and he did just fine.

I had been having the same situation with my 2 year old son. I took him to the doctor because it was the same night after night and day after day, cough cough cough. I thought I was going to go insane. The doctor at my local urgent care finally gave me another answer than just "he has a cold, there is nothing you can do but let it pass". He told me that my son may have an allergy to something. He perscribed him a mild histamine blocker (Clarinex) and started him on an inhaler )albuterol) once daily. Since the night he started taking those, we all have slept, peacefully. I hope this might help.
T.

I have a daughter who gets this cough every now and then, actually she has it now, it's been a week and when she gets it, it's a hacking cough, nothing like it sounds when she is congested, just plain dry and hacing, I was told it was due to a allergy fromour dogs and the puppies, so I give her allergy medicine and it helps her sleep at night, if it is a congestive cough, I rub her chest with vapor rub,along with the humidifier, prop her head up and keep her cool. they do tend to cough alot when their body gets to warm, and I lay her on a cool sheet and usually put a little bit of cornstarch across her forehead to keep her cool, and it has worked on her since she was a baby, and with all 4 of my kids as well, my mother told me this is what her grandmother would do for her, and it is weird but it works for me.if this doesn't work, then it just may be her sinus's really clogged up.

My daughter doesn't cough but since she was born she as been very congested which makes her not be able to breathe well and in turn makes her cough. Her doctor told me that it is not common for a child under two to have allergies, but she was pretty sure that my daughter does. She said just to give her some benadryl and even if they do not have allergies it will help them sleep and won't cause any damage. I normally am agaist medication but it has really seemed to help her breathe better and sleep really well. You might want to ask your doctor if benadryl could help.

a lot of times a cough can be from post nasal drip. have you tried a decongestant?

This may just be one more thing--but if you are feeding her dairy products already, it could be an allergy. That was the problem with my daughter. That or mold in your house. That was my other problem. I took my youngest of three off dairy and her congestion improved; then we moved to a mold-free house and her symptoms completely went away. She hasn't had a problem since. Incidentally, organic milk doesn't seem to bother her at all while regular milk gives her hives and congestion. But I'd take her off dairy completely.

Have you tried giving her some benedryl? It will dry up the snot production.... which is likely draining down her throat, making her cough.

It sounds to me you should seek a second opinion. This may be allergies as a cold "usually" is gone within a week or so. Especially if her nasal drainage is clear. Increasing cough at night could be an indication of mite allergies too.

I have had 5 children, and there is cough meds out there appropriate for pediatrics.

I wish you the best and "feel" your pain and frustration!

Always get a second opinion! I gave my children cough syrup at a young age. It enabled them to breath better and get a good night's rest. My pediatrician recommended Robitussin in small doses (and it worked wonders). Has your pediatrician checked to see if maybe your child has allergies? I was surprised to discover my youngest daughter had a cough and a nasty runny nose because of allergies!

Hi L.,

My son was two when he had a cough that lasted what seemed like forever. We took him to the doctor several times and he also sounded clear in the lungs. His pedetrician recommended Delsym cough syrup. I swear by the stuff now because it really did help him. However, I am unsure if it would be okay for your daughter that is so young. Otherwise I also used a humidifier or I used the sudafed plug ins (works like a night lite too). Those work well.

Good luck & I hope she gets to feeling better.
M.

L.~
My son battled and still does from time to time with the same thing one thing that worked well with him was I put a pillow under his crib matress so he was elevated while he slept. Along with the humidifier I also after his bath and before he got him pj's on I rubbed his chest and back with Childrens Mentholatum (not vapor rub) its cherry scented so its not as strong as the real stuff and I think breathing that in all night long in the long run helped the cough too. As much as I love Doctors sometimes there advice is not all that great I think that pedia care makes a cough formula I would encourage you to try some of that when she wakes up and is coughing so badly or even just try some before she goes to bed and then maybe repeat the dose around Midnight when she wakes up. I used all these things and I found that Noah got better faster. I hope that I have given you something to work with and that you both get a good nights sleep soon.
Good luck
A.

My pediatrician recommended PediaCare cold and cough-I think it works great!

Hi L.. You can ask the pediatrician if your baby can do breathing treatments using a nebulizer (with albuterol sulfate). My kids' pediatrician always recommends that I give them this breathing treatment whenever they have a cough. It really helps ease the coughing especially at night because the treatment goes directly to the lungs. This works even better on infants and babies since their lungs are so tiny!

The nebulizer would have to be ordered from a medical eqpt supplier by the doctor and the albuterol sulfate is a prescription that you can get from any pharmacy. So call the pediatrician and just ask her about this. It wouldnt hurt! I hope this helps and good luck to you and your baby. Hope she gets well soon!!

Hi L.,

My daughter had pneumonia last month and this month she developed bronchitis, apparently related to the pneumonia (lingering infection)... it all started with similar symptoms like the ones you've described... Not saying that's what your daughter has, but so you can keep a closer eye to her symptoms... are they getting better or worse? does she have a fever?... Sometimes they will run a fever, but it should not last more than 3-4 days, if it does, I don't care if the doctor's saying her lungs sound clear, take her back and be persistent...

A similar experience happened to us last month, where we took our daughter to the doctor on a Tuesday and they told us her lungs were clear and even took x-rays...they told us she had a virus and to let it run its course and sent us home... 2-3 days go by and she was not getting any better. I kept telling my husband that I felt she needed an antibiotic or something... My gut feeling kept telling me to take her back to the doctor. We ended up taking her into Urgent Care that following Saturday to find out that the x-rays they had taken DID show a pneumonia and she DID need medication...You can imagine how upset we were. This is not to scare you, but to emphasize how a Mother's gut feeling is usually correct. So if you're not satisfied with the doctor's diagnosis (or lack of diagnosis), take her back and get a second opinion.

If it's indeed just a cold virus which needs to take it's course... if she has a fever it should not last more than 3-4 days AND you can still give her Infant's Cough medicine at bedtime... not throughout the day, but "at bedtime" to help her sleep better. I know your doctor said it doesn't work, but that's what our doctor recommended and it worked...Our doctor even prescribed a medication called "Rondec" (for cough and other cold or allergy symptoms), which I'd never heard of before, but it worked! I know everyone's different, and what works for one might not work for another, but it's worth a try.

I can honestly tell you that I understand what it's like to have a sick baby whose cough doesn't let "her or you" sleep. You feel spent... tired (exhausted!) and helpless to see your child feeling so miserable.

I hope your little one gets to feel better soon so you can both get some needed rest :)

Z.

Maybe she does have an allergy to something in your home. I would consider that a possibility. Maybe you changed something like a cleaning product or pet etc.. It could also be the change in the weather where its getting colder and she has a problem with her sinuses but i would check for the allergy.

What I have found that works is elevate her head, if she is still in a crib, take a pillow and stick it underneath her mattress so that her mattress gets a slight incline. It will help the "junk" from her nose not run down into her throat. This works when my one year old gets a cold. I hope this helps.

Hello, Have you tried to incline the head of her bed? My son sleeps a little better if I put some pillows under the head of his bed and we use baby vix vapor rub. I've noticed that a hot bath before bed helps to loosen things up. I've tried letting cold run their corse as the doctors say to, but they always get worse for us and end up in our lungs. I prefer decongestion medicine at the start of a cold and it seems to do wonders as far as keeping the medicine out of our chest and throat. There's been many nights where we've slept in the recliner next to the vix vaporizer; here's hoping you get better sleep.
K.