My Child Has an Awful Cough

Call the doctor if it lasts more than a week! But try to use triamenic strips they seem to work pretty good or panda care or walmarts brand dimatap night time flu that kicks but truly does!

Hi M.. Im Gail, sorry to hear your little one is sick. I'm not sure if I put in my profile that I am a R.N and former employee of USF Early Steps. I am a stay at home mom now. Back to your issue, often children can develop bronchitis following an URI (Upper respiratory infection). I would recommend you bring your daughter to the doctor for an evaluation. Hope she gets better soon. Regards, Gail.

Please take your little girl to the doctor. Often a hacking cough is a sign that it has procressed from a little cold to some thing else. Some thing you could do until for some temporary relief is to run the shower in the bathroom and let it steam up. The steam will help with the sinuses. If she was older you could let her take a warm steam bath, but at 2 I am afraid that would be too warm. Some times rubbing children's vicks vapor rub on her chest will help to so she can rest. And make sure she's drinking plenty of fluids. Also mint flavered or pepermint flavored candy will some times open your sinus up. But if she's not old enough to safely suck on it, I wouldn't try it. I don't know if it's true or not, but I have heard to avoid dairy products, it thickens the mucus I have been told.

Take her to the Doctor. Recent studies have proven that OTC cold medicine is not only ineffective, but could be downright dangerous in very young children. You've proven to yourself by giving it to her and yet she is still having troubles. Please stop using the OTC medicine and take her to see a professional. Most of those types of medications are not formulated for children under the age of 6. Be careful.

My nearly 2 yr old son had the same symptoms. It started with congestion, a cough, and the inability to sleep well. It persisted for a week with the same symptoms and no fever to speak of. I took him to the doc on last Thursday and she told me that bronchial infections are going around right now and that she couldn't hear breath sounds on one side of his chest. She perscribed an antibiotic and in 2 days he is back to normal.

I use Infant Robitussin to help with coughing along with a cool mist humidifier, and sometimes I even use some the infant vicks rub on his chest. Also be sure to rule out allergies as a cause. Wash all bed linens and stuffed animals in hypoallergenic or non-deoderant soap and do the same for your fabric softner sheets. Make sure your airfilters are changed regularly and dust your babies room when she's not home. Try to avoid strong fragrances, my son is very sensitive to the bedtime lavendar soap and lotion. Good luck and I hope this helps.
Sincerely,
E. P. and Benjamin

You don't mention taking her to the doctor, but I would say that would be the best thing to do at this point if over the counter medicine is not working. It could be something more serious than a cold. Especially if it has been more than a week.

Please take her to the pediatrician so you can rule out bronchitis, bronchiolitis or pneumonia. Anytime a normal childhood condition occurs and then worsens, it's wise to check with the doc.

Good luck!
K.

I got an email from my mom the other day about a cure for bad coughs. Try putting vicks vapor rub on her feet (make sure their clean first) and then put socks over her feet. It's suppose to give them a warm feeling all over like a blanket wrapped around them and within an hour the cough is suppose to lessen. I haven't tried it myself but if push comes to shove try it. Hope this works/ helps. Good luck.

Take her to the hospital or to a doctor .Or it may get worse .

If it were me, I'd take her to the doctor. When a little child's symptoms go from bad to worse, why take any chances? They're so tiny, and they're immune systems are not very strong yet. Plus, you have another little one to worry about as well, not to mention yourself and your husband. What if what your daughter has is contagious and the rest of you wind up catching it? The whole family will be miserable, and you won't be able to care properly for your girls because you would be too miserable yourself. Like I said, if she's gone from bad to worse, why risk it?

take her to the DR it might have turned into bronchitis :( but to relieve it some get a cool mist humidifier. it will thin the mucus and still allow her to cough to bring it up, the trick isn't to stop the coughing its to thin the mucus so it takes less coughing to bring it up, ok my kids old pediatrician was chief of ped at the local hospital where we used to live, he was one of the few who could diagnose my daughter's asthma because its not the wheezy asthma its the coughing asthma, basically her lungs just close up and she quits moving oxygen right, coughs her head off and needs to have a neb treatment before she will start wheezing. seriously tho the humidifier shoiuld help and thin the mucus and open her up.

Both of my daughter had this a few months ago. They just kept a cough,especially at night a week after the colds got better. I took them to the doctor and they both had sinus infections. It is common for kids' colds to lead to a sinus infection. Take her to the doctor because a sinus infection requires antibiotic.

I've found that a warm steam vaporizer with some menthol additive in the water is the best thing for these coughs. The clear my daughter right up in a couple of days! Hope this helps!

I think its best to take her to the dr now, so they can listen to her lungs. When my son was 18 months he was hospitalized with flu and pnemonia and it started with a cough, not saying thats what she has but you can never really be to sure..good luck.