Need Advice About 16 Months Olds Cough

Is it a croupy (barking souding cough) - could be croup. The cough with this sounds nasty, but the concerning part is stridor (trouble breathing b/c of contricted airways). If you think this is the case, get her to the Dr right away.

You can try to keep her well hydrated. Also, put a humidfier in her room at night. Maybe put her in a steamy room when you shower (with some toys to play with to "steam her". Saline is great to flush the system too.

I like the idea of melted halls, but I'd make sure that they DON'T have any menthol in them, which can actually dry out your throat. I do like the Halls Fruit Breezers because they don't have any menthol in them.

I wouldn't give medicine, just because there have been some scares in the past. What I've done for my kids is this: put Halls cough drops in some water in a saucepan, warm gently, and let the cough drops dissolve. If you have a sippy cup that can take warm liquid, give it to her warm. It helps to calm the cough and soothe her throat. It also makes her nose run more, which is good, because it will get everything out of her head.

Good luck!

Oh! Something else that is good is putting her in a warm shower or bath (the shower makes more steam, which is good for lungs).

If she has a "really bad dry cough" or non-productive cough, this could be restricting of the airways. Dry coughs make me nervous, much more nervous than gunky, wet, productive coughs. I'd take her into the pedi so they can listen to her breathe. We don't mess around with potential breathing issues in my household. Scary things can happen and quickly if it is an airway problem. Hopefully it is not in your case, but I'd rule that out. My son didn't have any problems until he was 18 mos.

HI E.,

Elderberry extract or syrup is fine for a little one and will help her body fight this off on it's on. It's simply food and it tastes good so it shouldn't be a problem giving it. Check with the health store on the dosage.

M.