DS coughing through night

[ninahbear]

My 15 month old DS is teething and has been coughing a lot during the night and it is disrupting his sleep. When it is really bad I give him Robitussin cough but that doesn't seem to be working we propped his mattress up a little too. Is there anything else I can do?

 

[amarberry]

A cold mist humidifier might help.

 

[llp479]

I swear by the Triamenic cough patches. They are moleskin type with menthol vapors in them. Think of smearing your child with Vicks, without the mess. You can cut them down if you think they're too big for your child's chest.

The latest studies show that cough syrups really don't do anything. DD 12 has allergies and these patches help her tremendously. DH even used one this winter when he ahd a cold. Said he was amazed by how much it helped.

 

[mess]

You could try filling a bowl with steaming water and place a drop or two Olbas Liquid in to it before placing in the bedroom - in a safe place of course. It has always worked for our children.

 

[mouseplanner]

The cough may also be allergy related. Try washing the crib linens with one of those hypo-allergenic (or is it hyper-allergenic?) detergents and removing any fuzzy blankets or stuffed animals. My son's dry nightime cough was due to a fuzzy blanket that I had given him at the onset of winter. When I removed the blanket the cough disappeared.

 

[mommyceratops]

Talk to you doctor before you give anyone 3 and younger cough syrup. Especially if he has a history of allergies. My DS (was 3 at the time) got sick on a Sunday and I called the doctor on call and they said give him some cough syrup so he can get some sleep and bring him in the next day. I did that and he slept great for 6 hours and woke up and couldn't stop coughing and started so bad I had to rush him to the ER in the middle of the night. By him stoping his cough it settled in his lungs and then he couldn't breath. He ended up in ICU for 3 days. I don't say this to scare you but I did not realize the effect cough syrup could have a child. So check with you doctor before you give him any just in case. I don't want to scare just inform you.

 

[deedeed]

If the cough keeps up take him to your doctor. When my kids were little, that is how I always knew that they had an ear infection. They would cough, not complain of ear pain. As they have gotten older now when they cough(really bad) it has either been pneumomia or sinus infections. My daughter and myself are currently on antibiotics(sinus infections), both of us had a nasty cough. Cough medicine did not help my daughter at all. Vicks vapor rub and moisture seemed to help a little at first! We have the flu bug and a lot of other things going around our neck of the woods!
If it last for quite a while though take your little one in. Better to be safe than sorry.

 

[mouseplanner]

That's great advice mommyceratops, even for kids older than 3. My Dr. explained the same thing - suppressing a cough (which is what cough syrup will do) can end up leading to larger problems, by having the cold settle in the lungs. My doctor doesn't recommend using cough syrup but rather decongestants to stop the post nasal drip that sometimes causes the coughs or if it's a wet cough using an expectorant to make the coughs more productive. Coughing is the body's way of working things out so suppressing it is not always a good idea. Of course, I wouldn't follow any of these suggestions or give a child anything, even OTC products without checking with your Dr. first.

 

[eeyorethegreat]

None of us here can really give you good remedy advice when it concerns the health of your child. Make an appointment with your child's Dr he/she is in the position to advise you on the best and safest method to treat your child.

 

[Selket]

My youngest son started having asthma issues when he was just 6 months old. One of the major signs of that is coughing for him. He often had trouble breathing because of asthma when he got a bad cold.

I could tell it wasn't just the cold because he was wheezing and also breathing rapidly, etc. However not all kids wheeze they just cough!

Considering how young your son is I would suggest you take him to the doctor just to rule out that or other things.

 

[ruttie]

our dr also recommended decongestents to stop the drip into the throat at night.. PLUS we got a small air purifyier for the bedroom and my sons alergies are alomst gone.....(go to teh dr.. we found out that coughing is a sign of asthma in small kids our son was put on pulmacort that along woth teh purifyier worled wonders!)

 

[la79al]

are you sure its not related to the teething (ie excess spit)

 

[ninahbear]

I think it is from the teething but he has had this on and off for the last 2 months. I called the doctor's office and the nurse said not to give him the Triaminic patches because you must consult a doctor and she recommended Delsyum which is a 12 hour cough suppressant and said to give him 1/4 teaspoon every 12 hours and on the box it says to consult a doctor for children under 2 the same thing it says on the box for the vapor patches - go figure. Could it be sinuses but the doctor would have known when I took him to the doctor 2 weeks ago right.

 

[deedeed]

I think it is from the teething but he has had this on and off for the last 2 months. I called the doctor's office and the nurse said not to give him the Triaminic patches because you must consult a doctor and she recommended Delsyum which is a 12 hour cough suppressant and said to give him 1/4 teaspoon every 12 hours and on the box it says to consult a doctor for children under 2 the same thing it says on the box for the vapor patches - go figure. Could it be sinuses but the doctor would have known when I took him to the doctor 2 weeks ago right.

If he is still coughing a lot I would make another appointment. My daughter was in they told me it was the flu and I know with past history it was sinus. She ended up going back in two days later and it was a sinus infection. She was much better in 2 days using antibiotics. Things can pop up very quick with kids. Hope your baby gets better!!

 

[nikandboys]

My DSs both have cough issues and when they were small, they made a just for babies vicks type vapor rub - its not as strong. My oldest has allergies and the rub downs are the things that work the best, The other thing you could try is a mint bath. I think Johnson and Johnson make a night time mint bath for coughs and colds. We went to the DR all the time for our boys till we could find what works...good luck! Trust me I know the frustration of middle of the night coughing.

 

[swillis]

Just chiming in with some sympathy. My DD is 11. She had the flu last week, developed a cough that has been unrelenting. Went back to doc yesterday and she has pneumonia.
Finally she is starting to feel better after 2 days of abx and perscription strength cough medicine.

 

[Mom to Jordan]

I have a really coughy (is that a word??) kid. He has always been one that coughs with any type of virus, cold, infection what ever!!! He did cough when he was teething for what seemed no other reason. It could be something and it could be nothing. A second trip to Dr would make you feel better. That said, we have done it all for coughs and have accepted that sometimes nothing helps. Sometimes the medication can make them feel worse than the cough does.
Not much advice but prayers that it gets better soon.

jordan's mom

 

[KristinU]

My youngest son started having asthma issues when he was just 6 months old. One of the major signs of that is coughing for him. He often had trouble breathing because of asthma when he got a bad cold.

I could tell it wasn't just the cold because he was wheezing and also breathing rapidly, etc. However not all kids wheeze they just cough!

Considering how young your son is I would suggest you take him to the doctor just to rule out that or other things.

This is exactly what I was going to say...my DS had infant asthma that was triggered by colds, staring at around 10 months. Not all asthma fits contain wheezing, and not all wheezing is audible to a mommy and daddy without a stethoscope (nevermind at 3 am). We had the coughing at night and tried the OTC cough medicines, vaporiziers, humidifiers, vapo rubs, etc. In hindsight I wish I would have taken him in sooner instead of trying all of the home remedies for so long. Since his was cold induced, though, I just always thought it was the colds he was getting. My DS ended up on a preventative asthma medication for the remainder of cold and flu season last year, and (knock on wood) has no signs of the asthma this year! After doing a little research I found that infant asthma is not terribly uncommon and often it is something that is grown out of.


Either way, it can't hurt to go in for a visit with your pediatrician.

 

[lntsmom]

my boys have allergies and asthma and when they've got chest congestion it allows them to sleep through the night.

If your family has any history of allergies or asthma be very careful about scented baths, rubs, and chest patches. Any one of those things would send my children to the emergency room!

 

[SGB13]

are you sure its not related to the teething (ie excess spit)

If he hasn't had a stuffy or runny nose, it might just be from the teething. My DD would cough at night from all the extra saliva. She got all her teeth in one quick burst, so during the day she drooled liked a running faucet. If he has been sick, I'd suggest a doctors appointment. Good Luck. It's always hard trying to figure out kid illnesses.