Cough Remedies for Toddlers

 

It can be quite stressful when your toddler has a cough or cold because you feel as you don't know quite how to help them.  I've been told by my son's pediatrician and web research that cough medicines have been shown to not have any affect on a cough.  A cold can cause a cough in toddlers as the mucus in their nasal passageway builds up in their throat.   Because they don't know yet how to blow their nose, a cough is made much worse as the mucus builds up in their nasal passages.  Coughs are more severe at night when a child is laying down and the mucus begins to build up.

Just as it seemed my son was getting over a cold, a new one seemed to sprout up.  I felt it was another cold  and didn't need to worry much.  His cough lingered on for almost three weeks and at my husband's urging I took him to see his pediatrician.  I relayed my concern that it might be asthma, but he listened to my son's breathing and said his lungs were clear and that he picked up another cold as he was just getting over one. I feel bad for my son because his cough is interrupting his sleep and he's not getting the rest that he needs.  I searched the internet and books for remedies on helping him with his cough.

Here's a few things I tried that may help you.

-My son sleeps with us so I elevate his head as much as possible with a couple of pillows.  It helps but only works for so long because he squirms and rolls all over the bed
-Vicks Baby Rub: I rub this on his chest, throat, and back.  I've tried the feet and sock method, but he just pulls off his socks.
-Give your child lots of liquids such as water or juice.  This will help keep them hydrated during their cold and break up the mucus in their throat which is causing the cough.  If your child throws up because of the constant cough, you can give them pedialyte or make your own solution using 4 cups of water, 1/2 tsp of salt, 2 Tbsp of sugar, 1/2 tsp of instant Jell-O powder for flavor.
-Run a cool mist humidifier at night to soothe an inflamed or scratchy throat and loosen up the mucus by filling the air with moisture. (try find one that you can put vicks in)
-Use nasal drops and a bulb syringe to clear out any mucus in the nasal passages.    I found that Little Remedies makes a wonderful  Stuff Nose Kit complete with Saline and a Nasal Aspirator.If your toddler will cooperate, tilt their head back just a bit, use 2-6 drops of the saline solution in each nostril, allow 10-15 seconds to soften mucus then use the bulb syringe to remove the mucus and saline. 
-A spoonful of honey before bed has been shown to be effective in relieving a cough.  It will coat their throat and alleviate soreness.  Honey is to be used only in children over one years of age, in babies younger than one can cause botulism, a life threatening illness.  The darker the honey, like buckwheat, the better
2 tsp of honey with lemon water before bedtime, repeat this as necessary to ease your toddler's nighttime cough
Warm tea and honey with lemon before bedtime to relieve cough and ease congestion.
If doesn't drink tea then a spoonful of honey works.
honey mixed with 1/2 cup of orange juice
make your own cough syrup with water, honey and lemon juice
Dont' let your child get too hot because it can bring on the coughing fits
Chicken Soup:
Chicken soup will provide relief from a cold as well as cough. If your toddler is big enough, feed him hot and fresh chicken soup