DD, 5yo, throat clearing/nervous cough

[KanyesVest]

DD is just 5 yo and for about a year now she has been doing a throat clearing/cough on a very regular basis, not always but it could be up to 5-6 times per hour. It's not actually clearing something in her throat, more like a nervous response (a tic maybe?). We don't really draw attention to it, the odd time I ask her if she needs a drink and she almost never does, so that's that. She is quite a thoughtful child, and has a tendency to be anxious or worried about things, especially change. She'll be starting school in September, and I've noticed the cough occurring more in the last couple of weeks. She seems happy and positive about school other than the cough. I'm not sure if anything can be done to "cure" this, but if anyone has experience or suggestions for helping DD, I'd appreciate any thoughts assuming I've managed to explain what I'm on about . Tia.

[Ferguson]

Just in case there could be anything wrong, maybe you need to consider seeing your GP or HV.

[Secretescape]

My dc was doing this and he had an abnormally large tonsil which is now being monitored.

[moonshine]

My dd did this when she was younger (she's 14 now) but can't remember exactly at what age - similar to yours I think. It went on for a good few months, she would stop for a while and then she would start it again. She was/is quite a nervous child. We didn't mention it (apart from asking if anything hurt etc) and it just stopped when she got older. Similarly my ds has similar 'tics' which come and go as he gets older.

[IHeartKingThistle]

Oh god I had this at about 7. It was just a tic - used to drive my mum mad. It didn't last long though.

[KanyesVest]

Oh, ok, interesting responses, thanks. It never occurred to me that she might have something physical causing it - a friend of mine has a similar cough which is stress related, so I presumed DD's was similar. I'll mention it to the gp and see if there's anything that needs to be checked out.

Glad you grew out of it KingThistle, and that it's not permanent with your DD Moonshine. Hopefully getting settled in school will help if it is a nervous thing.

[Crazyqueenofthecatladies]

This is how ds's hay fever and mild allergies manifest as a constantly itchy annoying feeling in his throat. He hardly does it now he has cetirizine and inhalers - he's never had an asthma attack in his life but they alleviate the throat clearing and night coughing. My ex was constantly telling him to stop, really helpful!

[KanyesVest]

It's like she knows I posted...Dd started complaining of a sore throat today. Apparently it hurts when she swallows, so an appointment has been made for the go.

[Secretescape]

Maybe she has made her throat sore by coughing? At least going to the GP you can get everything checked out and know what to do next.
Fingers crossed you get it all sorted soon.