Would you take your Dc to the doctors for a cough?

[Weirdinbetweentime]

Dd, 4 has had an on and off cough since Halloween. It did go, sort of, but now seems to have come back (coughing lots at night again)
Its been going around her Pre school, along with so many other things and all the kids seem to be off with all sorts.
Do you go to the doctors with a cough? She has no other symptoms/isn’t ill, it’s just lasted for so long now it feels, is it normal?

I did today with my 7 year old when I realised she had been coughing for 8 weeks. Dr thoroughly checked her and said all coughs are taking an age to go. It's just what's happening at the moment. My 5 year old has also started coughing. I won't be taking her to the dr if she stays well in every other way. Def worth a visit to get her checked. Wishing your little one better soon.

Has she had a temp? My DC had a chest infection and had antibiotics for it and it didn’t go away. Eventually after he got temps again they gave us another lot of antibiotics and it’s gone, but that’s taken a couple of months.
The doc mentioned to me that they would start to investigate asthma if it hadn’t gone in the new year. I know asthma coughs are worse at night. Have you or dad got asthma, eczema or hay fever?

Sorry should have said he coughed for a couple of months with no temps

Yes absolutely get her checked. This kept happening to my DD from around 10 months old. Eventually aged 4 she's been formally diagnosed with asthma.

I'm no medical expert but it probably went away and unfortunately they got something else on top as the immune system was down.

It's been a very long time though and coughing at night is exhausting for a child so just for reassurance I would - you're going to be worried otherwise.

@Blanketwars She had a temperature a few weeks ago when we were all ill with whatever weird virus thing was going around. She seems to have had a cold on and off, not really temperature though, aside from that time we were all quite ill.
Dh and I both have hay fever, my mum has asthma and my brother and Dh’s sister, so it’s in the family. But no coughing troubles before all this

I wouldn't personally unless you were worried about something specific (eg they were struggling to breathe with the cough). My kids have had so many bugs, coughs etc since September, we'd have been there dozens of times if I took them with just a cough. Imagine if everyone did this you'd never get a gp appointment within the next 5 years!

No, only time I’ve taken them to the doctor with a cough was when they were wheezing and showing signs of respiratory distress or very unwell. If not unwell the GP isn’t going to treat it or be concerned

@bikinilinemisery Yes, it must be around 8 months for Dd too, on and off, we’ve had the cough too and mine randomly comes back, mainly at night also
So he said it’s normal and they’re seeing it a lot? Did he prescribe anything?

God there’s so much going around isn’t there. I’d take her definitely. I don’t think they ever mind seeing kids. Can’t get an appointment for love nor money for me or DP, but they see DS immediately (as they should).
Take her and if nothing else it puts your mind at rest.

@OhChristmasTreeOhChristmasTreeFaLaLa Yes I thought the same, just with it being so long now…almost 8 weeks and she has started coughing a lot again at night

I've gone for a persistent cough but not if it comes and goes with other child/flu symptoms as it is normal for young children to get one virus after another through winter.

@Ineedsleepandcoffee Would you take if it had been 8 weeks and had come and gone?

Also, does everyone give over the counter medicine? I’ve been giving honey and a more natural one from the chemist

Not if it had come and gone over the eight weeks but I would if it had persisted without other symptoms for 8 weeks

Unfortunately it’s normal for young children to get 5-10 cough/cold viruses a year. It may well be that your little one has been unfortunate enough to get a couple back to back, especially as you say it got better and then started again.

The official advice from the NHS is a cough that is persistent past 3 weeks, should be seen by a doctor.

Coughing more at night is a big sign for asthma I'd definitely get her checked and mention about it being in the ffamily.

Yeah it is worse when they lie down. My 5 year old has had many trips to a+e with struggling to breathe (he'd get a cough/cold and it'd go onto his chest and he wouldn't be able to breathe). It's very different to just coughing a bit at night, he'd be coughing but then have gasping and going blue. They still won't diagnose asthma (he's too young apparently) and reluctantly gave him an inhaler when he was 2 for when it happened (often in cold weather). Even after so many trips and stays in hospital they are a bit meh probably just viruses, I really can't see them doing anything for just a cough without any other concerning symptoms.

First paragraph similar to our situation. Ended up getting chest X-ray to see why it wasn't going away which showed infection that needed strong antibiotics. Cleared after that.

I think it’s likely they would trial an inhaler for a cough lasting 8 weeks that is worse at night. I’d definitely take them if it were my DC.

Cool mist air humidifier helps. We have one for each of our DDs, DD1 has allergy asthma which presents as a cough and worse at night and it's really helped her.

Small children get 6-8 respiratory viruses a year. Each one will produce snot and post nasal drip , which will also cause a cough for up to 6 weeks after each virus. Therefore, it really isn't unusual for a small child to be coughing and /or snotty almost perenially.

If a child is otherwise well and getting over the initial virus symptoms reasonably quickly, then there's no need to take them to the doctor.

If they're unwell and not getting better, or short of breath, or the cough is very nocturnal and persistent, then they need to be seen to rule out an ongoing infection or possible asthma

DS1 had a permanent runny nose and cough up until he had to have his tonsils and adenoids out at nearly 3. Numerous trips to the doctor where I was fobbed off eventually resulted in a referral to ENT where they did a sleep study and found his adenoids were causing a constant drip in his throat which was making him cough and his tonsils were blocking his airways and stopping him breathing overnight.

As for cough medicine, a lovely nurse recommended piriton and buttercup syrup.

My daughter also had a cough for weeks but no temperature and was generally well. Eventually took her to get it checked and she was given an inhaler to use for a week to shift it. Doctor believed it was a post covid wheeze which is common in kids and usually needs an inhaler to shift it

Dd has been coughing since the start of the October holidays. She's had a snotty nose sometimes too and sometimes the cough and been v bad and sometimes not that bad. I haven't taken her to GP because she's not ill and also because she does have asthma so we have inhalers etc. If you think it could be asthma then get dc checked - both my dc never wheeze and only cough with asthma.