DD (22 mo) chesty cough-should I go and buy a syrup?

[winnybella]

She's a bit off colour but no temp as of yet.
Anything I should do?

It's a first time she has a cough and I've forgotten what I used to do with DS!

And surely she can go outside? I need to get few things.

DP's leaving for few days tomorrow-arrgh.

Cough syrup won't help, they have been proved to have no effect on children under 6(?)

Honey and lemon is good, very soothing, make it with manuka honey for extra ooomph!

Right. It's a wet cough iyswim. Is honey/lemon any good for this?

It will just soothe her throat a bit, and manuka honey is amazing for infections and things. It will help more than cough syrup, and IMO best not to give medicine unless it necessary.

A bit of fresh air might do her good, but make sure she's well wrapped up, scarf, hat etc.

I second Manuka honey. I got some from the health shop and it cleared up my tickly cough in 2 days.

Honey and Lemon is a good idea as it combines anti-inflammatory with vitamin C. Also, maybe try and increase her vitamin D intake - either with follow on milk or as a vitamin supplement. There is a lot of research going on right now into how this vitamin helps reduce inflammation in the lungs.

At this time of year we could all do with a Vitamin D supplement due to reduced sunlight especially those of us with darker hair / skins.

Interesting. Since I started giving my children vitamin D regularly they have not had too much trouble with asthma (crosses fingers). Though perhaps they are simply growing out of it.

Thank you. Haven't got manuka honey, but will give her regular one. Also I've got the vit.D supplement that her doctor prescribed- it's 3 months worth in one go, so will give her that.

I don't think it's a coincidence. I've been taking vitamin d for the past four months and seem to have (fingers crossed) avoided the worst effects of the flu bug that is an epidemic in our area right now. My kids had been ill, so I've been looking into why I hadn't, since I have had as much exposure. I take calcium and vitamin d supplements for another reason and recently found out all these facts about vitamin d on the web. Now we're all on multi-vitamin supplements!

Oh regular honey'll be fine! When you say three months worth in one go, I'm getting worried here, what do you mean? I think the RDA is 4 or 5 micro-grammes - not sure for an infant..

I take vit D too, to try and keep my cancer/MS/Parkinsons risks a bit lower. I am still trying to persuade my husband to do the same.

I also take B12, magnesium, iron and omega 3. I rattle, frankly.

Bellbird, don't worry - it's called uvedose and is 100,000 ui- that's what DD's paediatrician prescribed, one to be taken in Nov (ooops) and another in February- instead of daily drops. We're in France, so it may be different way of doing things than in the UK.