Can I give anything that works to stop a nearly 4 year olds dry cough at night?

[wildbillhickok]

Looking on the interweb it says that Galenphol Paediatric (pholcodine) can be given from age to 2-6 at half dose (3 x5ml a day as opposed to 3 x 10 ml.)

However when I went to Boots they would only give me glycerol etc.

Is the other stuff prescription only then?

DS has had this marathon sore throat cold cough thing that is going round, as have I and DH currently has it. As as DS convalesces he's plagued by a dry tickly cough.

It's keeping him and the rest of us awake nights and I feel so sorry for him.

I tired steam, glycerol syrup, honey, vicks on back and chest etc. Plenty of fluids.

Is there a magic bullet I can try?

New guidelines mean they won't give you anything for under 6 year olds. I went looking for something for my 5 year old last week and could only get the glycerol stuff.

I found the Boots 1yr night time cough medicine would work for this. However can't guarantee they haven't changed the make-up.

I find that often the only thing that sooths a dry cough is sucking a cough sweet continuously. Obviously you can't give one to a small child to suck in the night in case of choking - but once when DD was smaller I found some cough sweet 'lollipops' - let her have that till she dropped off then took it out.

A big spoonful of manuka honey and sleeping more upright on pillows - maybe also hang a damp towel with some olbas oil on it over a radiator to humidify the room a bit. HTH

Thanks - I have given him manuka honey and done the damp towel on radiator thing plus plenty of vicks vaporub.

Fingers crossed!

I used to use an essential oil called neroli when mine were little.

Use it a bit like Karvol- put a drop on a tissue and put inside a pillow case. Used to work a treat.

this sounds crackers but vicks rubbed on the soles of the feet worked wonders for my child! Also if it's a persistant cough that goes on for longer than 3 weeks, get a doctor to check for asthma.