Help, my baby keeps getting a really bad cough and the doctors seem to be doing nothing to help.

[Beanzie]

My son is 10 months old. He got his first cold when he was about 3 months old. When he gets these colds he ends up with a really bad cough. Hes had these coughs every few weeks for the past 7 months now and im at my wits end. I've taken him to the doctor twice (2 different doctors), and both times they've said that his chest is clear just give him cough syrup. The syrup doesnt work!!! The poor boy was up for 2 hours non stop coughing one night and there seems to be nothing i can do about it. Any advice would be much appreciated.

You don't want to hear this, maybe, but I'm afraid it doesn't sound to me like your son is suffering unduly. My ds2 got his first cold at 8 days old (it just depends what viruses they come into contact with), my dd had a cold every month for the first year of her life, and my ds3 seemed to have a cold every 2 weeks of his first year. And yes, the cough can be a prominent feature, and can go on for weeks. It is scary, and upsetting, but not necessarily anything to be unduly concerned about.

Have you come across Karvol drops? I didn't discover them until my oldest 2 were about 2 and 3, but have never been without them since. They dry up the mucus which causes the coughing, especially good at night when the child is lying down and all the mucus is pouring down their throats.

Or you could try raising the head of the bed (pillow under the mattress) or, if the coughing is really bad, a steamy atmosphere in the room (kettle boiling in the corner) can help.

Thanks for the dumbledoresgirl. I've not tried the karvol drops, just the syrups but im gonna go to boots later and get some. Its at night time that he seems to be bad.
I havnt tried the pillow under the mattress but my son ends up in all sorts of positions in the night so im not sure if that would help or not.
Thank you again, much appreciated.

Oh yes, meant to say, I agree, the cough syrup rarely does any good (have had every brand and type under the sun in my time!)

I think the syrups are just glorified sugar, no wonder my son loves them.
This is my first time on this site, my husband uses it alot for helpful advice and keeps telling me to come on so here i am.

I agree, the syrups don't do anything. Have also used Karvol drops when DS is sick and they really seem to help!

DS had a cold at 10 months and then had a cough for nearly 2 months after. It didn't go away until we moved out of London, which made me wonder if the pollution or some allergen was making it worse? Do you think something in the air might be irritating him?

We live in reading so yes its possible that maybe something in the air is responsible.
I originally come from the country and we're looking to move back there, not enjoying life too much as a townie.
You're the second person to mention karvol drops so i've added them to my shopping list.

Karvol drops or plug-in vapouriser are good. When DD gets a bad cold that develops into a long running cough I find it is often due to a post-nasal drip from her sinuses. I use saline drops up her nose several times a day and also hang a wet towel up in her room at night (over radiator in winter) to create humidity.