Parents of asthmatics/night coughers please talk to me

[BabyHaribo]

Both DS (4) and DD (2) are asthmatic/toddler wheezes but the thing that drives is all crazy is the night coughing.

On and on and on

Both have ventolin and clenil. We try to raise them up with pillows and are tonight trying a humidifier.

Anything else that helps? They are not that poorly just cough so much which affects sleep.

DS has just started school and I'm worried about him missing school due to being shattered from coughing ALL night

Ideas please

Just about to say the same thing as Fliss, upping his clenil and being put on montelukast has made a huge difference. Totally different child.

My nighttime cougher is very sensitive to chemicals so this might not be relevant to everyone.

He benefited from essential oils (not eucalyptus for under 10s) rubbed on feet, chest and back. (Have to avoid petroleum so it's a vicks alternative.)

I found sleeping under a bunk and also in a high sleeper made him worse. He has metal and plastic sensitivities so sleeps on a coconut fibre mattress and a wooden bed. Any soft smelly plastics are removed from his room.

We also avoid dairy, sugar and grains and give him vitamin A, D, C, fatty acids and probiotic supplements under advice from his immunologist.

My 2 were both exactly like this and I sympathise. This is what worked/s for us : raised mattess head end (rolled up towel) an air purifier (this is great if dust mites are a trigger and other air born pollutants) anti allergy bedding, mattress protector, they were on clenil but this was pretty rubbish, ds1 happened to be under a paediatrician for something else and I mentioned the night time coughing and he prescribed seretide, this is different to the other steroids. It was amazing. I then managed to get it prescribed for ds2 and was such a great change in them. They are still on it now.

Another thing you may want to consider (not sure where you live) but the salt caves have made a massive improvement also. I take them once a year for a 'top up' . Have a Google. I also found keeping their immune system boosted from Autumn through spring so they don't catch each and every cold which would go to the chest. Using ecchinecea and sambucol.

Piriton helps my son dramatically if he has it an hour before bed.

I'm an asthma nurse. NO child should be coughing like this. Either you need to see the GP or the Asthma nurse. The dose Clenil needs to go up firstly and if that doesn't help, an add-on medication can be added, dependant on age., Also Montelukast can help in the winter months when they are at extra risk of upper respiratory chest infections, often triggered by colds and viruses. Plenty of extra blue inhaler at this time...but you really need to see you Asthma nurse/GP. This is not normal.

DD was a night cougher, especially between 12-2 for some reason.

She also had excema, nose dripping constantly & bad tummy. It was cows milk allergy. As soon as we stopped the milk, everything mentioned stopped within 5 days.