My toddler constantly has a cough/cold

[frodoxjodo]

My toddler will be 2 in a month. For the past 6 months she has had coughs and colds constantly, she gets about a week or two of being healthy and then all of a sudden a chesty cough and a runny nose is back.

I've been back and forth to the gp, she's had courses of antibiotics but nothing seems to go cure it properly. Like I said, she will get better then a couple weeks later it's back. Why is she constantly getting recurring chesty coughs?

I asked the gp if they thought it could be asthma but apparently they don't diagnose asthma on children under 5 She also has an inhaler but it doesn't seem to help.

I'm aware coughs and colds in kids can be very normal, I just find it strange how for 6 months it keeps coming and going.

My dc went through a phase of constant bugs picked up from nursery at that age. Their immune system enounters endless new coughs and colds, so its a miserable year or two. Quite often a new one would start before the old one had ended making it seem like an endless cold.

If gp suspects asthma then it might be worth getting an alergy test for triggers like house dust mite, dog/cat dander, etc. This can be done via IgE RAST blood test.

Have a look round your house for environmental factors like mould, etc.

For me, three was the magic age where immunity picked up and my little boy was better at fighting colds. He's been in nursery since 11 months old and the first two years were horrendous. More ill than well. This was during lockdown where a cold wasn't just a cold, it could be covid as he wasn't able to blow his nose and kept coughing, so we had to isolate or take a PCR test every few weeks.

He's 3.5 now and he's had about 1 cold in the last 8 months. He's also had his flu spray so maybe that has helped.

I'd also rule out triggers, dust, pet allergies etc. Good luck!

I’m going through something similar with my daughter ( 3 years old)
Just can’t seem to get a handle on it
went to the GP today and he’s prescribed some antibiotics, but same as you she’s had a cough and a cold for 5 months straight ,
hope she picks up for you in the summer months ahead , it’s a totally miserable time for them so I feel your pain