15 month old constant cough, only at night

[Glowz]

We've had a lot of back and forth since DD was 3 months, silent reflux/colic/RSV/constant coughs requiring an inhaler. We had a good period from around 12-13.5 months, still didn't sleep through but was relatively well, even with starting nursery, me going back to work and her brother starting school, I expected lots of illnesses.

We have now had about a week of her not going to for naps in her cot, which she'd do no problem, only requiring contact naps and when she does nap it's only for 40-1hr where it used to be 1.5/2hours. She was always good with napping.

At night, she may go down for an hour or so, cough constantly and then not settle in her bed. She sometimes settles in our bed, most nights it's 2/3 hours she's awake, crying on and off. When she does settle in our bed, she's not coughing. The cough she has is really wet, her breathing isn't laboured, no sucking of ribs. We give her Calpol if she keeps coughing whilst awake as it sounds like her throat is getting hoarse.

I keep going to the doctor's and they keep saying 'its viral' which it very well may be, but I'm really starting to struggle with the lack of sleep, my other child is going through a behavioural change (leap I think) which is challenging. I don't know what else I can do for her, I hate to think she's struggling.

Controversial, but any natural remedies other than a bit of Vicks, vapour plug in and just general healthy diet/routine?

Just for info: our house isn't damp, it's a relatively new house and we use a dehumidifier if the windows are condensated in the morning if it's been super cold...

Any allergies? Has she been allergy tested?

No, I did mention cows milk allergy at the doctor's but they said she couldn't have it. She does drink cows milk but only about 100-150ml a day.

Some people swear by an onion in the sock - I've never tried it myself!

Solidarity on the constant cough, my son is almost 2 and sleeps been bad with a post viral cough for the past 2 weeks (no temps or anything any more, but needs lots of resettling and cosleeping too)

Are you offering water? She could be thirsty. If she's actively ill pre-empt the wakes by giving her calprofen at bedtime.

Give her a pillow and let her sleep on her front, with her head elevated on said pillow.

I gave my toddler one half of the old breastfeeding pillow and it's been brilliant. It raises his head a bit and helps him sleep. He hated the useless flat toddler pillow we bought him to begin with.

He will also sleep on his back, flat on the mattress, when he wants to. He just moves off the pillow into another direction.

She drinks so much water, won't touch juice or anything else but will guzzles loads.

She has a small, toddler pillow but she always shuffles down the cot and is curled up on her front.

You can get them to do skin prick or blood test that will rule that out/or confirm

it helped for me

My GP told me to lift the top of the bed/cot. This seemed to help. We didn't have a pillow but I had a couple of books under the mattress. He had an inhaler and used it regularly . He had outgrown childhood asthma by the age of 12.