cough and being sick, please help

[emmywoo]

Hi, DD is just 3yo. Been diagnosed with a virus that is going round. Is fine in herself (no temp and seems relatively happy) however has had a cough for last 5 days. Cought is really severe and she seems to graps for breath and is either gagging with it or is sick (brings back whatever she has eaten or mucas). GP said that just to keep her fluids up which she is doing, not eating a great amount. Any ideas what I can do and is there any cough medicine out there that will help. xx

please any advice?

My DS pukes frequently every time he has a cold. He is 3 now but has done it since he was tiny. I have never seen it as a problem since small children cannot cough up and spit out phlegm and puking is better than it hanging around and reinforcing the infection if there is one.

DD is exactly the same when she has a bad cough. Its horrid isn't it ?

I generally find cough medicine a bit of a waste of time but vicks rubbed into soles of the feet and/or chest sometimes eases things. As does giving her an extra pillow/propping up the head end of the bed so she's not lying completely flat.

Steamy rooms help loosen the phlegm so they don't have to cough so hard - bathroom or (so long as it is safe) boil a kettle in the bedroom. And we also use a plug-in Karvol thing so the bedrooms are steamy and minty, which really helps. My two are the same, and it is really unpleasant, but I find the steam and Karvol work. And second the propping up the bed - I put a pillow under the mattress.

I also keep the rain cover on the buggy if we have to go out so they're breathing air that's warm and fuggy rather than chilly, which sets them off.

Hi Guys, thanks for you advice I will definately try them out. I am really extra stressed with it now as my dd had a coughing fit at 5.30am and my next door neighbour banged on the wall and told us to "shut up"!!! I went to see her this afternoon and she told me was sick and tired of being woken up by my dd coughing and I should take her downstairs in the middle of the night if she coughs. i was gobsmacked and said that totally unreasonable and her response was that as long as my dd coughs in the night she will continue to bang on the wall. xx