Any advice out there on coughing, and coughing, and coughing.....

[welshmum]

DD (2.5) was awake last night coughing her poor little heart out - she kept us all awake for 3 hours in the middle of the night. I raised her bed head but then started wondering whether that was right thing for a cough? No cough medcine seems to make a jot of difference....any thoughts - apart from grin and bear it?

Honey and lemon in warm water and lots to drink!

vick vaporub/snufflebabe/calrub works well on coughs. my dd's love it as it makes them feel all warm and fuzzy.

If the cough is because of catarrh running down her throat instead of out her nose, then raising her up is the right things to do. dd1 sleep almost upright when she is ill.

If cough accompanied by a runny nose, which may then be trickling down the back of the throat, Medised is v good. Also good for sore throats etc. Its a mixture of antihistamines and paracetamol I think and available over the counter at chemists. One word of warning - it doesn't taste very nice and I had to use a syringe when giving it to my 9 mo. HTH

Slice up an onion on a plate and sprinkle with brown sugar. Leave it in the bedroom at night( obviously where she can't get at it) it stinks but it works (honest)!!

Wow luckymum how does that work? Do you leave it near the bed?

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Yep she's ok otherwise Twiglett - it's just her pattern, whenever she gets a cold it turns into a cough and goes on and on and on until we're all shadows of our former selves. I have a break over the spring/summer and then forget until the first one of the season....

Don't know how/why it works but it does for us. It was a tip from my sister in Spain.

welshmum, it might be worth taking her to the doctor to see if it could be a wheeze.

My dd gets wheezy when she gets a cold, but not at other times. The wheeze (and the coughing, which is much worse at night) settles with an inhaler. I'm told by the paediatrician that this isn't asthma, but a wheeze that occurs because the airways get a bit blocked with phlegm. When the child grows and the airways get bigger, the coughing goes away.

Welshmum, I think Tissy is right, it might be a good idea to get her checked out so you can get the right stuff to give her - especially if it's going to happen with every cold all through the winter. My dd now 9 was exactly the same from about two, every cold turned into a cough and she got a bit wheezy. She now has a preventative inhaler - only for the winter, and has just had her first cold of the winter, which of course turned into a cough! Hope you have a better night's sleep tonight.

MiriamR I need to buy you a drink. One spoonful of Medised and dd slept all night without coughing. We were so delighted - thanks ever so.
We will keep an eye on her over the next couple of months incase she gets wheezy though.

Welshmum - Glad it worked for you and that you all had a good nights sleep .