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Original poster

Toddler coughing at night

20 replies

FeelinFresh · 31/05/2017 13:25

Hi

My 15 month old son has a bad cough but mostly only at night time. He has had it for months and wakes up having big coughing fits.
I got him checked out by the GP a few weeks ago and his chest sounded normal. My mum seemed to think the air in the room might be a bit dry and suggested putting a bowl of water in there.

Has anyone else had this problem and what did you do?

Thanks

OP posts:
InDubiousBattle · 31/05/2017 13:27

Persistent, mainly night time coughing can be a sign of asthma in young children. Did your gp mention it?

grasspigeons · 31/05/2017 13:31

We've had this. Once it was asthma, and once it was post nasal drip. For asthma the inhaler worked instantly we used it as prescribed.
The post nasal drip we put olbus oil on a tissue in there room and a bowl of steamy water.

Original poster
FeelinFresh · 31/05/2017 20:51

No but how will we know if it is asthma?

OP posts:

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user1483387861 · 31/05/2017 21:08

My DD had a really bad cough for about 4 months which was also worse at night. I was worried about asthma given there is a strong family history on my side. I got her checked out a couple of times and her chest was clear. The GP reckoned it was as a result of back to back colds and viruses over the winter period picked up at nursery. Eventually her cough disappeared, although it's back again as she has got a cold and is teething again. I've found that her cough is more present when she is teething.

Emma2803 · 31/05/2017 22:27

Do you have any family history of asthma, hayfever or eczema op? These are all linked. Can be difficult to diagnose in children but if they try the inhaler and it help that's probably it.
Does he have a runny nose during the day at all? Post nasal drip caused by lying down can cause irritation and a cough

AnotherYellowBelly · 31/05/2017 22:33

We had this and dd was given an inhaler and diagnosed with asthma. Used it for a few months at bedtime, it helped a little bit but made her so distressed we gave up on it. She's never suffered since and is 11 now.

Turkeyneck · 31/05/2017 23:08

We had this, it's horrible, I feel for you op. It turned out to be asthma for us, and only stopped once ds started on the brown inhaler (preventer). And blue inhaler for when the coughing starts. The blue inhaler works a treat. But it took us a long time to get the right treatment and in that time poor ds suffered endless nights of coughing which I feel awful about now. Endless trips to the doctors but we were told his 'chest is clear' every time, even though I could sense a wheeze and a bit of a struggle for breath. Ended up having to call an ambulance one night when he had a bad cold which exacerbated it and had to stay in hospital for a week before breathing was satisfactory. I guess what I'm saying is, push for a blue inhaler and see if it helps. It angers me that we weren't given the right help sooner. Also you need to know that if he does end up having a bad asthma attack, you give 10 puffs of the blue inhaler (taking 10 breaths of each puff - using the spacer device) and that's every hour (but you need to go to hospital if it's that bad). Sorry I don't mean to scare you but these are the things I wish someone had told me!

Also in our house it's the dehumidifier that seems to improve things, rather than the opposite. But I think that's kind of irrelevant in comparison to getting the right treatment. I think it sounds like asthma rather than a dry tickle cough caused by dry air.
Good luck! Hope that helps x

InDubiousBattle · 01/06/2017 08:56

As pp says asthma is very hard to diagnose in young dc, when we went to the asthma clinic the nurse said that they rarely definitively diagnose it in under 5s. They just prescribe the blue inhaler to see if it helps.

Maudlinmaud · 01/06/2017 09:06

My dd has been doing this for years. It starts in the summer and carries on for weeks. She coughs so much at night that it makes her sick. Her chest was clear at the gp and she even had an chest xray which was also clear. The gp gave her a brown and blue inhaler and this has helped. She does not have a diagnosis of asthma.
She does have hay fever and also gets hives. The cough hasn't appeared as yet this year, which is odd as it usually does when the weather gets warmer.

ElspethFlashman · 01/06/2017 09:11

DS has had this since about that age. It's triggered by colds. If he has any kind of mild cold he may never cough during the day but omg the night coughing fits. Has puked up sputum several times. It usually lasts for about an hour.

Our gp doesn't seem concerned and I know asthma is hard to diagnose and it does disappear in between so I suspect he'll grow out of it. It seems it's enormously common in toddlers.

ElspethFlashman · 01/06/2017 09:13

Just to add, we do put olbas oil and warm water in there and we also use Vicks. Limited success really but at least you feel like you're doing something.

dorothymichaels · 01/06/2017 09:44

DS is having a bad bout of night time coughing at the moment. He has an asthma diagnosis. The GP thinks it is a reaction to pollen. I now have him on a daily antihistamine but so far I'm not seeing much of a difference. He is snotty during the day but clear snot so not a cold. I've upped his preventative inhalers on the advice of the gp and the reliever one helps him at night to settle. It's giving us disturbed sleep though. Ask for a blue inhaler to see if that settles the cough? It does with my son.

Cutesbabasmummy · 01/06/2017 15:12

Gosh my DS does this! I'm wondering if I should take him to the gp now? He's 28 months! He hasn't got a cold or anything but he coughs a lot at night and his dad (45) has just been diagnosed with asthma.

cheeeekyavocado · 01/06/2017 15:49

Could be allergies, it was when my daughter suffered with a night time cough.

Doctor prescribed a dose of piriton about an hour before bed, Vicks/snuffle babe and nasal spray.

It worked a treat.

Original poster
FeelinFresh · 02/06/2017 11:55

Took him to docs yesterday got the blue inhaler he coughed a bit in night though

OP posts:
MeredithShepherd · 03/06/2017 18:51

My ds (now three) has done this intermittently for his whole life. Everytime I took him to the doctors his chest was clear. In the last 3 months he started doing it when running around too so I was convinced it was asthma as my grandad and brother both have it. We got a brown preventor inhaler and a blue reliever inhaler from the doctors and as soon as we started using the brown one his coughing has stopped. I've never had to use the blue one. We have his first asthma review on Monday but it's looking likely as to the cause of it. Don't let them fob you off it's miserable for everyone!

Linda013 · 07/02/2019 12:50

Hello, Any updates on anyone's child regarding the cough? My 2.5 year old daughter has the same issue. I am at my wits end. She has a persistent cough but only when sleeping. Nap times and night time, also. She has the odd cough during the day, but almost nothing and the coughing fits start when she goes to sleep, or when she wakes up in the morning and has her sippy cup of milk. First time it happened last July and lasted for almost 6 weeks, and she was vomiting from the cough attacks. It startes with a common cold. Then all symptoms were gone, but the cough stayed. Then she was put on antibiotics and it was gone. It started again in November after a simple cold..and keeps coming back after 1-2 weeks break. Every time I take her to the doctor her chest sounds clear! In December the doctor prescribed antihistamines, and it helped! However the cough came back again, and now the antihistamine did not help. Now she had a chest X-ray and the result came back as she has mucus on the right side of her lungs. She is on antibiotics, and it does not seem to help either. I am starting to think it might be asthma..it is so frustrating as she can't have a proper sleep and ends up vomiting from coughing on many occasions. I also thought of reflux..but she has the coughing fit even if she falls asleep in her car seat, or if I hold her upright on my chest. I am at loss. Of course I will take her back to the GP, but I am wondering if anyone had the same problem and has a solution! Thanks!

bourbonbiccy · 08/02/2019 20:07

My son has had a cough persistently for months at night time. I have visited the GP on 3 occasions as my brother had sever Asthma and spent alot of time in Alder Hay hospital and I have mild asthma. The GP claimed that a persistent cough at night is not a sign of asthma and as he is not wheezing with a clear chest so asthma is not a consideration and they would not diagnose so young anyway (15month at time)
Every time I take him to the GP, I am told his chest is clear and it is just back to back virus's. I'm not sure what else I should do - a different GP had previously provided me with an inhaler and a spacer but my current GP said that must have just been a precaution and he does not think it was necessary.
I have risen his bed, put water in the room and nothing has helped, interesting to read others in the same situation.

Itstheimplication · 09/12/2022 23:46

@Linda013 how is your DD now! My nearly three year old is having the same issue. Did they say what causes mucus on the lung and what they could do about it?

Itstheimplication · 09/12/2022 23:47

Just seen this is an old thread sorry, it came up in my active threads for some reason?!

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