Baby with awful cough - anything I can do?

[chloemegjess]

Hello. My DD - 8.5 months has got an awful cough which she caught from another baby. She is waking up in coughing fits, and it bothers her in the day too. Is there anything I can do? I think all the cough medicienes are for over 1s now?

Any advice will be great!

Cough medicine are useless anyway . Try elevating her bed a bit and use vaporiser at night

ok, we have elevated her cot at one end, but she turns around everywhere! She is coughing so much, its very chesty.

I have been using vabour rub at night, not sure if this helps? She has a cold as welll so I thought it would be better than nothing?

I don't have a vaporiser, but will get one if it is going to help, why does it help a cough??

A vaporiser releases similar vapours to a Olbas oil etc in warm air so it is a constant decongestant throughout the night. Plug in ones by Sudafed are pretty cheap. Another tip is either a humidifier or wet towels left to dry on a warm radiator as that makes the air more moist and helps ease breathing.

I know this sounds silly but someone sent me an email recently with directions on how to help a nighttime cough. I haven't tried it as my two haven't had a cough since I got the email but what you do (apparently) is at bed time smear a bit of Vick's Vapour rub over both soles of the feet and then put socks on ... sounds a bit weird but worth a try ... I'd love to know if it works ...

Ironically, DD got a cold on Sunday after I posted the above. This has now developed into a cough which last night was really bad. So I did the Vick's thing.
I'd like you to know that it doesn't work. It is, in fact, an old wives tale and a load of bolleaux - spent all night up and down with DD trying to ease her discomfort in other ways ...

I find eucalyptus natural oil works best for coughs. Either place couple of drops in hot water or with a candle and it clears out their system- works best for me over the last 5 years

IME there is nothing much to be done about the cough other than waiting it out so just take care of you - I would lay in some chocolate supplies so you don't get hungry if you are up in the night, book your mum or someone to come in tomorrow and help you out a bit so you can nap or tidy or whatever and if you are using a baby monitor put a sock over it so that you can still hear her but the worst of the coughing is muffled.

Good Luck!

Thanks. She has had it for over a week now and it is showing no signs of going! Feel so sorry for her!

Are you sure all the cough medicines are for over ones? My dd is 11 months, and has tried a number of cough medicines - all given to her age appropriately.

The only things that helped us was switching medicines every 2 weeks till one eventually worked (although perhaps the cough had run its course by then anyway), also putting her cot in a steamy bathroom, wet towels on radiators, and a raised bed.

dds cough lasted 3 months - we tried everything!

I am not 100% on trhe meds. I was hoping somebody on here would know! I just can't find one for under 1! I know they used to be from 3 months.

I might go to the Doctors next week

the only ones for babies are tixylix BABY, but tbh its glycerin and water with a bit of flavouring and benylin baby which is the same.
a few months ago there was a whole hoohaa over childrens medicines and a lot of the ages were changed from 1 year to 2 years due to people overdosing their children.
www.mhra.gov.uk/NewsCentre/Pressreleases/CON014446