Best cough remedy for almost 2yo...PLEASE!

[5LittleMonkeys]

I need something for my 22mo dd. I have had it with OTC medicines...they just don't work and I hate giving them to her. I have tried just about every infant and children's product. She has been coughing for 2 days; she can hardly eat because of it and didn't sleep very much last night. My mom suggested honey in a bit of rum or whiskey (said she always used it with me) but I'm not sure about giving it to one so young and don't know how much.

 

Please give me some suggestions as to the dosage for honey with alchohol or give me some other options, either homeopathic or OTC that you KNOW works well.

 

As for other symptoms, she is very congested, having to breath through her mouth, the cough is very wet sounding and seems to be a tickling cough because she seems to try to suppress it but can't. No fever and the discharge from her nose is clear. I don't want to take her to the dr because I know its just a cold. The other dc had it already...she's the last to get it.

[Tammyla]

Poor kiddo.

 

Hot coco was recommended by our doctor. It's soothing and gets a little something into their system. He also highly recommends good yogurt. My mom occasionally did the teaspoon of honey or a cup of hot tea with honey and lemon.

[jplain]

I would only give honey to a 2yo, no OTC cough meds. We give 1 -1.5 tsp straight or in a small amount of warm water or tea.

 

If one of my kids has a productive cough, I encourage her to do as much coughing as possible during the day, to get rid of the mucus that has built up. (It has to go somewhere, right?)

 

During the night, when she starts coughing productively I have her sit up (leaning on me) and ask her to try to make them good, productive coughs. (Again, it has to go somewhere, and trying to keep it down there is a bad idea.) When it seems like the cough is calming down, I give a little water. Often that's enough, and she goes back to sleep. If coughing resumes and it still sounds productive I go through the sit up and cough routine again, followed by a few more sips of water. If coughing resumes but sounds drier, more like an irritated cough, I give honey instead.

 

With a dry, irritated cough, I'm quicker to turn to honey, as there's nothing beneficial/helpful about that kind of cough.

 

Good luck!

Edited October 20, 2010 by jplain

[Dana]

I've done just the spoon of honey - no alcohol. It seems to work as well as OTC medicines - and no worries of overmedicating :)

 

OTOH, I thought my son had a cold when he was having an asthma attack, so don't overlook symptoms either. (He ended up on a nebulizer but wasn't admitted to the hospital.)

[Miss Marple]

I need something for my 22mo dd. I have had it with OTC medicines...they just don't work and I hate giving them to her. I have tried just about every infant and children's product. She has been coughing for 2 days; she can hardly eat because of it and didn't sleep very much last night. My mom suggested honey in a bit of rum or whiskey (said she always used it with me) but I'm not sure about giving it to one so young and don't know how much.

 

Please give me some suggestions as to the dosage for honey with alchohol or give me some other options, either homeopathic or OTC that you KNOW works well.

 

As for other symptoms, she is very congested, having to breath through her mouth, the cough is very wet sounding and seems to be a tickling cough because she seems to try to suppress it but can't. No fever and the discharge from her nose is clear. I don't want to take her to the dr because I know its just a cold. The other dc had it already...she's the last to get it.

 

Definitely use a humidifier esp. if she is congested.

[lisabelle]

I've had pretty good luck with rubbing Vick's VapoRub into the soles of my/ds's feet and putting socks on.

[Tracy in Ky]

First: ice cold Sprite. I mean COLD. Lots of ice. You must put ice in it. Little sips will stifle the cough quickly. This WILL stop a cough.

 

Second: mix 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp lemon, and 1 tsp bourbon. Warm slightly (be careful because the honey will get very hot, very fast. Give itty-bitty bits of this until the cough stops. (My dr. recommended this combination when I was coughing so hard I was gagging and could hardly get a breath in. He said it is better than any prescription he could give me. He was right.)

 

Also: use cloraseptic sore throat spray. It is rough stuff, but it will help a cough as well.

 

Hall's menthol drops are good, but probably too strong for a 2 year old, and then there is the risk of sucking the drop down the throat. If you use this, bust it up into teeny pieces.

 

The above methods work. I promise. In fact, one of the first things we do when someone in our house gets a cold is to go buy Sprite.

 

Also, leaning right over the spout of a cool-air humidifier and deeply inhaling the cool mist also soothes a cough.

 

Blessings,

Tracy

[5LittleMonkeys]

I've had pretty good luck with rubbing Vick's VapoRub into the soles of my/ds's feet and putting socks on.

 

She has Vick's on her chest and feet right now. Not helping much.:glare:

 

Definitely use a humidifier esp. if she is congested.

 

Yes, we have had that on for the last two days.

 

I just tried to give her straight honey and she spit it out.:glare: I don't have any hot chocolate so I'm going to try some tea with honey. I think she has a sore throat too because her breath has that stinky sore throat smell.

 

I feel so bad for her. She just keeps meandering around coughing and crying. I don't think we will get much school done today. I think the alcohol may have to be pulled out of the back of the pantry later today...for me:tongue_smilie:.

 

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

[5LittleMonkeys]

First: ice cold Sprite. I mean COLD. Lots of ice. You must put ice in it. Little sips will stifle the cough quickly. This WILL stop a cough. I'll try this too.

 

Second: mix 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp lemon, and 1 tsp bourbon. Warm slightly (be careful because the honey will get very hot, very fast. Give itty-bitty bits of this until the cough stops. (My dr. recommended this combination when I was coughing so hard I was gagging and could hardly get a breath in. He said it is better than any prescription he could give me. He was right.) If the tea with honey doesn't help I will try this. This is what my mom used with me but I didn't know how much to use for a child as young as she is. Giving only enough to stop the cough makes sense. Thanks.

 

Also: use cloraseptic sore throat spray. It is rough stuff, but it will help a cough as well. I tried this yesterday. Once I actually got some onto her throat:glare: she gagged and just about threw up. She has a very strong gag reflex.

 

Hall's menthol drops are good, but probably too strong for a 2 year old, and then there is the risk of sucking the drop down the throat. If you use this, bust it up into teeny pieces.

 

The above methods work. I promise. In fact, one of the first things we do when someone in our house gets a cold is to go buy Sprite.

 

Also, leaning right over the spout of a cool-air humidifier and deeply inhaling the cool mist also soothes a cough.

 

Blessings,

Tracy

 

Thank you!

[athena1277]

A doctor friend of mine told me that when her kids get a bad cough, that sometimes she gives them a dose of ibuprofen at bedtime. Besides being a fever/pain reliever, it is a muscle relaxer and can help to relax the muscles in the throat a bit so they don't cough so much and can get some rest. I have done this with my kids and it seems to help them a bit. I also use a humidifier at night and usually they rest better.

[5LittleMonkeys]

Okay, she won't drink the tea, she got maybe 2 tablespoons in her. I tried the lemon, honey, whiskey...spit it out.

 

I have broken my rule of no netflix during the day and have her watching Veggie Tales right now and she isn't coughing. Everytime she gets up and starts walking around she starts coughing again. What's up with that?

 

The conclusion I must come to then is that Veggie Tales cures coughing.

 

It also has kidnapped my other dc's brains (who are supposed to be doing school)...I give up. Where is that whiskey.:glare::tongue_smilie:

[my2boysteacher]

A doctor friend of mine told me that when her kids get a bad cough, that sometimes she gives them a dose of ibuprofen at bedtime. Besides being a fever/pain reliever, it is a muscle relaxer and can help to relax the muscles in the throat a bit so they don't cough so much and can get some rest. I have done this with my kids and it seems to help them a bit. I also use a humidifier at night and usually they rest better.

 

I've had a couple doctors tell me ibuprofen thins mucus. When my son has a cough due to runny/stuffy nose I always give him some at bedtime and it seems to help.

I have also heard that you can cut up an onion, heat it in a dishcloth and apply it to a bare chest. I haven't tried it on a chest, but have used it to cure ear aches many times.

Another onion remedy my homeopathic doc told us: Chop up an onion and put it in a glass container, cover with sugar and let sit a few days until it turns syrupy. Use this a cough syrup.

[momee]

"she can hardly eat because of it and didn't sleep very much last night."

btdt many many times

 

I don't know if this is totally off base or not but have you thought of reactive airway issues (R.A.D.) leading to asthma.

 

My little one is coughing coughing coughing and it's not always a cold like it looks. This is my third child with RAD and asthma so I have some experience as a worried mom wondering why won't this let up?

 

One way to check if she's coughing as a result of her airway being restricted. It's not wheezing kind of asthma so many miss it, this is different. It does definitely lead to a ton of coughing which I never thought of as an asthma issue.

 

Anyway

a way to check is take her shirt off. Look at her throat. Is that little dip at the bottom of her neck being pulled in and out with each breath? Is her diaphragm being pulled in? You might possibly hear some troubled breathing but you might not. I would get her to a doc today.

 

She could be struggling to get enough oxygen.

 

I thought of it because you say if she's still, she's ok. When she's moving around - needing more oxygen - she's coughing.

 

Happens here alot! when my babies are sick with what looks like a normal cold and what was a normal cold for the person who passed it to us, turns into something that really constricts her little airways.

 

Like I said may be completely off base but it's a serious issue if it is either of the breathing things I mentioned and needs a doc's attn.

Edited October 20, 2010 by momee

[littlebug42]

I know you said no more OTC but have you tried just a plain expectorant like Mucinex. It isn't a cough suppressant just an expectorant and it thins the mucus making it easier to get up. This is a very frequently used medicine around here and it works well for us.

[Dobela]

Make sure she isn't eating/drinking dairy - it will increase and thicken mucus. It may help to use saline drops in her nose to thin any mucus in her nose and sinuses. My dd3 hates it when I use this but I can always tell that it makes a big difference. I use Little Noses or the store brands for this. You can use it as often as you want which helps.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I need something for my 22mo dd. I have had it with OTC medicines...they just don't work and I hate giving them to her. I have tried just about every infant and children's product. She has been coughing for 2 days; she can hardly eat because of it and didn't sleep very much last night. My mom suggested honey in a bit of rum or whiskey (said she always used it with me) but I'm not sure about giving it to one so young and don't know how much.

 

Please give me some suggestions as to the dosage for honey with alchohol or give me some other options, either homeopathic or OTC that you KNOW works well.

 

As for other symptoms, she is very congested, having to breath through her mouth, the cough is very wet sounding and seems to be a tickling cough because she seems to try to suppress it but can't. No fever and the discharge from her nose is clear. I don't want to take her to the dr because I know its just a cold. The other dc had it already...she's the last to get it.

 

I would definitely take her to a doctor IMHO since it has affected her breathing and her appetite. Even though the your other ds have had this cold, colds can hit some people very hard to the point that they definitely need medical intervention. Also just because she does not have a fever does not mean that she cannot be very sick:(. I would at least call the doctor for advice and better yet bring her in. I would not give her alcohol or honey at all.

[Punchie]

I've had a couple doctors tell me ibuprofen thins mucus. When my son has a cough due to runny/stuffy nose I always give him some at bedtime and it seems to help.

I have also heard that you can cut up an onion, heat it in a dishcloth and apply it to a bare chest. I haven't tried it on a chest, but have used it to cure ear aches many times.

Another onion remedy my homeopathic doc told us: Chop up an onion and put it in a glass container, cover with sugar and let sit a few days until it turns syrupy. Use this a cough syrup.

 

How do you use onions to help w/an earache?

[my2boysteacher]

How do you use onions to help w/an earache?

 

The same way--chop up the onion, put it in a dish towel and warm in microwave. Have child hold it to their ear.

 

I also heard that some parents in Mexico give their babies onions to chew on to relieve teething pain.

[sadiegirl]

I would always go to the bathroom and turn on the shower and let the steam build up in the room. I would sit there and hold him while the steam did its work.

Honey and tea....works good for any age.

OTC cough medicines...threw ours all away. Never found one that worked and I hate spending the money on them.

[5LittleMonkeys]

I would definitely take her to a doctor IMHO since it has affected her breathing and her appetite. Even though the your other ds have had this cold, colds can hit some people very hard to the point that they definitely need medical intervention. Also just because she does not have a fever does not mean that she cannot be very sick:(. I would at least call the doctor for advice and better yet bring her in. I would not give her alcohol or honey at all.

 

I think you might be right. The other dc did not have symptoms this bad. She is fine as long as she is being very still but as soon as she starts moving around she can't stop coughing. I wish I had mommy superpowers and could just make her better.

[Caitilin]

 

This is the stuff I use for myself and for my dc. It can't be OD'd on, tastes pretty OK, and WORKS. :)

[Punchie]

The same way--chop up the onion, put it in a dish towel and warm in microwave. Have child hold it to their ear.

 

I also heard that some parents in Mexico give their babies onions to chew on to relieve teething pain.

 

Thank you! Coughs, sore throats, nose drainage, and earaches are routine in our house each winter and I hate OTC stuff.

[Rivka]

I like Vicks Vapo Steam in a hot-mist vaporizer. It really seems to help with night time coughing. So does elevating the head of the bed.

 

But given what you describe, I'd consider a trip to the doctor. This sounds severe enough to be worth a check - she might need to be prescribed a nebulizer.