What do you use for a cough in children under 6

[Quiver0f10]

My 5.5 yo has a croupy sounding cough. It's been a while since I have had to deal with a cough like this and the recommendations have changed so I am clueless. He will be 6 in January.

 

Thanks.

[Jennifer in MI]

We've been using Chestal. It's homeopathic and made by Boiron. I got it at Rite Aid. Love this stuff. It really soothes a cough.

 

I'm sorry you've got sick ones!

[DaffodilDreams]

Honey sometimes works for dd. I give her a hefty spoonful and allow it to coat her throat. Buckwheat honey is supposed to work wonders, but we cannot find it here.

 

Steamy bathrooms are supposed to be good for croup, though.

[rootsnwings]

Mucinex has a children's formula that will help. It's not a cough suppressant but will help get all the mucous up and out which will in turn help stop the coughing.

 

HTH

[LittleIzumi]

A spoonful of honey, esp overnight. Vicks Vaborub. Humidifier.

[Quiver0f10]

Thanks for the ideas.

[rootsnwings]

Honey + Lemon really does do wonders but I would try the mucinex during the day to get all the phlegm out. HTH

[Tabrett]

Nighttime- Vic's Vapor Rub on soles of feet and then put socks on.

[Heather in OK]

Chestal here too.

 

Vicks rub on the feet with socks on is supposed to work too.

[NanceXToo]

A spoonful of honey, esp overnight. Vicks Vaborub. Humidifier.

 

Ditto. And I try not to give milk as it seems to make coughs worse, just clear liquids. And yes I agree, elevate head some at night! See if you can put something under the head of the mattress to give it a little lift, or an extra pillow or some such.

Edited November 13, 2010 by NanceXToo

[TN Mama]

Nighttime- Vic's Vapor Rub on soles of feet and then put socks on.

 

I can't tell you the number of friends who have told me this works. I don't want to HAVE to try it, but I will definitely remember to use next time we are in need.

[silliness7]

Nighttime- Vic's Vapor Rub on soles of feet and then put socks on.

 

I LOVE Vick's...don't know what it does for your feet...rub it on the chest, loosen the clothing around the neck. Socks are optional. ;) I second the humidifier and if the cough is worse at night elevate the head of the bead slightly

[joannqn]

Our pediatrician has directed us to use Robitussin and adjust the amount by weight. He said the problems caused in younger children were due more from parents overdosing than the medicine.

[silliness7]

I can't tell you the number of friends who have told me this works. I don't want to HAVE to try it, but I will definitely remember to use next time we are in need.

 

Seriously? My grandmother fixed my dad up with this remedy when he was a boy. He swears by it and the rest of the family laughs hysterically at his old wives remedy. How in the name of Fergus McDonaldson would such a thing do anything other than giving you nice toasty, warm, greasy feet?

[KidsHappen]

If it is croup taking him out into the cool night air will help. If this is not possible a cool air humidifier. This is per my dr. Mucinex or it's generic equivilent will help bring up any mucus. Vick's vapor rub will clear nasal passages to help breathing.

[Gwenhwyfar]

How in the name of Fergus McDonaldson would such a thing do anything other than giving you nice toasty, warm, greasy feet?

 

that's what i was wondering ~ your feet don't have anything to do with your lungs! :p

 

back when mine were 5/6 and had a bad cough, i used whatever kids cough medicine i had at the time - triaminic or something along those lines.

[Mabelen]

Theser are all the remedies that I use in these circumstances with my younger dd:

 

Chicken soup

Mint tea with honey

Saline nasal spray

Salt water gargles

Cool mist humidifier

Steam showers

Mucinex mini-melts, they actually do have a cough formula (Guaifenesin 100mg and Dextromethorphan HBr 5mg)

Vicks Vaporub

Elevated pillow

Extra hugs and stories

[Jennifer in MI]

Th

Extra hugs and stories

 

Very sweet!!!

[TravelingChris]

Guafenesin which is the active ingredient in Robitussin -the plain expectorant kind. I would not give Robitussin D.

[Rivka]

Vicks VapoSteam in a warm mist vaporizer. To me it makes more sense to breathe the Vicks in than to encase the feet in it.

 

Also, tons of extra fluids.

[Quiver0f10]

Thanks again everyone :)

[Pretty in Pink]

I do VapoSteam in the vaporizer, Vicks on the chest and back (cover with a white undershirt), and yes for some reason the soles of the feet does seem to work...I have no idea why. :confused:

 

For croup cough you can sit in a steam bathroom for several minutes; conversely, you can take the child outdoors into the cool night air or have them stand with their face almost inside the open freezer so that they are inhaling the cold air.

[wapiti]

My 5.5 yo has a croupy sounding cough. It's been a while since I have had to deal with a cough like this and the recommendations have changed so I am clueless. He will be 6 in January.

 

Thanks.

 

IMO, you maight have two issues - the cough and the croup.

 

If he really has croup (can't tell from your post), I'd do the following, in this order any time you think the airway is narrowing significantly (barking) (our ped's office refers to this as first aid for croup): the steam shower - sit in the bathroom for 15-20 min; if that doesn't fix it, I'd wrap him up and stick your heads out the door for some cold air depending on where you live, or make him put his head in the freezer for a few minutes to breathe that cold air; if that still doesn't improve it sufficiently, my personal (and final) trick is to turn on the nebulizer and do a vial of saline or albuterol - sometimes the cool mist direct from the neb does the trick. I hope he doesn't have croup, it always scares me, though he's old enough where I wouldn't necessarily expect it to get that bad (bigger airway). The old rule of thumb is that the second of the three nights of croup is the worst (usually right in the middle of the night).

 

For the cough, our ped generally recommends no cough syrup. We don't want to turn off the cough if it is helping to clear the lungs of gunk. I give honey, lots of fluids, and in this house full of wheezers, often albuterol.

 

Hope you have an uneventful night and that he feels better soon!

[calledtobehome]

We also use Chestal by Boiron. It worked great last week when my 6.5 yr old son and a cough that seem to get worse at night.The first ingredient is honey which is good for coughs. We also like giving hot herbal tea and soup. Hope your lil one feel better soon!

 

http://www.amazon.com/Chestal-Cough-Syrup-8-45-Ounces/dp/B00016QTQM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1289708750&sr=8-2