My two year old has a bad cough. It isn't croup but it's keeping him awake at night.

Question

Because he isn't getting much sleep neither are my husband and I. He's getting in trouble at daycare and we are very tired at work.

What is the best remedy or medicine for him.

We will try anything LEGAL! :P

Home remedies or over the counter medicine will work.

We called his doctor and he called in a prescription but it isn't working at all.

Answer 1

spoonful of honey with a little lemon juice

Answer 2

Have you tried a cool mist humidifier?

I know it's the middle of the summer, but the air may just be too dry for him.  My son had this problem too, and the moist air really helped him.  Other than that, using an OTC cough suppressant for night time only (such as PLAIN Robitussin (guaifenesin)... no letters after it... make sure it is dosed for your child's WEIGHT... and CHECK with your doctor.  Let him know that the Rx isn't working) might work if it is a dry cough.  If it sounds like there is something there to be expectorated, I would take him in to the doctor to make sure it isn't something more serious.

He may also be suffering from allergies and post-nasal drip (that would obviously be worse and draining down the back of his throat at night, tickling it and causing him to cough).  If he has allergies, you may want to take him in anyway and have him evaluated.  Chances are, if he has allergies, they'll recommend using something like Claritin or Zyrtec syrup which is now available over the counter.

I know that is a LOT of information to process... but I hope that you found it helpful.

Good luck! :)

Answer 3

ok, either a spoonful honey or try putting vapor rub on his chest at night

Answer 4

the old fashion vicks vapo rub. They now have it in creamy and in baby. My mom used this at the slightist cough and i use it on my kids. along with one of those dry humidifiers that you can plug into the wall. They work great.

http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.j...

http://www.walgreens.com/search/search_r...

This works great for my kids and by morning they are already doing better. You can use both or just one. Also I read somewhere that if you apply it to the bottom of their feet, it's supposed to work better.

https://www.epharmacy.com.au/product.asp...

You can buy the baby one at wal mart. I couldn't find it at their web site, but that is where i bought mine.

Answer 5

not sure on the medicine since i just use childrens cough medicine, but what i do when my kids are sick is stick a pillow under his mattress to elevate him a little bit and i use a humidifier in his room...like the vicks one...should work just fine and get him well soon. i know vicks is good for stuffy noses but you can try putting some on his chest and back..maybe that will calm his throat a little bit and stop the coughing some. good luck and hope all 3 of you get some rest soon

Answer 6

You should consult a doctor ASAP because it might be bronchitis (infection type of thing in the lungs). But you should give him a spoonfull of honey with a bit of ginger mixed in it or even gripe water works! Hope you child gets well soon!

Answer 7

1 tsp. honey

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp. cajan pepper

1 tsp. water

I tried this on my self before giving to my kids, it is alittle spicy, but it actually seemed to work pretty well. mix all that up and then give your child 1 tsp.. at a time as needed. Hope it works! Have you tried a vaporizer in his room at night time, if so try adding a few drops of tea tree oil to the water. It will stink badly but that stuff can work miracles!

Answer 8

my daughter just had something similar. we used the humidifier with vapor along with johnson and johnson vapor bath right before bed. as for meds. we used pediatric night time robitussin. our daughter is 20 months and weighs 34lbs i used 1 tsp of the robitussin.

Answer 9

Try a humidifier first. If that alone doesn't do it add a little eucalyptis to the vapor. If that doesn't do it and it is a persistant cough it may be allergies. Try some children's benadryl. I don't know if they have a dosing for 2 year olds but if they have one for 6 year olds use half the smallest recommended dose, it is completely safe. You can also ask your doctor for dosing info.