Persistent cough in a 15-month-old?

Question

My son recently got over a fever and now that his temp is normal, he's got a perpetual runny nose and a persistent cough. The cough is particularly aggravating because it interrupts everything. If you're trying to feed him he launches into a cough fit in the middle of it, spitting up all of his food. Same goes for drinking.

How can we get rid of this cough or help alleviate it? We already use Baby Vick's rub which seems to help, but only temporarily.

Answer 1

Where are you putting the Vicks vapor rub? Because my son had a bad cough when he was 6-9 months old and someone told me to put Vicks vapor rub on the bottom of his FEET and then put socks on. The vapors rise up and it helps. They emailed me an article about it that explained everything. IT REALLY WORKED! I did it at night and he slept all night. I couldn't believe it! I still do it now! And my doctor said to use a cool mist HUMIDIFIER. Also he said to bring him in the bathroom and put the SHOWER on HOT for 10-15 minutes and the steam from hot water helps. You can use tylenol for infants or benadryl. The dimetapp  for children is good too! They also sell a patch for children and I tryed that once and it worked! But try the Vicks under the feet. IT WORKS!!!  GOOD LUCK!

Answer 2

my 16mth old is going through somewhat the same thing. he hasn't had a fever, well until now, but has this really hoarse cough, that sounds really bad. I've been giving him Dimetapp, using baby vicks rub and keeping him well hydrated. you can use dimetapp, even though its meant for children at least 2yo, but if you use only 1-2ml, its actually not that harmful. the last time my son had a bad cold, the doc prescribed that, so since I have most of the bottle remaining, I'm doing that again, it seems to help alot at the time. You can also give him a teaspoon of liquid honey when his cough sounds really bad. it helps to coat his throat and make it easier for him.

Answer 3

Have you talked to your doctor.  I don't want to be a pessimist but if he is not fully vaccinated and was exposed then it could be whooping cough which is making a comeback, because all of us who were vaccinated 10 or 15 years ago are no longer protected.  In adults it may just look like a long lasting resp infection, but it can kill a baby - if the coughing is bad enough they can stop breathing.  If its not that then you can still be vaccinated to keep him safe and as a bonus (& the reason I was able to convince my husband to get vaccinated)- the whooping cough booster also includes the tetanus shot.