Would it be a terrible idea to give my toddler a cough drop?

Question

He is 18 months and has a stuffy nose. There aren't really any decongestants for his age range and I would rather not give him Benadryl since I don't think its allegies. He eats regular table food and I have given him Dum Dums before. I was going to get some Ricolas not anything too strong. If you have any ideas to help clear his nose let me know. We are using Vick's baby rub already.

Answer 1

The only reason I can think of that it would be bad is that it is a choking hazard.  The best thing to do is stick it out, maybe give him and warm bath.  If he doesn't move around too much at night, you could also elevate his bed slightly, like with a towel under the mattress.

Answer 2

i  wish somebody first time round told me to use a vapouriser.  my 2nd is 4 months old with a stuffy nose, cough ++ then  i hire a vapouriser that you can add eucalyptus oil as the steam and oil combined help to clear any decongestion and it has work wonderfully

Answer 3

I would wait and ask the pediatrician.  If he isn't on any meds it might be ok but they can irritate the back of their throat which can then give them a sore throat.  For a stuffy nose I was told to do just saline drops unless it was really necessary to do something else.  

Answer 4

No you should not give him a cough drop, he could choke and the dosage of medication in a cough drop is to much for a baby that age. If you go to his pediatrician he can perscribe you a decongestant but they recently stopped selling over the counter decongestants because so many people accidentally overdosed there babies. That kind of medicine can be life threatening for a young child. Some infant tylenol might work though

Answer 5

Hi there, Here is the solution for saline water if you don't have any on hand.

http://www.seattlechildrens.org/child_he...

I would not give your child a cough dropp but a pharmacy or Wegmans should carry Cold relief pops for toddlers 2 and up. They are like a loolypop with zinc and vitimin C . In the mean time try a popcicle or icey to relax and relieve ther throat. Maybe even a warm bath or Humidifier.  I have put Vics on my 2 year olds feet and the put socks on her it is suppose to draw out bacteria and infections.   Good night and God Bless

Answer 6

I know this might sound terrible, but let the flu or virus run it course. Sometimes medicine only helps relieve the congestion for a short time and return. There are some infant saline drops that you can uses.  

Answer 7

We use the saline drops. (Name brand is Simply Nose I believe. White with red on the box and they have a whole line of products.). It is just saline solution and it works great to unclog a stuffy nose.  Just a couple of drops in each side and poof it will be running in no time. Lay him back on your lap. Let his head kinda lay back over your leg and drip in two drops in each side. Make sure you make it a fun thing. We always said watch this it is going to tickle!!! And then when we dropped them in we would try to laugh like it was tickling because it actually kinda does. Keep him laid back as long as possible. Then when done you can use the nose sucker and pull out the loosened mucus.

I would say no on the cough drop simply because it is SUPER slippery and can get lodged in his throat. A sucker has a stick to grab onto. A cough drop doesn't and would be horrible to try and dislodge. I have almost choked on them before so I'm sure an active child who doesn't have full control of their tongue yet could as well.  Good luck!

****EDIT****

There are also suckers with the throat numbing medicine in them. They are called GET BETTER BEARS. We have used those before as well. But they cause your tongue to become numb so be careful using those so he doesn't bite his tongue. But those are good so he doesn't get choked on a cough drop.

****EDIT AGAIN****

You can also put cans under one end of his bed to elevate one end so he can breath better. We used peanut cans under one end of our little guys bed and it lifted it up enough that he wasn't laying back into the stuffy-ness if that makes sense. Kinda like when you have a stuffy nose, it isn't pleasant to lay flat. It is much easier to breath when your head is up. So we just lifted one end of his bed.

Answer 8

If he has a sore throat then you could use that spray that numbs....I don't think it would be a problem to give him a cough drop if he sits still and near you until hes done. He probably won't like the taste so you could try a popsicle to suck on or dumsdums. also try a humidifier

Answer 9

i wouldnt recommend the hard ones, if they make chewable ones its fine or just get some throat spray.

Answer 10

Cough drops are a serious choking hazard for young children. In addition, some contain medication not meant for small children. Give him a nice warm bath so he can breathe some steam and maybe some herbal tea with honey if he will drink it. If he is not better in a day or two call the doctor.

Answer 11

speak with a pediatrician because your baby might choke on a cough drop.  

Answer 12

Yes it would be a bad idea, he is WAY too little for that kind of stuff, not to mention he could choke. Don't give him anything that his doctor doesn't ok.

Answer 13

I most definitely would NOT recmmend giving it to him.  While the ingredients itself are not dangerous, the chances of him choking are very very high!  

Even though its tough to have a sick baby, its perfectly ok to just let his cold run its course unmedicated.  Everything you are doing so far is really all you can do at his age!

Answer 14

I don't think a cough drop will help your toddlers stuffy nose.  And certianly if you are looking for advise... I wouldn't risk giving him something he could possibly choke on to find out :)  Using a vaporizor during naps, in a closed playroom and at night when he is sleeping might help to open him up so that he is more comfortable.  A saline spray (salt water) can be very helpful in immediatly clearing a tiny nose and keeping it clear for a while.  It doesn't hurt them but they don't usually like it.  Most food or pharmacy stores carry saline spray products for babies/toddlers.  I hope that helps :)