Help!! That tickling cough... any remedies for a toddler?

[xXHopeXx]

DD (2yrs) has this very persistent dry tickling cough. From what I can tell she doesn't have a runny nose (though could have post nasal drip, I get this when im sick) she's generally fine during the day with the odd cough here and there but tonight the poor darlin cant stop coughing I've tried nearly everything I can think of but nothings working! I've tried -
- antihistamine to dry the nose
- kids cough medicine
- honey, lemon and warm water mix
- honey on a teaspoon
- euky bearub on her feet and socks
- vaporizer in her room (the vicks one, and I put the oils in it too)

I dont know what else I can do!? shes coughing like every 20 seconds and the poor thing is so tired but can't sleep because of the cough!

Anyone else have any suggestions?? Please?

[kiwidolly]

I'm in the same situation at the moment... will be interested to see what advice you get....

[danita]

My 2 and I have this can not stop coughing and nothing is working. I'm doing everything aswell. we also developed a temp and a runny nose a few days after the cough. After nearly 1.5 weeks my DD is almost better me and DS are only on day 5 it's so draining. We just try to prop ourselves up at night with pillows. Hopefully someone else pops in with ideas

[Katters]

A mum at my early intervention Playgroup on tues solved this for me! She said I still have mucous on the lungs that needs to be broken down, I need to take a round of steroids and have an asthma puffer on hand. I told her that seems a bit extreme and she shrugged and told me to enjoy my cough then :P she's a hospital mum so it's probably pretty accurate.. Or you could have someone break the phlegm up by pounding your back. I think physios are the ones who do that.

[OceanPrincess]

Warm apple juice, apparently relaxes the throat so they don't get the urge to cough. Told to me just now by a medibank private nurse when I rang their health line asking about DS2's cough.

[Cass72]

Chop up an onion and leave it in the room. Smelly, but it works. I know of one lady who used to make a poultice and put the the chopped onion in a muslin bag and either put in socks or on their chest (front or back).

[xXHopeXx]

Thanks for the advice ladies! I tried the apple juice, and I think it worked abit, but dd doesn't like juice so it was abit hard to get her to drink it, and she didn't have much lol.
Ive got an onion sitting in her room now so fingers crossed today has been better than the past couple days, so I hope it's a good sign!

[Taurean]

DD1 is in the same boat although she's almost better now. I use Dimetapp, Vicks Vapouriser (with the oil) and prop her up on two pillows to sleep, so reclined and not laying flat. That seems to really help.

I must remember the warm apple juice!

[hj1981]

we have the same issue, and it gets worse as the weather gets cooler and nothing works except sadly a dose of steroids............. we were told the asthma puffer too but she will not use it at all! obviously steroids are the absolute last resort, but sadly they do work... apparently it is "seasonal asthma"

Will try the onion thing cause from everything that has been suggested that is the only thing we haven't tried

[hj1981]

we have the same issue, and it gets worse as the weather gets cooler and nothing works except sadly a dose of steroids............. we were told the asthma puffer too but she will not use it at all! obviously steroids are the absolute last resort, but sadly they do work... apparently it is "seasonal asthma"

Will try the onion thing cause from everything that has been suggested that is the only thing we haven't tried

[Beach Mama]

We also had this and DD had asthmatic tendencies when sick with a cold so used a puffer with spacer which helped. She has since outgrown it.

[~ Mylitta ~]

I read recently that the onion technique is a myth and doesn't really work. But hey, it's not going to hurt to try it

My husband swears that wearing socks to bed makes a difference to a cough. My son got a mild cough a few months ago and DH made him wear socks to bed for two nights. It cleared right up. Although, I must admit that I am super lucky and my kids generally either don't get sick, or get better within a day or two, so the socks may not have done anything at all, lol.

I've also heard that you can put vicks on their feet and then the socks. People swear by it. I've never tried it myself though. And I'm not sure at what age you can use vicks on kids...

[boomba]

We have just started doing the Vicks on the feet and socks and it seems to work.

Also your gut health is super important to fight colds so a probiotic will help. And we also do an onion thing. We chop up half an onion sprinkle it with sugar then leave for a few hours. There will be a syrup and we use a syringe to squirt it onto the back of the throat! Works a charm :-)