How to help baby through a very bad cough

[mrsamy]

My LO has had a cold. He's nearly 10 months old. Started with a stuffy and/ or runny nose. Then the cough started. The cough's been getting worse; harder and more frequent. With the congestion I could use vapour rub and see he's improving. With this cough I don't know what to do. Any ideas what to do.

[roxannacar]

There's not much you can do for a cough. If you're happy that's he's well in himself and not needing a doctor all you can do is wait it out. Most cough medicine has codeine which should not be used in kids, and lots of these products don't work well anyways. If he's got a blocked nose saline drops can work for unblocking the snotty bits.

[mrsamy in reply to roxannacar]

I've been using the spray. His nose is getting better. It's the cough thats getting worse.

I know I have to wait it out.....I wish they was something I could do to help him....he just sounds so rough. Thanks for the reply.

[Dad101]

Raise the cot at one end using quite thick books to help the cough at night. Hot steamy baths at sleep times. Olbas oil on a muslin in rooms you sleep and play in. You can also get plug ins if you prefer and if you like invest in a cool air humidifier it really helped my son sleep. Most importantly feed, feed, feed and sleep is the best way over a cold. Make nice hot chicken soups and try some orange juice as well.

[mrsamy in reply to Dad101]

Thank you. Been using the vapour rub on a tissue. Will try the oil on Muslin and see if that's better.

[Hopeful15]

Oh goodness, we had that at same age and a friends lo has same now - the hacking cough that won't go away. It could be viral....which I found doctors say off the cuff...but it could be croup which is actually treatable with a nebuliser and steroids...but they made us wait it out at least 5-7 days before anyone even bothered to seriously diagnose our condition as croup. As long as your baby is still eating and drinking and is in good spirits without a fever, then you can just wait it out but any prolongued coughing does need to be checked for a chest infection.

Top tips are to keep your house cold, turn down your heating thermostat to 16-18°C and don't wrap baby up too much. When a coughing fit starts take them outside or close to an open window - the fresh cold air will help the lungs to relax after about 5-10 minutes. I used to stand out there for a good 20 mins until his breathing really softened. Keep up with vapour rub on chest, back and massage into their feet (it helps to relax them as well). Nasal saline spray regularly to help rinse the fluid off the back of the throat. If they are being sick following eating and coughing, keep to fluid foods and drinks. If they can't keep anything down but water, use a syringe to administer fluid regularly and keep a note of how much is staying down (this helps to know when dr asks you)...maybe with a drop of sugary cordial to keep their strength up and also help their stomach absorb the water. There are also dissolvable anti dehydration medicines you can buy over the counter like Dioralyte which can be used with infants when diluted correctly. Remember more than 6 dry nappies and you're off to the dr) Keep an eye on their temperature regularly and try to keep any fever under control with Calpol etc. If they aren't eating, avoid ibruprofen as this can damage their stomach lining. And lits and lots and lots of love and cuddles and lullabies And if you feel worried at any time and something is just not right call your doctor or out of hours service for advice straight away. Good luck. x

[mrsamy in reply to Hopeful15]

Thanks so much. Hearing the hacking and not being able to do anything is so frustrating because I know how it feels as an adult.

Thanks for the tips....No more wrapping him up and Sauna like rooms.

He's gone off everything except yoghurt with fruit. Thankfully he still breastfeeds to sleep (bad practice I know, but it's come in handy now) otherwise he'd be really dehydrated.

We've gone past the 7 days now. Will call the Gp tomorrow and see what they say.

[Hopeful15 in reply to mrsamy]

Breastfeeding is never bad practice. He needs all the comfort he can get. Give it to him whenever he wants it and give yourself a pat on the back for being a brilliant mum xx

[SC94]

The calpol vapour plug ins are great for my two little ones. Yoy can get them from pharmacies or asda places like that. They can be powerful at first but within a night my two are definetly alot clearly on their chests. Hope this helps.

[mrsamy]

Went to the gp; she said it can take 3 weeks and it gets worse before it gets better. She was right. It's taken 2 weeks and a half.

Thank you all for your advice. It helped speed up recovery (and kept me calm with something to do. The cough is almost all gone. He's back to his usual "put me down I want to explore"

[roxannacar in reply to mrsamy]

That's good news... be aware if he's starting nursery they will get a cold/cough ever week .... and that's quite normal ... teak in general their immune system,

[mrsamy in reply to roxannacar]

Oh dear. That's how this one started....we had gone for the nursery settling in session the 2 days before.

You start them at nursery because you need to go back to work and then end up taking so many days off.😕

[roxannacar in reply to mrsamy]

I know my daughter just started nursery. She got hand foot and mouth during her settling in sessions!