Productive Cough in Children

A productive cough in children is a common childhood symptom experienced as a result of a variety of conditions such as a cold, flu, allergies, environmental irritants and asthma. Productive coughing in children can sound like a bark and usually produces mucus and congestion that has been cleared from the lungs.

Causes

• Cold, flu and bronchitis infections in children tend to begin with a frequent non-productive cough that sounds like a hacking. As the infection progresses, it usually develops into a productive cough due to chest congestion. Cigarette smoke and air pollution also can cause a productive cough in children. Cough-variant asthma and regular asthma can produce daytime and nighttime productive coughing. According to the pediatric advice website, Keepkidshealthy.com, cough-variant asthma is a type of asthma that does not produce wheezing and can be induced by cold air and/or exercise. Regular asthma produces wheezing, productive coughing and is triggered by exercise, playing and exposure to cold air.

Home Treatment

• Viral and bacterial infections such as the cold, flu and bronchitis that create productive coughing can be treated by creating a steam room in your bathroom.

  Turn on the hot water in the shower, and shut the door, allowing steam to develop and build up in the room. Sit with your child to allow him to breathe the steam for at least 20 minutes. Read a book to prevent restlessness.

  Set up a vaporizer or cool-mist humidifier in your child's room to treat increased nighttime non-productive coughing. Add a few drops of essential oils such as peppermint, rosemary or eucalyptus to the vaporizer water to create soothing vapors, which can calm and improve productive coughing.

  Productive coughing in children due to regular asthma and cough-variant asthma are treated with daily at-home bronchodilator treatments.

Professional Treatment

• Productive coughing as a result of any type of infection should be treated by your pediatrician. Depending on the type of infection, your pediatrician may prescribe antibiotics for bacterial infections, cough suppressants for colds and decongestants for allergy coughing symptoms. Severe asthma conditions may need to be treated with steroid breathing treatments and possibly hospitalization to stabilize breathing and reduce coughing.

Considerations

• Colds, asthma and allergies can cause persistent coughing in children, lasting for weeks. Iman Sharif, M.D. of Kidshealth.org, warns parents that productive coughing symptoms in children tend to worsen at night as mucus from the nose and sinuses drains into the throat. Asthma and cough-variant asthma tend to trigger nighttime productive coughing because children's airways are more irritable and sensitive during those hours.

Warning

• Dr. Sharif warns that children with a productive cough should see a doctor immediately if they begin experiencing extreme difficulty breathing, high fever, "whooping" sound after coughing spells, weakness, irritability or the lips, face or tongue appear blue.