Coughing Remedies for Kids

Coughing in kids is one of the most common symptoms of childhood sickness and illnesses. Coughing in kids can be a result of the common cold, a virus, the flu or from allergies. Although it may sound terrible, it is not usually a symptom of a more serious condition.

Home Remedies

• Treat your child's cough by creating a steam room in your bathroom. Turn your shower on the hottest level possible, shut the door and allow your child to sit comfortably. The steam will loosen chest congestion and soothe your child's coughing symptoms. You can also soothe coughing symptoms by creating a vapor bath and filling the bathtub with warm water and adding a few eucalyptus, lavender, sage or thyme drops. Parents can create an herbal vapor rub by using a mixture of three to four tablespoons of olive oil combined with one or two drops of essential oil such as eucalyptus, lavender, rosemary or peppermint. Apply the mixture to your child's chest and back and dress them in warm, tight clothing to allow the oils to vaporize. Using a combination of eucalyptus and rosemary may be very beneficial as the eucalyptus will help calm your child's cough and the rosemary will help calm them down to sleep.

Professional Treatment

• For a persistent cough in children, you may need to visit your pediatrician for treatment. Your pediatrician may recommend over-the-counter cough suppressants and expectorants for mild coughing. They may also suggest that you use a vaporizer in your child's room to create moisture. More severe coughing may be treated with prescription-strength cough syrups. Do not use over-the-counter combination medicines that are used for treating colds, as many combine medications that may not be appropriate for treating children and may cause severe side effects or even cause an overdose. Cough medications are not recommended for use by kids who are under the age of 4.

Considerations

• Coughing symptoms in kids tend to worsen at night. Mucus from the nose and sinuses drains down the throat, triggering coughing while kids sleep, which isn't harmful but can prevent them from sleeping. Asthma may also trigger night-time coughing because airways tend to be more sensitive to irritability at night.

  Because most coughing in kids is caused by viruses, your doctor will not use antibiotics to resolve coughing symptoms. Viral infections may take up to two weeks to work through your child's system, but to help your child's cough your pediatrician may recommend cough medications to ease and reduce coughing discomfort.

  Coughing in kids, accompanied by a mild fever, is usually just a result of the common could. But coughing in kids with a fever over 102 degrees Fahrenheit may be a result of pneumonia. Persistent coughing may be caused by allergies, asthma or a chronic sinus infection; a cough that lasts longer than three weeks should be treated by your pediatrician.