Cough Medicine

When you put him to bed at night, put Vicks Vaporub on his feet & cover them with socks. Sounds strange but trust me it works!

When my son (2 1/2) gets a cough that lingers (following a cold), I give him breathing treatments w/ albuterol, atrovent and pulmicort in them several times a day until the cough goes. It has helped both my son and daughter. This was given to them by our pediatrician. Maybe ask yours about this option. Good Luck.

Hi Mellisa! My doctor told me to use a warm mist humidifier or a cool mist humidifier. If you use a worm mist humidifier you can use tap water, and only clean once a week! But with cool mist you need to use distilled water and clean about 2-3 times a week! Keep a humidifier in your sons room and the room that he is in most often! And in some humidifers there is a sopt for a vivks menthletm (SP!), I put that in there to!My sons terriable cough lasted a while and then after I used the humidifer it seemed to clear up fast! I hope your lil boy feels better son!

I have always been against giving my kids cough medicine so I have to say I am happy more doctors are advising against it. I also know how horrible it is to have a young child cough his head off nonstop. I have heard recently that if you rub Vicks Vaborub on their feet and then put socks on before bed it does wonders. I belong to a private mom's message board and when one mom heard about this she tried it and told us and now everyone has tried it and they all say it works! Fortunately I haven't had to try it yet but maybe you could give it a shot? Good luck and I hope he feels better!

I agree that you need to find a new dr. - a cough is not something to mess with. Also - whenever my son had a bad cough they prescribed Albuterol as well - so I would look into that like someone else said. maybe check about that before changing doctors. Good luck - hope he gets better!

Hi there,

If you check out the isles at a whole foods/wild oats/natutal health co-op there are several brands of herbal or homeopathic syrups that work as expectorants and nervines as opposed to anti tussives and are completely non toxic. Of course some are better than others....In terms of homeopathic I like the "chestal" one and herbal I like the one made by "Turtle Island Herbs".

As and herbalist and the director of an herbal school in western mass (see my listing) I also make and sell a cough syrup and have classes teaching families how to make their own.

I use the B&T Homeopathic Children's Cough Medicine, and it works! I also combine with another homeopathic medicine if her nose is running. We have a cool mist humidifier running CONSTANTLY in her room and put lavender oil in her bath at night as well as on a maxi pad that I stick on the wall over her bed every night.

When she was just a few months old, I tried the vicks - and we ended up in the ER, maybe she had an allergic reaction the the eucalyptus. No one knows for sure, but we haven't tried it since.

I also make Throat Coat for kids tea and tell her every time she coughs she has to sip her water or the tea (which has honey in it). I also giver her elderberry syrup every day (immune booster).

I've taken the workshops from Blazing Star Herbal school and made some medicinal syrups and got some wonderful advice. It's made a HUGE difference in our daughter's health this winter...so far.

Also - sleep is SO IMPORTANT. On the nights where the coughing keeps her awake, we give her Tylenol Cold & Cough. At first I was so reluctant, but if she doesn't sleep while she has a cough or cold, it lingers way too long and she gets way too sick and then I get sick.

I'm no fan of doctors, but I have to agree, if they are saying nothing is wrong - go find another doctor. Clearly there is something going on that they don't understand.

Good luck!

Have you tried a humidifier? And rember to push a lot of fluids.

Hi M.,
I have 2 young sons that recently had awful coughs. We went to Whole Foods and found a natural cough syrup that worked wonders. It is called B&T and was found where the kids vitamins are!!!
Good Luck!

maybe its time to switch doctors! if he has had a bad cough for a monnth he has something more going on than a cold. My daughter just had mild pneumonia (ithought it was just a cold bug) and an awful cough to the point of gagging, well her daughter gave her meds and its pretty much gone, its been 2 weeks! Try to see another doctor, they all have different opinions and ideas, and no, I dont think a little cold medicine will hurt him. Also, try teaspoons of honey. After a the nasty medicine i let her have one (a teaspoon of honey helps the medicine go down!) and if her cough was real bad and it wasnt time for medicine another tspn of honey really seemed to do the trick, it soothes the cough. Hope this help, good luck with the poor pumpkin.