How to Stop a Kid's Cough
If your child is coughing, pull out the cough medicine, right? Not necessarily. Many doctors do not encourage the use of cough medicine in children under 6. Granted, a cough is simply the body's way of clearing your child's airway. But when you hear your child hacking in the middle of the night, you would do just about anything to help. There are several things you can try.
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Instructions
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Put a cool-mist humidifier in your child's room. Humidifiers can help move around the mucus in your child's lungs, which can actually help her heal.
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Turn on the hot tap in the bathtub, and have your child breathe in the steam. This helps the cough in the same way as a humidifier.
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Encourage your child to drink a lot of fluids, especially water. This also helps to keep the environment in your child's lungs moving, which helps the mucus to flow up and out of his body.
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Try to offer your child tea with honey. Warm drinks can help even more than cold drinks, and they can be soothing on your child's throat.
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Try candy. If your child is old enough to suck on hard candy, you can try to give her some. They may calm her cough.
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Tips & Warnings
Honey may soothe your child's sore throat. Some studies (see Resources) have even shown that honey is more effective than cough medicine. Do not give honey to a child under age 1.
Do not offer cough drops to a child who might choke on them. Most children under the age of 4 should not be given cough drops or other hard candies. Do not give cough medicine to your child without getting your doctor's approval.
