cough suppressant for 3 year olds?

is there one? ivana has this dry, itchy, annoying cough, and it's just ticking her off more and more everytime she coughs. it's mostly when she's lying down, so you can imagine how nap time and bed time are going <_<

ETA: honey isn't helping.

 

Call your pediatrician and ask if you can give Delsym at bedtime. Mine said it was fine for a dry cough that wouldn't go away. Roycie took it for two weeks.

 

I use Delsym 1/2 tsp. for every twelve hours. My pedi okay'd it too.

 

I finally gave Delsym around that age too. I had been very reluctant to use any cold meds on them (and our ped never recommended it), but sooo many people seemed to use it, I just gave in.

I can't swear that it works miracles, but it does seem to help. It also has a mild sedating effect (because that's how it suppresses the urge to cough), so it might help them sleep through the cough even if they are still coughing.

If you're not already using a humidifier, try that too.

 

Will has a wet cough right now, but I've been really pleased with the cherry scented Mentholatum (like Vick's rub, but smells a little better). I only use it at nap/bed, but I do think it makes a difference, and it says it's safe for two+

Also, you can check with your doctor, but if the cough is allergy related (post nasal drip etc), something like Claratin or Zyrtec might help too.

 

Delsym here too...boys had at 2..pedi gave the ok

 

We use buckwheat honey (1 tsp, as often as they need it, which runs from once every few hours to once a night), and it seems to work pretty well, for any kind of cough!

 

thanks, all! well, i called the nurse at the pedi's office, and she told me to just stick with benedryl. it doesn't seem to be working, tho, so i think i'll try vick's rub on their feet, adn if THAT doesn't work, then i'll just try the delsym ardon:

 

My ped was okay with Delsym as well... that stuff rocks!! :good:

 

another vote for Delsym - the only thing is it makes Abby MEAN!!! I try to only give it at night if the cough is keeping her up or if she's gagging also...

 

okay, my next question is, which delsym do you use? dh bought the cough suppressant, and i was a little reluctant, cuz there was a picture of a boy jumping over the sun on the box (lol), so i was afraid it was for daytime, but it didn't say anywhere on the box, so i gave it to her anyway, and she was up all night!!!!! do i buy the delsym cold and cough? BTW, now it's a wet, full blown cough. i'm so ready for these sicknesses to be GONE!!!

 

we used the cough suppressant at night..no probs.

 

There's a kids Mucinex out there too. It has a cough suppressant and an expectorant in it - I used it for Cricket's awful cough two weeks ago. It did not keep my kids up, but wan't labeled night time or anything.

 

We buy Delsym in an orange box. It isn't specifically labeled day or night, but it doesn't have an expectorant (what's in Mucinex), which I think is the think that can make them hyper. (My IF specialist had me taking Mucinex at one point to try to make me more fertile, and I had to take it in the morning or I was up all night!)

 

UPDATE: okay, so i ended up getting Hyland's brand cough/cold for ages 2+, and it's been working great for her coughing! and no problems staying up at night. she woke up at 4:30 with a very wet cough, i gave her some of the syrup, and she fell back to sleep (thank goodness, cuz usually she'll figure, "well, i'm up, i may as well stay up!" )

 

Yep ... I have given mine delsym at night, too. The Pharmacist at Target said it was OK to give to a 3 yr old but to give her half of the dose for a 4-6 year old (she is really small, too, only 26 pounds at 3 yrs 8 mos) ... sad that I took the Pharm's word instead of calling my Pedi but I really wanted something to help her so I took her word for it. She has done fine with it. When I have a cough and take it I feel really loopy so I don't give it to her during the day so she doesn't get the loopy feeling ... but at night, to help her sleep ... I have no qualms. She said that pairing it with Loratadine helps because kids cough when they have that post-nasal drip bc they don't really know to just swallow it so if you can try and help stop the drip the cough tends to lessen, too. Keep in mind this is all from a Target Pharmacist so you may want to pass it by your Pedi first. =)

 

We use Mucinex and/or Delsym here too.

 

BENADRYL!!!!!!!

I was a Delsym user for years with my boys but our new ped does not recommend cough meds for children under 6. I still use Delsym but after they told me to use Benadryl I tried it bc the Delsym was just not working.

I will use Benadryl from now on at night and when they dont need to school. Never thought it would work for a cough but it does!!

 

Raw ginger!
I use all the natural stuff for the 2+ kids. However that doesn’t work for the bad coughs. I tried to get my Pedi to approve the other cough meds with half the dose (my sister is a nurse and a mother of 3 and that’s what she does) but my Pedi would not recommend it so DH said no.
So here is our routine every other week since that’s how often they’ve been sick since September:
-Humidifier
-Long hot bath
-Big pillow under mattress to elevate
-A does of natural do-nothing cough medicine
-If they are really bad we give children’s Ibuprofen (fever reducer) to help them sleep
-And finally RAW ginger! (Backstory: after I coughed for weeks and was super desperate because nothing, not one drug on the market was working and I was sleeping upright for weeks I found something on the internet:
Buy raw ginger and chew on it and suck and swallow the juice (yes it’s awful) but it WORKED, I slept soundly all night. So the next time when my DDs were sick I used a garlic press and got several drops into a cup, DILUTE it with as much water, put it in a dispenser and squeeze it into their mouths. The first time I did not dilute it and gave them almost 2.5mm of it and one threw up! Anyway, they will hate you for it and cry but you’ll notice that the coughing has stopped! I also make enough in case I need more during the night.

 

Thanks for the info. I had never head of Delsym until this thread. My twins have horrible coughs that are keeping them up at night, so I had DH go out and buy some Delsym.

 

I've also discovered that the old wives tales can be true...I rub Vicks on the bottom of Abby's feet and then put socks on her (I also put some on her chest as well) - works like a charm...don't know why or how or where I heard it but it seriously works!