Coughing is a reflex that clears the airways of secretions and is a common symptom of a cold or other viral illnesses. Toddlers, as with other children, can develop a persistent cough, but are generally not ideal candidates for cough medicines. Children under the age of four are more likely to suffer from potentially dangerous side effects associated with cold medicines and should be treated with more natural remedies.
Step 1
Listen to your toddler's cough and assess other symptoms to determine how to treat it. Whooping cough, a contagious illness that most toddlers are vaccinated against, is accompanied by a fever and runny nose and breathing that sounds like whooping. Whooping cough, also called pertussis, is a bacterial infection that required antibiotics.
Step 2
Run the shower and bring your sick child into the bathroom so the steam can help break up the congestion associated with croup. Croup is characterized by a dry, barking cough, raspy breathing and is common in small children. Twenty minutes in a steamy bathroom can relieve some of the discomfort and coughing from croup.
Step 3
Offer your toddler honey if she is at least one year old. The natural sweetener can help loosen a cough to make it more productive and can soothe a sore throat. Between 1/2 to 1 tsp. of honey can be beneficial to a toddler's cough.
Step 4
Run a humidifier in your child's room when he has a cough. The moisture in the air can relieve a sore throat caused by frequent coughing and can help make a dry cough more productive.
Step 5
Encourage your toddler to drink plenty of fluids when she has a cold and cough. Water or watered-down juice thins out mucous, making them easier to expel from the body. Warm soup is another remedy that can be comforting and may help loosen up congestion.
Things You'll Need
- Honey
- Humidifier
- Soup
