So, I wasn’t as disciplined as I’d hope to be this past week (am I ever, though?!), but I at least didn’t stay up until 2 a.m. any night — except for a few nights when I was up with Silas who has been having these middle-of-the-night coughing fits (Anyone have a great middle-of-the-night coughing remedy? I’m ready to try anything you want to suggest since we’d all love to be getting more sleep around here!)
And I actually did get pictures of my groceries this week, unlike last week! So I guess that means I had a more on-the-ball week, too, though I still have a laundry pile in my room (I promise it’s not the same one as last week, though!) 🙂
Health Food Store Shopping Trip: Spent $9.09 — see a complete price breakdown here.
Dillon’s Shopping Trip: Spent $23.99 — see a complete price breakdown here.
Walmart Shopping Trip: Spent $4.19 — see a complete price breakdown here.
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If you’re at all interested in homeopathic remedies, the way you described Silas sounded like pulsatilla 30c would work to me. It’s what I give my daughter when she’s sick and weepy and wants to be held all the time. Sounds like he’s better by now, but if he gets sick like that often it might be worth a try! Pulsatilla can help with colds, coughs, and stomach trouble, with the key factor being weepy and wants to be held…
A teaspoon of honey, a bath with Johnson and Johnson Vapor Bath, Mentholatum cherry vapor rub on his feet or chest, a warm mist vaporizer with KAZ inhalant in the medicine reservoir, Triminic soothing vapors gizmo, and (finally) a cotton ball with 2 drops, each, of lavender, eucalyptus and peppermint oils and one drop of tea tree oil that I stick in a little stuffed animal I made him that has a pocket in the front. I leave the stuffed animal on his pillow, and the vapors from the essential oils help calm his coughs.
Needless to say, my son is very aromatic when he’s sick, but personally, I think that the most important thing when he is sick is a good night’s sleep, and I’ll do whatever it takes so that he can get one.
i put vicks on the bottom of my two year olds feet with socks over them and it helps her not to have coughing fits at night i also put vicks on her chest i use baby vicks but regular vicks works too
Rub VICK’s on his feet, put on socks, and tuck him in bed. If you don’t like to use Vick’s, use a carrier oil with eucalyptus essential oil. You can also add lavender EO and it will help with calming and sleeping.
I actually went through this last night and am thankful you posted this and so many people have responded. My daughter throws up whenever she has a coughing episode at night, and I have been to the doc so many times to ask them about this and get no where. They just want to give medicine, but no reason for why she does it. I want to know why. Now that she is 3, I am taking her to the specialist to get some more help. Will be trying the honey tonight to see if it helps. Thanks for all your posts!
Chestal works well for my kids — it’s homeopathic, too.
We’ve had pretty good success with Zarbee’s all-natural cough syrup. It is honey based.
We use Hyland’s cough syrup for kids with all natural honey. It works wonders for my kiddos: http://www.hylands.com/products/coughsyrup4kids.php
My youngest had reactive airway disease which only flaired when getting an illness and made croup a scary thing. We used a steamy shower. I think had her in the bathroom with the shower on hot for about 20 minutes. Maybe doing it just before bedtime would help.
We also gave her breathing treatments at home. A nebulizer can be rented. Often you can get one thru your pediatrican.
I have a 15-month old and the humidifier really works for him … sometimes I use two aimed right at the crib. I have tried the baby vicks but it doesn’t seem to work much. I don’t like to give him cough medicine so I’ve never tried it.
Last month my little one had a terrible cold and was coughing so much that he actually would throw up. It was so sad. 🙁
Hope Silas feels better soon!
What works for my child is to just take them outside for a few minutes, in the middle of the night, and let them inhale the cool air or put them in a steamy bathroom. If you have a hot tub then do what we do get in the hot tub outside in the cool air. It helps the cough immensely. Also, running a humidifier in there room works great, too. Good luck and thanks so much for all your tips
something that we check right off the bat with night coughing is making sure that the upper back & shoulders are covered. even a light covering seems to help calm many a night cough. i know it seems too basic but we have seen it work in our household.
Wools! #132was supposed to read, saved $87.79….NOT saved $877. Sorry, major typo!
If it’s a night cough, then it’s allergies. I went through this for months with my now six year old when she was two. We tried everything, prescriptions, asthma, regular cough stuff, home remedies. Some would work for that night, but it’d always come back. Finally the pediatrician said possible allergies and we tried zyrtec. Within 4 nights, the cough was gone. (on a side note, I have discovered zyrtec makes my kids fussy, I’m going to try the allegra now that it’s over the counter, just fyi) Good Luck!
Best cough remedy ever and one that ALWAYS worked when I was little— cut up about 1/2 an onion, put into a skillet with a little water and a few tablespoons of sugar, cook down into a sort of syrup, spoon off the juice and give it to a child by the spoonful. I had alot of nighttime coughing as a child, and my British mother would make me take this. The taste isn’t great, but not horrible, and even my dad said it’s the only thing that ever worked for him too.
We’ve gone through two rounds of coughs here at our house, and I used a remedy that Stephanie posted (http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/11/homemade-cough-and-cold-syrup.html) that really seemed to help my 2yo. I couldn’t believe she took it willingly, as it has onion in it and I can barely stand the smell! I also bought some loose leaf peppermint tea and camomille rooibos tea that also had peppermint leaves in it (both were bought from http://www.ourspecialtea.com). Both my kids really liked drinking the tea. Rooibos tea is known to support the respiratory system, and the peppermint really helps open up nasal and breathing passages. Late night coughing fits are the worst, and I hope you can start getting a better night’s sleep soon!
We have gone through two rounds of coughs here at our house, and I used a recipe that Stephanie posted (http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/11/homemade-cough-and-cold-syrup.html) that really seemed to help my 2yo. I also bought some loose leaf peppermint tea and some camomille rooibos tea that also has peppermint leaves in it (both were bought from http://www.ourspecialtea.com). Surprisingly, I was able to get my 2yo to take the homemade syrup very willingly (it’s made with onions and I can barely stand the smell of it!), and both my kids loved drinking the tea. Rooibos tea is known for respiratory assistance, and the peppermint also helps to open both nasal and breathing passages. Late night coughing fits are the worst, and I hope you start getting a better night’s sleep soon!
Try a spoon full of honey…always does the trick for my household. 🙂
You crack me up, Crystal! I’m sorry to hear Silas has a nighttime cough, though…those are SO frustrating! Sounds like some great ideas here; let us know if you find something that works!
After getting a cold, my daughter keeps the night-time cough for MONTHS. I never thought of asthma because she didn’t have typical symptoms, but sure enough, a pulmonologist tested her lung capacity and she has asthma (triggered by allergies). She is on Singulair, a daily inhaler and a rescue inhaler. Since starting that (and a lot of prayer), she has NEVER had a recurrence. It has truly been a miracle. I didn’t do it till she was 6 and I wish I had gone when she was two!!!
I just started using Vicks on the bottoms of my 2 year-old’s feet since she came down w/a cough last week. Something else my pediatrician suggests is “thyme tea”. It can be served either warm or cold, whichever way you can get your child to drink it. Really simple to make. Add 1 tsp. of thyme to boiling water & steep for 5 min. Then strain out thyme & add just a little honey to sweeten. That’s it! We’re still fighting this virus at my house (going on Day 6) & now it seems I’ve caught it. Hope the little guy gets to feeling better soon!
My youngest son has symptoms like this too. Asthma is not diagnosed until age five when the child can do a pulmonary test. We use an inhaler when needed. Nebulizer with Xopenex every four hours and an antibotic. Sometimes steriod syrup when his breathing is bad. They also have pulmicort to use in the nebulizer daily. We are very thankful for our allergist. I just said a little prayer for you and Silas!
In addition, I have found that just resting your hand on them as they sleep somehow comforts the cough, not realistic always, but for short term cold problems, it has helped. On a side note, for adults, a shot of alcohol helps calm a cough!
This is my favorite post…I really enjoy seeing everyones savings 🙂
Middle of the night coughing equaled asthma with my son. The asthma was caused by an allergy to soy products.
Dear Crystal,
A side note (just to make your life easier ) I personally think you should skip the grocery photo and telling us all about your grocery runs and just host the Super Saving Saturday by letting everyone else share. You have more than done your part for years now let us take over this work for you.
The Vick’s bottle opened under the bed does work! Personally I would not use honey on a young child (just my personal opinion)
Hope you get some rest soon!
My 3 year old was just diagnosed with Cough Variant Asthma…her only symptom is a cough that was just not going away. She would cough the most at night, and the coughing would cause her to throw up. If she gets upset or plays hard it triggers the coughing too. Looking forward to getting her tested for allergies-to see if something around here is causing it.
Vick’s Vapor rub on the feet, socks on and a little Vick’s on the chest. Works great!!! Honey works great also. Lots of people mentioned this already, just thought I’d agree with them! 🙂 Blessings as you pray and wait for healing.
Our doctor said we could use Benedryl for our son. It has really helped with his middle-of-the-night coughing fits.
Please be careful with antihistamines. If it is asthma, it can trigger an attack. We do vicks on the feet and chest as well as chestal honey cough syrup. The vicks works better if you do it right after soaking his feet in warm water. Also, a steam shower does great things and on the bad nights we snuggle together in a recliner.
Have you ever tried Buckwheat honey? Our 22 mo. old was having horrible coughing fits durning the night and our Dr. Suggested this. I am here to say that after having been up 3 nights in a row with her i was willing to try anything! But it worked great! We sucked it into a medicine surenge and gave her a drink of cold water afterwards.
I use Delsym cough medicine. It works great for the night coughing. My pediatrician recommended it.
Another possibility is acid reflux – when he lies down then the acid goes up and down throat, sOme goes down aiway, and coughing ensues. My son has this and his cough can get barky. Sometimes mistaken for asthma and can lead to asthma. You can do prescription meds or try chiropractor or apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp in water to neutralize strong stomach acid. Also elevate hed of bed 1/2 inch.
Have you tried a teaspoon of honey. It soothes the throat and is a natural cough remedy. I also like Zarbee’s cough syrup for my girls.
Good luck and hope your family gets some rest tonight.
Delsym has been the cough medicine that helped us with night time coughing. I don’t know how young the children can be to take it though. I hope he’s better soon!!
how about a vaporizer?? sometimes if the air is too dry it needs a little kick to get it moist. is it a cold or has it lingered?? my son has asthma and gets up in the middle of the night coughing. ( cold induced asthma ). so a treatment is needed. not sure if this will help…..
Both my twins have had RAD, one was worse than the other and although he’s only 2, and the Dr’s said they aren’t supposed to diagnose Asthma at that age, he was bad enough that they went ahead and did it. This is one of his symptoms for sure, waking up in the night coughing, but it’s not a normal cough it’s a barking cough, very scary sounding. He’s fine one minute barking and gasping the next. I’ve started giving him a dose of Children’s Chestal cough syrup (it’s homeopathic, mostly honey) first before the steroids, most of the time it soothes it right down, on the occasion it doesn’t we have the RX meds to use. I think I’d see the Dr. just in case. Hope he feels better soon.
Maple syrup also seems to work, though I could see why honey would work, too. Real syrup, not the fake stuff with sugar. I’ve got to remember the vicks on the feet trick for my daughter. She gets colds easily which comes with plenty of drainage at night.
Crystal,
If you feel the coughing is making Silas uncomfortable, give him children’s liquid Ibuprofin. It relaxes the lungs and works like a charm. Also, Johnson & Johnson has the liquid bath soap – the green one with Eucalyptus in it.
We would bundle our son up in his blankets and take him outside in the cool air. Worked every time.
When our children have a very dry cough, we put a cooking plate in their room at night with a huge pot of water and thyme (either dried or some drops of essential oil). We regulate the heat so that the water is not even boiling, just some vapor rising all night. It is not steaming, so no problem for wallpapers etc., but the combination of vapor and thyme does the trick – but only for dry cough.
Hope he gets well soon!
We’ve tried Boiron’s Chestal (mixed success, but at least the kids love it!), and when that’s not available, honey. I make a “tea” for myself of honey and lemon (sometimes with a berry or peppermint bag). I’ll give something similar to the kids in a sippy cup at night if they’ve been coughing.
My kids have both hated having the bed propped up. Both end up upside-down with their head at the lowest end.
There are natural version of “Vicks” available as well, if you don’t want the petroleum products. Also, we do a lot of saline sprays (with the snot sucker thing). Gets the head cleared out so that less gets into the lungs.
Worst case, I’ll sleep on the couch or the recliner with the coughing child propped up on me. Neither of us sleeps well, but at least we both get _some_ sleep!
I wrap a big blanket around myself and daughter and take her outside and sit on the porch till she calms down and usually falls back asleep. Something about the cold night air does the trick for her – the steam shower did nothing. The Vick’s Plug In is great too because I don’t have to worry about her trying to mess with the Vick’s I put on her and then rubbing it in her eyes or mouth. Poor guy – I hope he feels better soon!
I agree with vicks on feet with socks. Also try Boirin Chestal honey cough syrup. All natural, no side effects, safe to use on kids 2 and up. Works SO well!
We swear by the Triaminic cough strips, but I think you have to be 6 to take them. But that’s all that works for my kids when they cough.
My daughter didn’t want to take the honey as it was” too sticky and too sweet”, so I mixed 1 tsp honey with 1tsp boiling water and let it cool just enough to be drinkable.
I am reading your post in a blurry haze from being up coughing myself and with my 4 year old son. I have the hacking, dry cough during the seasonal changes every year due to allergies, and my son has a Restrictive Airway condition. The honey remedies and traditional cough syrups do not work for me…My son and I have slight relief by sucking on ice chips and using cool washcloths on our faces and necks to calm down especially if over-heated. The most dreaded couple of weeks during the year – this week and sometime in the fall! 🙁 Good Luck!!
I have a friend who controls her son’s asthma with 1 tsp of elderberry juice concentrate per day. My son was recently diagnosed with asthma, and that was my first thought when reading about Silas’s coughing fits. I am getting ready to try the elderberry juice concentrate, as I just realized that all of the meds my dr. prescribed for my son’s asthma are (duh) steroids.
Our oldest was prone to croupy coughs at night, then we found out he was sensitive to dairy which aggravated it. We also do steamy baths before bedtime, nasal saline spray with nose blowing, and vicks on feet and chest. We just finished a round of colds and made it through with this regime. 🙂
Oops, I didn’t realize my name would be posted on the links…is there anyway to remove my name?
If you want a more “natural” route than Vicks (it does work!) get Eucalyptus oil. It’s the same smell as Vicks, and it’s to relieve coughing. For our 2 year old, I but about 2 drops of it in a quarter size amount of lotion, rub it together, then put on soles of feet, back, and chest. You can get natural Eucalyptus oil at a health food store, or you can order it through Independent sales people (I can’t remember the company sorry! But would look it up for you if interested.) – I trust that oil before Vicks because I don’t know all the ingredients in Vicks, and I’m trying so hard to be “all natural” when it comes to being sick/getting better.
The honey is also a GREAT idea. Anything sugary basically will coat your throat and gets rid of the cough. But honey, again, is more natural then giving them candy/suckers.
Hope he feels better soon. I’m on week 7 now of having maybe one night of complete sleep each week. It gets old. But our four little ones are worth it :o)
Turn the shower on as hot as it goes and then close the door and sit in the bathroom for a while. The steam helps loosen up the yucky stuff and helps the cough.
We did this with our oldest son and it really helps. He always gagged so bad when he had a cough and we found that giving him a sucker while we were sitting in the steam stopped the gag reflex and calmed him down as he was thinking about the sucker and not the cough.
What fun it is to share deals!!!! And it’s even more fun to get Pampers diapers for $4.99 at my local Food Lion. I save the Pampers diapers for night (they are better than some of the others that I use) and my husband noticed that the baby was wearing a Pampers diaper during the day. He asked, “Don’t you just save the expensive diapers for night?” Not this week. 🙂
If the night time coughing continues, you may want a Dr visit. My son had night time only coughing for about a month. I did all these tricks, he has asthma and allergies, so we chalked it up to that, but eventually I took him to Dr. It was pneumonia. She said it is really bad at night because it settles in their chest.
When our little boy gets that cough that just won’t go away, we give him something really cold. Like ice cream, ice, or frozen juice pops. Because I don’t want him to have a huge amount of sugar in the middle of the night, I make mine with 1/2 water 1/2 juice in ice trays covered with foil(helps stick stay in place) and a stick in it.
Another idea we’ve found that works great is frozen grapes. It usually only takes our girls 5-6 grapes to get things settled down. Of course, you may want to cut them in half if you’re worried about choking.
What I learned in Nursing school is before bed try steam in the bathroom, with Children’s Vicks, prop the head of the bed to a 45 degree angle, and have the little guy drink some warm lemon water with honey (if he isn’t under 1 year of age) also if you have a humidifier running while he is asleep. Since this is the time of year for croupe, hopefully this as well as some of the other suggestions I read above will help.
Whenever my guy was little and had night coughing he had an ear infection. I would take him to get checked, just to be sure.
Crystal – this is how my daughter’s asthma started as well. Waking up with a nighttime cough for weeks on end at about age 18 months.
They called it Reactive airway disease until she 3.
She is sensitive to pollen so after playing outside (spring and fall) she has to shower before going to bed. Pollen can be picked up by the kiddos hair and transferred to the sheet or pillowcase. You can imagine after several days of springtime air the amount of pollen that can collect on the bed linens – increasing the coughing at night.
If he is playing outside I would try a bath before bed and clean linens.
delsym is the only medicine that helps with my sons night cough. If he wakes up in a bad fit, I give him a popsicle. The cold helps alleviate some of the swelling in his throat and he always feels better 😉
I would really suggest taking him to see the doctor if you haven’t already. My daughter recently had bacterial pneumonia. There has been an increase in pneumonia this year especially in children. Our doctor told me that some children with it will be fine all day but have a cough at night. Best to be sure!
Like some others have mentioned, my first thought was asthma. Middle of the night coughing was the very first symptom that my son had. If this is happening regularly, I would get him checked out ASAP.
I second the Vicks on the feet-my son has reactive airway disease and it does help. The other thing we do is either a spoonful of honey (coats the throat) or warm water with honey and lemon. Not miracle workers, but they do help.
I also found a good deal yesterday at Pick ‘N Save grocery store-Seventh Generation Disenfecting Wipes are 50% off (while supplies last)-not advertised. Each pack of wipes is originally $3.97. I had a $1/1 Seventh Generation product coupon that got doubled due to their double coupon Saturdays, so I ended up with 3 packs for $3.97 (which means I got 2 packs for free). I would have bought more tubs, but there were only 3 in the store.
Essential oil in the humidifier put in his room at night (eucalyptus works great) and bring him over the to fridge to inhale some cool air if you don’t want to go out side. Yes, some throat coat tea with local honey before bed is good, too.
Did you try the Pedi Care cough & congestion at Walgreen’s last week? How about the Chestal Honey Cough syrup from CVS last month?
One way that we have had some success with is to take the honey and warm it up.(I can’t do local honey) We just use whatever we have and then add lemon to it. I do not know the amount of lemon just a squirt, when the mixture cools give them a spoonful.
And of all thing we get real relief often from VERY cold drinks of coke or pepsi. I do not know why that works. (My son is 11 so I don’t mind a little caffeine here and there)
If he is old enough and the Dr is okay with it The cough med Delsym seems better than some. Okay sorry for the long post about it but we deal with this a lot with our son in fact I am off to give him something now.
Oh but one more little thing after having the honey as a medicine somehow he has developed a real distaste for it. So my using it as a sweetner for him is out he really hates it.
Have you tried throat coat tea, from traditional medicinals? It has a sweet taste and my toddlers love it! Just be careful to follow brewig instuction,s very important! Plus, honey is great too. I have found that the humidifier actually makes my daughter cough MORE. Strange, huh?
Probably because unless it is new it is FULL of mold and it puts the mold into the air. My allergist said to never use a humidifier because of the mold.
Some humidifiers now have filters that you change every month to keep mold away and can be cleaned inside. I have allergies and use this type of humidifier to avoid mold.
I would suggest VICKS on the bottom of the feet! I know it sounds silly, but it really does seem to work for my son, he’s always been a night cougher and nothing really helps but this I would say it’s reduced his coughing fits down 75%, some say it’s an old wives tale but it works for us!
I put the sound machine on in our room so I can’t hear them cough. Works like a charm. If they really need you, they’ll yell loud enough to wake you up, but you sleep through the coughing.
I wouldn’t recommend this approach, especially if you haven’t figured out why your son is coughing at night. When my son is having an asthma attack at night, he usually does not wake up enough to call for me. (In fact, I sometimes have to give him breathing treatments while he is half asleep.) Untreated asthma can cause permanent lung damage.
Agree with everything Kelly says. Sometimes when my son has a nighttime asthma attack, he is half-asleep, and other times he is awake but gasping and wheezing to the point that he is unable to speak.
Regardless of whether you have a child with asthma or not, it’s a dangerous idea to be unable to hear what is going on with your kids at night.
I agree that you need to listen to the cough. When my kids were little (now all grown up) they and I had asthma, which is much worse at night, as many of you already mentioned. Mothers of asthmatics can recognize the severity of an attack by the sound of the cough. (None of us had another asthma attack after I divorced my abusive husband 14 years ago. Go figure. In a MUCH better marriage now thank you very much.)
Crystal, you may want to have him evaluated for asthma if he persistently coughs at night. Medication might be a necessity.
Oh, I agree if it is asthma you should take care of it (I have asthma). But when they are just waking you up because they’ve got a cold, sometimes you need to filter the sound a little, lest you get so sleep deprived you are a danger to yourself and others. 🙂
When I read your post, the first thing I thought (based on my experience) was asthma. My son has issues with night time coughing, especially when seasonal allergies flare up–like right about now. I wasn’t convinced that he really had asthma until I saw how well he responded to asthma meds. It was like a little miracle for us. He would be coughing like crazy, and even one puff of albuterol would let him sleep without disturbance. Depending on other symptoms, you may want to have a doctor check him out.
Yes, my first thought was asthma as well. This is how my almost 12 year old son’s asthma began three years ago. A nebulizer with a combo of Xopenex and Albuterol twice a day might help. I would take him to doc.
Honey is great for coating the throat to keep those drainage tickles away. If he likes lemon I’d have him drink warm lemonade to break up all that gunk in his throat. If you’re really desperate for a good night’s sleep take him for a drive until he falls asleep in the carseat, then both of you sleep in the car. It will keep him upright in the most comfortable/safe way in order to get that drainage to slide on down his throat. Good luck to ya!
Vicks vaporizer! I bought one of the cheap $5 ones at Wal-Mart, and then put it next to his crib. I give him a spoon of honey and cup of water before bed. If he’s really bad, I used to sleep him in his bouncer, but if he’s a porker like my guy he’s outgrown those (they were born a month or two apart I believe). I have a crib wedge too from when he had acid reflux, and I’ll put that in there too. It seems when I keep him more upright when he’s having those fits, he can keep his throat clearer.
Nothing works like Delsym for a cough. It’s rather pricey, but definitely worth it when it helps give everyone a good night’s rest.
I’ve always heard a banana slows the cough. When my daughter was little she had a bad cough one night. I gave her cough medicine, didn’t work. I gave her a banana and she slept the rest of the night. Wouldn’t hurt to try! Good luck. Hope you and Silas get some rest soon.
Try the honey, it does work wonderful. Also, Hyland’s makes a cough medicine that is homeopathic in a honey base that works well. My daughter (2 1/2) had trouble with middle of the night coughing fits that sometimes led to middle of the night puking. Not fun 🙁 We figured out that eating too late at night, especially anything sour/spicy–or even juice at dinner, would irritate her esophagus and cause the coughing. So we tried to cut out late dinners, bedtime snacks, juice at dinner. We also made her sleep on an extra pillow. This all seemed to help, but wasn’t foolproof. Then, our ped. told us to take an extra close look at her sippy cups b/c these often harbor mold in vents, openings, etc. that are too small or enclosed to be cleaned well. We did away with all sippy cups (just went to a regular cup w/ a straw) and we’ve not had a single incident for 6 months!
The best honey for this remedy is local, raw honey, because the bees use local plants to make it. The big brand honey from the store works also, just not as good. In my family, we do a tablespoon of raw, local honey before bed and sleep all night!
Of course, no honey for babies. Goes down a lot easier than Robitussin, too!
vicks on the feet and then socks. it truly is a MIRACLE workers. our pedi told us about it… and I wish they would have mentioned that with my first daughter.. it’s awesome!!!!!
This is our method, too…and it works great!
I’ve also used the “honey” technique (with success) and have read that “buckwheat honey” is the best choice for this.
Yes, that’s it! Buckwheat honey! Where did you find it??
We stock up on buckwheat honey from Central Market or Whole Foods. You can even buy individual serving packets on amazon.
I’ve also seen it in the “natural/health foods” section of some grocery stores.
I have been using Zarbees cough syrup for my little guy – it is made from honey and all natural (i got it free at Walgreens a while back…). It doesn’t help much with a really bad cough, but my 2 yr old gets an allergy cough this time of year and it helps with that.
Vicks on the feet, then socks! Works like a charm just used it AGAIN a day ago! No medicine can touch this trick!
Has he been coughing during the day too? Has he recently had a cold? What does his cough sound like?
I’ve also heard the Vick’s and socks on the feet. You can also try giving him a little bit of honey. It has a natural cough suppressant in it. It’s pretty short acting, but depending on what his coughing fits are like it may help. I hope he feels better soon, and you all get some sleep! 🙂
I’m right there with you when it comes to laundry. I actually finished all the laundry in the bathroom hamper and was really excited until I collected another full load going through the bedrooms 🙂
well, I have used the cold air thing as well. Plus, I also do a hot shower. They don’t actually take a shower at 2 a.m., but we go in there and run the hottest shower possible for the steam. I guess it is sort of like a humidifier or vaporizer treatment. I am definitely going to remember the vicks on the feet idea!
I’ve heard of vicks on the feet and heard success stories – my pediatrician suggested a teaspoon of honey – it soothes their throats so that they can stop coughing. Of course don’t use that with children under 1 honey (rarely) contain something that will make them really sick (I know the word, but I can’t spell it:) )
Botulism spores?
Yep, botulism…..should have mentioned that in my post as well…
Vicks on feet, honey water, run steamy shower and hold child in bathroom to breath in steam and then wrap in towel or clothes and go outside to get cold air in lungs, elevate mattress, saline drops in nose before bed and don’t using bulb thing….
Hey there I love your blog and have learned sooo much about saving money! I’m new to the whole couponing thing but I love it and you are such a help! anyways I saw that you were looking for suggestions for midnight coughing fits, my son has been dealing with them as well as the boy that I nanny for and his mom (and I tried it last night and it seemed to work too) suggested and uses the vicks plug ins that emits the sent of the vapor rub without having to put it on them. she also has a humidifier in his room. I have also heard that if you want to use the vapor rub but are afraid that he will rub it and then rub his eyes you can put it on the bottom of their feet and it works just fine … anyways I hope that helps and the coughing fits subside! good luck!
My 3 year old daughter has reactive airway disease (technically asthma, although she is too young to be clinically diagnosed, so this is what the doc tells us)…she almost always has her episodes at night (the “trigger” we think is that she gets too hot while she is sleeping) Anyhow, the docs have told us that a blast of cold or cool air can do wonders for a coughing spell/asthma attack…during the winter you can step outside with your child for a couple of minutes or we have even opened the door to the deep freeze and let her sit in front of it. And it does work. I would say 50-60% of the time we can get her symptoms under control this way without the need for a breathing treatment.
We also do the elevated bed and a cool mist humidifier.
The Vicks on the feet thing is new to me…sounds interesting…gonna have to try that one!
That’s what they told us for croup, too…the alternating cold air, warm shower, etc.
Casey – I’m an asthmatic, and I thought I’d warn you that the vick’s might work the other way. Sometimes those strong smells can worsen asthma symptoms. Just a caution before you try it. Sorry your little girl has to deal with that – no fun!
Thanks for the warning. I kind of had that thought after I posted 🙂
Asthma can be tricky because different people have different triggers. Breathing in cold air is a major trigger for my son’s asthma, and we have found that keeping his bedroom a little bit warmer at night really helps him. It sounds like he is just the opposite of your daughter!
Prop his bed so that his head is elevated. Most people suggest you use some sort of blocks to prop the entire bed, we just stick a folded blanket or two under the mattress.
I give my son a tablespoon of honey, 30 minutes before bed and it really helps reduce his cough throughout the night. I am not sure how old your son is, but I believe after one, its safe to give your children honey.
Use homeopathy for the night coughing. Anything with aconite works wonders. Takes about 10 – 15 min to act. The hylands cough syrup is one of the few meds that you can get off the shelf which have it. Just don’t eat or drink anything 15 min before or after. You could have water right before it ….
My kids now ask if they can put the groceries out for a picture, or if they need to put them away. They like to arrange things for a good picture. It makes it easy for me to remember!
Vicks on the feet with socks on top has been a success for my two year old… Sounds weird but it works
I agree, Vicks on the soles of the feet & then socks.
I’ve done that, too, plus the usual….humidifier, etc., depending on the situation. Also, when our boys had croup last time, the nurse recommended a spoonful of a special type of honey….supposedly it helps coat the throat….but I couldn’t find the right kind at target. Maybe the pharmacy would know what type to recommend? Might be worth a try if you’re desperate. (((Hug))) so sorry, I know how tiring that is!
Love the Vicks on the feet, also a bit just at the edge of their nostrils/above the upper lip to breathe better. My favorite for coughing is gargling with hydrogen peroxide and spit it out. Maybe dilute a bit with water and yummy tasting mouthwash for children. But I gargle full strength and it kills the germs in only a day or two and the cough is going, going, all gone.
I was going to suggest the exact same thing. As a mother of four, I highly recommend the Vicks Vapor Rub on the feet and then put on socks over. It’s a miracle!
We do vicks on the chest and feet. I’m not sure how old Silas is, but you aren’t supposed to use traditional vicks on kids under 2. Vicks make a baby rub for the little ones. Also a spoonful of honey. Studies have shown that honey works as well or better than cough syrup. This is what I do for my 3 and it works great for us.
Honey works for our 2-year-old too. Our pediatrician recommended it.
Baby vicks rubbed on the bottom of feet and a tsp of honey. Has worked several times for my 18 month old this winter 🙂
Yes, honey works. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/honey/AN01799 Just make sure you don’t give it to a baby.
When really little, or when I forget to put Vicks on before bed, just opening the bottle and leaving it under the bed/crib helps. (I have never used the baby Vicks.)
Yep, works like a charm!!! On kids and adults alike!!!
Yep, Vicks on the soles of their feet with socks and Hyland’s cough syrup for kids. I also gave them echinacea, vitamin C, multi-vitamins and probiotic capsules (separate supplements).
@Daddedeux
What multi-vitamin do you use for your kids? For vitamin C, do you use the Ester-C packets and dissolve it in water? Do you use half of the packet for a small child? What probiotic capsules do you use? What is echinacea? I ask all this because my children have not been able to get well for several months and we’ve tried everything. I’ve been giving them a multi-vitamin and vitamin D supplements for several months, but we may need to add some more preventive measures! Thanks for your help.
Vicks came to my mind too! 🙂 It feels like an old wives’ tale at night when you are doing it, but like a miracle the next morning.
Yep, vicks on the feet. I’ve used regular vicks & baby vicks. Both seem to work. Here’s to a better nights sleep! 🙂
First thing I thought of was VICKS!!!! We do it all the time for all 3 of our kids (5,3,19 months) as well as for my husband and I. As strange as it sounds – it works wonders!!! The plus side is that your feet end up nice and soft!
A good cough remedy is actually a simple one. If you are not allergic, just a spoonful of pure honey does wonders. Also, sounds weird, but if you rub Vicks on your feet, and then put on some socks that can help too!
We recently tried the Vick’s on the feet with socks over top for our daughter who does come down with dreaful coughs sometimes! It worked GREAT!! Try it!!
This was going to be my suggestion, too! Vicks on feet and then socks is safe for even young ones, like Silas. It has worked wonders for my children!
We use Vicks on the bottom of the feet and it works great for our 4 kids!
Umm as I was typing this I accidentally posted my giveaway link (SORRY!!!) What I wanted to say though was that for coughing my sister always used a shot glass and would tap her sons back, I’ve tried it with my kids and as crazy as it sounds, it helps! Hopefully it helps you too!
We’ve tapped on our kids backs with just our hand–cupped, not flat. It helps break up the junk in their lungs. Also, as somebody else mentioned, honey sometimes works–my pediatrician recommends 1 tsp. twice a day for kids over 1 (don’t give honey to babies under 1). You can put it in a medicine dropper to help get it down or mix it with a little warm water and have them drink it.
Psst. Go to bed! (You told us to tell you)
8o)