Seeking Helpfull Hints

I would definitely take him/her to the doctor. Coughs generally only last a couple weeks. I agree with the other post that it could be an asthma or allergy cough also. You could get an air purifier in the 2 years old room- this will help a lot. My daughter had congestion and coughing her entire 1st year of life off an on, which we now know is allergies. I bought a small air purifier w/ Hepa filter at Lowes for $70 and my daughter hasn't had a cough since.

Also, put some infant or childrens Vicks vapor run on the soles of his feet (it sounds crazy, but it works)

Hi A.!!
At 2yrs old, it is really difficult to see if this cough is getting worse or better. But if there are no other symptoms like fever, pulling on the ear for ear infection, or flema coming out like mucus when they cough--- i would just take care of this at home. Buy some over the counter medication like children's tylenol for cough, and do that every 4 hrs, and that should make the child feel better. I hope this helps. If this has been going on for about a month, what is one more week with medication? Take care and I hope your little one feels better :) Good Luck!!

Coughing is a symptom of asthma. My son was diagnosed at 11 months. We just thought he had a cold, but it turns out that cough was something else. Cough medicines are not good for little ones, and not usually very effective. If you do need to do a cough medicine though, Delsym works good at night time since it is long lasting. It took us awhile to get his asthma under control and ended up with a daily controller medication that has worked wonders. Watch him when he is coughing. Are his nostrils flaring? Does his rib cage suck way in? These are signs to look for with asthma. Most people assume there has to be wheezing with the cough, but we had no wheezing. Some kids end up with asthma symptoms when they have a cold. Our daughter just finished a round of albuterol (typically for asthma) because she had a really bad cold that was festering in her chest and making it hard to breath. When she would lay down she would vomit from coughing and trying to force out the air. It worked wonders and her cough is completely gone. Does he cough more at night? Is it effecting his sleep? Any other symptoms other than cough? The more detailed information you have for your doctor, the better diagnosis you will get. Also, is the cough dry or wet? Let us know how it turns out at the doctor's office.

Hi A.,
Most coughs and respiratory issues end up being viral in nature and have to go away themselves since antibiotics don't work on viruses. Coughs that seems to linger for weeks at a time indicate viruses as well. However, most pediatricians want to see their patients if a cough has lasted longer than 2 weeks, just to make sure nothing else is going on. If there are no other symptoms, such as fever, difficulty breathing, coughing up green or yellow phlegm, it's just a wait it out diagnosis. But my recommendation is to be seen by the ped just to confirm. Lots of fluids and be sure not to share any eating utensils, drinking cups, etc. Clean everything that goes in your child's mouth with disinfectant. These things generally last so long because children keep reinfecting themselves. Be sure to have your child stay out of your 4 month old's face, too. You certainly don't want that passed on to your baby. And my other recommendation is to change toothbrushes frequently for a while. Any over the counter child cough medicine may help during the night, but it's better to stay away from them during the day if you can. Generally the cough is more irritating than dangerous. Hopefully it clears up soon. I feel for you! God bless.
-J.