Is your child coughing and having a hard time sleeping because of it? Or maybe you are having a hard time sleeping because you are worried and listening to them cough all night? Here is how to help a kid with a cough without medicine.
Updated 1/4/23
My oldest child seems to catch any cold that comes her way… this has been going on since she was almost a year old (long before COVID). It’s not uncommon for her to cough so hard she vomits. This has gotten better as she’s gotten older, but it still does occasionally happen.
The first time it happened, she was about 11 months old. She is our first child and at that time, I had no experience with any kind of illness with kids. It was quite frightening, but I have learned a lot since that initial experience.
I actually brought her to the doctor the first time it happened because she was coughing so hard and she kept vomiting. I honestly had no idea how to help a kid with a cough. Some of these tips are recommendations that our doctor gave us. Others are just things I have discovered throughout the years that seem to help. Most of them are simple and I figure it doesn’t hurt to try them.
Kids’ coughs and colds always seem to be worst at night. It’s hard to sleep when your child is coughing constantly and you know they don’t feel well.
If you are reading this, then I’m assuming you might be dealing with a sick kid. Hopefully, both you and them get some good rest and I am hopeful these tips might help someone to feel a little better.
**I’m going to start with a disclaimer that I am NOT a medical professional and this is NOT to be used as medical advice. This is purely for informational purposes only. DO NOT try these tips for kids under 1 year old. You should contact your doctor before using any of the information in this post. Click here to see my full disclaimer.
*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a percentage (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase through a link that I have shared. I am an Amazon Affiliate.
Here is how to help a kid with a cough without medicine:
- Avoid Dairy Products:
- If we avoid dairy products when she has a cough, she rarely vomits.
- The research on this one is variable. Some people believe it’s an old wives’ tale. I can tell you that for my children it did seem to help. I figured a couple of days without dairy products isn’t going to harm them. It’s a pretty simple thing to try anyways.
2. Pedialyte: to help keep them hydrated.
- Avoiding dehydration is very important! The only time my kids get Pedialyte is when they are sick. So, they think it is a special “treat”. Click here to see our favorite kind of Pedialyte.
- If your kids don’t like Pedialyte, I suggest finding some type of beverage that they enjoy, such as some type of juice, Gatorade, etc. If they like the beverage, they are more likely to drink it when they are sick.
- We have also given them popsicles to help them consume more liquid when they are struggling to drink enough.
3. Hot Steamy Air:
- I tend to turn the shower on as hot as it will go, let it run for about 5-10 minutes with the door shut, and then sit in the bathroom (not in the shower) with her for 10-15 minutes. The steamy air seems to help decrease the coughing and improves breathing. The bathroom gets really steamy during this.
4. Humidifier:
- We keep a humidifier going in the kid’s bedrooms when they are sick. Here is the humidifier we use.
- This really seems to help.
5. Cold Air: Sometimes cold air seems to work better than steamy air.
- It seems like if they have a croup type of cough this helps more than steamy air. I usually try the steamy air first and if they are still coughing a lot after half an hour or so, I bundle them up and go outside (if it is chilly outside). I tend to alternate between steamy air and cold air.
- This really only works if it is chilly outside. I have tried having them breathe in cold air from the freezer, but that doesn’t seem to work.
6. Honey: *only for kids over 12 months*!
- I sometimes do a spoonful of plain honey.
- Other times I put 1 tbsp of honey in warm water with a little lemon juice and have the kids drink it. It seems to soothe the throat and sometimes helps decrease coughing. This is something I enjoy drinking myself on chilly winter nights.
7. Children’s Vicks– I usually put it on their back and chest before bed.
8. Menthol Spray: I usually use J.R. Watkins Menthol Spray.
- I spray it on their pillow cases before bed.
9. Have them sleep propped up–
- I usually prop up a few pillows and have them sleep on the pillows. They usually don’t stay that way all night, but it does seem to help them sleep a little better.
These things don’t cure a cough or cold… typically only time can do that… but they seem to make it more manageable and help everyone to get a little better night’s sleep. Hopefully these tips for how to help a kid with a cough help you and your child.
Just a reminder that this is NOT medical advice. These are just a few things I tend to do when my children have a cough to help them feel a little better and get a better night’s sleep.
Coughs always seem to be worse at night. I figure that anything that can help both them and myself get a better night’s rest is worth a try.
Do you have other tips that seem to help a cough or kids sleep better when they have a cough?
If you enjoyed this post, check out our posts on great indoor activities for kids and the benefits of outdoor play for kids.