Most young children contract coughs and colds very easily. The cough usually worsens in the night. It can be frustrating for your child to tackle this problem. You too might feel helpless when your child’s nighttime cough flows in full swing. But don’t worry! There are numerous ways that you can adopt to relieve your child from constant coughing at night.
Undoubtedly, coughing at night can make your child feel helpless. They might keep tossing on the bed the entire time. Of course, you can give them a cough syrup recommended by the pharmacist. But let’s face it! Cough is stubborn and it doesn’t go away that easily.
So, if the continuous coughing at night is making it difficult for you and your child to have a peaceful sleep, let’s look at some tips to help you eliminate this problem.
Tips To Stop A Constant Nighttime Cough
Not all remedies work when it comes to stopping the nighttime coughing in a child. The below-mentioned are a few tips that prove truly helpful in halting the cough,
1. Keep Their Head Elevated
For children over 1 year of age, the best tip is to eliminate the constant coughing at night. All you need to do is arrange a few pillows below their head, shoulders, and back. By doing this, you can maintain an upright position. It allows them to breathe more easily and avoid the constant night coughing.
2. Ensure Adequate Fluid Intake
Keeping the children hydrated is important because water helps them fight illnesses. Usually, a child develops thick mucus when he contracts a cough and cold. Giving them sufficient fluids will ensure that the mucus becomes thin. Water consumption allows for more mucus secretion so that it finds its way out of the body.
Thick mucus causes congestion and cough. You should give your child enough water throughout the day. Also, keep a glass of water near their bed so that when they wake up in the middle of the night due to a cough, they can drink it to feel relieved.
Here’s how much water kids should drink each day:
- For 5 to 8-year-olds: 5 glasses (1 liter)
- For 9 to 12-year-olds: 7 glasses (1.5 liters)
- For 13-year-olds and older: 8 to 10 glasses (2 liters)
But it’s smart to push them to drink more when they’re sick. Drinking extra water helps clear out mucus faster, which means they’ll get better sooner and cough less! Also, giving kids electrolytes when they’re sick is a good way to replace lost fluids, especially if they’ve been coughing or have had diarrhea.
3. Use A Nasal Spray
Using a nasal spray is another way to stop the constant nighttime coughing in children. Nasal spray helps in clearing their nose and breaking up any mucus. The bottle of nasal spray will have all the instructions about how you can use it to relieve your cough. Following these tips will allow you to use these nasal drops safely.
Nasal spray can be beneficial in the night to relieve the symptoms. You can even give them this treatment right before they go to sleep so that they don’t wake up due to coughing.
4. Take Lozenges
Taking lozenges can help ease a sore throat caused by constant coughing. Coughs and colds often come with a sore throat. Using something to soothe the pain can help children feel more comfortable at bedtime and fight off harmful bacteria that might make them sicker.
Kids older than 6 can use lozenges. These lozenges have antibacterial ingredients that can kill the bacteria causing sore throats and mouth infections. They also provide relief from pain and discomfort.
Dry coughs can make the throat feel dry and scratchy. Lozenges can help by adding moisture to the throat temporarily, reducing that dry, scratchy feeling.
5. Massage Their Chest With Vaporising Ointments
Vaporizing ointments can be a helpful solution for children over 2. You can massage a decongestant chest rub on their chest and throat before they go off to sleep. It will help in reducing their coughs and congestion.
Most of the vaporizing ointments are infused with camphor, eucalyptus oil, and menthol. Massaging them on your child’s chest will help in unblocking their nose and relieve cough. It will also help to soothe sore muscles, aches, and pains.
If your little one is stuffed up and having trouble breathing, you can try this: put two teaspoons of the ointment into a bowl of hot water, then cover it with a towel. Have your child sit with their head over the bowl, under the towel, so they can breathe in the steam. This can help clear their stuffy nose and make breathing easier before bedtime.
For babies under 2, use ointments with a calming mix of rosemary, lavender, and eucalyptus, along with aloe vera extract.
6. Use A Cough Syrup
For kids 6 and older, try using cough syrup. It helps clear out extra mucus from the chest, which can make them feel like coughing less. It might also make them a bit sleepy, which could help them rest better at night. Plus, some flavors are really tasty, so it shouldn’t be hard to get them to take it.
7. Try Bathroom Steaming
Steaming up your bathroom to bathe your child can help in relieving the symptoms of cough in your baby. Giving them a steam bath will loosen the mucus from their chest so they might not cough constantly.
Before bedtime and in the morning, make your bathroom steamy by running a hot shower for 15 minutes. This helps loosen up congestion in the chest and nose. The steam makes it easier for kids to cough or blow out trapped mucus from a chesty cough. You can also gently pat their back and chest with open palms.
For example, when you are burping them, pat them on their chest and back to help break up congestion. Hopefully, this will help in clearing away mucus or phlegm before bedtime. It will become much easier for them to breathe and sleep better.
8. Use A Humidifier
Can a humidifier alleviate allergies? Of course, it can! Use a cool-mist humidifier at night to keep your child’s airways moist. You can also open the windows in the morning to let fresh air in because too much humidity can make mold grow. If the mold grows it can make their congestion worse.
A humidifier adds moisture to the air, especially helpful in dry winter months. In the winter months, the humidity is low. Low humidity can dry out your throat and make your child more likely to get sick. Viruses spread more easily in dry air. So, adding moisture can help stop germs from spreading.
Humidifiers release tiny water droplets into the air as a cool mist. These tiny droplets make it easier to breathe and stop germs from spreading. For extra help, you can add a few drops of eucalyptus and peppermint oils to your humidifier.
These oils can soothe your child’s throat and nose and make him feel better. However, you must ensure that you keep the humidifier entirely clean to avoid any further risk of infections in your child.
9. Give Them A Teaspoon Of Honey
For kids aged 1 to 6, giving them a teaspoon of honey can help soothe a sore throat. Some research suggests that honey can also help ease dry coughs. Honey has antibacterial properties that fight off infections.
You can give them honey before bedtime or mix it into warm water to help keep them hydrated. If the symptoms still don’t go away, you might have to see a pediatric doctor.
10. Clear Up The Dust
To reduce coughing, clear your home of dust, pollen, and dust mites. You should vacuum your house regularly. Also, make sure to wash curtains and change your bedding often. You should also replace carpets with hard floors. Getting rid of the dust will allow you to keep your child away from infections.
11. Gargle With Saltwater
Older kids can gargle with salt water to help their sore throat and cough. Just mix half a teaspoon of salt in warm water. They should gargle with it for 30 seconds and then spit it out. Make sure to watch younger kids closely to prevent them from swallowing the salt water.
12. Make Sure They Get Enough Rest
Constant coughing can get kids worked up. This constant coughing can cause abdominal pain and breathlessness, worsening the situation. In such a condition getting rest and relaxing is much needed. Getting enough rest and sleep is important for your child’s body to get better. Make sure they sleep well to help their immune system and recovery. Keep them away from cold air or harsh environments that can make the cough worse.
Conclusion
Constant coughing in the night can be uncomfortable for a child. Apart from ruining their peaceful sleep in the night, coughing also ends up ruining their upcoming day. As a parent, you might also feel helpful and would want to relieve them from this constant trouble.
These tips will help you stop their continuous coughing while they sleep. Besides, you must also ensure that you keep your house clean and free of any dust so that they don’t catch a cough due to allergies. The best tip to stop them from coughing is to keep them hydrated and give them enough rest. Giving them enough rest will help them in faster recovery.