How to Treat Children's Cough
- 1). Stay away from over-the-counter medications. Most companies have warned that children under 6 can suffer adverse reactions from OTC cough medications, and they should even be used with caution for children up to 12 years old.
- 2). Listen to the cough to determine what type it is. Find a list of different children's coughs and what they mean at kidshealth.org. Log on and type "Your Child's Cough" in the search bar.
- 3). Keep track of how long your child has been coughing. If it's only been a few days, there should be nothing to worry about. Contact your doctor if the cough persists for more than a week, if the cough is causing your child to lose sleep or if it's preventing him from getting the proper amount of daily fluids.
- 4). Administer time-tested home remedies such as chicken soup, honey (half a teaspoon for children ages 2 to 5, a whole teaspoon for children ages 6 to 11, and two teaspoons for children 12 and older) or sugar-free hard candy, or teach them how to gargle with salt water.
- 5). Make sure their hands are washed often, and keep them from being out in cold weather too long or too frequently.
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