How to Stop a Night Time Cough so Your Child Can Sleep

Common cold viruses often lead to miserable coughs that worsen at night and inhibit your child's ability to sleep comfortably. While coughing is a necessary reflex that helps keep lungs free of bacteria and other irritants, it is also important for your child to be well-rested and strong enough to fight the infection. There are several steps you can take to ease your child's night cough and help him get the rest he needs.

Things You'll Need

  • Water or juice
  • Clear broth
  • Humidifier
  • Extra pillows
  • Cough suppressant or expectorant
  • Tea
  • Honey
  • Lemon juice

Instructions

    • 1

      Provide your child with plenty of fluids, such as water and juice, throughout the day and at bedtime. The liquid lubricates the throat and prevents dryness and irritation that can set off a coughing fit, as well as flushing out the infection and keeping your child hydrated.

    • 2

      Offer your child clear broth, along with the recommended fluids, to help loosen up mucous from a wet-sounding cough. Place a trash can near your child's bed so he can spit out excess mucous.

    • 3

      Run a humidifier in the child's room at bedtime. Place the humidifier several feet away from the bed to prevent saturation of the child's clothes or bedding. Check the water level periodically throughout the night and be sure to replace old water with fresh.

    • 4

      Elevate the side of the head of the bed and prop your child up slightly with extra pillows to decrease the drainage of mucous into the throat that activates the coughing reflex.

    • 5

      Administer cough medicine before bedtime if your child is at least 4 years old. Use a cough suppressant for a dry, hacking cough and an expectorant for wet, productive cough. Follow the instructions on the package carefully and contact your pediatrician with dosing questions.

    • 6

      Mix several drops of lemon juice and honey into a hot cup of tea. Allow the tea to cool slightly and have your child drink it before bedtime. The lemon juice breaks up the mucous and honey soothes an irritated throat.

    • 7

      Call your child's pediatrician if the cough continues for more than a week or if the child runs a fever to rule out more serious causes of nighttime cough.

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