1. Cold & Flu Cough Relief Slideshow
2. Cold & Flu Quiz: Test Your Medical IQ
3. Cold and Flu Slideshow: Treating Your Child's Cold or Fever

In this Article

• Children's cough causes and treatments introduction
• Children's cough causes and treatments
• A word about children and cough medicine
• When to call a doctor about your child's cough
• Find a local Doctor in your town
• Children's Cough Causes and Treatments Index

Don't give cough medicine to children under age 4. Not only are these drugs not approved for very young children, there's no proof that they benefit them, either.

Also important: Never give aspirin to children under 18. Aspirin in children may cause Reye Syndrome, a rare but serious brain disease.

Call 911 if your child:

• Is struggling for breath, can't talk, or grunts with each breath
• Is choking and unable to stop
• Has passed out or stopped breathing
• Has blue-tinged lips or fingernails

Call your doctor right away if your child:

• Has trouble breathing
• Persistent vomiting
• Turns red or purple when coughing
• Drools or has trouble swallowing
• Seems very sick or fatigued
• May have an object caught in their throat
• Has chest pain when breathing deep
• Is coughing blood or wheezing
• Has a weak immune system or is not fully immunized
• Is younger than 4 months old with a rectal temperature above 100.4° F (Do not give fever medicine to infants.)
• Has a fever over 104° F, with no improvement in two hours after fever medicine

WebMD Medical Reference

SOURCES:
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology: "Cough in Children: Tips to Remember."
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Cold and Cough Medicines: Information for Parents."
Children's Hospital Colorado: "Your Child's Cough," "Flu Facts," "Whooping Cough (Pertussis)," "Asthma Basics," "Asthma and Allergy Awareness – Information You Can Use."
American College of Chest Physicians: "Overview of Common Causes of Chronic Cough."
KidsHealth.org: "Infections: Common Cold."
American Academy of Pediatrics: "Croup Treatment."
Seattle Children's Hospital: "Should You See a Doctor? Cough."
Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health | Stanford University School of Medicine: "Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) / Heartburn," "Acute Bronchitis."
National Institutes of Health: "Cold and Cough Medicines."
Reviewed by Hansa D. Bhargava, MD on March 25, 2012

© 2005-2013 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
Source article on WebMD