When your child has a cough or cold, a trip to the pharmacy can leave you wondering which medicine to choose. With so many options on the shelves, how do you know what’s safe and what will actually help?
Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines can ease symptoms such as fever and congestion, but they won’t make a cold go away faster. Some home remedies may offer relief, too. Before reaching for a treatment, consider your child’s age, symptoms and potential side effects.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends avoiding OTC cough and cold medicines in children younger than 6 unless a pediatrician advises otherwise. For children ages 4 to 6, these medicines should be used only with a pediatrician’s recommendation. Cough suppressants such as dextromethorphan (DM) may offer limited benefit for children and can cause side effects.
Medicines such as acetaminophen (Children’s Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Children’s Motrin) can help relieve fever and discomfort when used appropriately for a child’s age and weight. Antihistamines, such as Children’s Claritin, may help with allergy symptoms but aren’t a go-to treatment for every cold.
What about home remedies? Some, such as honey for children older than 1, may help soothe a cough. Other popular options have less evidence to support their effectiveness, so it’s worth checking with your pediatrician before trying herbal supplements or other remedies.
The pediatric team at Novant Health Arbor Pediatrics in Winston-Salem shares advice to help parents choose appropriate treatments, ease their child’s symptoms and recognize when it’s time to seek medical care.
Find a caring pediatrician near you.
With so many children’s cough and cold remedies available, how can parents choose the best option?
Start by considering your child’s age and how sick they are. Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines can help relieve symptoms so that kids feel better while they recover, but it's important to pay attention to active ingredients.
Many multi-symptom cold medications contain acetaminophen. Giving a child Children's Tylenol at the same time as a multi-symptom cold syrup could lead to an accidental acetaminophen overdose. Always check the active ingredients list before giving your child any OTC medications.
Be cautious with cough medicines. OTC cough and cold medicines generally aren’t recommended for children younger than 6 unless a pediatrician advises otherwise.
Honey may help soothe a cough in children older than 1 year old. Try a teaspoon before bedtime, but never give honey to a baby younger than 1 because it can cause infant botulism, a serious illness. Honey is also an active ingredient in some OTC holistic remedies.
When should I skip OTC medicines and schedule a doctor's visit instead?
If your child is having a fever or generally feeling really crummy, it’s good to visit your pediatrician. We can listen to your child’s lungs to rule out walking pneumonia, which is something that presents itself as a cough and does not go away on its own.
Doesn’t cough syrup only mask the symptoms without addressing an underlying cause?
The only real cure for a cough or cold is time. But we don’t want your child feeling miserable for a week. With over-the-counter medicine, they won’t get better any quicker, but they will feel better throughout the process.
Are humidifiers effective, and which kind is best?
We usually recommend cool-mist humidifiers. If a child is having a lot of nasal congestion, humidifiers can help with coughing, break up that runny nose and make it easier to breathe at night. A humidifier is never going to hurt, and is safe to use whenever your kids are sick.
For babies, gently suctioning the nose before feedings and naps can help clear congestion. Older children may benefit from saline nasal spray and a warm shower to help loosen mucus.
What coughing sound should alert a parent to call the pediatrician?
Calling the pediatrician is OK for any cough. Just because a cough sounds one way, it doesn't 100% mean one thing and not the other. But for a barking cough you should definitely call a pediatrician.
Dry or wet coughs can point to a variety of things. For dry cough, you’re usually looking at allergies and healing from a viral infection. Wet coughs are usually due to post-nasal drip from a runny nose or pneumonia. It’s good for kids to cough during the day because it’s the body’s natural way to clear the lungs and prevent pneumonia. But at night we want our kids to sleep, so medicines and humidifiers can help with that.
