DOCTOR SHARES WHEN TO WORRY ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S COUGH

When to get help for a child’s cough

The NHS recommends that if your child is feeding, drinking, eating and breathing normally, and there is no wheezing, a cough is not usually anything to worry about.

It’s actually serving a purpose by helping to clear phlegm or mucus from the back of the throat or chest.

Typically, children under six are not advised to take over-the-counter cough and cold remedies, including decongestants, unless advised to by a GP or pharmacist.

For kids over the age of one, the NHS recommends a warm drink containing lemon and honey instead. With plenty of rest, the cough should clear up in a week or so.

But if your child has a continuous cough with a high temperature, the doctor advises asking your GP for an urgent appointment “so they can be assessed as soon as possible as it could indicate an underlying infection”.

Similarly, if your child’s cough continues for more than three weeks, especially if it’s worse at night or they have a wheeze or breathlessness between illnesses, then it’s time to see a doctor as it could be a sign of an underlying issue like asthma or even immune deficiencies.

In rarer cases there could be structural lung problems or, rarer still, an underlying chronic lung disease such as cystic fibrosis, he said.

Dr Greenyer added: “Most of the time coughs will resolve with rest and fluids after a couple of weeks. What we want to see is a child recovering fully and having clear periods where they are free of symptoms between illnesses.

“However, if your child has an ongoing cough or wheeze, is struggling to gain weight or needs frequent antibiotics for chest infections, it might be time to see a specialist to look for an underlying cause.”

He added that symptoms which “are severe, persistent or unusual” for your child should never be ignored.