Child With Chest Infection

[sherrardk]

One of the things has got a chest infection, apart from Calpol and the antibiotics is there anything else I could give him? He is coughing all the time and is worn out. He's six years old if that matters. Thanks.

[Sqad]

How about a warm drink of fruit juice, that should help.

[corylus]

Try Karvol capsules from a pharmacy, helps to clear the airways, used to help my two kids.

[corylus]

Re: Karvol, you put it on their clothes and bedding, don't make thing swallow the capsules!!!

[black_cat51]

have you tried a humidifier in the room?, have you tried alternating calprofen?

[sherrardk]

Forgotten all about Karvol, none of them have been properly poorly for ages. I shall go and see if I have got any ibuprofen for children. Thanks for all your answers, I see to have forgotten how to look after a poorly little person.

[Daffy6543]

Humidifier and try to make him sleep propped up on several pillows, it will ease the nighttime coughing.

[black_cat51]

or put books under the head end of the bed

[anneasquith]

steamy bathroom,

[sherrardk]

Argh, girl is coughing so much she has been sick - on thing 1's bed and all in her bum-length hair, particularly bad after eating tomato soup :(

[Peter Pedant]

yeah - as a six y o he should be around 20kg (!)

so his appropriate dose of paracetamol is 300mg or half a tab

If you give him half a tab of 500 - 50 co-codamol, he will get an eentsy weentsy bit of codeine which will suppress his cough.

try a quarter if you are reading this and going 'eek'

if it works it will work like magic.

[Peter Pedant]

If any of the kids have a kiddie salbutamol inhaler try that.

In 1950 my father found that if he gave upset coughing children a small dose of ephedrine they went to sleep. That is, it was sedative and not stimulant. But he neva wrote it up which is kinda sad as he would have got the credit for giving hyperactive children stimulants and not whatsisname. Ho hum....

[jourdain2]

Given that none of the normal things are working - it could be whooping-cough. In that case, plug an electric kettle into the bedroom and keep it boiling - the steam helps (my daughter had it at about the same age - it was a bad time as the other had measles). You can also try hot milk and honey, which lines the throat and helps a bit. If it is whooping-cough then you just have to live through it. Is she/he looking a bit alarmed at the onset of the coughing session? Eyes wide etc.? If it gets worse, call the doctor, but mine both survived OK.

[Daffy6543]

It's highly unlikely to be whooping cough, especially as most parents have had their children inoculated when they were babies. I assume that as yours had it and one had measles that none of your children had any of their vaccinations Jourdaine.

[jourdain2]

I wasn't offered vaccinations in those days daffy6543. There certainly wasn't one against whooping-cough and my with my eldest I was not advised to have the (new) measles vaccine as my doctor said "We're not going to lose a baby over 6 months old with it and since we can't give the vaccine until 6 months of age she may as well get it". My younger daughter was vaccinated against measles - and then caught it a year later. Not a great recommendation for vaccination.

[fairycakes69]

I'd try putting them in the bathroom with the hot water running, to get the steam going. Vicks on the chest can sometimes help.

[sherrardk]

I've been out (six doors away), just got in and no coughing and no more being sick. Just hope the poor little sod gets a good noght's sleep.