When your baby is sick, there’s no substitute for visiting the pediatrician. In the meantime, these home remedies may help ease cough symptoms.

Life can be stressful when your little one is sick with a cough. Aside from being uncomfortable, your baby may have trouble relaxing and getting the rest they need to feel better.

Several illnesses cause a cough as a primary symptom. Knowing the cause may help you determine which home remedy will work best.

Here’s how to identify different types of coughs, when you should go to the doctor, and what you can do to help your baby feel better.

No matter the cause of your baby’s cough, there are some signs that they need medical help right away. If your child is coughing and has any of the following symptoms, head to your local emergency room (ER) or call 911.

  • troubled or labored breathing
  • shortness of breath
  • a fever higher than 100.4°F (38°C) for children under 3 months or higher than 102.2°F (39°C) for children over 3 months
  • blood when coughing
  • trouble swallowing
  • difficulty opening their mouth the whole way
  • significant tonsil swelling on just one side

Other symptoms to note:

  • any cough in newborns within the first couple of weeks
  • a cough that lasts 8 weeks or longer
  • a cough that worsens with time, especially after 3 weeks
  • a cough with night sweats or weight loss
  • any cough — wet or dry — with wheezing or rapid breathing

Even if your baby doesn’t have severe signs but is acting differently than usual, it might be a good idea to at least call your pediatrician. You know your child best. Your doctor can help guide you, whether it’s to take your baby to the ER or just go in for an office visit.

Even if your child’s symptoms aren’t serious, it can be scary waking up in the middle of the night to hear your baby coughing. Knowing a few home remedies can give you some ideas of things to try so they feel better.

Consider making a kit containing certain items, such as saline and a bulb syringe, so they’re within easy reach when you need them.

Keeping your baby hydrated is key to keeping their mucus flowing and easy to cough up. If your baby is dehydrated, their snot and other secretions may become drier, making them more difficult to clear away by coughing.

This means nursing or offering your child’s typical amount of formula as frequently as necessary. Extra fluids may not be needed, but it’s important to offer their typical amounts.

For younger babies, stick with breast milk and formula. For older babies, fluids may include water and unsweetened juices.

Another way to moisten secretions is to use over-the-counter (OTC) saline drops in your baby’s nose. What does your baby’s nose have to do with coughing? With cold and flu — quite a lot.

The mucus in your child’s nose can travel down the back of their nose and throat to cause postnasal drip. This irritates the throat and can produce a wet, barky cough and rattling noise in the upper airway (not the chest). You may especially notice this cough after your baby wakes up.

Use two to three saline drops per nostril a few times throughout the day. Your baby may not love the sensation of the drops going into their nose, or they may sneeze. That’s OK.

You can also try sucking the mucus out of your baby’s nose before it has a chance to reach and irritate their throat and airway.

After using saline drops, you can take a bulb syringe and squeeze it to push the air out. While still pressing it, insert it one-quarter to one-half of an inch into your baby’s nostril, being sure to point toward the back or side of their nose.

Release the pressure to allow the syringe to suck the mucus out, and remove it for cleaning before repeating on the other side. Be sure to clean it again before storing it.

Repeat as necessary throughout the day, but keep in mind that you may irritate your baby’s nostrils if you do it too frequently.

Moistening the air your child breathes is another way to keep things flowing.

You can purchase a humidifier to add moisture to your baby’s nursery. Yet some doctors say these devices may not provide enough humidity to help. Plus, they can be difficult to clean and, as a result, keep safe.

One possible alternative is to treat your bathroom like a steam room. You can run hot water in the shower, close the bathroom door, and let the humidity build. Just 10 to 15 minutes should do the trick.

You might also consider patting your baby’s chest and back to help loosen particularly stubborn mucus. Apply firm pressure that’s a bit harder than when you burp them.

For babies 12 months or older, you might try giving them a small amount of honey before bedtime or naps. The honey can coat your little one’s throat to help relieve soreness.

A 2022 study compared honey to cough medication in children 12 months old and older. They found that honey was effective in treating children above 12 months of age, mainly if used in the first 3 days of cough symptoms.

In another study from 2010, honey was also found to be as effective as the OTC cough suppressant dextromethorphan.

Serve your child 1/2 to 1 teaspoon (2 to 5 mL) of honey as needed.

Honey warning

Never give children younger than 12 months old honey. They are at risk of getting botulism, a rare form of food poisoning, from honey.

You may notice that your baby coughs the most at nighttime. Some experts suggest propping older babies with extra pillows to help raise their heads and improve breathing.

Safety warning

Do not use pillows or other positioners for babies under 12 months. Instead, consult your pediatrician to see whether propping the head of your baby’s crib is a possibility to help them sleep.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns against the use of sleep aids — car seats, bouncers, and other inclined products — that position younger babies at an incline greater than 10 degrees. This can increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

If you’re worried about the cough and your baby’s breathing, consider sleeping in the same room with your child so you can help them as needed.

Try removing any irritants in your home that might trigger asthma or allergies. Things like tobacco smoke, dust, mold, and anything that allergy testing reveals is a trigger for your baby.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends avoiding outdoor activities on days with poor air quality.

Things that may help keep your indoor air irritant-free:

  • not smoking around your baby or indoors — smoke can linger on fabrics like clothing, so quitting altogether is best
  • vacuuming carpets using a vacuum with a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter
  • using a room air purifier that has a HEPA filter
  • keeping the humidity level of your home between 40% and 50%
  • keeping pets out of sleeping areas
  • using allergen-proof mattress covers and pillow covers

Coughing is the result of your baby’s airway being irritated or otherwise affected in some way. It may be caused by excess mucus buildup related to a viral illness or environmental irritants like pollen or smoke. You can look at your child’s other symptoms to help narrow down the cause.

Cold and flu

There are over 200 different cold viruses that your baby may come into contact with. They cause stuffy noses, sneezing, fever, and — yes — cough. Treatment involves keeping your baby comfortable and using OTC medications to address fever and pain.

Signs of flu in babies include:

  • fever
  • chills
  • body aches and headache
  • sore throat
  • stuffy nose
  • dry cough

Your child may also have an upset stomach with vomiting or diarrhea. Your little one’s doctor may prescribe an antiviral medication if you catch the illness early. Otherwise, rest, fluids, OTC fever reducers, and time should do the trick.

COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, may likewise lead to cold-like symptoms in babies. If you’ve been around a person who has COVID-19, contact your doctor for further instructions about treatment and testing. Babies under 1 year old may be at higher risk of developing complications from the virus.

Croup

The sound of a croup cough is unmistakable. It resembles a seal’s bark.

Other symptoms of croup may vary and may include:

  • a runny nose
  • laryngitis (loss of voice)
  • a fever
  • stridor (a high-pitched whistling sound when breathing)

Mild croup can often be treated at home. Severe croup may be addressed with breathing treatments or steroids.

Pneumonia

A cold, flu, or other illness can progress into pneumonia — or your baby can catch it from another child or adult who has certain types. The cough is productive, meaning it produces mucus, and it can be painful.

Your baby may also have a fever, fatigue, and vomiting or diarrhea. Treatment may involve antibiotics, extra fluids, and rest.

Whooping cough

Along with a low grade fever and runny nose, babies develop a mild cough with pertussis (whooping cough). In the second stage of the illness, the cough can become severe and come in fits. The cough is persistent and may end with a characteristic “whoop” sound.

Your child may need antibiotics. Some may need hospitalization to recover.

Asthma

Viruses are the most common trigger of asthma episodes in babies 6 months old and younger. The cough is persistent and may be accompanied by wheezing and exaggerated breathing, which may involve nostrils flaring or skin sucking between ribs.

Other signs include:

  • rapid breathing
  • trouble sucking or eating
  • exhaustion
  • pale or blue coloring

Treatment involves specific asthma medications.

Allergies

Babies can also have allergies to certain foods or substances or even seasonal allergies. Symptoms differ from those associated with colds and the flu in that they’re triggered by exposure to an allergen.

A cough can be an allergy symptom, but it isn’t as common a symptom as it is with colds. The main difference is that allergies don’t cause a fever, aches, and pains, and they rarely cause a sore throat. If you suspect allergies, you may be referred to a specialist for further testing.

Reflux

Is your baby spitting up frequently, losing weight, or grumpy during or after feedings? It may be reflux.

Cough with reflux is usually chronic, due to the consistent backward flow of stomach contents and acid. Some babies grow out of reflux with time, but others may need medication or other treatments to get better.

It’s not unusual for a child to get eight or more colds per year, on average. After a while, you’ll be a pro at determining what helps your child when they’re feeling sick and stuffy.

If you’re concerned about your baby’s cough, see your pediatrician or healthcare professional. Once you know the cause, your doctor can help you decide which home remedies may help your little one feel better and address any other medical issues that need professional attention.