With life returning to normal in most areas, children are back to school, afterschool activities, and hanging out with friends. This all means they’re likely to get sick this cold and flu season. As a parent, the best thing you can do is be prepared to manage their symptoms including a cough. Coughs can be a result of the common cold, flu, and covid-19. If your child is suffering, start managing their symptoms at home with these methods!

Home Remedies

There are plenty of home remedies that have been used to treat coughs for centuries. The most highly recommended home remedies for a cough today include:

• Sit in the bathroom while hot water runs in the shower. Breathing in steam can help loosen mucus and soothe a cough
• Put a cool mist humidifier near your child’s bed
• Warm liquids with honey and lemon will soothe the throat. Ginseng and ginger tea are known to shorten the length of a cough.

Over the Counter Medication

Over the counter medications can be given to older children experiencing a cough. Do not give medication to a child that isn’t of the approved age. Children under 6 should never receive cough medicine. If you’re unsure of the correct dosage, contact their pediatrician.

If your child is old enough for over-the-counter cough medications, stick with just cough medications. Combination medications that contain a pain reliever too are more likely to have negative effects on children.

In addition to cough medicine, cough drops and lozenges can be helpful to suppress the urge to cough for older children.

How an Urgent Care Center Can Help

Most childhood coughs will resolve in less than two weeks with at-home treatment. If your child has a cough that is getting worse or lasting longer than 2 weeks, visit an urgent care center right away.

Urgent care centers can provide same-day treatment for all ages with no appointment required. The medical team will assess your child, test for the flu and covid-19, and create a treatment plan. They may recommend you continue doing the same things you have been at home and wait a bit longer, but they could also determine if prescription medication is needed to cure the cough.

Lower your child’s risk of catching a cough this flu season by getting their annual flu vaccine and covid-19 booster at an urgent care center today!