When you see a tiny baby cough his whole body seems to cough with him! However, many coughs are not a sign of any great illness, and as the months progress you will get used to reading the signs of coughs, sniffles and so on.
Common causes for baby coughs
Like all of us, occasionally a baby will just get a 'frog in the throat', and usually a little cough will remedy this. If the air feels very dry (if you are in a warm room, the central heating is on, or you are staying somewhere in a hot dry climate) make sure you keep milk feeds up regularly, and offer cool boiled water in a sterile bottle or a suitably-aged baby feeding-cup if you want to, for relief between feeds.
Try to keep the room your child is in well-aired and make sure the air does not dry out. If the heating is on you can place a bowl of water on a radiator as the warmth will cause water droplets to moisten the air, or boil an electric kettle in the room and let the steam waft around for a few minutes.
Conversely, keep the windows closed if it is very dusty outside for a particular reason such as roadworks in your street, a grass lawn is being cut, or a nearby field is being ploughed, if you live in the countryside.
When your child is teething, he will produce more saliva. This might cause coughing bouts that last a few hours, days or even a couple of weeks, while the teething phase continues.
Coughing can become a bit of a habit. All babies love a cuddle and we instinctively go to pick up our children when they cough and splutter. This is not a concern and will pass so don't worry that it will develop into an annoying habit, but make sure your baby does get lots of loving attention through every day anyway!
When a cough is a concern
Usually a cough is not a major worry. However, a croup cough can sound alarming. The season for croup generally tends to be in the autumn and winter months, but do check out our article on it (click above) if you are concerned about this as a possibility.
If a cough is accompanied by other signs of illness then do consult your GP:
A temperature that is over 38 degrees C.
Your child seems limp and drowsy.
Your child has not been feeding.
Your child has a skin rash.
A persistent dry cough can sometimes signal that your child may have childhood asthma. This is on the rise, but still not hugely common. It will usually be accompanied by wheezy episodes after your child has been moving about (crawling or toddling, for example).
If you think this is a possibility then do raise it with your GP. But also try to keep your child's bedroom free from too many dust-trapping items like shelves over their bed or cot, too many soft furnishings and so on. Make sure bedding, cuddly toys and clothes are clean, try to use non-bio products for washing, and choose hypo-allergenic materials when buying pillows and duvets, etc. Possibly think about having polished floorboards rather than carpet in your child's room if a problem is diagnosed.
