Cover Your Mouth! Is That Cough Contagious?

It’s not uncommon for children to get the dreaded cough. More times than not, that cough is just a byproduct of a common cold or sore throat cured by an over-the-counter remedy or some hugs and kisses. It’s easy to jump to conclusions about the cause or severity of a cough because kids get sick so often. It’s important to remember, though, that a simple cold cough could turn into something more serious, and something that may sound like “just a cough” can be much more than that.  

For example, your little one went to bed with a stuffed nose and fell asleep without a problem. All of the sudden, you hear a noise that sounds like a barking dog. You rush in to see what’s happening and your child is coughing uncontrollably and struggling to catch their breath. The potential cause? Croup. This viral illness causes the larynx and trachea to become inflamed and usually affects children between the ages of six months to three years. This cough tends to be at ease during the day but glares its ugliness at night. 

Sometimes your child will have a cough that’s unlike any other kind of cough they had previously. This cough sounds more…mucousy…and comes with a runny nose, a sore throat, a loss of appetite and watery eyes. While this can certainly be a common cold, it’s also possible this is allergies which need to be treated far different than a common cold. 

Then there are coughs that change your child’s behavior. BIG red flag. If your little one is coughing, is too tired to play, and just seems totally wiped out, it could be more than just “a little cough that will go away.” If this hoarse cough is accompanied by high fever, muscle aches and sniffles, it’s definitely time to take some action because this could be as serious as influenza.

Sometimes your child will have a traditional cough for a few days that morphs into something different. After a few days, the cough is now raspy and deep breaths produce whistling sounds. This is a tell-tale sign of bronchiolitis, an infection that if left untreated, can cause serious problems breathing. 

Bedtime is hard as it is, and toddlers tend to look for ANY reason to stay up at night, but sometimes they’re not faking it. If your child has had a cough for a while, but it tends to get worse at night, the cause could be serious.  Asthma is a chronic condition where the airways within the lungs become narrowed and inflamed. Excess mucus is produced causing wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath. The production of excess mucus causes a tickle in the back of the throat which is what causes the coughing. Another sign of asthma is if coughing is triggered by exercising or cold air.     

It’s clear to see that a cough can be just a cough, but it can also be much more than that. Any kind of questionable cough should be reviewed by a pediatrician as soon as possible. Children are very susceptible to illness and transfer germs to each other daily! The best thing to do if there is ANY question is visit your doctor.