{"id":619599,"date":"2026-09-09T19:20:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T19:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/619599\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T19:20:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T19:20:13","slug":"heres-exactly-what-to-do-if-your-childs-cough-gets-worse-when-they-lie-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/619599\/","title":{"rendered":"Here&#8217;s exactly what to do if your child&#8217;s cough gets worse when they lie down"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The kids are back at school and that means one thing \u2013 the return of the dreaded September sickness, which can see the whole family dosed with runny noses and coughs.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your house has been struck down by illness, this paediatrician\u2019s advice is for you.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/rollercoaster.ie\/lifestyle\/mums-sick-bowl-hack\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/rollercoaster.ie\/lifestyle\/mums-sick-bowl-hack\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mum\u2019s sick bowl hack to prevent nighttime disasters is genius<\/a> <\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-2260698076.jpg\" alt=\"cough\" class=\"wp-image-482854\"  \/>Young boy feeling unwell under a blanket with fever and flu symptoms, coughing<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It can be tough watching your little one dealing with a cough and even worse when they struggle to sleep at night as a result.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Explaining why kids\u2019 coughs seemingly get worse the second they lie down, paediatrician Katie, from Forever Freckle MD, said: \u2018At night, mucus can pool in the back of the throat and trigger more coughing.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recommending a few ways to help, the mum advised parents of older kids to \u2018slightly elevate their head\u2019 which can help \u2018gravity keep mucus draining instead of pooling in the throat.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-1470032989.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-482846\"  \/>Pic: Getty Images<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She then suggested investing in a cool-mist humidifier which \u2018adds moisture to dry air and can help soothe irritated airways.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Next up, a classic \u2013 honey: \u2018For kids over age 1, a little honey before bed can help soothe a cough. Never give honey to babies under 1.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Saline and suction is another of Katie\u2019s tips: \u2018Especially helpful for little ones who can\u2019t blow their nose yet.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finishing out her list, Katie concluded: \u2018Warm steam: A steamy bathroom before bed can help loosen congestion.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adding a disclaimer, the paediatrician added: \u2018Important: Babies should always sleep on a firm, flat, non-inclined surface\u2014no pillows, wedges or props.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Would you try these expert tips? <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">***Disclaimer: This post is not medical advice. Please consult with your doctor if you have any concerns for you or your child\u2019s health. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s keep the conversation going! Follow <a href=\"https:\/\/rollercoaster.ie\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">RollerCoaster<\/a> on our social channels: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RollerCoaster.ie\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Facebook<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/rollercoaster.ie\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Instagram<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@rollercoaster.ie\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">TikTok<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RollerCoasterIE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">X<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The kids are back at school and that means one thing \u2013 the return of the dreaded September&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":619600,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[103,61,60],"class_list":["post-619599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=619599"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619599\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/619600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=619599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=619599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=619599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}