Thanks all for your answers.

For context, the nurse line we have access to pretty much always recommends urgent care. We don't want to go unnecessarily and either get a more vulnerable child severely ill, or catch something worse. In fact it's quite possible she caught this bug at urgent care this weekend (for an unrelated issue). Plus, my child has full on meltdowns when they do nose and throat swabs. Just wanted to get a sense of what other parents typically do when a child is coughing hard but otherwise breathing fine.

This is not something I would go to the doctor for unless it’s not going away. But I would get a COVID test before family comes. Also tell family in advance that she has something so they can decide their risk. At this point having missed so much work from sicknesses I would hesitate to visit a sick family member even if just a cold.

You don’t sound concerned that she is very sick. It sounds like she has a cold. This is day 1. I would probably not even call the doctor.

I haven't taken mine to the doc for just a cough, there's always at least one other symptom. When it was severe enough to warrant a dr visit, it was RSV. If she was having trouble breathing I would certainly take her in

I've never taken my kids to the doctor for a cough.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you are concerned enough to ask strangers what you should do about it. How is this a question, take the child to a doctor.

This. Just call and ask if they want to see her. You really dont want to mess around with this. When my kid had back to back ear infections, the only symptom was often only a cough. She could also have pneumonia

Pneumonia is not characterized by one day of a stuffy nose and cough without fever/ vomiting. Stop.

I might call, but in your circumstances I wouldn't go to the doctor. No fever, good energy and appetite, no red flags, and there's nothing they can do. I'd go if it isn't improving a few days, or if she starts running a fever, or if she's lethargic or having trouble breathing.

Sounds like she is starting with a new cold. I wouldn’t go to the doctor for one day of nasal congestion and cough without trouble breathing or fever or otherwise seeming very ill.

Call the Dr, see what they think. That's what I do.

Anonymous wrote:When you are concerned enough to ask strangers what you should do about it. How is this a question, take the child to a doctor.

This. Just call and ask if they want to see her. You really dont want to mess around with this. When my kid had back to back ear infections, the only symptom was often only a cough. She could also have pneumonia

1 week of cough and we go to dr for a check of lungs. Last tome he said my 3 year old was fine but clearly had a lingering post nasal drip which was causing the cough and to do kids Zyrtec and other options to bring the noseninflammation down to help with it. It helped.
Also they can look in ears and see whats up. Worst is its a sinus infection and you need antibiotics to clear.

How are you treating? Do you give her spoonfuls of honey before bedtime, or honey and squeeze of lemon in hot water to soothe it? How much water is she drinking, and does it seem like her cough is worse when she might be dehydrated? Also, if it is suddenly worse, is it accompanied by some congestion? Especially if you are traveling, she might have some environmental allergies that are triggering congestion in her nose and back of her throat, which can very quickly make a cough sound so much worse as she tries to clear that congestion.

A lot of kids have had these lingering coughs from viruses this fall. They sound horrible and with everything still very paranoid about Covid after the last few years, I know it's hard to be a parent with a kid with this kind of coughing because people look at you like you've brought Typhoid Mary to the party even if your kid is not actually sick with a virus and you mask them. But the truth is, a lingering cough after a respiratory virus is common, and if your kid had a few viruses this fall, it's likely she's got some irritation plus post-nasal drip that is making it linger.

The most a doctor can do is give you some antibiotics if they determine it's an infection (which does happen, though without fever is unlikely in this case). I'd just seek to treat the cough itself with some home remedies to soothe her throat, ensuring hydration, and maybe giving her allergy meds to clear congestion if it seems to be playing a role.

Personally I only do it if there is breathing trouble or if it has lasted a very long time and is getting worse. The only thing they can do is a nebulizer treatment if she's having trouble breathing. If breathing trouble at all then no question. But if you think it's a new virus, I don't know I don't personally go in but I don't want to tell you not to! since i'm obviously not there

When you are concerned enough to ask strangers what you should do about it. How is this a question, take the child to a doctor.

For context like every other child mine has had a series of viruses starting in October. She was doing pretty well with a lingering cough that was only while lying down and that I think had gone away late last week. This morning she woke up congested and coughing hard. She has no fever, no trouble breathing, seems happy overall besides being annoyed with the congestion. It seems like just a cold to me, but she is not prone to fevers so it is hard to tell if it is something more. We are not traveling but have family coming to stay with us.