My son has a cough, and you can hear the mucus when he coughs. When is it more of a problem?

Hello Ma'am,

It depends!

How old is he? Does he have a fever?

If he has never been diagnosed with asthma, then the secretions come from his nose. It may seem like he doesn't have much of it because it precisely doesn't flow through the nose but rather goes into the bronchial tubes through the throat.

There is a very useful technique to help children cough less by reducing the amount of mucus that flows from the nose to the throat. To do this, you'll need a syringe (without a needle) and saline or distilled water, plain and simple.

Then, depending on your child's age, the amount of water to use per nostril will differ a bit (between 3 mL and 10 mL per nostril). For details on the technique and the exact amount to use in your situation, refer to pages 6 and 7 of the following document.

In the first 2 days, use this technique about 5 times a day, and then, in the following days, you can decrease to 2 times a day.

Most parents see significant improvement in symptoms within 48 hours.