So my son is 17 months and about 4 days ago developed a runny nose, sneezing (with lots of mucus) and the usual fever. He has had a cold before so that part I’m really not bothered by-its his cough. I know when he’s about to cough because he starts crying beforehand (so I’m assuming his throat is sore from it) and after he coughs, which lasts about 5-10 seconds, he starts crying again. Nighttime is the worst. He does not want to lay down at all and literally cries all night. I think we slept a total of one hour. His voice sounds muffled and hoarse. When he eats and sometimes drinks, he gags it up because of the cough or phlegm in his throat (I don’t know which one) and starts crying again.

I dont think he has whooping cough. I listened to it on YouTube and it doesn’t last as long as a bout of whooping cough, but he does make the “whoop” sound sometimes. We went to the walk-in on New Years (family dr was closed that day) who said it was just an upper respiratory infection and to give him some Advil. I just feel like it’s more than that? He sleeps with a cool-mist humidifier on every night by his bed. I also put baby Vick’s on his chest and back, diction his nose with the hydrasense nasal aspirator, and give him some Advil and/or cough syrup (prospan by Helixia) before bed every night. I don’t know what else to do for him.

Does anyone have any “diagnosis”? Sorry if this is long. I just want to see if anybody else has had an experience like this before making another trip to the doctors. Thank you!

Some facts:

*i live with my boyfriend and his family. There are two other kids living with us (niece and nephew) who are two and three and go to daycare

*he has never had this pain with a cough before

* his fevers are on and off. So somedays he’ll be fine then the next day he’ll have a fever again