3 Month Old With Wheezing and Coughing

by Katie
(Indiana)

My 3 month old daughter started wheezing today. Been coughing for the past 2 days though. The wheezing isn't severe and she's a happy go lucky baby so I know it's not bothering her.

I'm just wondering what I can do to help calm down the wheezing and coughing before making the trip into the doctor's to be told it's really nothing,you know?

Baby Help Line:

What To Do For Wheezing Baby

When a baby starts wheezing you can sit in the bathroom with her while a hot shower is running the steam while help open her lungs so she can breath better. Using a warm vapour humidifier in her room may help her breath easier in times you cannot make her a steam room in the bathroom.

You need to keep an eye on how labored and rapid her breathing is and make sure she is not having shortness of breath.

Often, a baby can wheeze a little and still be fine and does not even act sick at all, while sometimes they need to be put on medicine.

Wheezing is a high pitched sound created by the lungs when you exhale. It all depends on how severe the wheezing is and if the baby is sick in other ways too.

On the other hand, wheezing and cough can signify an infection called human respiratory syncytial virus, but the child would have labored breathing and fever to accompany the cough and wheezing. If either of these symptoms appears, do make a trip to your doctor.

Also, if your daughter is still wheezing after a couple of days, I would take her to your pediatrician. The pediatrician may want her to take albuterol treatments until she is no longer wheezing. So she does not develop an infection in her lungs.

When a child is raspy, they sound congested when they breathe out. It can even rattle their chest. When they are raspy a doctor will usually just tell you to try the shower.

I hope she feels better soon.

Paula

(Answer approved by our Medical Doctors Reference Team)

More Babies Wheezing And Coughing

Chronic Cough For Baby

Chesty Baby Wheezing – Why?

Baby's With Flem In Her Lungs

Find answers and comments below.

Find more Sick Baby Q&As and other Baby Tips here:

Comments for
3 Month Old With Wheezing and Coughing

Jan 07, 2010

4 month old wheezing and coughing
by: Anonymous

My 4 month old daughter has been wheezing for about 2 weeks, tried everything, before I took her to the doctor. They put her on albuteral, and said the wheeze should be gone in about 7 days. Going on 10 days and she is still wheezing and coughing really bad at night. They put her on antibiotics, thought it might be bronchitis. She has been on the meds for 2 days and no changes yet. Worried that we might have to go to the hospital to get a chest xray later today. Any advice? My first daughter was never sick ever, so this is all new to me.

Jan 09, 2011

im freaking out my son i weezing and coughing
by: concerned dad

Q. my 4.4 months son has been wheezing since he has been 2 months old now its getting bad we took him to the doc at 3 months and he said he was fine. now the wheezing is really bad and there is a choking kinda cough i read the other comment but the question wasn't answered..

i think it is serious it sound serious is there a nurse or person that has fixed this problem without a shower is there a baby ventilin or dose he have whooping cough someone please give me a good answer..

thanks

Jan 12, 2011

Try another Dr.
by: Anonymous

For the dad with the wheezing 3 month old. I would get another opinion. Our 5 month old is having the same thing where he almost hacks and gags. We haven't taken him to the dr yet but are later today. If you feel uncomfortable and wonder how you can help your little one take him to a different doctor and voice your true concerns. Dont let them stamp it cured, ask questions and walk out feeling like you have a solution. We tried the propped up bed, and the humidifier and all that and it hasnt helped, call your pediatrician and go from there. Good luck-

Jan 16, 2011

found ou tmy problem
by: happy dad :)

i just got back from the doc and she said to me because he wasnt changeing blue or shorting in breath it couldnt be whooping cough so they did som test and they found out it was asmia (if you spell it that way )he gave me a nebulizer and some things to put in it havng seen my son happyer XD

Mar 21, 2011

Extremely fustrerated
by: Janita

My four month old has had the wheezing and coughing for over a month now. He has been to the doctors office 7 times and is taking medicine out the ying yang. First they said it was and upper resp. infection and an ear infection, then they said broncitis, now possibly acid reflux? He is Still no better. He has been put on oxygen treatments (air saturation levels below 90%), albuterol, xopenex, and budesonide breathing treatments, one antibotic for an ear infection, (btw all of that caused thrush so he is on Nystatin for that) oral steriod prednisolone, and just incase it is acid reflux they put him on Zantac, and Previcid. If anyone has any ideas let me know. I am going to take him for a g. i. series and a chest x-ray, then to an allergist. I have got to get this to stop!

His bed is elevated, he sleeps under a humiderifier, medicine give promptly, but I am at a loss.

Mar 22, 2011

4 month wheezing and coughing
by: Shally

Today i am extremely frustrated and believe that it has been my fault that my 4 month is sick.

Just got back from radiology and they did a x-ray on my 4 month daughter. Found out that her right lung is infected.

I have been going to the doctor for abt a month now every time she will tell me "lungs are clear, chest is clear" for wheezing she gave me albuterol.

since my daughter started to wheeze more....i asked my doctor to for a chest x-ray...

Now my 4 month is on 3 different medications
amoxicillin
xoponex and a steriod (pulmicort)

want to find out how bad the side effects are? i notice that my 4 month spits a lot....is there any thing i can do at home to make her more comfortable?

Apr 17, 2011

cough, fever, muscus, wheezing
by: Anonymous

my son just turned 3 mos. and has had a cough for about two weeks. Then the wheezing came about a week later, took him to see the dr. Dr. said a simple cold and will go away. The night came and he started to runt and spike up a fever. Called dr office and talked with nurse, suggest that I take him to the ER. Got an x-ray, blood work, and urine done on him. Everything came back negative. Dr said to give him tylenol and humidifer. Did all that for almost a month now and nothing works. I cannot watch him son suffer like this. Can't sleep, chokes, coughs up mucus, spikes fever on and off, wheezing, splits out all his formula. I mean how long is this going to go on? My poor like baby.

Jun 03, 2011

Extremely frustrated awnser
by: Anonymous

Hi so my son is pretty much exactly the same as yours same symptoms and everything! So I have taken him to several drs and finally got my answer, it's called largomalacia. Check into it, I hope I helped...

Aug 28, 2011

wheezing baby/concerned mommy
by: Anonymous

my son is almost 4 minths old now he started wheezing really bad when he turned 3 minths it was out of the blue and along with the wheezing were coughing and his chest sank in when he was breathing so we took him to the hospital where tjey did a chest xray on him and said hes developing asthma but didnt put him on anything now almost a month later its all the same any ideas on what to do (neither the er or the dr put him on anything) i was suggested the shower thing and a humidifier in his room to see if it would help amd it didnt!! advice please!!

Aug 29, 2011

Controlling asthma in babies
by: Paula (Baby Help Line)

Hi,

I'd suggest you take your baby to another pediatrician fora second opinion. I am not a doctor and can therefor not give medical advice.

However my oldest son had asthma when he was a toddler and he was given medicine that we were to give him through an inhaler. I think that is quite common at least for older babies and children and I have no idea why that option is not provided for your baby. Some medicines are for controlling asthma and others are for stopping attacks when they do come.

In addition, it is important to try to figure out what triggers the asthma for your baby. In our case, it was when our son got a cold. For others it could be some allergy or cigarette smoke, for example.

Since you are worried and your son's problems haven't disappeared, go see another doctor. Don't give up until you have some answers!

I wish you good luck,

Paula

Mar 04, 2012

FRUSTRATED
by: Anonymous

My grandson has been wheezing and having fever off and on for over a month now. Im sick of hearing the Dr's say its just a virus. Im not a Dr, but i m sure theres something else wrong. I had asked for them to refer us to a specialist, but all i get is wait till later. I feel like they dont care.

Mar 27, 2012

coughing/wheezing 2 month old baby girl
by: Anonymous

my daughter has been coughing alot these past couple of days and it's getting worse along with developing a wheeze...I took her to the dr today but Im just not convinced that she's fine and whatever it is will pass...last te the dr checked her and said that I ended up taking her to the hospital for rsv and stayed there for a week till she got better...I almost want to go back to get her really checked out with xrays blood work..I don't know but ages just so little and Im so worried..I have a two year old son and I never had to go through all this with him...any advice? should I follow my instinct and take my daughter to the er again???

Mar 27, 2012

Go with your instinct
by: Anonymous

Yes, I would go with my instinct with a small baby! Take her ack and make sure they lusten to you (and her).

Good luck!

Oct 08, 2012

Hope I'm writing this in the right spot :)
by: Anonymous

My son (3months in three days) has had a terrible cough and some wheezing for about two weeks, also green boogers, they gave him antibiotics and they helped for about two days, but then his cough came back worse than ever. They've now put him on a 3 day course of prednisone 5mg. He just had his first dose now. He coughed a lot about three minutes layer then vomited a little. I don't know if this is a reaction to the medication or a coincidence. Has anyone else had their baby put on it? What kind of side effects did they experience? I've tried googling, but it's very difficult on my phone. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Nov 01, 2012

5 month old bronchiolitis
by: Anonymous

My 5 month old was coughing for about 3 weeks, then began wheezing 2 weeks ago pretty badly. last week, we went to the ER one night and the doctors every morning, where they did nebulizer/albuterol treatments (which never worked), checked his oxygen levels (went down a little each day, but never below 93%, so he didn't need to be hospitalized). The dr put him on prednisolone 5mg for 6 days, which ended Saturday. We did the steamy bathroom for 10 minutes once a day, and put receiving blankets under his mattress to prop his head up, and always keep a humidifier in the room he is in. He isn't wheezing as bad now, but wakes up coughing/gagging and doesn't sleep like he used to. Otherwise he is a happy baby! They call him a happy wheezer. I noticed last night he has white dots covering his tongue, so he must have gotten thrush while on the steroids...so back to the dr we go again! He has had NO side effects from the steroids. Hope this helps!

Apr 16, 2013

4 month old coughing and wheezing
by: Anonymous

My son is four months old and for the past two weeks he has been coughing and wheezing his dr has him on two antibiotics two different breathing treatments albuterol and pulmicort albuterol every four hours pulmicort twice a day, the antibiotics one is twice a day and one is once a day a cough medicine and steroids by mouth! He's been tested for RSV it was negative dr said he had a cold then it was a virus and gives medication to treat a bacteria! I just don't understand! I feel like this is way too much medication for an infant and nothing's helped he's the same there's been no change!

Return to Sick Baby Q&A.