Mi hijo sigue con voz ronca y tos dos se

Tonight, take him to the pediatric emergency department (urgencias pediátricas) tonight — and call your local emergency number now, llama ahora mismo al número de emergencias de tu zona, if the breathing noise is still there when he is calm and settled.

Two weeks of cough after a cold sits inside the usual 1–3 weeks for a viral cough in a child, so the length on its own is not the alarm. What is not ordinary is the hoarse voice together with the noise when he breathes at rest. That combination is exactly what a clinician has to hear and see, tonight, and a message cannot tell you what it is. I cannot diagnose this from a message, and I will not change any medicine of his.

1. What you already tried, and what works better

The calm minute (1 minute, do it before you leave): sit him upright on your lap leaning slightly forward, in the position he chooses; dim light, quiet voices; listen for a full minute while he is settled. Write one word: noise while calm: yes / no.

2. Tonight, in 20 minutes

1. 0–2 min — upright on your lap, leaning slightly forward. No lying flat, even to sleep.
2. 2–5 min — cool room, dim light, low voices, one adult, minimal handling. Do not look in his throat, do not hold him still to look.
3. 5–10 min — sips of warm water if he is awake and swallowing normally. Nothing by mouth if he is drowsy.
4. 10–15 min — write the doctor note (list below). Bring the inhaler and spacer if he has one.
5. 15–20 min — pack: his inhalers and spacer, vaccine card, medicine boxes, a pen, the note.
6. If he has his own prescribed reliever inhaler, use it only exactly as you were trained — no new device, no dose from me.
7. The adult staying home with the elder or sibling: keep him calm and quiet, and give them the red-flag list below in their language.

Doctor note, six lines: age · when the cough started and when the voice got hoarse · noise while calm: yes/no · highest temperature and when · every medicine or inhaler given today, with time · any choking or swallowing episode at any point, even weeks ago. Also: eczema, asthma or allergies, anyone at home with a long cough, smoke or vape exposure, and his vaccine card.

3. Decision tree

4. Avoid tonight

Lying flat · looking in his throat or holding him down to look · judging how bad it is by how loud the noise is (a quiet chest in an unwell child is worse, not better) · over-the-counter cough and cold syrups, especially under 4, and no new cough medicine without the doctor · honey if he is under 12 months · leftover antibiotics or steroids · another child's inhaler · anything bought online or unlabeled powders · changing any medicine he already has · steam routines · using a home oximeter to decide "it's fine" · smoke, vape or wood-fire smoke · telling anyone "it's just a cold".

5. Red flags — stop the home plan and go now

Noise that stays when he is calm · ribs or neck pulling in, grunting, very fast breathing · blue or grey lips or face · drooling or refusing to swallow · hoarse, muffled voice or a hoarse cry · drowsy, floppy, hard to wake, exhausted after struggling for air · sitting forward and refusing to lie flat · fever with drooling and a muffled voice · sudden cough while eating or playing · symptoms right after a food, a sting or a medicine · a rash with fever that does not fade under a clear glass · cannot drink at all · a fit · coughing up blood.

Mention to the doctor (not emergency, but do not wait for the visit): coughing up blood, weight loss, night sweats, cough worse at night, wet versus dry sputum, any choking episode even days ago, eczema or asthma, family contact with tuberculosis or a long cough.

6. Questions worth asking at the door

• What specifically should bring us straight back, and over what time should this improve?
• What must we not give him at home?
• Could this still be an inhaled object?
• Does he need anything tonight or tomorrow night, and is anything needed for school on Monday?

7. What success looks like in 24 hours

Not "the cough is gone" — a post-cold cough can keep going for a while, and that alone is not failure. Success tomorrow night is: quiet, easy breathing when he is settled, no noise at rest, drinking normally, pink lips, alert and able to play — plus a clinician has seen him, told you what to watch, and written down what to do tomorrow night and what brings you back.

8. Scripts to screenshot

For the school (Monday):
> «Hola, tiene tos y la voz ronca desde hace dos semanas después de un catarro. Esta noche lo lleva un médico. Si en el colegio le cuesta respirar, si respira ruidoso estando tranquilo, o no puede hablar ni beber, llámame enseguida y voy a buscarlo. No es un diagnóstico todavía.»

For the elder or sibling at home:
> «Es la garganta y la tos; el médico lo ve esta noche. Si sigue haciendo ruido al respirar cuando está tranquilo, o no puede beber, llamad a la ambulancia. Si se queda callado y flojo, llamad a la ambulancia. No le deis jarabes nuevos ni antibióticos que sobran.»

At the clinic door, in one breath:
> «Hi — my son has had a cough and a hoarse voice for two weeks since a cold. Tonight he makes a noise when breathing at rest. He is [calm/settled / crying]. He can drink, his lips are pink, and he has had [no / a low] fever. These are the medicines we gave him today, with the times. No diagnosis from us — we would like him examined tonight, and we would like to know what should bring us straight back.»

One thing I still need from you

Which city or country are you in? I did not give you a number on purpose: I only give a number that matches your own place, and I would rather hand you the exact emergency number and the nearest children's emergency department than guess. Everything above stands without it.

No coverage here: I do not give doses, I do not change or start his medicines, and I do not give a phone number for a place I cannot confirm you are in.

I also prepared a one-page sheet with the same night plan, the red flags and the note for the doctor — ready to print or save on your phone: hoja-una-pagina-tos-voz-ronca-esta-noche-206cb45b.pdf