Mythbusting: Quiet a Nighttime Cough

So.. have you heard the one about the Vicks Vapor Rub relieving kids' coughs at night?
It is said that if you rub a layer of it on their feet and cover them with socks, they won't cough at night.

I first heard this a few years ago, and I was pretty skeptical. I read online about others trying it and swearing by it. They all say it works.
I was STILL skeptical.

Well, we've been battling a cold virus in our household for the past week, and my five year old was up all night coughing.
The next night, before bed, I was dealing with my 1 1/2 year old's "snotterfall" (a term coined by my 18 year old, used to describe a seemingly continual flowing runny nose) and I was about to put some Vicks Baby Rub on her chest to help her sleep when my five year old insisted that she needed some too. That's when I remembered the feet thing! I was about to find out once and for all, first-hand, if this crazy home remedy really worked.

I got her a pair of clean socks and grabbed her feet... the look on her face as I started slathering the goop on them was priceless. I am pretty sure she was convinced that I had completely lost my marbles!

I got her socks on her and as she drifted off to sleep, I was already drafting this post in my mind. I was preparing to tell you all that this old wives tale was just that... a tale.
Totally false.
Myth busted.

Throughout the night, I listened. I waited for her to get up and have a little coughing fit.
I listened...
And I waited...

I didn't hear her cough once all night long!

She did cough when she woke up, and she coughed more off and on throughout the day. But that night... not a peep.

It actually worked!

Go figure!