How to treat cough in babies

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Cough in an infant

Parents react to a baby's cough in different ways - some ignore it, especially if the temperature is normal and there is no runny nose, while others rush to treat it with both folk and pharmacy remedies.

Table of contents:

Both options can be called extremes, since when an infant coughs, both at 3 months and at 6 months or older, its cause should be found out and only then should any treatment be started.

What is a cough?

This is the name of a reflex that helps clear the respiratory tract of any foreign substances, for example, dust particles, allergens, viruses, crumbs, accumulated mucus or pathogenic bacteria. In infants, a cough is a sharp, loud exhalation, during which air comes out of the respiratory tract at an increased speed.

Types of cough and causes

Depending on the factors that cause cough, it is divided into physiological (needed to cleanse the respiratory tract) and pathological (appearing in many diseases).

Cough can be a symptom of the following diseases:

If you pay attention to the coughing up of sputum, then there are such types of cough as dry (no sputum is produced) and wet (it is also called productive or wet). Normally, a newborn, infant 2 months or older can cough up sputum in the morning, as it accumulates during night sleep. Later during the day the baby will not have a cough, and the general condition will not change.

Having assessed the sound of a dry cough in an infant, you can define it as:

  • A barking cough is a loud cough that sounds like a dog barking and usually occurs with laryngitis.
  • Pulmonary - exhausting paroxysmal cough.
  • Superficial - characteristic of pharyngitis.

Cough not associated with sore throat

  • An infant may begin to cough due to a foreign object, such as small toys or parts thereof, entering the respiratory tract. In addition to the sudden onset of a cough, the child may lose his voice, have difficulty breathing, and may have blue skin. This situation should be a reason to immediately call an ambulance.
  • The occurrence of cough in an infant, for example, at the age of 5 months, can also be caused by an allergic reaction. A baby can react by coughing to pollen, food allergens, dust, down pillows and many other substances and objects. To help a child with such a cough, it is important to identify the allergen and eliminate its exposure.
  • Another cause of cough without respiratory diseases is helminthiasis. The larvae of some types of worms, developing in the child’s body, can pass through the lungs. During coughing, they pass along with mucus into the gastrointestinal tract and thus reach the intestines.
  • We also note that the cause of a dry cough in infants may be excessively dry air in the room. In this case, the problem can be easily solved using a humidifier or other sources of moisture (water containers, wet towels).
  • Breasts may also cough while eating if the milk comes in too quickly. Changing the position when breastfeeding or changing the nipple when bottle feeding will help eliminate this cough.

Dangerous symptoms (when the cough is dangerous)

Parents need to be wary and show their baby to the doctor as soon as possible if:

  • The cough appeared suddenly and did not stop.
  • Simultaneously with the cough, the baby began to wheeze, which could be heard from afar.
  • The cough occurs at night in the form of attacks.
  • The baby coughs up red or green mucus.
  • The cough lasts longer than three weeks.

How to treat?

When a cough of any kind appears in a baby, for example, at 4 months, you should first determine whether it is normal or caused by a disease. To do this, you need to show your baby to a doctor, since any medications against cough in children under one year of age should be taken only after being prescribed by a pediatrician or ENT specialist.

In addition to medications, the following are used in the treatment of infants with cough:

  • Inhalations. Depending on the method of implementation, they can be steam or nebulizer. An infant should be held very carefully over steam to avoid the risk of burns. Only saline solution or Borjomi should be filled into a nebulizer for inhalation in infancy without a pediatrician's prescription.
  • Drainage massage. It is given to babies who do not have an elevated body temperature, from the 4-5th day of illness to improve sputum separation. With this massage, the baby’s head is located below the body. First the back is massaged, and then the chest. After the massage, the baby should be wrapped up and placed in a crib, changing body position regularly.
  • Folk remedies. These include the use of herbal infusions, cakes with honey and rubbing with badger fat.

Review of the best products

Among the medications that a doctor can prescribe for a baby for coughing are medications from the following groups:

  1. Antitussive drugs. They reduce the activity of the cough center and are prescribed only for debilitating severe dry cough. It is important to remember that drugs of this group are not combined with expectorants.
  2. Expectorants. Their effect is to improve expectoration of sputum. Up to the age of one year, babies are prescribed Gedelix, Prospan, Linkas, Herbion ivy, Bronchipret or licorice root syrup.
  3. Mucolytics. Such products reduce the viscosity of sputum, which contributes to its better separation. These include ambroxol preparations approved for use in infants.
  4. Antihistamines. Such medications are prescribed in cases of allergic cough.
  5. Antibiotics. Their appointment is necessary for bacterial infections manifested by coughing, for example, pneumonia or tonsillitis.

Breast training

To treat cough, medicinal herbs are often used, combining them in different combinations in the form of chest preparations. Such collections may contain marshmallow, anise, coltsfoot, plantain, licorice, sage, oregano and other herbs. However, in order to avoid allergies and other side effects, experts advise giving infants single-component decoctions.

Can chamomile be used in the treatment of infants?

This medicinal plant is often used before the age of one year, as it has an anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effect. If you brewed chamomile for a baby for the first time, give this herbal remedy a few drops to check the reaction of the baby’s body.

To prepare the decoction, take a tablespoon of dried flowers and a glass of boiled water, cover the container with a lid, and strain after 10 minutes. It is recommended to give this chamomile tea three times a day, half an hour after feeding, in an amount of up to 30 ml for children in the first months of life.

Chamomile can also be used for inhalation. Brewed dried flowers need to be left for 40 minutes, then boil a liter of water and pour the decoction into it, then bring the baby to the container so that the baby can breathe in the steam for 5-10 minutes.

Passive inhalations

For such procedures in the bathroom, a little boiling water is poured into the bathtub so that the room is filled with steam. Then they enter the room with the infant and sit in it for about 10 minutes. If your baby is not prone to allergies, you can add a little eucalyptus oil to the bath.

Komarovsky's opinion

A well-known doctor calls cough a natural reaction of a child’s body to the entry of any foreign substances into the respiratory tract. If such a cough occurs in a baby, Komarovsky recommends contacting a pediatrician and not giving the baby any medications on your own for up to a year.

When it comes to cough medications, the popular pediatrician recommends focusing on other ways to make a dry cough productive—humidifying the room and drinking plenty of fluids. According to Komarovsky, these methods are no less effective than any expectorant syrups. The following short video is about this.

Adviсe

  • Regularly ventilate the room in which an infant with a cough is located, because he really needs fresh air.
  • It is advisable that the temperature in the room does not exceed +22°C.
  • If your baby's body temperature is normal, be sure to go for a walk with your baby.
  • Change your baby's position in the crib and pick him up more often.
  • To encourage your child to drink more, offer him drinks from a cute new mug, through a straw, or from a brightly colored sippy cup.
  • If a child has a runny nose in addition to a cough, rinse the baby’s nose with water and sea salt, for example, aquamaris.

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How to treat cough in newborns: effective treatment methods

Coughing (reflex spasms of the airways) is a common symptom that can occur even in a newborn. It is important to know why it occurs and to determine the onset of the disease in time so that the treatment is effective and quickly produces results.

Remember that you should definitely consult a doctor.

Symptoms of cough in infants

Normally, a physiological cough in an infant appears in some situations, for example, after eating, due to dust or other irritants, due to prolonged crying, due to irritation of the larynx with a toy, etc.

The fact that reflex spasms of the respiratory tract are a symptom of some disease is evidenced by their regularity and constant increase.

In addition, other symptoms of the disease may occur, for example, runny nose, fever, redness of the throat, etc.

In this case, you need to go to the doctor so that he can determine the cause of the disease and prescribe treatment.

There are different types of cough, so you should definitely pay attention to some features: its duration, whether it is muffled or loud, mild or hysterical, perhaps it is dry or with phlegm, and also take into account the time of its appearance.

Causes of cough in infants

Reflex spasms of the respiratory tract, in fact, are a protective function of the body, which manifest themselves in the event of irritation or disruption of the respiratory tract.

Cough often appears in the following situations:

  1. When the baby sleeps on his back, some of the mucus in the nose can flow into the throat and when the baby wakes up, he simply coughs it up. In this case, the symptom should not manifest itself in any way during the day. Treatment in this situation is not required;
  2. This could all be due to an allergy, for example, to foods that the mother eats, and the allergens enter the baby’s body. Irritants may be in the air, such as pollen;
  3. Perhaps inflammation has begun to develop in the respiratory tract, for example, otitis media, sinusitis, and as is known, they are always accompanied by a cough;
  4. If ARVI is to blame, then reflex spasms of the respiratory tract will be a secondary symptom and an increase in temperature will first appear;
  5. In some situations, the cause of everything is an infectious disease.

These are the most common causes of the symptom, and only a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis.

How to treat cough in a newborn?

As in any other situation, the disease can be treated with medications, as well as traditional recipes. Let's consider both options.

How do doctors treat cough in a newborn?

To prescribe effective therapy, the doctor will conduct research and also take into account the characteristics of the child’s body. Since the cause is usually ARVI, we will consider treatment methods in this case.

How to treat a cough in a newborn:

  1. Antiviral. In most cases, the doctor prescribes immunomodulatory drugs that have an antiviral effect. The most popular medicine is Viferon in suppositories, which are approved for the treatment of small children;
  2. Homeopathic. Many pediatricians recommend the use of this particular group of medications, which have an expectorant, bronchodilator and mild antitussive effect. All these properties are possessed by Stendhal syrup, which is effective for dry and wet coughs;
  3. Antitussives. The action of the medicine is aimed at suppressing the cough reflex if the baby suffers from a dry, obsessive cough. From 2 months Sinekod syrup of central non-narcotic action is allowed. The dosage is prescribed taking into account body weight;
  4. Mucolytic. When treating infants with this remedy, thick sputum that accumulates in the respiratory organs is liquefied. Most often, the doctor prescribes Lazolvan, Mukosol, Ambrobene, etc. Such medications should be given strictly as prescribed by the doctor;
  5. Expectorants. If a baby has a dry cough, then such medications are not suitable for him, since their action is aimed at removing sputum, so they can be used when the symptom enters the wet phase. It is best to give your baby herbal expectorant syrups that contain ivy or plantain extract, as well as other herbal ingredients. It is worth considering that the child may have individual intolerance. The most commonly used drugs: Gedelix, Doctor IOM, Prospan, etc. It is important to follow the dosage, since exceeding it can, on the contrary, make the symptom protracted.

In addition to medications, to help the newborn cope with reflex spasms of the respiratory tract, the doctor will recommend treating him using inhalations, for which you need to purchase a special nebulizer inhaler. Natural steam inhalations can also be performed. Fill the bathtub with water and add baking soda. Carry your baby into the bathroom and let him breathe in the steam.

If a child has a clogged nose, he must rinse it to make breathing easier. It is best to use saline or saline solution, and then introduce a drop of the oil preparation “Ectericide” to protect the mucous membranes. If the temperature is elevated, then the specialist will prescribe an antipyretic medicine.

How to cure a cough in a baby using folk recipes?

In some situations, folk remedies become an alternative to medications, but they can only be used after consulting a doctor.

Several effective recipes:

  1. Children up to 2 months. can be treated with onion jam, for which the vegetable is mixed with sugar in equal proportions. Leave everything for 1.5 hours, and then give the released juice to the baby 0.5 teaspoon every hour;
  2. If the child is already 2 months old, then you can use herbal decoctions: elecampane, licorice and marshmallow;
  3. For children over 2 months. and in the absence of elevated temperature, warming compresses are suitable, for example, with camphor oil, mashed potatoes, honey or badger fat. First, put the film on the body, and then the prepared composition and wrap it with a layer of polyethylene on top.

To treat cough in newborns, you must also follow a few more rules. It is important to give your baby plenty of fluids and the best option is breast milk. In addition, give him water, dried fruit compote, linden or rosehip decoction, but only in a non-concentrated form. Try to take your baby out for walks as often as possible, which will help remove mucus. It is equally important to humidify the air in the baby’s room, as well as maintain the temperature, which should not be more than 18 degrees.

The baby is also allowed to have a drainage massage, which is repeated several times a day. Place the baby on your knee, tummy down, and start lightly tapping your fingers on the back. After this, proceed to stroking from the lower back, moving to the back of the head. If there is no temperature, then water procedures are not contraindicated, since they promote the removal of sputum.

Now you know how to properly treat a newborn if he has a cough. Be sure to select a treatment method together with your doctor, otherwise complications cannot be avoided.

Cough in an infant - causes, how and how to treat (medicines)

With the arrival of cold weather comes a period of colds. Babies are especially vulnerable because their immune systems are just learning to fight foreign bacteria. Hearing a cough in a baby, a young mother may become confused and not react in time, although this is a very serious symptom. In this article we will look at what causes coughs, how to treat coughs in newborns, and review popular cough medicines for babies.

Causes of cough in an infant

First of all, it is necessary to recognize the nature of the cough.

A child's cough may be:

By its intensity and sound, you can understand whether the cause lies in the disease or whether something is interfering with the normal functioning of the respiratory tract. So, the most common causes of cough in an infant.

1. ARVI

In more than 90% of cases, cough is the first symptom of the onset of acute respiratory viral infection. The baby coughs occasionally, the intensity of the cough increases in the evening and at night. The throat is red and inflamed. The cells begin to secrete mucus. A prolonged cough in an infant that lasts more than 2 weeks is very dangerous. Immune defense is weakened, the process can become chronic.

2. Inflammatory process of the upper respiratory tract

It is characterized by an obsessive cough, dry at first. Very painful for a child. If left untreated, it can lead to complications. The most dangerous is false croup. With it, the walls of the throat sharply narrow, and the child, due to a lack of oxygen, begins to whistle hoarsely and choke. The disease requires immediate medical attention.

3. Dry indoor air

May cause a sore throat. If an infant has a severe cough that has no prerequisites for illness, you should pay attention to normalizing the humidity in the newborn baby’s room.

4. Inflammation of the middle ear

When the child has inflammation of the middle ear, a reflex cough begins. This is the body's reaction to this inflammation. When pressing on the earlobe, the child emits a sharp, piercing cry - this means that the cause is ear pain. The best option is to call an emergency ambulance.

5. Foreign body inhalation

If a foreign object gets into the child’s respiratory tract - any - urgently call 03. The child’s life is at risk and time counts by seconds. Do not knock on the back or try to “knock” this object out - you may end up with it getting stuck in the trachea or bronchi.

6. Polluted air

Is it smoky in the room, or is it too polluted outside? Don't be surprised if your child starts coughing nonstop. The longer you stay in such conditions, the more harmful substances the baby’s immature and delicate lungs will absorb.

Treating a cough: what mom needs to know

Treatment of cough, both with and without fever, should be carried out only under the supervision of a pediatrician. At the first symptoms, you need to start the prescribed therapy.

But here's what a mother can do to alleviate the child's condition:

  • Monitor the optimal humidity level in the room. If the heating season has begun and the radiators inevitably dry out the air with their heat, purchase an air humidifier or make one yourself from improvised means. You can fill a container with clean water and place it on the radiator - the water will evaporate and the humidity will increase. As a last resort, you can spray the room with water from a spray bottle once an hour.
  • Ventilate your home at least twice a day. A lack of oxygen will only worsen the condition of your baby’s respiratory system.
  • Give your baby a light back massage. It helps remove sputum and improve the child’s well-being.
  • Offer your child to drink more often. Especially if the baby has an elevated body temperature. To avoid dehydration, keep water, tea, and juices available to your child.
  • An old folk remedy for cough for infants is rubbing with animal fat. It is best to do the procedure before bed. Rub the baby's body thoroughly on the back and chest, wrap it up and put it to bed. In the morning the child will feel much better. See the detailed article: How to treat a cough in an infant with folk remedies
  • Don't forget about walking. Inhaling fresh air, the baby's lungs open, fill with strength and freshness. The baby will be distracted from the painful cough, and a good mood always has a positive effect on the healing process.

An excellent remedy for treating cough at the initial stage is a nebulizer. Pour 5 ml saline into a glass. solution (sold in a pharmacy for about 50 rubles) and let the child breathe for 5-7 minutes. The mucous membranes will become moisturized and the sputum will become less viscous. You can repeat the procedure twice a day. This method is effective when there is a cough without fever.

Temperatures are no joke. If you have a cough and a temperature of 38.5, you and your baby will most likely be admitted to the hospital. Don’t be afraid to get there; it’s better not to take risks and be under the supervision of specialists. The main thing is your child’s health, and temporary inconveniences can be tolerated.

Medicines for cough

Remember: all medications can only be prescribed by a doctor! This review is for informational purposes only.

  • For a wet cough, you need a drug that helps remove phlegm. The following herbal syrups have proven themselves well: Gedelix and Prospan. They gently thin mucus, have a sweet taste, and are used twice a day.
  • For dry cough, homeopathic syrup Stodal and homeopathic medicine Oscillococcinum (granules for dissolution in water) help well. Homeopathy has no contraindications and can be used in conjunction with basic treatment.
  • Sopelka patches make breathing easier and soften coughs. They are glued to clothes and are impregnated with extracts of beneficial herbs that have a beneficial effect on the mucous membranes of the nose and larynx.
  • Sprays are contraindicated for infants due to the risk of suffocation. However, in case of severe inflammation, it is possible to use Tantum Verde spray. It has a sweet taste, soothes sore throats and dulls coughing attacks.

This is not the first time I have asked for help here, you are even in my bookmarks. So this time I decided to check whether my friends advised me correctly on cough treatment. You are like a litmus test for me - the last resort is you!

The advice may be useful, but I believe that in any case you need to see a doctor and then act as the doctor says

We need to take care that this does not happen. This means that you don’t need to go for walks in the cold season and don’t let people with colds get close to your baby, he’s a tiny child. While it was winter, I tried to minimize communication with strangers, and we walked less often (especially on the days when quarantine was announced!) BUT if you still happen to get sick, you need to urgently run to the doctor! Otherwise, it may be too late later!

Oh thank you for the internet. It helped me a lot to cure my child)))) and the recipes are all very good

We clicked on reviews about one medicine. At least they put different avatars. All from one album. Who only believes in such comments?

Thank you for the Internet. My child is sick and I can turn to the Internet for help with everything I need.

You should always consult your doctor. Even the use of traditional methods can be harmful. I tried so hard to cure my child’s cough with milk and honey. It turned out that we are allergic to honey. We went to the doctor and were prescribed Prospan syrup. Thank God it didn’t cause any allergies and we gradually got rid of the cough.

The advice in the article is good, but with a small child you should always go to the doctor. In order to eliminate the risk of the same allergy. Prospan syrup helped us, fortunately it is herbal. It is prescribed to remove phlegm and facilitate expectoration.

Children must be treated immediately to avoid further development of the disease. I don’t really believe in the effectiveness of folk remedies; I’ve already had negative experiences. Therefore, only see a doctor. The nose was washed with sea water and sealed with tea. And for cough they gave Prospan drops. They are natural and without dyes, which suits us very well. The cough goes away.

Acillicoccinum has long been said to be a useless remedy. And we still fool people with expensive homeopathy

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How to treat a cough without fever in a newborn, infant and child over 1 year old?

Coughing in an infant is quite rare compared to children aged 1 to 7 years. If the baby receives only mother's milk as food, then the risk of suffering from a cold for up to a year is minimized. If you have a runny nose and high temperature, you can suspect ARVI. If there is no snot, the thermometer shows 36.6 C, and the child begins to cough, you should be checked for allergies or whooping cough. Under no circumstances should you self-medicate, since the respiratory muscles of newborns and infants are not sufficiently developed. The baby will not be able to cough up mucus from the lungs and bronchi, which leads to stagnation of mucus in the respiratory tract and the occurrence of complications.

Types of cough

A baby's cough is the same protective reflex inherent in nature as sneezing. Mothers worry when they notice that their child is coughing. Pediatricians consider a slight manifestation of the reflex to be the norm, even if the baby coughs several times a day. There are two types of cough:

  1. Dry. Characteristic of the initial stage of ARVI, parawhooping cough and whooping cough, bronchial asthma or an allergic reaction, which makes it difficult to make a correct diagnosis. An examination by a pediatrician is necessary, since mothers without experience often mistake a wet cough for a dry one (see also: how to treat dry cough in children?). A baby under 3 months of age swallows mucus rather than coughing it up, so parents are confused.
  2. Wet. If a baby’s cough begins without fever, this means that the disease is nearing completion. There is no need to worry when the sputum is clear and thin. Yellowish or greenish mucus indicates a serious infection in the respiratory tract.

Basic therapy

Treatment of cough is always individual and is prescribed only after examination by a doctor. The course depends on the nature of the disease and includes:

  • Antipyretic drugs. If the temperature rises when coughing, syrups with ibuprofen or paracetamol will help reduce it.

If the cough is accompanied by a high temperature, syrup will help bring it down

  • Antiviral medications. ARVI can be treated with immunomodulatory drugs. Doctors recommend using Viferon suppositories, since they have no contraindications or age restrictions (we recommend reading: in detail about Viferon suppositories for newborns). The drug can be prescribed to children from birth to one year.
  • Rinse the nasal passages. If thick snot prevents the baby from breathing, he sneezes and begins to breathe through his mouth (we recommend reading: what to do if your baby sneezes often?). After a short period of time, the mucous membranes in the mouth and throat will dry out, and the child will cough. Before going to bed, it is important to rinse the baby’s nose with saline or saline solution. During the day, you can instill 3 drops into each nostril 4 to 8 times. After the rinsing procedure, it is useful to drip the nose with an oil solution of “Ectericide” in a dosage of 1 drop. This will create a thin protective layer of medicine on the mucous membranes.
  • Homeopathy. To cure an infant’s cough, pediatricians prescribe medications based on natural products. Particularly popular is the Stondal syrup, which has proven itself to be an excellent antitussive, bronchodilator and expectorant.

If a month-old baby's cough is accompanied by snot, but the temperature remains within normal limits, this may indicate pharyngitis, laryngitis or rhinitis of allergic etiology.

Cough remedies for infants

Infants and one-year-old children can be treated with safe forms of medications - drops and syrups. Cough medications are divided into three groups:

  1. Mucolytic. They are produced on the basis of hydrochloride, acetylcysteine, bromhexine and ambroxol, which thin out thick mucus in the respiratory tract. Among the popular ones are: “Mukodin”, “Flavamed”, “Fluditek”, “Mukosol”, “Bromhexine”, “Ambrobene”, “Lazolvan”. Syrups are given to children under one year of age, but only after consultation with a pediatrician.
  2. Antitussives. Prescribed for dry cough, which has the form of attacks. The drugs reduce the occurrence of the cough reflex, which is most effective in the treatment of whooping cough. Contraindications include children under 2 years of age. Panatus and Sinecod syrups are approved for children in the first year of life if therapy is carried out under the strict supervision of a doctor.
  3. Expectorants. They are effective if a month-old baby has a wet cough, but the sputum is difficult to clear. Syrups based on plantain or ivy extract are prescribed. Additionally, the composition includes plant components: coltsfoot, wild rosemary, thyme, oregano, elecampane, marshmallow, licorice, anise, thyme. Among the well-known drugs recommended: “Prospan”, “Doctor MOM”, “Gedelix”, “Bronchicum” and “Dr. Theiss." "Prospan" and "Bronchicum" are allowed from 4-6 months. A one-month-old baby may be allergic to herbs, so you need to monitor the baby’s well-being. If a skin rash or swelling appears, you should stop taking the medication and visit your pediatrician.

If a newborn sneezes and coughs, the doctor calculates the dosage of the drug (we recommend reading: a child coughs while sleeping - what to do?). An overdose of an expectorant medicine is dangerous, since the cough of a one-month-old baby may be prolonged. The volume of mucus secreted will increase, but a baby between the ages of one month and one year physically cannot cough it up.

First aid for a baby

Before the doctor arrives, parents can follow simple tips to alleviate the baby’s condition. At home, it is difficult to determine why a baby is coughing and sneezing, but you can help reduce negative symptoms:

  1. Drink plenty of fluids. If a newborn is coughing, then only water is allowed to drink. When breastfeeding, it is necessary to offer the breast more often. Do not forget that high temperature leads to dehydration. You can't miss a dangerous signal if you watch the diaper filling. If you urinate infrequently (once every 4 hours), you need to start drinking water from your little one. Babies from six months of age are offered raisin water, a decoction of rose hips or linden, diluted juice or dried fruit uzvar.
  2. Minimum clothing. The warmer the baby is dressed, the faster he loses moisture. The mucous membranes dry out, so the baby begins to cough.
  3. Walks in the open air. If the child has a cough, but other health indicators are normal, short walks are allowed. The exception is weather conditions when it is severely frosty outside. Don’t be alarmed if your baby only coughed during the day, but in the evening after a walk the cough got worse. This leads to better mucus removal.
  4. Comfortable air humidity. In order for a dry, painful cough to turn into a wet one, it is not necessary to resort to medications. It is enough to set the air humidity in the house at 50-70%. The temperature in the room where the baby is located should not rise above 22 C. 18 C is considered ideal, otherwise the sputum in the respiratory tract will be more viscous and thick.
  5. Safe inhalations. Steam procedures are prohibited to avoid burns to the skin and mucous membranes. If your baby is coughing, it is recommended to install a humidifier next to the playpen during the illness. For a dry cough, doctors advise filling a bathtub with hot water and adding soda to it. Then take the baby in your arms and sit in the bathroom, inhaling the moist alkaline fumes.

For wet coughs, the last recommendation is contraindicated. Steam will only worsen the baby's painful condition.

Additional measures: do's and don'ts

A wet cough in one-year-old children is often accompanied by mucus that is difficult to separate. In this case, drainage massage will help. You can invite a specialist to your home who gives professional massage to babies, but the mother can carry out some manipulations on her own:

  • lay the baby on his back;
  • place your palms on the chest and stroke it from bottom to top;
  • turn the baby over on his stomach;
  • “walk” along the back with gentle circular movements, avoiding the spine area.

The massage should be completed with light pats from bottom to top. It is advisable to position the baby so that the head is below the buttocks.

Fearing the negative consequences of taking medications, mothers, on the advice of their grandmothers, resort to the use of traditional medicine. Pediatricians are categorically against such experiments on children's bodies:

  1. Thoughtless manipulations almost always lead to the opposite effect. Compresses with dry mustard, vinegar or vodka cause burns and poisoning. Dangerous spasms of the bronchi and larynx often occur.
  2. Babies in the first year of life develop allergies to medicinal herbs, so breast mixtures, infusions and decoctions should be used after consultation with a specialist.

We must not forget that the time of shortages has long passed, and medicine does not stand still. The pharmaceutical industry can offer a lot of effective and safe drugs.

Medicinal herbs that are effective and efficient for adults are not always suitable for infants

Expert opinion

Evgeniy Olegovich Komarovsky does not see anything terrible in the cough reflex, since it is inherent in all people. The resulting snot flows down the nasopharynx in children, so the body is forced to get rid of mucus. When diseases of the upper respiratory tract or lungs occur, the volume of sputum increases and is removed through a natural reflex.

If the snot in the nose dries out, it becomes difficult to breathe, leading to further complications. Komarovsky believes that preventing mucus from drying out in the bronchi is also important if the little one coughs. It is necessary to provide the baby with enough fluids and provide access to fresh, cool air. Without consulting a doctor, it is prohibited to use antitussive drugs, which are effective only for whooping cough. It is permissible to use mucolytic and expectorant drugs if it is evening outside and you need to act somehow.

Symptoms of any type of cough allow you to visit a pediatrician and get the necessary recommendations. The following drugs are effective and relatively safe:

  • lazolvan;
  • acetylcysteine;
  • bromhexine;
  • potassium iodide;
  • mucaltin;
  • ammonia-anise drops.
They should be in your home medicine cabinet, but the dosage is determined by the doctor. The specialist will also advise on the advisability of using a particular medicine.

Mucaltin is an inexpensive but very effective expectorant drug

The danger of complications after ARVI is the development of acute bronchitis or pneumonia, and there are frequent cases of secondary bacterial infections. The baby is prescribed antibiotics in tandem with additional medications. Such treatment will negatively affect the formation of the immune system, but there is no other way out. For this reason, Komarovsky recommends not to self-medicate, contact specialists in a timely manner and not expose the baby to danger. If a child experiences pneumonia before the age of 2 months, the alveoli of the lung remain affected and stop developing.

How dangerous is whooping cough?

With whooping cough, the cough reflex has some characteristic features; only a pediatrician is able to make a correct diagnosis. Timely DPT vaccination does not completely protect against infection, but allows you to transfer the disease in a milder form. Massive refusal of vaccination in recent years has led to the fact that whooping cough is more common among preschool children. Self-medication and mothers’ confidence in their own actions complicate and slow down the diagnosis, since doctors are consulted at 2-3 weeks of illness.

Whooping cough and its severe forms are deadly for infants due to paroxysmal, hacking cough, which provokes severe vomiting, respiratory failure and even respiratory arrest. Symptoms of whooping cough include:

  • dry cough, similar to a common cold;
  • in subsequent stages, the cough becomes more painful, without turning into a wet form;
  • the cough reflex occurs on exhalation and is paroxysmal in nature;
  • after a prolonged cough, the child takes a deep breath, which is accompanied by a whistle;
  • Sometimes a coughing attack can result in vomiting with the discharge of viscous sputum.

The cough reflex can occur up to 50 times a day, which should alert parents. Whooping cough is a bacterial infection, so antibiotics are used in treatment. Antibacterial agents are effective at the first symptoms, when the cough center is not yet in the stage of excitement. Additionally, antitussive drugs are prescribed to reduce the frequency and intensity of the cough reflex. The course lasts from several months to six months so that the baby ceases to be contagious and does not pose a danger to others. Walking in the fresh air is not contraindicated during therapy, and it is advisable for parents to be patient.

I think that it is advisable to wait until the morning to treat a cough with medications if there is no fever. Before the doctor arrives, you can provide plenty of fluids and humidity in the nursery room, and put cough medications aside.

For the first time in a year, we caught a cough and runny nose, the doctor told us to massage the sternum and showed us how. rub it with fat before going to bed (I used goose fat) and drink the expectorant syrup Prospan, it is allowed for infants, as it is vegetable and without alcohol. This treatment cured our cough in just five days.

Attention! All information on the site is provided for informational purposes only and is for informational purposes only. For all questions regarding the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, you must consult a doctor for an in-person consultation.

How to treat a cough in a baby using folk remedies

To help your child cope with a coughing attack, you need to know the reasons for its occurrence. A doctor can help you choose effective remedies, including inhalations and medications approved from birth.

A cough that occurs in a baby brings him and his parents a lot of trouble. The baby's sleep and appetite are disturbed. In addition, the risk of the disease spreading to the lower respiratory tract increases. Therefore, in the very first stages, it is important to understand why the child is coughing in order to begin proper treatment. But you shouldn’t do this yourself; you should definitely contact a specialist. The most effective way to combat cough is inhalation. The doctor will help you choose the medicine and the exact dosage for the nebulizer.

Characteristics of cough

Cough is a protective reaction of the body. In this way he tries to get rid of the irritant or infection. Normally, a baby may have several coughs a day.

Why might an infant cough? The reasons can be both the most harmless and very serious. Therefore, it is necessary to undergo an examination in time and establish a diagnosis in order to help the child alleviate the condition.

Young children may exhibit a physiological cough that is not associated with pathology. Mom observes that after sleep, in the morning, he begins to cough. When sleeping, babies sleep only on their backs, as they cannot roll over on their own. Mucus may accumulate in the nasopharynx, which begins to irritate the walls of the trachea. Treatment in this case is not required.

During teething, a lot of saliva begins to be produced, which causes coughing, especially during sleep or in the morning. At night, the child does not have time to swallow saliva, and a cough reflex occurs. Treatment should begin with the use of special gels and ointments for the gums.

Other causes of cough in a child include:

  • viral infection;
  • upper respiratory tract diseases;
  • allergies;
  • otitis;
  • foreign body in the respiratory tract;
  • dry, polluted air.

A cough can be caused by a reflex when food from the esophagus enters the nasopharynx. The child begins to spit up after feeding while awake and a cough appears in the morning, after sleep.

Why can an unpleasant symptom in a child go away with or without fever? If a runny nose appears along with a cough, the temperature has risen, most likely the baby has ARVI. A cough develops during sleep. If these symptoms are not present, and it continues for a long time, then you can suspect an allergy or whooping cough. Even if a child coughs occasionally, he still needs to be seen by a doctor. In children under one year of age, the respiratory system is not fully formed, and viscous mucus stagnates in the lower parts of the respiratory system. And this leads to bronchitis or pneumonia.

When an acute respiratory viral infection occurs, a child begins to have a severe attack in his sleep, accompanied by symptoms such as fever, sore throat and head, and runny nose.

Cough can be dry or wet

A dry cough causes irritation of the mucous surface of the respiratory system and does not bring relief. There are many reasons for its occurrence. Any cold begins with this type of cough. Most often, a cough develops in the morning, after sleep. At the same time, body temperature rises. As you recover, the cough becomes wet.

A dry cough in a child may occur due to an allergic irritant (food, dust, animal hair), bronchial asthma or whooping cough. If the cause is an allergy to bedding or dust in the room, the cough most often worsens in the morning.

Why might a child’s cough get worse in the morning? If a child coughs heavily in the morning, and it is difficult for him to clear his throat or take a breath, bronchitis and asthma should be ruled out. At night, muscle spasms intensify, and a cough appears during sleep and after sleep.

A wet cough is not accompanied by an increase in body temperature and brings relief. The color of sputum can also be used to judge the processes occurring in the body. If the mucus is clear, then there are no complications. If it has a greenish or yellowish tint, it means that there is an inflammatory process in the bronchi or lungs.

The child urgently needs to be shown to a doctor and treatment started if other signs appear along with the cough:

  • heat;
  • coughing attacks become stronger at night and interfere with sleep;
  • the baby refuses to feed and vomits;
  • The coughing attacks are getting worse every day.

A wet cough does not always indicate the stage of recovery. If it is prolonged and does not decrease every day, but, on the contrary, the amount of sputum increases and intensifies during sleep, then tracheitis, pneumonia, and bronchitis should be excluded.

Treatments and medications

If it is determined that the baby has ARVI, then the doctor can begin treatment according to the following scheme.

  • Antiviral agents.
  • Rinsing the nose with saline solutions. Sometimes vasoconstrictor drops may be prescribed.
  • Antipyretics.
  • Homeopathic remedies are often prescribed to infants, as they have a natural basis. For example, Stodal. The medicine helps against coughs of any nature, relieves inflammation, thins and removes mucus.

The most popular cough medicines used in pediatrics for infants are divided into three groups: expectorants, mucolytics and antitussives.

Treatment with expectorants begins with a wet cough, when mucus is poorly removed. Vegetable syrups based on, for example, herbs such as plantain, thyme, and thyme will come to the rescue. But they can cause allergies in the child. Due to the activation of the ciliated epithelium, sputum begins to separate from the mucous membrane.

  1. "Gedelix". The syrup can be used from birth. A lot of liquid should be given at the same time; it is allowed to be diluted in the diet.
  2. Syrup based on licorice root.
  3. "Linkas". The syrup has an anti-inflammatory and weak analgesic effect, dilutes and removes mucus. The syrup is approved for use from 6 months.

Mucolytic drugs are designed to thin viscous sputum in the respiratory system. These are medications based on bromhexine and ambroxol. Among them, the most famous are “Ambrobene” and “Lazolvan”. Inhalations with these medications are effective.

Pediatricians prescribe the following expectorants for coughs for infants:

  1. "Ambrobene". Syrup is allowed for children from birth - 2.5 ml. Makes breathing easier, thins mucus and removes phlegm. The solution for inhalation is known for its effectiveness.
  2. “Bronchicum.” Thyme-based syrup is approved for use from six months of age, ½ teaspoon. You can use this syrup for up to two weeks.
  3. "Ambroxol". The syrup is effective for viscous sputum; it is prescribed from birth in 2.5 ml doses. You should not drink syrup for more than 5 days.
  4. "Bromhexine". Syrup and solution for inhalation for children from birth.

Treatment with antitussive drugs is necessary to suppress the cough reflex. They are prescribed for a strong, dry cough that interferes with sleeping and eating. They are also prescribed for whooping cough. Treatment with these drugs is carried out with extreme caution among children under the age of one year.

  1. The approved drug is Sinekod drops or syrup; it can be given from 2 months.
  2. "Stoptussin." The drug is presented in the form of drops, which can be given for dry cough after 6 months. You need to drink it after feeding.

You cannot combine expectorants and antitussives. This leads to the development of pneumonia. Do not exceed the dosage prescribed by your doctor - the risk of side effects increases.

What are adults allowed to do?

When a baby coughs, parents try to help him in every possible way. Among them there are also those that can be harmful to health. Folk remedies should be used with caution.

How can mom help?

  1. Put your baby to your breast as often as possible. If the child is bottle-fed, then give him more fluids. Children after six months can be given a decoction or compote.
  2. You should not dress your child too warmly, especially when he has a high temperature.
  3. When the cough does not occur without a high fever, it is allowed to walk outside. Better ventilation of the lungs occurs, microbes begin to die faster. Don’t be alarmed if your child starts coughing more after a walk; this is normal.
  4. The room where the baby is located needs to be ventilated more often. Be sure to humidify the air. Dry air provokes coughing even more due to drying out of the mucous membrane.
  5. You can do inhalations. Only babies under one year old are not recommended to do steam inhalations, as the risk of burns to the respiratory tract increases. If the cough is dry, then the baby and he go into the bathroom and fill it with water. You can breathe the steam that comes from hot water with soda.
  6. If there is no fever and the baby feels well, you can take a bath with sea salt or add a decoction of eucalyptus and chamomile.
  7. Massage of the chest and back.

You cannot make compresses with alcohol, vinegar or dry mustard - the risk of poisoning, burns and the development of laryngeal spasms increases. Herbal decoctions and infusions should be given with caution. Allergic reactions often occur.

Folk remedies to combat cough are:

  • tea with raspberries, chamomile;
  • you can give a little honey by placing it behind your cheek or under your tongue;
  • Warm milk with soda on the tip of a knife will help relieve the attack.

Treating a child's cough with baking soda has several options.

Treating the throat with soda can help relieve inflammation and irritation in the throat. To do this, gauze soaked in water and soda is wrapped around the finger, and the child’s oral cavity is carefully treated with it.

Inhalations with Borjomi mineral water or water with soda are effective. To make a solution with soda, you need to take 3 teaspoons of soda and dilute it in 800 ml of water. The water should be warm, but not hot.

Steam inhalations with soda performed in a different way are useful. Pour a liter of water into a saucepan, throw in a few cloves of garlic and boil for 5 minutes. Then diluted with soda. You can breathe for about a few minutes.

A liter of hot water is diluted with soda and 2 drops of iodine are added. Inhalations with soda help thin mucus and make breathing easier.

Folk effective remedies are inhalations with eucalyptus. They eliminate wheezing and prolonged cough. Treatment of cough at the initial stage can be carried out using a nebulizer and saline solution. Inhalations should be done for 5 minutes. 5 ml of solution is poured into the cup of the device. The product helps to moisturize the respiratory organs, relieve irritation and dilute thick mucus.

Parents should pay attention to even minor coughs in their infants. Many respiratory tract diseases are hidden and may not be accompanied by fever or other symptoms. Only an experienced specialist can understand the problem.

Babies do not have a strong immune system, so coughs and colds are quite normal. You shouldn’t deal with this on your own, do what your grandmothers say, you need to go to the doctors, as there may be complications.

The doctor and I have only treated and are treating the cough. A specialist must definitely listen to the sternum in order to provide the correct treatment. We are prescribed Prospan syrup to remove phlegm. It is also antimicrobial. And the child really liked the taste. We also don’t neglect inhalations; we do them with saline solution.

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