Why does a newborn cough, spit up, sneeze?
Why do newborns cough?
Why does a newborn spit up?
1. Improperly organized feeding. A child who receives scattered and unbalanced nutrition is at greater risk of spitting up after every meal than others.
Table of contents:
- Why does a newborn cough, spit up, sneeze?
- Why do newborns cough?
- Why does a newborn spit up?
- Why does a newborn sneeze?
- The baby is coughing
- Types of cough in infants
- Duration of infant cough
- The baby is coughing - what to do?
- Do not delay in seeing a doctor if:
- Comments (2):
- Cough in an infant
- What is a cough?
- Types of cough and causes
- Cough not associated with sore throat
- Dangerous symptoms (when the cough is dangerous)
- How to treat?
- Review of the best products
- Breast training
- Can chamomile be used in the treatment of infants?
- Passive inhalations
- Komarovsky's opinion
- Adviсe
- Cough in a baby
- Causes of cough in infants
- Types of cough in infants
- The baby has a dry cough
- Wet cough in a baby
- Infant cough without fever
- Cough and runny nose in infants
- Cough and wheezing in infants
- How to treat a cough in a baby
- Folk remedies for cough in infants
- The baby is coughing: what is the reason, how to treat the newborn?
- Why does an infant cough?
- If your baby coughs in his sleep
- How to treat cough in a newborn?
- Cough preparations for infants
- Expectorants
- Mucaltic drugs
- Antitussives
- An infant is coughing - what should parents do?
- What to do if your baby starts coughing?
- Types of cough in an infant
- Causes of cough in babies
- How and with what you can treat a cough in an infant
- Massage for the treatment of cough in infants
- How to treat a cough without fever in a newborn, infant and child over 1 year old?
- Types of cough
- Basic therapy
- Cough remedies for infants
- First aid for a baby
- Additional measures: do's and don'ts
- Expert opinion
- How dangerous is whooping cough?
This is banal overfeeding!
- the baby burps very profusely and often;
- regurgitation in nature resembles vomiting, has an unpleasant odor and color;
- even if all recommendations are followed (feeding at regular intervals, holding the baby upright), regurgitation does not stop.
Why does a newborn sneeze?
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The baby is coughing
If your child coughs, this is not an independent disease, but usually indicates the protective state of the body, showing cough as a symptom. It removes particles inhaled along with oxygen from the body, as well as phlegm and mucus. The main cause of cough is a respiratory tract infection. In order to find out the cause of a cough, you must first listen to it. There are the following types of cough: dry, barking, wet, painful.
Types of cough in infants
- A dry cough most often indicates an allergic reaction of the body. Because the child's gastric sphincter (closing mechanism) function has not yet fully developed, a dry cough often causes vomiting.
- A barking cough may develop an inflammation called Croup. It leads to a narrowing of the larynx and upper respiratory tract, resulting in a barking cough.
- A wet cough may indicate an accumulation of mucus in the respiratory tract. The cause of a wet cough most often lies in a respiratory tract infection. However, the cause can also be excessive mucus (secret) production.
- A painful cough may cause pneumonia (pneumonia). Most often, in this case, the pain is localized in the abdomen or lungs.
Duration of infant cough
If the cause of the cough was not an infection, it will last for several days, after which it will subside.
If the cause is an infection, then in addition to a cough, the child will also have other symptoms, such as fever or fatigue, but after about 6-7 days this cough will also subside.
If coughing attacks appear with a certain frequency, or do not stop for several weeks, then it is likely that this is a manifestation of immunodeficiency or the onset of incipient asthma.
The baby is coughing - what to do?
A cough is most often an indicator that there is a source of irritation in the respiratory tract, it could be a microbe, mucus or something else. Accordingly, to get rid of a cough, we need to get rid of the irritant.
If the cough is severe, the child needs to drink plenty of fluids to keep the airways moist. The liquid also helps to dilute mucus and, as a result, simplify its removal from the body. In order to humidify the air, you can leave wet laundry in the room.
Also, if you have a wet cough, it will be useful to inhale a solution of table salt, in this way you will directly moisturize the respiratory tract. Inhalations should be done 3-4 times a day. It is also possible to use an isotonic solution for inhalation.
If the cough is not long-lasting, you can drink expectorant solutions of plant origin, for example, mucaltin is suitable.
However, cough syrups should not be given to a child without a doctor's prescription. They only suppress a coughing attack, interfering with the cleansing of the bronchi.
For a dry cough, you can use a soothing syrup to prevent throat irritation.
Please note that codeine-containing mixtures can only be used after a doctor prescribes it.
In case of severe cough or if the child has bronchitis, various inhalations using anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed. In case of bacterial cough, antibiotic treatment is prescribed.
If a child has a dry cough for a long time (several weeks), the attending physician must determine its origin. Since this symptom is possible with the development of asthma, or it could be an allergic reaction.
If your child's cough is accompanied by noisy breathing, you should immediately see a doctor.
If the cause of the cough is a common cold, then folk remedies for cough treatment are quite suitable.
Some advice from pediatrician Martin Lang:
Prepare tea from a mixture of anise, cumin, primrose and linden, all of these plants have a beneficial effect on cough treatment.
If the cough is dry, warm milk with a spoon of honey is perfect.
You cannot treat a child’s cough with medications containing eucalyptus or menthol, as this can lead to acute respiratory failure. Essential oils should also be included here.
Do not delay in seeing a doctor if:
- A child’s cough is accompanied by a rise in temperature above 38.5 degrees;
- The cough is dry and does not go away for more than 3-4 days;
- The child has rapid breathing;
- Breathing is difficult and there is pain;
- Breathing is noisy;
- Blood is released when coughing;
- If the child refuses food and water;
- The cough is sudden and does not stop;
- The general condition of the child is unsatisfactory;
- Barking cough with shortness of breath and loud breathing.
Author of the publication: Eduard Belousov
Comments (2):
I agree that only a doctor can prescribe treatment for such babies. Mine also caught a cold in the winter and started coughing. They did warm-ups, and gave Prospan in syrup for coughs. She didn’t spit, she drank without whims. The main thing is that it helped. There was no cough after a week.
A cough is generally not a good thing, and even more so in a baby. It’s so hard to fight him, he’s just a mess. My daughter had it when she was six months old, they walked too far in the cold, or someone sneezed with an infection. They couldn't cope for a long time. And there’s a problem with medications—even liquid ones are spitting out. So I had to give injections
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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. 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- Mucolytics. Such products reduce the viscosity of sputum, which contributes to its better separation. These include ambroxol preparations approved for use in infants.
- Antihistamines. Such medications are prescribed in cases of allergic cough.
- 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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Cough in a baby
Causes of cough in infants
Cough is a pathological condition that often occurs in childhood. A cough does not always need to be eliminated with pills. In order to begin treatment, you need to show the child to a specialist, and only then resort to medication. Respiratory infections cause pathological processes in the upper or lower respiratory tract, as a result of which the baby begins to cough.
Airway inflammation usually begins with a dry cough that becomes wet over time. If the nature of the cough does not change for a long time, it means that the child has developed a complication.
Causes of cough in seemingly healthy infants: foreign body entering the respiratory tract, excessively dry air, cigarette smoke.
Types of cough in infants
Cough can be pathological and physiological. In any case, it is needed to clear the airways. If the cough is caused by excessive crying or the baby choking on milk, there is no need to treat it. Clearing the airways and a calm environment will help.
A pathological cough must be treated, as it indicates an infection has entered the respiratory tract. Types of cough in infants: dry and wet. With a dry cough, no mucus is produced. This type of cough can be a sign of pharyngitis, tracheitis and bronchitis. When phlegm begins to move through the respiratory tract, the cough becomes wet, which means that recovery is near.
The baby has a dry cough
Acute respiratory infections, acute respiratory viral infections, bronchitis, influenza, adenoids, sore throat, sinusitis - all these and many other diseases are accompanied by cough. A sudden cough without signs of a cold indicates that a foreign body has entered the respiratory tract. If you cannot remove it yourself, you must call an ambulance; surgery may be required.
If your baby has a dry cough, you should visit a pediatrician. If you have an allergy, you must remove from the room everything that can cause an allergy. Cough can be a reaction to dust, smoke, wool, pollen and food.
Wet cough in a baby
During the off-season, coughs visit almost every home. Cold air and temperature changes make the respiratory tract vulnerable and defenseless. Any infection that feels at ease in the slush clings to the respiratory organs, which are unprepared for the cold.
A wet cough in an infant is a good cough in which sputum along with pathogenic microorganisms comes out. Under no circumstances should such a cough be suppressed; anything that interferes with breathing must be evacuated. At this time, it is more advisable to use expectorants and mucolytics of plant and synthetic origin. The most common are “Doctor Mom”, “Bronchicum”, “Pectusin”, “Prospan”, “Mukaltin” and others.
Infant cough without fever
A cough is not always accompanied by a high fever. With ARVI, the nose becomes blocked, the child begins to breathe through the mouth and his airways dry out, as a result of which a cough begins.
A baby's cough without fever may be a consequence of poor environmental conditions. Stale air, gas pollution and tobacco smoke can provoke not only a cough, but also an attack of suffocation. Parents should monitor not only the cleanliness of the air in the room in which the child is located, but also the level of humidity in it.
Cough and runny nose in infants
Every year the environment becomes more unpredictable and aggressive. Sometimes the immune system simply cannot cope with all the attacks that it faces.
Cough and runny nose in infants can occur due to pathogens and bacteria. When a person breathes, he constantly swallows a large number of microbes, which are just waiting for at least a slight weakening of the immune system in order to colonize and multiply in the body. The weaker the immune system, the longer a person is sick. If treatment is not started in time, the cough will become chronic and then it will be almost impossible to get rid of it.
Cough and wheezing in infants
Newborns are sensitive to air quality, so the cause of cough is not easy to find. It can arise from anything. Because young children have narrow nasal passages, dust accumulates in them much faster than in adults. If an adult understands that his nose is clogged and needs to be cleared, then the child does not understand this and only begins to cry. Coughing and wheezing in a baby may occur due to the fact that a clogged nose does not allow air to pass through normally. In order to solve the problem, you need to install a humidifier, frequently do wet cleaning, ventilate the room and spend a lot of time outdoors.
How to treat a cough in a baby
Almost all parents, sooner or later, are faced with the question: “How to treat a cough in a baby?”
The fact is that cough is a natural continuation of acute respiratory infections, from which it is extremely difficult to protect yourself. First, the mucous surfaces swell and a dry cough occurs, then, in response to this, the baby’s body begins to produce more sputum (mucus) and the cough becomes wet. Mucus protects the baby from a dry cough, but the sputum itself needs to be removed away from the respiratory tract, which is done with a wet cough.
That is why you should not try to fight a wet cough, but should facilitate the passage of mucus (sputum) from the respiratory tract. For this purpose, decoctions of thyme, plantain, licorice or expectorant syrups for the smallest are suitable.
To relieve a baby's dry cough at night, a spoonful of sweetened warm milk before bed is enough.
Cough in infants can last longer than a week, especially in the morning. If we are talking about residual cough, then its duration depends little on the measures taken.
Folk remedies for cough in infants
Traditional medicine is good, but not for newborns. It is only at first glance that it seems that traditional medicine is absolutely safe. In fact, medicinal plants are real medicines that must be given strictly according to the prescription, and without violating the preparation technology.
Traditional medicine can be used only with the permission of a doctor. If parents like a recipe, they should first ask the doctor whether it is possible to give such a homemade mixture to the child or not.
Folk remedies for cough in infants: egg mixture, linden tea, chamomile decoction with honey and others. In order to prepare the egg mixture, you need to take a glass of milk, a tablespoon of butter, a tablespoon of honey, an egg yolk and ¼ teaspoon of soda. Heat everything, mix and take three times a day. The dose depends on the patient's age. If we are talking about an infant, then first you need to ask your pediatrician how harmless this medicine is in your particular case.
Source: http://grudnichki.com/zdorove/227-kashel-u-grudnichka
The baby is coughing: what is the reason, how to treat the newborn?
In infants, cough can be physiological in nature or be a symptom of one of the upper respiratory tract diseases. Before treating a cough in an infant, it is necessary to identify the cause of its occurrence. Treatment should only be prescribed by a doctor, so you need to consult a pediatrician. But it is important for parents to know what causes a child’s cough and how to help the child get rid of it.
Why does an infant cough?
Normally, a baby can cough up to 10 times per day, since coughing and sneezing are a protective reflex of the body. When cleansing the bronchi in newborns, mucus flows down the back wall of the nasopharynx, which becomes irritated and causes coughing. In addition, natural causes of the symptom are:
- expectoration of milk;
- the baby does not yet know how to swallow saliva;
- lying on your back for a long time;
- There are elements in the air that irritate the mucous membranes in the form of dust, chemicals, and tobacco smoke.
Cough can be a symptom of the disease and has several varieties:
- A dry cough in an infant can occur either due to natural causes or signal the onset of an acute respiratory viral infection. It can be a symptom of allergies, whooping cough, bronchial asthma. In some cases, the cough may appear dry when it is actually wet. It’s just that a newborn does not spit out phlegm, but swallows it.
- A dry barking cough requires calling an ambulance, as it indicates the development of laryngitis. This disease can cause suffocation in a small child, since the structure of his pharynx and respiratory tract differs from the structure of these organs in an adult.
- A wet cough without fever indicates the stage of recovery after ARVI. If the symptom continues for a long time, then this may indicate pneumonia, tracheitis, or bronchitis. Yellowish and greenish sputum indicates that there is a bacterial infection in the upper respiratory tract.
In recent years, cases of newborns being born with congenital pneumonia have increased. If a baby develops a debilitating, prolonged wet gurgling cough, you should immediately consult your doctor.
If your baby coughs in his sleep
During the heating season, dry air forms in the room, which can cause coughing. In this case, it is recommended to keep wet rags or towels on the batteries at all times. You can use a special humidifier and place it in your baby's room.
The period of teething is characterized by copious secretion of saliva. At this time, saliva flows down the throat and causes itching. This causes coughing.
A horizontal position with a runny nose can cause coughing. Both symptoms indicate the onset of the disease, so you need to contact your pediatrician.
Dust, fur, or lint in a newborn's room or bed can cause an allergic reaction. Harmful substances in washing powder and even toys can become allergens. The cough will go away if the allergen is identified and eliminated.
How to treat cough in a newborn?
Treatment should be prescribed by a doctor, making a diagnosis based on examination and tests:
- Immunomodulatory antiviral drugs. Prescribed for ARVI. Viferon suppositories, which have no age restrictions, are best suited for infants.
- Antipyretic. If the disease is accompanied by a high temperature, then infants are prescribed syrups based on Ibuprofen or Paracetamol.
- Nasal rinsing. When a child has a clogged nose, he begins to breathe through his mouth, which dries out the mucous membranes and causes coughing. Therefore, before going to bed, it is necessary to rinse your nose with saline solutions. After using them, it is recommended to instill a drop of Ectericide oil solution. It will cover the mucous membranes with a thin protective layer. Instead of saline solutions, ordinary saline solution works well. It is used every hour, dripping three drops into each nostril. Sometimes the attending physician prescribes vasoconstrictor drugs. The use of antibacterial drops is strictly prohibited.
- Homeopathic medicines. Today, these drugs have become widely used in pediatrics. Stodal syrup, which has an antitussive, bronchodilator and expectorant effect, has a good effect. It can help with wet and dry coughs, as well as relieve bronchospasms.
Cough preparations for infants
For children under one year of age, cough medicines are prescribed in the form of drops or syrups. There are three groups of drugs for treatment.
Expectorants
Used for wet coughs to facilitate the removal of viscous mucus. The most effective and popular are:
- Prospan syrup - for children from four months of age;
- Bronchicum - for babies from 7 months;
- Dr. Theis;
- Doctor Mom;
- Gedelix.
The composition of herbal expectorant syrups includes extracts of plantain, ivy, coltsfoot, wild rosemary, thyme, oregano, elecampane, marshmallow, licorice, anise, thyme or other medicinal herbs. Despite their harmlessness, they can cause an allergic reaction in some children, so you need to monitor the child’s condition while taking syrups. If rash, restlessness and swelling appear, stop taking the drug.
Mucaltic drugs
These are medications that help thin the thick mucus accumulated in the respiratory organs. You can remove phlegm and strengthen the baby’s immune system in the first months of life with the help of the mucaltic drug Ambrohexal. Popular and effective means are:
Antitussives
Used for obsessive, dry cough, suppressing the cough reflex. Often used for whooping cough, when a child coughs paroxysmally. Most cough medicines can only be used from the age of two. Suitable for younger children:
- for children from 2 months - the central non-narcotic drug Sinecot;
- for babies from 6 months - Panatus syrup.
Their dosage is prescribed by the doctor and depends on body weight. These types of medications must be taken strictly under the supervision of a doctor.
An infant is coughing - what should parents do?
Newborns should not be given anything other than breast milk and water. At high temperatures, dehydration can occur and must be monitored closely. This should be done according to the frequency of urination. The baby needs to be given more water if the diaper is filled only once in four hours. Eight-month-old children can be given linden decoctions, non-concentrated juices, compotes of dried fruits, raisins, and rose hips.
An important condition for recovery is the temperature and humidity in the baby’s room. When the room temperature is above +22 degrees, the mucus becomes viscous and thick. Ideal conditions for a child are considered to be an air temperature of +18 degrees and humidity from 50 to 70%.
If a newborn has a cough without fever, and there is no severe frost outside, then walks are simply necessary. And if even after them the baby begins to cough more strongly, this means that sputum is coming out.
Inhalations. It is dangerous to do steam inhalations for infants, as it can burn the delicate mucous membrane. To improve well-being and treat cough, it is recommended to use a procedure in which the baby will breathe in the vapors coming from a bathtub filled with hot water in the bathroom. For a dry cough, you can add soda to the water.
Massage. If the cough is wet and sputum is difficult to clear, the infant is prescribed a drainage massage. If possible, this procedure should be performed by a professional massage therapist. But parents can do some manipulations themselves:
- Place the child on his back.
- Grab your chest with your palms and stroke it gently from bottom to top.
- Turn the baby onto his stomach.
- Without touching the spine, stroke your back with light circular movements.
- Using upward movements, perform intense pats on the back.
In order for sputum to drain, the baby should lie so that his buttocks are higher than his head.
Bathing. The use of water procedures depends on the nature of the disease. At high temperatures, the baby can only be wiped with a damp towel. At normal temperature and good health, the child should take medicinal baths, adding sea salt or decoctions of wild rosemary, chamomile, eucalyptus, pine needles or other medicinal plants to the water. After such procedures, the remaining sputum is coughed up very well.
Folk recipes. Attending doctors have a very negative attitude towards the use of folk remedies for treating infants. Various compresses made from mustard, vinegar, and vodka can not only burn the baby’s delicate skin, but also cause spasms in the larynx, bronchi, and poisoning. Breast preparations, infusions and decoctions of medicinal herbs should be used with great caution. They should absolutely not be given to newborns, and in older children the body’s reaction must first be checked, since medicinal plants can cause allergies.
Under no circumstances should a baby start coughing, otherwise complications may arise. You should not give medications right away. It is necessary to first identify the cause of coughing. It is recommended to consult a pediatrician already in the first days. Only he must decide whether treatment is necessary or whether certain procedures are sufficient to eliminate the cough.
What to do if your baby starts coughing?
We invariably associate the period of colds in children with the arrival of the first cold weather. Infants are very vulnerable, have an imperfect thermoregulation system and therefore can easily become hypothermic, which most often happens in the off-season. Once crumbs enter the body, viruses and infections begin to attack it, and the not yet fully formed immune system sometimes turns out to be quite weak in front of them.
However, the baby’s body tries in every possible way to fight foreign bacteria and the manifestation of this process very often becomes a runny nose or cough in the baby, which prevents him from sleeping, eating normally, and sometimes can even provoke vomiting. When hearing their child cough for the first time, many mothers find themselves completely at a loss.
Table of contents of the article - you can go to the desired section
Types of cough in an infant
In infants, like in other children, the following types can be diagnosed:
- Wet - in which the wet contents are separated;
- Dry - which may have a paroxysmal nature;
- accompanied by or without an increase in temperature.
Depending on the intensity and characteristic sound of each type of cough, the doctor can determine what the true cause of the disease is and what interferes with the normal functioning of the respiratory tract.
Causes of cough in babies
The most common reasons include the following:
- ARVI is the predominant part of all diseases (about 90%). Very often, the disease can also be accompanied by a runny nose, sore throat and short-term fever. The most characteristic of this infection is a wet cough, which occasionally appears during the day and intensifies at night, preventing the baby from sleeping peacefully. Such a cough must be treated, since its protracted nature (more than 2 weeks) can provoke the development of a chronic form. Particularly effective in this case is chest massage using special means (rubbing, ointment), as well as various medications - syrup, balm, etc. This helps to successfully get rid of phlegm that irritates the bronchi.
- Inflammation of the upper respiratory tract - accompanied by an obsessive dry cough. It is very difficult for an infant to tolerate the disease; often a dry cough can have various unpleasant consequences for health. The most dangerous phenomenon is false croup, in which the walls of the larynx narrow significantly and the child suffocates and wheezes. An increase in body temperature almost always occurs. A dry cough must be treated immediately and only with the help of a specialist.
- Dry air or excessive dust in the room where the child is (allergic cough). As a result of these reasons, the baby's throat may become dry and irritation will cause a strong dry cough. However, no other symptoms indicating illness (runny nose, fever) will be observed. If it is determined that the cough is provoked by these very reasons, then in most cases, by eliminating them, the child’s condition will stabilize and there will be no need to treat him. To do this, it is necessary to frequently do wet cleaning in the children's room, ventilate and maintain optimal temperature and humidity.
- Inflammatory processes in the middle ear - in which a reflex cough develops as a reaction of the child’s body to a problem. You can determine this reason by lightly pressing your fingers on the baby’s earlobe. If the problem lies in ear pain, the child will react very sharply to this action. The baby should also be treated under the supervision of a pediatrician and treatment should be immediate.
[box type=”tick”]A foreign body entering the respiratory tract causes a suffocating cough, in which case it is necessary to immediately call an ambulance. In this case, an object caught in the respiratory tract can pose a threat not only to the health, but also to the life of the baby.[/box]
At the same time, independent attempts to clear the airways and remove a foreign body sometimes lead to aggravation of the situation, since this requires specific knowledge and skills.
How and with what you can treat a cough in an infant
A dry or wet cough in an infant, regardless of whether it is accompanied by a fever or not, should be treated only with the assistance of a pediatrician. To alleviate the child’s condition, the mother can do the following:
- maintain an optimal level of humidity and air temperature in the children's room, which can be done using a special humidifier and systematic ventilation;
- you can do a light back massage yourself, which will ensure better mucus discharge and help improve your well-being;
- It is necessary to ensure that the baby drinks plenty of fluids, for example, clean water, juices, compotes;
- the child’s chest and back can be rubbed with a special rub or such an effective folk remedy as animal fat (in the absence of fever);
- under favorable weather conditions, you can take walks outside, since fresh air always has a beneficial effect on the bronchi and lungs.
If the cough is accompanied by a sharp rise in temperature and reaches a thermometer of 38.5 degrees, then this should be an alarming signal, for example, that the baby has bronchitis or another serious illness. In such cases, a doctor’s consultation is necessary and often hospitalization.
As for pharmacological drugs (syrup, ointment or other remedy), parents should remember that treating a cough in an infant with their help should only be carried out in accordance with the pediatrician’s prescriptions. The indicative list of medications is as follows:
- Prospan and Gedelix (drugs of the so-called expectorant group) for wet coughs, helping to remove sputum;
- Stodal or Oscillococcinum (homeopathic syrup and granules) for dry cough;
- Sopelka patch is a product with extracts of medicinal herbs that helps normalize breathing and also has a beneficial effect on the nasal mucosa.
Parents should provide a gentle regime for their sick child, without limiting his mobility and activity, but excluding only particularly active games. During illness, you should not force or coerce your child to eat. In this case, a gentle diet is necessary, and if the baby refuses to eat for some time, there is nothing wrong with that.
[box type=”note”]The baby should be held in your arms as often as possible and show your love and care for him in every possible way.[/box]
Watch a video with a folk recipe
Massage for the treatment of cough in infants
Massage can be considered as a fairly effective means of complex treatment, as it promotes better mucus discharge. As for its implementation at home, light stroking, tapping and patting of the baby’s chest, back and reflexogenic zones are almost always indicated, especially when coughing. For massage, an ointment or balm on a natural basis, for example, Doctor Mom, can be used. In this case, the effectiveness of the procedure increases significantly.
A cough in an infant in any of its manifestations should not be ignored. Parents should promptly seek help from a specialist and provide adequate assistance to the child in order to avoid more serious consequences in the future.
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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:
- 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.
- 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.
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- Minimum clothing. The warmer the baby is dressed, the faster he loses moisture. The mucous membranes dry out, so the baby begins to cough.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
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