Dry cough in a newborn

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Dry cough in an infant - how and what to treat

A cough in an infant is one of the most alarming and worrying signs for parents. Among several types of cough, the greatest concern among parents is a dry cough in an infant.

Table of contents:

A dry cough is characterized by the absence of sputum secretions or minor mucus secretions. The most common cause of a dry cough is inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, namely the larynx, pharynx or trachea due to exposure to one or another infectious or non-infectious factor.

Treatment of a disease that is accompanied by a dry cough in a small child should be carried out under the close supervision of a doctor. It is important to remember that the treatment process must be comprehensive and aimed at eliminating the cause of the disease, its symptoms, as well as increasing the immunity of the child’s body. Next, we will give young mothers a number of tips on how to combat a painful dry cough in an infant.

Sick baby mode

First of all, we note that a gentle regime should be maintained for a sick small child: the baby’s motor activity should be calm, but should not be completely limited. Body movements help cleanse the bronchi of accumulated mucus, thereby speeding up the healing process. Therefore, if a child expresses a desire to play, keep him company by choosing neutral entertainment.

A useful procedure in the process of complex treatment of dry cough in infants at home is a light massage of the chest and reflex zones, in particular the feet. This procedure, accompanied by gentle patting and tapping movements, helps speed up the discharge of sputum. The massage will be more effective if you use some kind of herbal balm. More about how to treat a cough in an infant using folk remedies

During the treatment period, special attention must be paid to the baby’s nutrition. During illness, a child should not be forced to eat a lot if he does not want to - it is better to offer him low-calorie, easily digestible food: fruit puree, jelly, a warm milkshake, jelly. At the same time, a child should drink a lot at such a time, since liquid helps remove toxins from the body, dilute and remove phlegm from the body.

Treatment of dry cough in infants

The most pressing question that worries parents of a coughing baby is: what is the best way to treat a dry cough in an infant. It must be said that today there are plenty of medications and methods aimed at eliminating diseases accompanied by dry cough.

Thus, expectorants and mucolytic drugs are distinguished. The most effective expectorants are decoctions of wild rosemary, coltsfoot, elecampane, plantain juice, black radish juice with honey, extract of thyme and anise fruits, preparations from ivy leaves, including Prospan and Gedelix.

Mucolytic drugs are prescribed to children in cases where there is difficulty in expectorating sputum, the cough does not become moist after 3-4 days of illness, and the problem of dry cough in an infant is becoming more and more serious.

Among the best mucolytics is ambroxol, which is contained in such drugs as Ambrobene, Lazolvan, Ambrohexal and others. This drug, which can be prescribed from the first months of a baby’s life, has an anti-inflammatory effect, dissolves phlegm well, and strengthens the immune system. Here is another article about cough medicines for infants

Another method of treating dry cough at home, proven by many years of medical practice, is to perform inhalations 1-2 times a day for 1-3 minutes.

Steam inhalations are made either from a solution of baking soda (4 teaspoons per 1 liter), or from alkaline mineral waters (Borjomi), or from potato decoction. To do this, pour water into a kettle with a narrow neck, make a small funnel out of cardboard, put it on the spout of the kettle, cover the patient with a blanket and breathe warm steam through the funnel. The water temperature during inhalation for a child under one year old should not exceed 30°C, for older children - 30-40°C.

When our children get sick, it’s a nightmare, I treat my baby only with Joset. It helps on the first day and cures any cough.

30-40 degrees for warm steam? Yes Yes. And inhalation, especially through a funnel for children under one year old, is the height of genius. At least read what you copy into the article.

Kira? Well, could you tell me how to do it right?

My babies get sick all the time during the off-season. Most often, the disease manifests itself in the form of cough and snot. For my family, the most effective cough remedy is Prospan: the smell is wonderful and the taste is amazing! And, the most interesting thing is that there is no getting used to it. The syrup is of plant origin, which means there are few chemicals.

Guys, it’s not Kira who should tell you! She, like many others, is waiting for hints and the right advice!

I also liked about inhalations through a funnel from a teapot for children under one year old

And we use inhalations, but, of course, not through a kettle funnel, but cold ones, which are done using a nebulizer. We bought it a long time ago, on the advice of our pediatrician. We chose a device from B.Well, since it is suitable even for infants, and the price is quite affordable. This therapy helps us a lot, improvements are noticeable after a couple of days.

Educational games for children from 2 to 10 years old.

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Source: http://razvitie-krohi.ru/zdorove-rebenka/suhoy-kashel-u-grudnogo-rebenka.html

Cough in a baby

When an adult coughs, it’s a nuisance, but when a baby coughs, it’s a real tragedy. The child cannot say that it hurts, he just cries. Parents do not understand what to do and what to grab onto. In order to help your child, you first need to calm down. Then you need to visit a pediatrician, preferably one who has a good reputation. And then - strictly follow the doctor’s instructions and monitor the child’s condition.

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

Dry cough in newborns

A cough in an infant always worries parents. This is not surprising, because the baby’s immune system has not yet learned to cope with dangerous microorganisms, as a result of which any disease can lead to very serious consequences. A dry cough in an infant can be caused by a number of factors: from banal allergies to serious inflammation of the respiratory system. It is important for parents to learn about the main causes and approaches to treating pathologies accompanied by dry cough. You will find the answer to questions about what can cause it and what to do when it appears in your baby in this article.

What is a dry cough?

Doctors distinguish two main types of cough:

  • wet (productive), in which sputum is produced;
  • dry, in which little or no sputum is produced.

Wetness in most cases is a sign of a bacterial or viral infection. Dry skin can also occur due to the presence of an infectious process. However, in many cases it is a reflex response of the body to throat irritation from dust or tobacco smoke. As a rule, infants cough several times a day, for example, after regurgitating food. Such coughing is a physiological norm and should not cause anxiety in parents.

If your baby does not have a fever, is cheerful and eats well, there is no need to call a doctor. But if a dry cough is accompanied by symptoms of infection, which will be discussed below, you cannot do without the intervention of specialists.

Is it normal for a child to have a dry cough?

A dry cough can accompany normal physiological processes. Parents should be calm about it if it appears after regurgitation. The baby may cough if a small amount of milk gets into the windpipe. It should be remembered that coughing is a normal reflex act that is necessary to remove foreign bodies, fluids or phlegm from the respiratory tract.

Sometimes coughing accompanies a physiological runny nose, which develops in children in the first month of life. Your baby may also cough when teething.

What are the reasons for a dry cough?

A cough may indicate that a foreign body has entered the baby's trachea. If the baby is unable to cough up this foreign body, he should be taken to the hospital immediately. The fact that a foreign object is blocking the airways is indicated by the child's blue skin, loss of consciousness and hoarse, noisy breathing. If symptoms of asphyxia appear, you should immediately call an ambulance. If the object that blocks the airway is large, you can try to remove it yourself, but this must be done with extreme caution so as not to push the foreign body even deeper. But you still need to call a doctor!

A dry cough sometimes accompanies pathologies that have nothing to do with the respiratory system, for example, congenital heart defects or intestinal diseases. In this case, the baby needs to undergo a thorough examination of the body.

Stagnant air in the room or smoke can provoke a dry cough in a baby without fever. For example, children whose relatives smoke in the apartment often cough.

A nonproductive cough may be a symptom of allergies or asthma

A dry cough in an infant can be observed at the beginning of the development of ARVI. Usually, after two or three days, a dry cough is replaced by a wet cough, that is, accompanied by sputum production.

The most common cause of dry cough in infants is an inflammatory process that affects the upper respiratory tract, that is, the trachea, pharynx and larynx. Inflammation can be either infectious or non-infectious.

Finally, it is important to remember that parents are unlikely to be able to determine the nature of their child’s cough themselves. For example, mothers often say that it is dry, while the doctor, after examination, assures the opposite. This is due to the fact that the baby can swallow sputum, which masks the picture of the disease.

When should you see a doctor?

If your baby coughs only a few times a day, there is no cause for concern. However, if the cough is annoying and severe, the baby becomes lethargic and weak, eats and sleeps poorly, you should definitely call a pediatrician.

The following symptoms should be especially alarming:

  • high fever that accompanies a dry cough;
  • it becomes stronger at night, as a result of which the baby is not able to get enough sleep;
  • the infant stops eating normally, spits up more than usual, and vomits between meals;
  • The cough gradually intensifies and after a few days turns into a “barking” cough.

Any prolonged cough, both dry and wet, indicates the presence of a pathological process in the body, which in no case should be left to chance

A barking cough is a short, staccato sound that, as the name suggests, is similar to a dog barking. Barking is one of the first signs of the development of false croup in a child. With false croup, the baby can quickly suffocate, unable to take a full breath. Most often, the attack develops at night. If such a symptom appears, you should immediately call an ambulance.

Important! In infants, diseases develop at lightning speed! Therefore, if a child develops a cough that alarms the mother, a doctor should be called immediately and not self-medicate. Just three days is enough for an infant with pneumonia to die.

How to treat a dry cough: daily routine

Of course, treating a dry cough in an infant without the supervision of a pediatrician is impossible. Only a doctor can determine the causes of cough and prescribe adequate therapy. It should be remembered that some drugs that are suitable for adults cannot be given to infants. For example, adult patients may be prescribed syrups that increase the volume of mucus produced.

This really helps to quickly remove all excess secretions from the bronchi. However, the baby does not yet know how to expectorate, so such drugs can lead to the accumulation of large amounts of mucus in the lungs, which can lead to life-threatening pneumonia, that is, pneumonia.

The main task of parents is to provide an optimal regimen that promotes rapid recovery.

The following recommendations should be followed:

  • do not limit the child's mobility. Of course, you should not allow your baby to be overly active, especially if he has a high temperature. The child should make calm movements: this helps clear the lungs of mucus;
  • use a humidifier. This is especially important if a newborn’s cough occurs during the cold season, when the air in apartments with central heating becomes especially dry. Humidifying the air will prevent the mucous membranes from drying out, which often causes a dry cough. If you do not have the opportunity to purchase an air humidifier, simply place wet towels on the radiators;
  • Give your child a massage: lightly tap his back, chest and feet. This massage promotes the rapid removal of mucus, that is, the transition of a dry cough to a wet one;
  • Don't try to force your child to eat as much as possible. If the gastrointestinal tract is overloaded, recovery may be delayed. You should continue to follow the daily routine and do not try to soothe the baby with your breast;
  • Regularly ventilate the room in which the child is located. At the same time, it is impossible for the baby to be in a draft;
  • No one should be allowed to smoke in the apartment where the child is. Tobacco smoke causes additional irritation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract;
  • Give your baby enough to drink. For ARVI accompanied by a dry cough, the child should be given up to 200 ml of water per day. The liquid will help ensure that waste products of pathogens leave the body naturally. In addition, drinking plenty of fluids helps to liquefy mucus and naturally remove it from the bronchi.

Chamomile and honey have an antiseptic effect and help destroy infectious agents

To quickly cure a dry cough in a baby, you can give your child weak chamomile tea: 1 teaspoon of dry herb in 0.5 liters of boiling water, boil for 3-4 minutes, leave until cool, strain, give to the baby warm, or with honey. However, it is important to exercise caution, because chamomile, like other medicinal herbs, and especially honey, can be strong allergens to which young children are especially sensitive.

Medicines

The medications listed below are recommended if a dry cough in an infant is due to a viral or bacterial infection. So, how to treat a cough in an infant?

Usually, when a dry cough appears in a baby without fever, expectorant and mucolytic drugs are prescribed. Cough suppressants should not be given: phlegm must be cleared from the lungs naturally.

Coltsfoot decoctions, ivy leaf preparations (Gedelix), etc. can be prescribed as folk expectorants to treat dry cough.

Ambrobene, Lazolvan and other syrups are recommended for babies as mucolytic agents to speed up coughing.

Children's sweet syrups against dry cough not only help remove mucus, but also help cope with inflammatory processes and strengthen the immune system, that is, they have a complex effect.

The above information is for informational purposes only. You should not self-medicate: treating a dry cough in an infant with questionable methods can be dangerous. This is due to two factors:

  • firstly, a dry cough in an infant can be caused by a number of reasons, which only a pediatrician can find out;
  • secondly, many medications have a number of side effects or cannot be used simultaneously, so choosing a treatment regimen can only be done by a specialist.

Traditional methods of treatment should not be abused, because medicinal herbs can provoke severe allergies in infants.

Be attentive to your child’s health, avoid self-medication and go to the clinic if a dry cough bothers your baby for several days! It is also important to undergo an examination after you have treated it: you should make sure that there is no wheezing in the lungs and the disease is completely defeated.

Comments

Irina — November 21, :51 :

We were treated for a cough for the first time when we were one year old. The drug based on Prospan ivy leaves came up, the pediatrician told us that it was good and without chemicals. She also massaged the sternum and back well to help the phlegm move away. It helped us well.

ATTENTION! All information on the site is for informational purposes only and does not claim to be 100% reliable. No need to self-medicate!

Source: http://mladeni.ru/zdorovye/suhoy-kashel-novorozhdennyh

Causes and treatment of dry cough in infants

A dry cough in a baby always worries parents very much, and this is quite justified. Yes, most often this phenomenon refers to natural physiological manifestations and does not pose serious problems, but you should not treat it negligently.

A pathological nature is also possible, which requires taking action. In any case, the question of how to help a baby with a dry cough should be decided by a pediatrician, and you should contact him as early as possible.

Features of the problem

What is a dry cough in a baby in essence? This is a natural physiological reflexive reaction of the body aimed at eliminating any obstructions that arise in the upper respiratory tract. The cough reflex is a sharp expulsion of air during exhalation, caused by increased pressure in the chest during inhalation. It has a very specific goal: removing various foreign elements (dust, soot, etc.) and remnants of biological tissues (dead epithelial cells, mucus, secreted substances) from the respiratory tract, and in cases where bronchial peristalsis and cilia are powerless epithelium.

According to the mechanism of such self-cleaning, there are two main types of process: wet and dry type. Coughing with sputum is considered a productive reaction of the body, because Along with the air, a fairly thick mucous mass moves, which takes with it everything unnecessary on its way. The dry type of cough is a non-productive process, because a clean air stream is unable to effectively remove foreign bodies.

The cough reflex is a sharp expulsion of air during exhalation, caused by increased pressure in the chest during inhalation.

On a note! As a result of its low physiological effectiveness, dry cough is not able to clear the bronchi, becoming a useless but debilitating syndrome. In practice, it rather simply signals the presence of an abnormality in the airways rather than promoting their self-healing.

According to the nature of the manifestation, a frequent and rare dry cough in an infant is distinguished with weak, moderate or strong intensity, constant or paroxysmal in nature, with or without pain.

Depending on the provoking reasons, a dry cough may be observed in an infant without a temperature or with its increase to different values. Other manifestations are also associated with this reflex, especially given the connection between the nasal and oral cavities. In particular, snot and dry cough are often observed in infants. The anomaly in question, as a rule, can develop at any time of the year and day, but quite often has a seasonal pattern associated with the condition and temperature of the air.

Why does the problem occur?

The baby has a dry cough - what to do? In order to approach this issue correctly, it is necessary to understand the nature of this phenomenon. Quite often, a child has a dry cough without fever. It is accompanied by noisy whistling breathing and simply exhausts the baby. An intense attack may cause vomiting. The danger of the anomaly is associated with the risk of developing bronchial spasms and obstruction of the respiratory canals.

Viral infections can cause cough

A dry cough without an increase in body temperature can be caused by the following reasons:

1. Viral infections. In infants, the immune system cannot recognize them, and therefore the process occurs without a rise in temperature. The most typical viral infection is colds, in particular ARVI. Lack of treatment can lead to a viral runny nose with subsequent complications in the form of sinusitis. Typical processes that cause dry cough in infants without fever symptoms include the following diseases: pharyngitis (pharyngitis), laryngitis (inflammation of the larynx), rhinopharyngitis, tonsillitis, bronchitis, tracheitis.

2. Allergic reactions. Snot and dry cough in infants may be due to sensitization of the body. Upon contact with an allergen, in addition to a dry cough, an allergic runny nose, nasal swelling, tearing, and skin manifestations (redness, rash) appear. A child can develop an allergic reaction to house dust, pollen from flowering plants, household chemicals and air flavorings. With frequent allergic exposure, the likelihood of developing chronic bronchitis with subsequent development into bronchial asthma increases.

Snot and dry cough in infants may be due to sensitization of the body

3. Ecological situation. The infant body is very sensitive to various harmful impurities in the air. Increased dust or smoke causes infants to have bouts of dry cough. This reaction can also be caused by various chemicals sprayed into the air.

4. Indoor environment. Tobacco smoke is very dangerous for babies. Coughing can be caused by very dry air in a closed room. In infants, the nasal mucosa dries out, small crusts appear that impede breathing, which causes a dry cough. Ventilation and humidification of the air in the room is a prerequisite for keeping a child.

5. Chlamydia and mycoplasma. These pathogens can get to the child from the mother and cause the phenomenon in question.

6. Foreign bodies. Babies cannot push anything up their nose themselves, but in rare cases, small foreign bodies can enter the airways, blocking breathing. Such obstacles must be identified quickly before the child suffocates.

Tobacco smoke is very dangerous for babies

Pathological nature of cough

When an intense dry cough is observed in an infant, the doctor decides how to treat it after determining the pathology. The following diseases can be identified that cause it and are accompanied by additional severe symptoms:

  1. Flu. With this disease, inflammation covers the mucous membrane of the bronchi, trachea, and larynx with varying degrees of intensity. Characteristic signs: exhausting, dry cough with pain in the chest area, general intoxication of the body, rise in body temperature. In a severe stage, the cough may become barking in nature and block breathing.
  2. Parainfluenza. The infection attacks the epithelial cells, causing them to slough off. An intense cough can last 5-8 days, and the danger is associated with the risk of provoking chronic bronchitis and laryngitis.
  3. Measles. The disease is provoked by paramyxoviruses and occurs with toxicosis and inflammation of the nasal mucosa and upper respiratory canals. A fairly strong dry cough is observed already at the first stage of the lesion, and it has an intermittent nature with a feeling of a scratched throat.
  4. Respiratory chlamydia. In infants in the first days of life, this pathology can cause pneumonia. The cough reflex is similar in nature to the manifestation of bronchial asthma or bronchitis.
  5. Respiratory mycoplasmosis. This infection is very often accompanied by bronchial obstruction.
  6. Whooping cough. The causative agent of the disease is the ovoid bacillus. Dry cough is one of the main symptomatic signs of the disease. Initially, it manifests itself at night, but then it becomes stronger and is observed in the form of attacks at any time of the day.

Whooping cough can cause coughing in babies

Important! One of the most dangerous reflexes is a dry barking cough; in this case, the causes may be associated with very serious pathologies, in particular false croup, bronchospasms, asthma, and laryngitis.

The most dangerous development of the disease is the formation of edema, which can cause complete blockage of the airways. If urgent measures are not taken, the child may suffocate. Attacks of barking cough occur unexpectedly, most often at night. The child wakes up frightened, crying a lot and suffocating. Shortness of breath and whistling breathing are observed.

Features of treatment of infants

When a dry cough appears in an infant without fever, treatment is aimed at eliminating the viral infection, clearing the airways and eliminating provoking factors. When a bacterial infection appears, the body temperature begins to rise. When such a dry cough appears in an infant, treatment is based on the administration of antibiotics. In principle, at the initial stage of therapy it is necessary to transform the non-productive form of cough into a productive one, i.e. with the release of sputum, which will help cleanse the bronchi. Next, medications should help actively remove mucus.

During treatment, maximum insulation of the baby’s body is important.

Treatment of children primarily involves ensuring comfortable indoor conditions and taking preventive measures:

  1. Optimal conditions in the room: good ventilation, temperature˚С, air humidity - 57-62%. Tobacco and kitchen smoke, irritating aromas, and dust are absolutely unacceptable.
  2. Moderate bed rest, and in the presence of a contagious infection, quarantine conditions are provided.
  3. Maximum insulation of the baby's body, placing warm compresses in the chest area.
  4. Foot baths with hot water and the addition of compounds with medicinal properties.
  5. Creating the opportunity to inhale warm air.
  6. Ensuring an increased drinking regime. The child is given milk and juices.

Attention! Medicines for coughing in infants are used strictly as prescribed by the doctor and taking into account age restrictions.

Medicines are used in a form convenient for administration: syrups, rectal suppositories, drops, solutions. Syrup is widely used for dry cough in infants. We can especially highlight the following: Paxeladin, Glycodin, Flutfort, Ambrobene, Mucodin, Doctor IOM, Linkas. Among rectal suppositories, Gaxapnemin can be noted.

Linkas is used in the treatment of cough

What parents and experts think

As for adults, dry cough is an unpleasant phenomenon for infants; there are various reviews about the causes of the phenomenon and the treatment provided. The most typical opinions of worried parents can be cited:

  1. Olga from Tyumen: My son’s dry cough appeared at the moment of cutting his first tooth. Redness of the neck was observed. They were treated with traditional methods: licorice root syrup, and the pacifier was lubricated with chlorophyllipt oil. Helped quickly enough. It should be noted that the treatment was approved by the doctor.
  2. Lyudmila from Krasnodar: My baby’s cough tormented him so much that he started vomiting. Ambrobene syrup helped. Additionally, they rubbed it in the chest area with badger fat. I recommend to all!
  3. Tatyana from Kazan: There is nothing better than traditional methods. For my infant I used a mixture of honey, vegetable oil and flour. The result was a flat cake for a compress. I placed it in the bronchi area. It’s hard to even believe, but the cough went away in 2 days.

A dry cough in a small child can pose a serious danger. This process should not be left to chance, but you should not self-medicate. If this dangerous symptom appears, you must consult a doctor and take the most effective measures. A neglected anomaly can lead to the development of chronic pathologies, as well as blockage of the airways.

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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:

  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 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.

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