Cough in a baby up to a year: is it always a symptom of a dangerous disease? How to help a baby if he has a wet cough? Methods for the treatment of wet cough with and without fever. Doctors' advice to young parents Under a wet cough without fever in a newborn

Blocks 06.02.2022

A cough that has appeared in a crumb, who is not yet a year old, often plunges parents into considerable panic, because treatment in such cases is quite difficult. There are several reasons - the doctor does not always manage to make the correct diagnosis the first time, and effective drugs that can cope with the disease are usually prohibited at this age. Komarovsky has his own opinion about how to act correctly if a cough appears in a baby without fever, and you definitely need to listen to him - useful tips will help you cope with the problem quickly and harmlessly for a small body.

How to treat a cough in a baby if it is provoked by an allergy

Adults should remember that before treating a cough in a baby, you must definitely go with the baby to the doctor, who diagnoses the disease. Only after the cause of the disease has been determined, the physician prescribes treatment, and all recommendations must be strictly followed, not allowing self-treatment. It must be remembered that a small organism has not yet fully formed, so even harmless compounds can cause irreparable harm.

If a cough in a baby without fever is disturbing, Komarovsky warns that this symptom is not always harmless and means a simple cold. Often, an alarming sign is caused by an allergic reaction, and the first thing to do is to determine what exactly provoked the irritation. Only after the allergen is eliminated, the coughing attacks will stop, so be sure to tell the doctor what exactly the child was in contact with and what foods the mother used.

If it was possible to determine which allergen caused the reaction in the form of coughing attacks, and immediately eliminate it, the alarm symptom will stop on its own. If necessary, the doctor may prescribe drugs that will speed up this process, but this is usually only required in extreme cases.

How to influence a cough at 2 months

Even if parents protect their child and strictly follow all medical recommendations, there is no guarantee that a cold will not affect the baby. What to do if an alarm signal appears - a cough in a baby without fever, Komarovsky will give an unambiguous answer to this question - immediately call a doctor. You should not try to cope with a sign that is dangerous for the crumbs on your own - the consequences can be quite serious.

If the doctor has identified a cold, you can deal with it with pharmaceutical preparations - folk remedies at this age are strictly prohibited. Treatment should take place under the constant supervision of doctors, and with the slightest deterioration in health, urgent measures will have to be taken with indispensable hospitalization.

Among the drugs for a baby at 2 months old, allowed in the absence of complications, the following compositions can be distinguished:

  1. bluecode;
  2. Flavamed;
  3. Lazolvan;
  4. Prospan;
  5. Gedelix;
  6. Bronchicum.

Each of these drugs has its own dosage, so be sure to carefully read the instructions for the drug. It is strictly forbidden to increase the recommended doses or the number of doses.

How to treat an intense cough at 3 months

How and how to treat cough attacks at 3 months, you definitely need to find out from the doctor, and this should be done after the first alarming manifestations. Only after that you need to start acting. Among the drugs allowed for children of this age, we can distinguish Syrup Doctor Mom. The medicine has a plant base, and the components are completely harmless to the child, rarely causing side effects.

You need to take the medicine three times a day. For babies, only 5-10 ml at a time is enough. It is best to do this half an hour after feeding; it is not recommended to give the drug on an empty stomach.

It is strictly forbidden to use home remedies, as many parents like to do. Even compresses or rubbing can cause a lot of harm and even lead to serious consequences. Only a doctor can determine whether warming manipulations are needed and, if necessary, advise a pharmacy product that can be used for rubbing.

How to treat a cold symptom at 4 months

No less difficult is the treatment of crumbs, which is 4 months old - most drugs are not only forbidden, but also dangerous for a small organism. One of the remedies that a doctor can allow to get rid of a cold manifestation is syrup Bronchicum. The components of the drug are herbal ingredients that are safe for the baby.

Despite the mild sparing effect on the body, one should not forget that the baby may be allergic to the components. That is why parents throughout the entire treatment need to monitor the general condition of their beloved child and, if necessary, immediately call a doctor.

Take the syrup three times a day, the dosage is prescribed by a specialist. Usually, at one time, the baby can be given only 10 ml of the drug. Even if the intensity of coughing attacks does not decrease, it is forbidden to give more funds to the child. It is also not worth increasing the doses - this can cause side effects from an overdose.

What is allowed for a baby at 7 months

If the child is already 7 months old, more effective drugs can be given that quickly thin the mucus and help to remove it from the respiratory tract of the crumbs. There are several types of drugs that can cope with the disease, and without unpleasant consequences for the baby.

Among the most effective formulations allowed at this age are:

  1. Mucodin;
  2. Fluditec;
  3. Mukosol;
  4. Bromhexine;
  5. Ambrobene.

Despite the fact that these drugs have a mild effect, you definitely need to study the instructions, features of use, possible side effects and dosage. Only after that you can start treating your child, and you should not forget that all recommendations must be followed exactly.

A common feature of these drugs is that they should not be given to a child for more than a crescent. Even if during this time the cough has not lost its intensity, it is forbidden to continue to give the baby medicine. Be sure to go to the doctor, who must re-examine and prescribe a remedy that has a different composition.

What does Komarovsky recommend doing when coughing in infants, video

Despite the considerable number of cough medicines that modern pharmacology offers, you should not immediately start taking them. So Komarovsky believes, a video in which the doctor talks in detail about these alarming signs will certainly tell parents where to start treatment. If you follow all the recommendations correctly, coughing attacks will begin to lose intensity even without the use of pharmaceutical preparations.

With the advent of autumn and winter comes the time of colds and infections. Toddlers become especially vulnerable as their immune system only adapts to fight viruses and foreign microorganisms. Hearing a cough from a newborn, a young mother may panic and react incorrectly, although such a symptom is quite serious. What are the causes of cough in children? How to start treating cough in newborns? The most popular cough medicine for babies.

Cough in a newborn

To begin with, it is worth recognizing the nature of the disease.

Cough in infants can be of several varieties at once:

  1. Dry.
  2. Wet.
  3. With and without temperature.

By its intensity and sound accompaniment, one can guess whether the cause of the disease lies or something simply does not allow the infant's airways to function normally. The most common symptomatology of the development of cough in an infant.

  • SARS.

In more than 90% of cases, coughing is considered the first symptom of an incipient ARVI. The infant coughs very rarely, and the intensity of the cough increases in the evening or at night. The child's throat becomes red and inflamed. The cells of the body begin to actively eliminate sputum. A prolonged cough that lasts more than two weeks is very dangerous for the health of the child. In this case, the immune defense of the body as a whole is weakened, the process can become chronic.

Described by the obsessive spread of the symptom, with a dry cough first. It is very dangerous for the baby. At an advanced stage of development, it can be very complicated. The most serious complication for the child's body is considered false croup. At the same time, the walls of the throat begin to narrow sharply, along with this, the newborn experiences a lack of oxygen and begins to whistle hoarsely, as well as suffocate. With such a disease, the parent of the child should promptly seek help from a treating specialist.

  • Dry air in the room.

Dry air can create a tickle in a child's throat. If the baby has a strong cough that does not have any prerequisites for the disease, then you should pay special attention to normalizing the humidity in the room where the child spends most of the time.

  • Inflammation of the middle ear.

In the process of inflammation of the nervous ear, the baby develops a reflex cough. This is a kind of reaction of the baby's body to such inflammation. When pressing on the earlobe, the newborn begins to scream - this means that the cause of the disease lies precisely in the ear pain. The best option would be to call an emergency ambulance.

  • Foreign body inhalation.

If for some reason a foreign object - any - has entered the baby's airways, you should immediately call an ambulance. At this time, there is a strong threat to the life of the baby, so the time is counted in seconds. You should not knock on the back of the child, and also do not try to knock this object back - by doing this you can ensure that the object gets stuck inside the bronchi or trachea.

  • Dirty air all around.

There is a lot of smoke in the room, or there is too much exhaust fumes in the street that pass into the room through an open window. In this case, do not be surprised if the baby begins to cough non-stop. The longer the baby lives in such conditions, the more harmful microorganisms it absorbs into unformed and weak lungs.

How is cough in infants treated?

Treatment of cough symptoms, both with and without a developed temperature, should be carried out only under the supervision of the attending physician. With the development of the first symptoms, it is worth immediately starting the implementation of treatment therapy.

What can a mother do to alleviate the disease process?

A good drug for the prevention and treatment of coughing at the initial stage is a nebulizer. The agent should be poured into a glass of 5 m.o. physical. Solution (sold in pharmacies within 50 rubles) and is given to the baby for 5-7 minutes. So the mucous membranes can be qualitatively moistened, the sputum will become less viscous. This method is good to use at a time when the child develops a cough without an increase in body temperature.

It is better not to joke with the temperature during a cough. During a cough and a temperature of 38.5 in most cases, the child should be hospitalized in a medical facility. Do not be afraid to hospitalize the child, as it is better not to take risks and be under constant supervision by treating specialists. So, the main thing is the health of the child, and inconvenience for a short period of time can be endured.

How to treat a cough in a baby

It should be noted that only a pediatrician can prescribe all medicines.

How to treat cough in infants?

Together with SARS, the baby may experience acute bronchitis or pneumonia, which are secondary to the initial bacterial infection. The baby will have to be treated with antibiotics and other various drugs. They should not be used during the development of immunity in a child. Also, during pneumonia transferred at 2 months or earlier, the alveoli in the lungs are affected, which will continue to remain undeveloped in the future.

Cough in an infant

Whooping cough has many special characteristics. It is for this reason that the attending specialist will immediately tell you whether the child has whooping cough or not. If the baby has a DPT vaccination, then he is able to transfer this disease in an easy stage of development. To date, whooping cough is more common, the diagnosis of the disease occurs late, on the second or third week of a child's life, and in some cases even later.

This can be explained by massive refusals to carry out vaccinations. Severe varieties of whooping cough are very dangerous for newborns. A hysterical cough of a paroxysmal nature can develop in a child a failure in the respiratory system, severe vomiting and nausea, and a lack of respiratory processes. How can you quickly distinguish whooping cough?

  1. At the first stage of development, it is more similar to a dry cough during SARS.
  2. It has a paroxysmal distribution.
  3. With all this, the cough is not able to turn into a productive one, it begins to become more and more obsessive and irritable.
  4. Cough shocks are mainly developed at the exit.
  5. After a large number of coughing shocks, the newborn most often takes a deep breath (in a different way, a reprise).
  6. Inhalation occurs together with a whistle.
  7. In most cases, a coughing fit ends with a retching, in some cases a certain amount of sputum is discharged.
  8. Whooping cough attacks can occur about 50 times a day.

How and by what means can whooping cough in a newborn be treated? For treatment, most often a course of prophylaxis with antibiotics should be carried out, since whooping cough is a bacterial disease that is caused by whooping cough. Treatment with antibacterial agents is effective only at the initial stage of the development of the disease, at a time when the cough center is not yet very excited and irritated.

Even whooping cough symptoms was discovered only in the third or fourth week of the child's life, then the attending specialist should still prescribe a course of antibiotics so that the child is not contagious. The specialist also prescribes antitussives. They are able to stop a debilitating cough in a child. Whooping cough is a disease that can last for months. The disease is treated over time, and regular fresh air in the room where the baby is located is also useful.

Treatment of a cough of any nature in a child should be under the strict supervision of a treating specialist. Newborns can quickly recover and recover when they are not overheated and given enough water per day. In the treatment of a child, an important place is also occupied by walks with a good health of the baby, humidified and cool air in the room.

Cough in infants without fever treatment

The most common cause of cough is the SARS virus.. It can affect both the area of ​​​​the upper respiratory tract of the newborn and the lower ones. With this disease, the trachea, nasopharynx, lungs and larynx are also affected. The second main infection after the ARVI virus is considered to be inflammation of various ENT organs in a child. This may be the adenoids, the territory of the pharynx and the nasal cavity. Coughing can be a sign of the development of serious disorders in the body, for example, during inflammation or asthma.

Cough can develop in babies in the form of a signal when any foreign body. If the cough does not go away for a long time, then the newborn should be taken to the hospital without fail in order to remove the foreign object by surgical intervention.

In some cases, cough symptoms occur as a result of completely different abnormalities in the body, for example, heart disease, pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract.

Any change in the behavior or condition of a newborn baby becomes a cause for concern for the mother. One of the serious symptoms that should not be ignored is a wet cough.

What is a wet cough?

Clogged bronchi and trachea become the cause of wet cough in infants.

The baby begins to cough when sputum has accumulated in the lower part of his respiratory tract. With the help of coughing, the body protects itself, cleans the trachea and bronchi, frees them from wet mucus. Thus, breathing becomes easier.

The inner layer of these important organs - the epithelium - is called ciliated by physicians, since it is formed from many microscopic cilia. They are very sensitive to any foreign matter or particle that has entered the respiratory system. Due to their mobility, the cilia remove foreign particles along with a small amount of mucus.

With a minimum amount of foreign particles, excretion can occur almost imperceptibly or with a single cough. If many foreign particles have formed in the respiratory organs, the body protects itself by coughing.

The cough of the baby, in which sputum is discharged, becomes a sign that the newborn has a cough reflex. This indicates important development points:

  1. the process of formation of the nervous system of the baby is normal, the body reacts to an increase in mucus in the respiratory tract;
  2. the protective reaction of the body is formed, the signal for the need to get rid of sputum is received, the process of clearing the respiratory tract with the help of a cough is started.

However, the parents of the baby should not calm down, as there may be several reasons for the formation of sputum. You should also not be afraid at the first cough that the baby is sick. We will figure out which signs of the condition of the baby should not be alarming, and which require the help of specialists.

When not to worry

Dust is one of the causes of wet cough

The epithelium of the bronchi and trachea reacts to any foreign body, including dust particles that have entered the respiratory system. The child coughs to clear the lower respiratory organs of dust, removes it along with some mucus. In this case, parents should not worry: coughing is not a symptom of the disease.

The condition of the baby and signs that do not cause alarm:

  1. the baby coughs once or twice. During the day, there may be about 7-8 such coughs, divided by time;
  2. other disturbing moments, for example, temperature, are not observed.

A wet cough and wheezing can be a symptom of teething in an infant. We offer you to watch an interesting video on this topic:

Cough as a manifestation of the disease

Often it is a cough that becomes a signal that the baby is sick. Signs of a painful condition that parents should pay attention to:

  1. child's body temperature. If the temperature has risen (37.5 ° or more) and lasts for 2 days or more;
  2. cough occurs suddenly and sharply, passes with copious sputum;
  3. the baby's breathing is difficult, shortness of breath, suffocation appeared;
  4. rash, redness appeared on the skin.

This condition of the baby indicates that he needs the help of a qualified specialist. Therefore, parents should show the baby to the doctor as soon as possible by visiting a children's clinic or inviting a pediatrician home.

Wet cough as a symptom

The help of a specialist is necessary, since sputum and subsequently a wet cough can occur with several different colds or infectious diseases.

Diseases that occur with a wet cough:

  • acute respiratory diseases (ARI, SARS (wet cough is accompanied by a runny nose));
  • inflammation of the bronchi (bronchitis);
  • tonsillitis (tonsillitis);
  • sinusitis;
  • allergies;
  • tuberculosis.

A wet cough can also appear when a baby has problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

It is possible to treat a wet cough in a newborn only after consulting a pediatrician!

The pediatrician will be able to accurately determine the cause of the cough, prescribe timely assistance to the baby. Knowing about the ways to help the baby, parents can also alleviate his condition with a wet cough.

Wet cough without fever

If the baby has more than a single cough, which is repeated several times a day, but a persistent wet cough with mucus, but the temperature does not rise, parents cannot remain calm. The need for examination of the baby remains, since the occurrence of a number of diseases in a newborn passes at normal body temperature.

A cough in a baby without fever can be a symptom of a dangerous disease, or it can indicate poor living conditions for the baby: too dry air in the room, a lot of dust, the presence of tobacco smoke.

Wet cough may appear if the child is allergic to chicken eggs. Such a reaction of the body is a prerequisite for the development of bronchial asthma.

Medical treatment

Medicines for babies are used only after the doctor determines the cause of the cough. After clarifying it, the baby can be prescribed antiallergic drugs, antibiotics, expectorants. Their use should be carried out in strict accordance with the doctor's prescription.

Inhalations

To alleviate the condition, pediatricians carry out a complex effect on the body, reinforcing the effect of drugs with physiotherapy. At home. Even if the pediatrician did not prescribe inhalation, you can consult with him whether inhalation is allowed for your baby.

Indications for inhalation: severe cough, suffocation, but weak sputum discharge.

Device for inhalation: - a modern device that is able to spray a medicinal solution in microscopic fractions, in the form of an aerosol or a fine mist.

Medications for inhalation: special solutions (soda, physiological), alkaline mineral water (Borjomi, etc.). To avoid negative consequences, the solution for inhalation is used only after consulting a doctor.

Inhalation for babies does not require special preparation, nebulizers are easy to use, the procedure is well tolerated by the baby and alleviates his condition.

Wet cough at night due to runny nose

A runny nose that appears during a cold often provokes a baby's nocturnal cough.

Signs confirming the occurrence of a nocturnal cough due to a runny nose:

  1. the baby has symptoms of a cold or viral disease (the temperature is elevated, the baby looks lethargic, weak, the appetite disappears, intestinal upset is possible);
  2. despite coughing, the baby breathes without wheezing, other noises also do not occur during breathing.

With a prolonged nighttime cough and runny nose that lasts more than 5-7 days, you should contact your pediatrician. It will not be superfluous to seek advice earlier if the coughing fits are acute or severe.

The specialist will prescribe treatment. As a therapeutic drug, the use of special children's nose drops, as well as removing mucus with a rubber bulb.

How to help at night?

  1. Additional airing of the nursery before a night's sleep.
  2. Additional air humidification in the room. To increase the level of humidity, you can use an inexpensive and safe ultrasonic humidifier. If the device is not at hand, you can make the air more humid by using damp things that are simply hung in the nursery.
  3. Use of a small, flat pillow that is placed under the baby's head if he has a runny nose. The pillow will not allow mucus to get into the baby's ears.
  4. Clearing the nasal passage, removing crusts. The procedure is carried out immediately before bedtime, after bathing the baby. If the mother finds that the child is breathing heavily at night, and the crusts have formed again, they can be softened and then removed. For this, sea water is used. A small amount (1-2 drops each) of water is instilled into both nasal passages of the baby.

What can help cure a cough?

A wet cough is not only a symptom of an infant’s disease, but also a signal for action for his parents. The baby needs help, and adults have many means to alleviate his condition.

Maintaining a healthy microclimate

The concept of a healthy microclimate includes the following indicators: temperature, humidity, hygienic condition. It is these three factors that Dr. Komarovsky notes.

The children's room should not be too hot, many pediatricians believe that for a baby up to 6 months. + 20 ° is enough in the nursery, and after 6 months. + 22°.

It is especially important to maintain the humidity level necessary for a newborn: from 50 to 70%.

In a clean, ventilated room, the child breathes easier, and the body of a sick baby spends all its strength on overcoming the disease.

Breast-feeding

The immune system of a newborn is in its infancy, so the baby is very susceptible to infections and other diseases. Mother's milk helps to increase the protective capabilities of the infant body. With the help of immune complexes, antibodies, immunoglobulins, activated leukocytes obtained from breast milk, the child is able to quickly and easily cope with the infection or resist it.

Medicines

Medications are of great help to babies.

Treatment of young children is carried out, first of all, with mucolytic agents. They are able to thin the mucus accumulated in the bronchi, facilitate its removal. For infants, drugs such as Mukosol, Flutidek, Ambrobene, Lazolvan, Flavomed.

After a year, doctors also prescribe other medications.

Physiotherapy

Due to the limited possibilities of using medications, physiotherapy is of great importance in the treatment of infants.

Inhalation

One of the main means in the fight against a runny nose and cough of a baby is such a physiotherapy as inhalation. Modern industry produces various types of devices for inhalation for children at home. Ultrasonic and compressor devices are suitable for newborns.

Massage

With the help of massage, an adult helps the baby get rid of accumulated mucus. With a wet cough, massage is carried out in a special drainage position. The baby is placed on the tummy so that his ass is above his head. This is followed by a massage. Direction of movements: from the lumbar zone - to the shoulders and neck. Types of massage movements: weak patting, vibration, stroking, rubbing. When performing a massage, different types of movements alternate.

If necessary, the pediatrician prescribes other physiotherapy procedures that are performed in the clinic: electrophoresis, UHF therapy.

Other means

Many moms use other remedies when coughing in babies that help rid the baby of a wet cough.

Rubbing

The procedure is possible for children older than 6 months, but only after consultation with a doctor. It is not recommended to rub a child with a fever! Perform rubbing in the evening, after bathing, before putting the baby to bed. For the procedure, you can use drugs from a pharmacy or folk remedies (liquid honey, butter). After rubbing, you need to put on socks and cover the baby well.

aromatherapy

A good result is the use of essential oils. Their use is allowed from the 3rd week of the baby's life, after preliminary testing for the reaction of the baby. Oils can be used to scent a room, during a massage or rubbing. Suitable oils for newborns are rose, chamomile, lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus, etc.

With any manifestations of allergic reactions, the use of essential oils is stopped.

Many mothers remember that when they had a cold, their legs were soaring. Mustard foot baths are indeed effective, but it is not recommended for infants under the age of 1 to soar their feet when coughing!

Dr. Komarovsky about wet cough

According to Dr. Komarovsky, the main thing that a mother can do to alleviate the condition of a baby with a wet cough is to provide him with plenty of drink and normal humidity in the room.

Plentiful drink

Due to the increase in fluid volumes, the water balance, disturbed due to high temperature, is restored, blood circulation in the respiratory organs increases, and the composition of mucus normalizes. In between breastfeeding babies can drink baby tea, raisin decoction, mineral water without gas. All fluid must be warmed to body temperature. Dr. Komarovsky believes that you need to water the baby at every opportunity.

Increased humidity combined with air purification

So that the mucous membranes of the baby do not dry out, and the load on the respiratory organs is not excessive, it is very important to maintain clean and humid air in the room. E.O. Komarovsky is convinced that in the nursery of a newborn baby, the humidity level should be increased: 60-70%. The pediatrician also does not recommend using a large amount of textiles, carpets in which dust accumulates, and also using substances with a pungent odor. But regular airing and constant wet cleaning in the nursery are necessary.

Medicines

All medications (tablets, drops, syrups of a mucal or expectorant nature) are permissible only after the recommendation of a pediatrician!

Conclusion

Wet cough in infants is a serious symptom that requires special attention from adults. The joint efforts of parents and doctors will establish the cause of the cough and help the baby cope with it.

Cough in an infant is quite rare in comparison with children aged 1 to 7 years. If the baby receives only mother's milk as food, then the risk of suffering a cold for up to a year is minimized. In the presence of a runny nose and high temperature, ARVI can be suspected. If there is no snot, the thermometer shows 36.6 C, and the child begins to cough, you should check for allergies or whooping cough. In no case should you engage in self-medication, since the respiratory muscles of newborns and infants are not sufficiently developed. The baby will not be able to cough up sputum from the lungs and bronchi, which leads to stagnation of mucus in the airways and the occurrence of complications.

If the baby is fed breast milk, the risk of catching a cold before the age of one will be minimized.

Types of cough

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

  1. Dry. It is typical for the initial stage of acute respiratory viral infections, parapertussis 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:). A baby under 3 months of age swallows mucus rather than coughing it up, so parents are confused.
  2. Wet. If a cough in a baby begins without a fever, this means that the disease is nearing completion. Do not worry when clear and thin sputum leaves. Yellowish or greenish mucus indicates a serious infection in the respiratory tract.

If the cough in an infant is wet, does not go away within a month and is not accompanied by fever, this may be a sign of pneumonia, tracheitis, or chronic bronchitis. The bronchi of children older than six months are able to self-cleanse, but in newborns and babies up to 5-6 months, this function has not matured. Cough appears when sputum irritates the back wall of the nasopharynx, flowing down.

Basic therapy

Cough treatment is always individual and is prescribed only after a doctor's examination. The course depends on the nature of the disease and includes:

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


If the cough is accompanied by a high fever, syrup will help bring it down.
  • Antiviral medicines. SARS can be treated with immunomodulatory agents. Doctors recommend using Viferon suppositories, since they have no contraindications and age restrictions (we recommend reading:). The drug can be prescribed to children from birth to one year.
  • Washing the nasal passages. If the baby is prevented from breathing by thick snot, he sneezes and begins to breathe through his mouth (we recommend reading:). 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. During the day, you can instill 3 drops in each nostril 4 to 8 times. After the washing procedure, it is useful to drip the spout with an oily solution of "Ectericide" at a dosage of 1 drop. This will create a thin protective layer of the drug on the mucous membranes.
  • Homeopathy. To cure an infant from coughing, pediatricians prescribe drugs based on natural products. Especially popular is the Stondal syrup, which has established itself as an excellent antitussive, bronchodilator and expectorant.

With a runny nose, it is forbidden to use antibacterial drops for the treatment of infants. Sometimes a doctor may prescribe a vasoconstrictor if the baby sneezes, but not for the treatment of SARS.

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

Cough remedies for babies

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

  1. Mucolytic. They are produced on the basis of hydrochloride, acetylcysteine, bromhexine and ambroxol, which thin thick sputum in the respiratory tract. Among the popular ones are: "Mukodin", "Flavamed", "Flyuditek", "Mukosol", "Bromhexine", "Ambrobene", "Lazolvan". Syrups are given to children up to a year, but only after consultation with a pediatrician.
  2. Antitussives. They are prescribed for dry cough, which has the form of seizures. The drugs reduce the occurrence of the cough reflex, which is most effective in the treatment of whooping cough. Among the contraindications are children under 2 years of age. Syrups "Panatus" and "Sinekod" are allowed for children of the first year of life, if the therapy is carried out under the strict supervision of a physician.
  3. Expectorants. They are effective if the cough of a one-month-old baby is wet, but the sputum comes out with difficulty (for more details, see the article:). Assign syrups based on plantain or ivy extract. Additionally, the composition includes plant components: coltsfoot, rosemary, thyme, oregano, elecampane, marshmallow, licorice, anise, thyme. Among the well-known drugs are recommended: "Prospan", "Doctor MOM", "Gedelix", "Bronchicum" and "Dr (we recommend reading:). Theiss. "Prospan" and "Bronhikum" are allowed from 4-6 months. A month-old baby may be allergic to herbs, so the baby's well-being must be monitored. If a skin rash or swelling occurs, the medication should be stopped and a pediatrician should be visited.

If a newborn sneezes and coughs, the doctor calculates the dosage of the drug (we recommend reading:). An overdose of an expectorant medicine is dangerous, since a month-old baby's cough can drag on. The volume of secreted mucus will increase, but a baby aged from a month to a year cannot physically cough it up.

It is forbidden to combine antitussive and expectorant medicines, as manufacturers warn about in the instructions. With the suppression of cough and the simultaneous formation of a large volume of mucus, pneumonia occurs.



Expectorant syrup Gedelix improves sputum discharge

Baby first aid

Before the arrival of the doctor, parents are able to follow simple tips to alleviate the condition of the crumbs. At home, it is difficult to determine why the baby is coughing and sneezing, but you can help reduce negative symptoms:

  1. Plentiful drink. If a newborn coughs, then it is allowed to drink only water. When breastfeeding, breastfeeding should be offered more frequently. Do not forget that high temperatures lead to dehydration. Do not miss a dangerous signal if you watch the filling of the diaper. With infrequent urination (1 time in 4 hours), it is necessary to start soldering the little one. Babies from six months are offered raisin water, a decoction of wild rose or linden, diluted juice or dried fruit.
  2. Minimum clothing. The warmer the baby is dressed, the faster it loses moisture. The mucous membranes dry out, so the baby begins to cough.
  3. Walks in the open air. If the child coughs, but other health indicators are normal, short walks are allowed. The exception is weather conditions when it is very cold outside. Do not be afraid if the baby only coughed during the day, and in the evening after the walk, the cough intensified. This leads to a better discharge of mucus.
  4. Comfortable air humidity. In order for a dry, painful cough to turn into a wet one, it is not necessary to resort to medicines. It is enough to set the humidity in the house at the level of 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 airways will be more viscous and thick.
  5. Safe inhalation. Steam procedures are prohibited in order to avoid burns to the skin and mucous membranes. If the baby coughs, it is recommended to install next to the arena for the duration of the illness. Doctors advise with a dry cough to fill the bath with hot water, adding soda to it. Then take the baby in your arms and sit in the bathroom, inhaling wet alkaline fumes.



Walking in the fresh air will help the baby recover faster and speed up recovery.

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 does professional massage for babies, but the mother is able to carry out some manipulations on her own:

  • lay the baby on the back;
  • put your palms on the chest and stroke it from the bottom up;
  • turn the little one on his stomach;
  • in circular soft movements "walk" along the back, avoiding the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe spine.

Finish the massage with light pats from the bottom up. 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 the children's body:

  1. Thoughtless manipulations almost always lead to the opposite effect. Compresses with dry mustard, vinegar or vodka provoke burns and poisoning. Often there are dangerous spasms of the bronchi and larynx.
  2. Babies of the first year of life develop an allergy to medicinal herbs, so chest preparations, infusions and decoctions should be used after consultation with a specialist.

We must not forget that the time of shortage 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 effective for adults are far from always suitable for infants.

Expert opinion

Evgeny Olegovich Komarovsky does not see anything terrible in the cough reflex, since it is inherent in all people. The snot that appears 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, it is removed through a natural reflex.

If the snot in the nose dries up, it becomes difficult to breathe, which leads to further complications. Komarovsky believes that preventing sputum from drying out in the bronchi is also important if the little one is coughing. It is necessary to provide a sufficient amount of drink for the baby and organize access to fresh cool air. Without consulting a doctor, it is forbidden to use antitussive drugs that are effective only for whooping cough. The use of mucolytic and expectorant drugs is allowed if it is evening outside and you need to somehow act.

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;
  • mukaltin;
  • ammonia-anise drops.

They should be in the home first aid kit, but the doctor sets the dosage. The specialist will also tell you the appropriateness of using a particular medication.



Mukaltin is an inexpensive, but very effective expectorant drug.

The danger of complications after SARS is the development of acute bronchitis or pneumonia, 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 self-medicating, contacting specialists in time and not endangering the baby. If the child has pneumonia before the age of 2 months, the lung alveoli remain affected and stop developing.

Why is whooping cough dangerous?

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



Vaccination will not protect one hundred percent from the disease, but it will help to significantly alleviate its course.

Whooping cough and its severe forms are deadly to babies because of paroxysmal, hysterical coughing that provokes severe vomiting, respiratory failure, and even respiratory arrest. Whooping cough symptoms include:

  • dry cough, similar to a common cold;
  • in subsequent stages, the cough becomes more painful, not turning into a wet form;
  • 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 an attack of coughing can result in vomiting with a 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 therapy. Antibacterial agents are effective at the first symptoms, when the cough center is not yet in the stage of excitation. 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. During therapy, outdoor walks are not contraindicated, and it is advisable for parents to be patient.

It is not worth rushing to treat a cough in a baby without a fever. It is necessary to determine its cause, to make sure that it is not an infection, whether a foreign body is stuck in the nasopharynx. For this you need to visit a doctor.

Causes of cough

Coughing in an infant is a way to remove obstructions in breathing. In small children, it is different:

  • physiological nature;
  • viral;
  • non-infectious.

Physiological cough

In infants, the mechanism for removing mucus, which is formed in the respiratory organs, has not been formed. To clear the passages, the child coughs.

A healthy baby coughs up to ten times a day. Doctors call this cough physiological, it does not need treatment. But only a doctor can determine the nature of a cough, including a physiological one.

Non-infectious cough

The kid has not yet learned to live in the world around him, to dry air, irritating impurities in it, especially in winter.


The baby coughs as a result of:

  • allergies;
  • parched air a;
  • subject that has entered the respiratory system from the outside.

♀ If this symptom appeared as a result of an allergic factor, it is necessary to contact a pulmonologist-allergist. In this case, self-medication cannot be done.

When the baby coughs due to dry air, moisturizing with special devices or wet cleaning will help ease breathing.

♂ Cough can occur when milk or saliva is inhaled. It appears due to weakness of the muscles of the respiratory tract or when trying to remove a foreign object.

infectious cough

☝️ The reason for such a cough in a baby, which is caused by SARS, a cold of a viral nature. The baby breathes through the mouth, and this leads to the drying of the mucous tissues of the larynx. Snot flows along the walls of the nasopharynx into the respiratory organs, irritates their mucous membrane, causing a cough reflex.

A similar effect causes otitis media.

Types of cough

There are two types of cough syndrome: dry and wet.

Dry

It usually occurs with viral diseases, and is very similar to the barking syndrome, with whooping cough, for example. After infection with the virus, a child first develops a dry cough without fever, and after a few hours all the symptoms of SARS are present. This is due to irritation of the walls of the respiratory system. ♨️ Dry nature effect occurs even during asthma attacks or allergies. A two-month-old baby, a month old or a newborn often coughs when feeding if mother's milk enters the larynx. They still don't know how to eat properly.

Wet

Such a small child cannot be treated independently. And treatment should be prescribed depending on the causes of such a pathology.

Dry cough preparations

Among the medicines prescribed for infants, there are different ones. Their use depends on the type of pathology. If the cough is strong, barking, it is necessary to prescribe medicines by a doctor.

Antitussives

These medicines reduce the activity of the cough focus. They are prescribed only with a strong dry cough, when the baby begins to bark, as it were. But drugs of this class do not combine with expectorants. The medications prescribed for this pathology include:

  • plantain herb syrup Herbion (it can only be from 2 years old);
  • Eofinil syrup;
  • Taysa syrup (allowed from a year old);
  • means Gedelix, produced in the form of a syrup and allowed even for newborns;
  • Alteyka (from 2 years old);
  • Mukaltin (soluble tablet, allowed from 3 years of age);
  • Isla Moos and Evkabal (children like the latter with a sweetish taste and aroma, allowed from 6 months old);
  • Pertussin (in the form of syrup, from 3 years old);
  • Tussamag (in the form of drops, from a year old);
  • Erespal.

Sinekod (caution should be exercised, since the drug has many contraindications).

Most syrups are allowed to be used from 2 months.

Antibiotics and other drugs

If the pathology is accompanied by an increase in temperature, the doctor prescribes antibiotics. 💊 At a temperature, the doctor sends a test for bacteriological culture to determine the type of virus. And then antibiotics or macrolides can be prescribed, actively helping to treat infections.

If a 👱 baby has asthma, he is prescribed glucocorticosteroid hormones.

With obsessive children's cough, with frequent attacks, drugs are prescribed that act on the brain, etc.

For wet cough syndrome

The doctor recommends expectorants in this case. ☘️ Their action is to facilitate the expectoration of mucus. For this, young children are prescribed Gedelix syrups with Prospan, which can be given even to a newborn. They also prescribe Linkas, an ivy-based syrup Herbion, a drug with licorice root (from the age of 5 months), Bronchipret.

Mucolytics

These medicines make the sputum less viscous than help it come out. Of the mucolytics allowed for infants, the following are most often prescribed:

  • Ambroxol (it is prescribed more often, since there is a lot of experience in using it safely and effectively);
  • Bromhexine with Acetylcysteine;
  • Fluditec in Villa Syrup.

Mucolytics are given to an infant only by prescription.

Antihistamines and aseptic agents

The doctor prescribes antihistamine medications for the allergic nature of the cough. Antibiotics are prescribed for viral infections, manifested by coughing, for example, pneumonia or tonsillitis.

There are also combined preparations, which include several components, for example, Bronchipret contains extracts from thyme and ivy. It is prescribed for children from 3 months.

Physiotherapy

In addition to medicines, physiotherapy is used in the treatment of infants;

  1. Inhalations.☁️ They are made using steam or a nebulizer. But do it very carefully to prevent burns. In a nebulizer, only saline can be used for the procedure without the permission of a doctor.
  2. Drainage massage. ☔️ This procedure is done for babies only if they do not have a temperature. Moreover, it is prescribed not from the first day of the disease, but, approximately, from the fourth, in order to facilitate the separation of mucus. When performing manipulations, the baby's head is placed just below the whole body. First, the back is rubbed, and then the chest. At the end of the massage, the baby is wrapped and laid in bed.

ethnoscience

☘️ Runny nose and cough in infants are sometimes treated with folk remedies. For this purpose, decoctions of herbs, cakes with honey, rubbing with badger or goat fat are used. In the treatment of pathology, medicinal herbs are combined in different collections. They include marshmallow with anise, coltsfoot with licorice, plantain with oregano and other plants. But doctors recommend using one plant in complex treatment so that allergies do not occur.

It is most often used in the form of tea, decoction for inhalation.

For tea, a tablespoon of dried flowers is poured into a glass of boiling water, covered with a lid. After 10 minutes, after straining, give such tea three times a day, thirty minutes after feeding in an amount of 30 ml to children from the first month.


Newborn tea recipe

Brewed flowers ☘️ of a dried plant insist 40 minutes, then boil 1 liter of water and pour infused chamomile into it. After that, they bring the baby to a saucepan with infusion, and he breathes steam for 5 minutes.

It is impossible to cure the pathology with one chamomile or another method.

Rubbing

Rubbing is recommended for children from 6 months. For younger babies, the procedure is done only under the strict supervision of a doctor. Camphor oil is allowed from a year. Ointments are also used, which can be bought at a pharmacy, for example, Pulmax baby. The folk method is represented by means of liquid honey or lard, goat fat with propolis. But if the baby is not a month old or even six, it is better not to use such a procedure in therapy.

Perform manipulations in the evening, before going to bed. The movements should be light, circular, in a clockwise direction. It is unacceptable to rub the baby with ointments in the area of ​​​​the nipples and heart.

After rubbing, the baby is wrapped warmly, put on socks.

But in order for the baby to be cured, great care is needed.

The well-known pediatrician Komarovsky believes that an infant coughs not always due to illness. This is a natural reaction of the body to the ingestion of foreign objects or substances into the respiratory system. If this occurs in a baby, Komarovsky advises to consult a specialist, and not to give the baby medicine.

If after using the medicine there are signs of an allergy, it is necessary to stop therapy and consult a pediatrician.

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