To cure a dry cough in a child, you need to make it wet. Parents need to understand how to act to relieve a seizure. But this does not negate the need for a visit to the doctor. Only a doctor will be able to establish the cause of the ailment and prescribe effective treatment.
Baby coughs
Causes of cough in children under one year old
Children under one year old are prone to infectious and inflammatory diseases, including accompanied by cough. It helps to restore breathing, get rid of pathogenic microorganisms, mucus, foreign bodies. It appears if the baby inhales dust or swallows a small toy. The cough occurs reflexively as a way to clear the airways. In infants, it is usually a symptom of a virus-related illness. At the same time, the crumbs' throat turns red, a runny nose appears, and the body temperature rises.
In children of the first month of life, a runny nose of a physiological nature is often observed. He does not cause inconvenience to the baby. The snot is abundant, but transparent. Due to the fact that they accumulate in the throat, the mucous membrane becomes irritated and the child coughs. This usually happens in the morning - the baby has been lying for a long time, mucus has accumulated on the back of the throat, and the child gets rid of it in a natural way.
Note! If a baby coughs 11-13 times a day, this is not considered a sign of illness. Mood and appetite remain normal. A physiological runny nose and cough disappear on their own as the baby grows up, when he adapts to the environment.
The difference between dry and wet cough
To prescribe treatment and understand how to help a child, it is necessary to determine if his cough is dry or wet. In the first case, it does not bring relief to the baby, it is called unproductive. The actions of the parents should be aimed at softening it, making it wet. This is the only way the baby can get rid of the accumulated phlegm that irritates the throat. If it dries up, the condition may worsen. There is a risk of bacterial infection or inflammation in the bronchi and lungs.
How to determine the type of cough
Dry cough can be characterized as follows:
- It exhausting, exhausting, without stopping for a long time;
- It is paroxysmal in nature, while sputum is not secreted;
- Itching, tickling in the throat;
- May start suddenly, usually at night.
Night cough
A wet cough has other characteristics:
- Considered productive, allows you to cough up phlegm. If it is not enough, you may not even notice its departure. Children swallow it more often;
- The attacks are mild, the patient quickly suppresses them;
- The child begins to cough precisely in order to get rid of the phlegm that interferes with him. In this case, itching and other unpleasant sensations do not arise.
A wet cough is useful, it occurs when there is a positive trend in the child's condition. Thanks to him, mucus does not accumulate in the bronchi, which serves as a favorable environment for the reproduction of pathological microorganisms. The illness usually begins with a useless dry cough. It is important to make sure that he becomes productive as quickly as possible.
First aid for a child
Do not self-medicate a baby. The body of the crumbs has not yet matured, the immunity has a low resistance to infectious diseases. They develop quickly, but with timely access to a doctor, they are easily amenable to therapy.
If a dry cough has arisen suddenly, it is necessary to exclude the ingress of a foreign body into the baby's throat. So, he could choke while eating, if he still does not cope well with the pieces, or put, for example, a button in his mouth. If the baby begins to gasp for air convulsively, then you need to call an ambulance, in the meantime, try to restore his breathing. It is necessary to put the baby on a knee or hand, so that his face is below, to hold his chest and neck. With firm movements, lightly hit the back, between the shoulder blades. To induce a gag reflex, you can apply pressure to the root of the tongue.
Help if the child chokes
A dry, violent cough often starts suddenly at night. It is important to remain calm, humidify the air in the room and the baby's mucous membranes as quickly as possible.
What actions can parents take at home to alleviate the baby's condition:
- Provide the baby with plenty of drink. If the child is breastfed, then you should not limit him, you need to give the breast on demand. It is good if the child has an appetite and no nasal congestion. When the baby is already familiar with compotes, drinks fruit drinks, there is no need to forbid him. The main thing is to minimize the amount of sugar, it is not recommended to use it for up to a year, even if the child is healthy;
- Ventilate the room where the child is. Fresh air is necessary for a speedy recovery, dry - increases throat irritation, leads to drying out of mucus;
- Put saline solution into the nose. It will help relieve inflammation and prevent mucus from becoming thick and viscous;
- Turn on a humidifier or hang out wet diapers. You can use a regular spray bottle to spray water around the room.
Children's doctor Komarovsky reminds that there is no need to be afraid of coughing, because it performs protective and health-improving functions. You need to make it useful. Usually additional moisture is sufficient for this. If the baby does not have a fever, and he feels good, you can walk with him. In this case, it is necessary to avoid drafts, make sure that the baby is dressed for the weather.
Note! You cannot wrap up the child, fearing that he will freeze, because overheating and the slightest breath of wind that touches the steamed baby can really aggravate the condition, then it will be much more difficult to cure the baby.
When to see a doctor
You need to see a doctor, even if you managed to relieve the coughing attack yourself. Only a doctor, having examined the child's throat and listening to his lungs, will be able to determine what was the cause. So, a dry cough can bother with laryngitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis. Its appearance often occurs as a reaction to dry air or being in a smoky room. You cannot postpone the visit to the doctor if the cough does not go away for 2-3 weeks, and the measures taken do not bring results.
Treatment of children under one year old
Babies under one year old need to be treated under medical supervision. It is forbidden to use sprays that can provoke laryngeal edema. Sputum thinners are used with caution and when absolutely necessary. If the child does not have a fever, you can turn to massage. It will help the phlegm to separate from the walls of the bronchi, and the baby will begin to cough up.
First of all, you need to take care of the conditions in the crumbs' room, its nutrition. The food should be light, low in calories. If the child has already begun to get acquainted with solid food, then it is better to temporarily exclude dry cookies, crackers, which will further irritate the throat. Constantly offer the baby water, fruit drinks, compotes.
Drinking plenty of fluids
Important! If the baby gets worse, his temperature rises, he begins to choke, you need to immediately call an ambulance.
Note! The smaller the infant, the more serious the complications. Refusing to hospitalize a newborn is a criminal behavior that can lead to irreparable consequences.
Non-productive cough therapy
A dry cough is exhausting; there is no improvement in the condition after an attack. After a while, he comes back again. It is important to make it productive so that when you cough, the phlegm goes away.
Inhalation
Babies can be inhaled with a nebulizer. Saline is used without a doctor's recommendation. It moisturizes the mucous membrane, it becomes easier for the child to breathe, the edema subsides. The doctor will prescribe a medication if necessary. Usually, the medicine is also mixed with saline in the proportions voiced by the doctor.
During the procedure, you cannot speak, otherwise the effect will be minimized. You need to prepare the baby, calm him down. You can turn on the inhaler in advance so that the baby hears how it works and does not get scared. For an hour or at least 30 minutes, it is better to refrain from eating. Also, do not eat immediately after the procedure. It is difficult to come to an agreement with a small child, it will take 1-1.5 hours to distract him.
Inhalation
Folk remedies
Milk will help relieve an attack of unproductive cough. You can give it to your baby only if he has tried it before. A one-year-old child can be careful to add a small amount of honey to the drink. The product is contraindicated for children under 12 months. Milk must be boiled in advance and cooled to a temperature of about 40 degrees. Honey is added only to warm liquid.
Note! Banana puree soothes annoying dry cough. It is usually introduced into the diet of infants at 8 months. The product rarely causes a negative reaction. Puree can also be added to warm milk if the baby is older than a year.
Children's doctor Komarovsky believes that folk methods to cope with the disease, including an obsessive cough, (rubbing, warming up the legs) only soothe the parents. They do not improve the condition of the crumbs, but they do not worsen, if applied correctly. Any warming procedures cannot be used if the child has a fever.
The difference between syrups and tablets
For a child under one year old, syrups are usually prescribed for dry cough. The medicine in this form is easier to give to the baby, moreover, it is absorbed faster and begins to work. Another plus is the sweet taste. But the effect of the syrup ends faster.
When the baby tastes the bitter pill, he is unlikely to agree to swallow it again. As soon as he sees the spoon, he will cry and turn away. If the drug has no analogues, and it is produced only in tablets, then there is no need to choose. The medicine must be thoroughly crushed before taking and diluted with water.
Note! You cannot give a small child a whole pill, hoping that he will swallow it. The kid may choke, which threatens to suffocate.
How to choose a medicine
Depending on the severity of the disease, the age and weight of the child, the doctor prescribes the necessary medicine. If possible, the use of medications is tried to be minimized by drinking plenty of fluids and moisturizing. When the doctor realizes that the condition is worsening, he writes a prescription. Medications are usually prescribed for inhalation; inhaled vapors act almost instantly.
Kid at the doctor
Antibiotics for dry cough cannot be prescribed to a child on their own. They only act on bacteria. Sometimes the pediatrician, without waiting for the results of the blood test, makes a decision about the need for therapy. He assesses the rate of development of the disease, the condition of the baby, examines his throat, listens to the lungs. Parents themselves will not be able to diagnose the baby, which means that they will determine what medicines he needs.
A painful dry cough often appears in children under one year old. It can occur as a result of exposure to allergens or be a symptom of an infectious disease. Self-medication is dangerous. While waiting for the doctor, parents should make sure that the child is comfortable. It is better to have a nebulizer and saline on hand, because it is important to make a dry cough productive, moisturizing the mucous membrane will help to achieve this faster.
