Children under one year old often have acute respiratory infections because they have an immature immune system. Most often, the disease is accompanied by a high body temperature and a wet cough with phlegm. The last symptom is the most dangerous, because a baby under one year old is unable to cough up mucus from the lungs. Because of this, expectorants are not suitable for babies, which can be given to children over a year old.
Infants are often sick with respiratory infections
Clinical manifestations
It is not difficult to find out if there is sputum in the upper or lower airways of an infant. It is enough for parents to pay attention to the following symptoms:
- frequent wet cough with profuse mucus;
- wheezing and squelching sounds that a baby makes during sleep;
- whistling breathing;
- a large amount of mucus in the nose.
The causes of sputum
Sputum in babies can appear for various reasons. The most common ones are:
- runny nose and swelling of the nasal mucosa;
- sore throat or sore throat;
- bronchitis, pneumonia, pneumonia and other diseases of the lower respiratory tract;
- profuse salivation when teething in an infant.
In each of these cases, the treatment of the baby will be individual.
Sputum without coughing
As a rule, sputum is accompanied by a cough, but not always. Cough is not observed if mucus collects in the nose. In this case, the main symptom will be a runny nose. When teething occurs, coughing from saliva is also not always the case, usually it only occurs in sleep, when the baby is in a horizontal position for a long time.
The cough may be absent during the day, but appear in the morning, when the child begins to cough, and the lungs and bronchi are cleared of mucus accumulated during the night.
All parents should know how sputum leaves in infants. This usually happens like this: the child breathes with wheezing or coughs, then spits out a small amount of mucus, which can be clear, white or gray.
Sputum without coughing can be caused by teething
Why coughing up phlegm is dangerous
A cough with profuse sputum is a great danger for a child under one year old, because:
- the baby may choke on mucus during sleep;
- stagnant sputum in the lungs can lead to pulmonary edema or pneumonia;
- sputum is a favorable environment for bacteria to grow;
- a cough from accumulated mucus significantly impairs the baby's sleep, because of this, the child may grow poorly and gain weight.
In order to prevent complications, it is necessary to start timely treatment.
Sputum congestion in the lungs can lead to bronchitis or pneumonia
Fighting phlegm on the advice of Komarovsky
Dr. Komarovsky gives interesting recommendations for dealing with sputum. This renowned pediatrician states that:
- any expectorant is contraindicated for children under one year old;
- if you give the baby drinking water in large quantities, the mucus becomes liquid and easily leaves;
- active movements also contribute to the discharge of sputum;
- in the presence of mucus in the nasopharynx, the instillation of vasoconstrictor drops at night in a dosage that corresponds to the age of the baby will help to alleviate the child's condition.
These guidelines have helped many parents to overcome acute respiratory infections caused by bacteria and viruses.
How can phlegm be removed
There are many ways how to remove phlegm from the throat of an infant using pharmacy drugs and harmless folk remedies. Among the most popular methods are:
- the use of herbal preparations;
- chest massage;
- inhalation with a nebulizer;
- taking drugs that dilate the bronchi and relieve spasm.
If a cough with phlegm is caused by an allergic reaction, antihistamines can help solve the problem. Injections are preferable to tablets because the medicine is absorbed immediately, bypassing the stomach and intestines. For a bacterial infection, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics.
Urgent visit to a doctor
Not everyone knows how to remove phlegm from a baby. If the sputum in the baby's throat is how to remove it, the pediatrician can tell you. You should immediately consult a doctor if profuse sputum is accompanied by a strong increase in body temperature, as well as difficulty breathing. If necessary, do not refuse hospitalization.
Sputum combined with a high fever may be a sign of pneumonia.
Attention! If a child wakes up at night and suffocates due to the fact that he cannot cough up phlegm, this condition may result in stenosis of the larynx. In this case, you should immediately call an ambulance.
Sputum removal massage
You can massage a baby to drain sputum from the nasopharynx at home or at a clinic, in the second case, all the manipulations are performed by a professional nurse. After several sessions, the sputum begins to flow well in the newborn. The massage consists of patting, stroking and chopping movements of the hands along the perimeter of the child's chest. First, the baby lies on its back, then on its stomach.
During the procedure, the child may cough and spit out mucus. This is normal - such a reaction indicates that the massage is being performed correctly and that it is effective. Massage is a very quick way to remove phlegm from the bronchi in an infant at home.
Parents need to know how babies get sputum. This usually happens with a cough, the child spits out clear mucus. If necessary, the doctor may prescribe a sputum test to identify the bacteria it contains - the yellowish color of the mucus indicates purulent inflammation.
Dissatisfied baby
Baby care
If sputum appears in a newborn, how to remove it, you should think about it as soon as adverse symptoms appear. The main thing is not to be late and start treatment on time. Caring for a sick baby, you must:
- if there is no temperature, regularly walk with the baby;
- ventilate the nursery several times a day;
- humidify the air if it is very dry;
- if necessary, give the child inhalation.
Doctors say that with abundant sputum, inhalation with ordinary saline solution is good. The principle of operation of this procedure is based on the fact that physiological solution moisturizes the mucous membranes of the throat and nose, facilitates the liquefaction of mucus and its better discharge. Inhalations need to be done using a nebulizer - a compressor inhaler that sprays small particles of liquids into the child's respiratory tract. This is a good way to get rid of excess mucus.
Attention! In no case should you take expectorant and antitussive drugs at the same time, because they have the opposite effect. Antitussives are taken at night to help ease sleep. Expectorants - on the contrary, no later than 19 hours.
Preventive measures
The best way to resist the appearance of phlegm is to protect the child from acute respiratory diseases and viral infections. This requires:
- strengthen the baby's immunity;
- walk with the child every day and bathe him, perform hardening procedures;
- avoid crowded places;
- do not allow the baby to come into contact with sick people;
- not to visit the children's clinic during epidemics of influenza and acute respiratory infections.
You should also remove all potential allergens from the children's room and monitor the maintenance of optimal air humidity in the apartment. These simple precautions can dramatically improve your baby's immunity and remove germs and viruses from the body.
Council. To prevent the appearance of mucus in the nasopharynx, it is recommended to rinse the child's nose daily with any water-salt solution. This is a good way to quickly get rid of coughs and runny nose, according to Komarovsky.
It is known that at an early stage of acute respiratory infections, a child usually suffers from a dry cough without phlegm. In this case, the task of the parents is to transfer the dry cough into a wet one as soon as possible, so that the mucus begins to leave, and the baby can easily spit, then the lungs will soon become clean. To do this, children after a year can be given expectorants, but only as prescribed by a pediatrician. Any expectorant drug stimulates the production of mucus, if there is too much mucus, the baby will not be able to remove it, and fluid stagnation in the lungs will provoke the development of pneumonia.
In order for a sick child to clear his throat well, he must sleep with a raised pillow, in this position the mucus can move away much more easily. It is advisable that the baby sleeps on its side, so the mucus does not enter the respiratory tract.
Any cough with sputum with acute respiratory infections in a baby from a month to a year should be treated under the supervision of a pediatrician. The disease can be of both viral and bacterial nature. The main thing is not to self-medicate and not resort to folk remedies without the permission of the pediatrician. In severe cases, you should not refuse hospitalization, under the supervision of doctors, it will be easier for the baby and parents to cope with the disease.
