Careful attention must be paid to the treatment of cough in children, because this is a very alarming and unpleasant symptom. If a cough develops due to a defeat of the childās body with a bacterial or viral infection, then this can threaten the spread of the disease to nearby tissues, a transition to the chronic stage. Especially if you do not start to heal on time. Before you begin to treat any cough, you need to establish its causes.
Treatment principles
First, let's decide on the principles of treating cough in children. Cough itself is considered perhaps the most popular protective reflex of a person. Its function is to effectively cleanse the respiratory tract of all kinds of irritants. These can be foreign bodies, allergens, sputum, mucus, bacteria and viruses.
Of particular concern should be a dry cough, which does not lead to sputum formation. This is due to the fact that she is not there or her consistency is too thick. Unlike wet cough, which, as a rule, signals that the disease has subsided, dry becomes very painful for the child, interferes with normal sleep, does not bring relief. Very young children may experience irritation, cracks and bleeding wounds.
As a rule, the cause of coughing in children is associated with acute respiratory viral infections or colds, and more precisely, with inflammatory processes that occur against their background in the respiratory tract. For example, bronchitis or pharyngitis. With the latter, irritation begins in the mucous membrane of the throat, perspiration and aching pain appears. During bronchitis, the cough is loud and chest.
It is better not to engage in cough treatment in children on their own, but immediately consult a specialist. This is especially important if there is a suspicion that the cough is not associated with an acute respiratory disease, but with some other reason. It is worth worrying if the cough is not accompanied by a runny nose, sore throat and other characteristic clinical signs of a cold.
If the whole thing is in acute respiratory infections, the cause of the cough in children has been established, then the most important thing you can do is to relieve inflammation in the throat, create conditions that will prevent the spread of the inflammatory process through the respiratory tract. If this has already happened, bronchitis has begun, the cough has become wet from dry, then it is necessary to effectively clean the airways of sputum and mucus, which can begin to accumulate there.
If the child does not cough for a long time, you need to go to the clinic. Moreover, sometimes a childās cough can appear only in the first half of the day and not be a sign of any serious illness. In most cases, then it is associated with the wrong temperature and humidity level in the room in which he sleeps. You can fix this yourself - regularly air the room and install a humidifier.
Baby care
It must be remembered that in addition to medicines, it is also necessary to organize the right care for a child who suffers from coughing. To do this, it must be provided:
- plentiful warm drink (it can be stewed fruit, herbal teas, still mineral water, fruit drinks);
- often ventilate the room and be sure to carry out wet cleaning;
- humidity in the apartment should be at least 50%;
- in the room where the baby sleeps, the temperature should not rise above 20 degrees.
It is proper care for a sick child that plays an important role in the treatment of cough. This is important for the smallest, for which most strong medications can pose a threat, contribute to the development of serious complications, the occurrence of side effects.
Among foreign pediatricians, there is an opinion that drinking plenty of water when coughing is even more mandatory than taking all kinds of mucolytic drugs. But itās safer.
Medications for the smallest
When treatment of cough in children is still necessary to take various drugs, you need to know how they act, what they can affect. It depends on which medications to use.
The doctor must decide what to give the child from coughing based on the examination of the patient, examination of the throat, chest and general clinical tests. So it will be possible to determine the cause of the disease. The doctor can prescribe several types of drugs:
- local drugs that will help defeat sore throat;
- mucolytics;
- antitussive drugs;
- expectorants.
Also, antispasmodics, sedatives, antibiotics and antihistamines can be included in complex treatment. All at the discretion of the doctor.
The most difficult to cope with the disease in infants. There are not many cough medications for children under one year old that they could be prescribed without any consequences. This is also due to the weak respiratory muscles of the child, an undeveloped cough reflex, when the baby has not yet learned to cough.
Due to the abundant sputum that forms in the respiratory tract, a serious danger can arise for the baby. This happens with the regular use of expectorants, mucolytics. Cough in this case can lead to the fact that the child begins to choke on the resulting mucus.
Throat Medications
When the doctor determines that the cause of the cough is damage to the throat mucosa, he applies local cough therapy to children under one year old. These drugs are able to provide emollient, healing, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effects.
How to cure a cough in a child, largely depends on his age. Depending on this, the doctor may prescribe herbal decoctions, the use of sprays, rinses, lozenges, lozenges with extracts of useful herbs, lozenges.
Medicines that are used for sore throat can be combined in one table. It also provides information on their dosage.
| The name of the drug | At what age to take | What dosage (per day) |
| Lizobakt tablets | from three to seven years | 1 tablet 3 times |
| from seven to 12 years old | 1 tablet 4 times |
| from 12 years old | 2 tablets 3-4 times |
| Spray "Ingalipt" | from three years old | 2-3 injections 3-4 times |
| "Tantum Verde" | At the age of six | 1 tablet every 3 hours |
| Lollipops "Strepsils" | At the age of six | 1 lollipop every 3 hours |
| Septefril tablets | From five years | 1 tablet 3-4 times |
| Septollet lozenges | from four years old | 1 lozenge no more than 4 times |
| from 12 years old | 1 lozenge no more than 8 times |
| Hexoral Spray | from three years old | 1 injection 2 times |
| "Faringosept" | from three years old | 1 tablet 3 times |
Cough relief
If the child does not cough, the doctor may prescribe antitussive drugs. These are strong enough drugs, so taking them yourself is not recommended. They are prescribed if the cough is very strong, accompanied by pain, and interferes with sleep. They work like this: they suppress a childās cough, affecting the cough center, thus reducing the irritation of inflamed mucous membranes, and the susceptibility of cough receptors on the periphery decreases. In parallel, they have a moderate expectorant effect, proto-inflammatory, bronchodilator, bronchodilator.
Against the background of their intake in a child with a dry cough, stagnation of mucus can form, it is imperative to see a doctor, as coughing can sometimes provoke a more serious disease. You can not let it drift.
The most effective drugs that are most often used for severe dry cough are collected in one table.
| The name of the drug | At what age to take | What dosage (per day) |
| "Sinecode" (it can be in the form of a dragee, syrup or drops) | syrup, from three years old | 3 times 5 ml |
| syrup, from six years old | 3 times 10 ml |
| syrup, from 12 years old | 3 times 15 ml |
| drops, from two months to three years | strictly following instructions |
| Libexin tablets | from three years old | quarter tablet 3-4 times |
| At the age of six | half a tablet 3-4 times |
| from 12 years old | one tablet 3-4 times |
| "Broncholitin" | from three years old | 5 ml 3 times |
| from 10 years old | 10 ml 3 times |
| Glauvent | from four years old | 10 mg 2-3 times |
Mucolytics
A powerful cough remedy for children is mucolytics. They are able to change the chemical composition and properties of sputum. Mucolytics contribute to the development of its liquid part.
Cough remedies for children belonging to the category of mucolytics are given in this article.
| The name of the drug | At what age to take | What dosage (per day) |
| "Ambroxol" (in the pharmacy you can find all kinds of analogues in the form of tablets, syrup, solutions for inhalation) | syrup, up to two years | 2.5 ml 2 times |
| syrup, two to five years old | 2.5 ml 3 times |
| syrup, from five years | five ml 2-3 times |
| ACC and its analogues (they are produced in the form of effervescent tablets, syrup, granules) | syrup, from two to 14 years | five ml 2-3 times |
| syrup, from 14 years old | 10 ml 2-3 times |
| "Bromhexine" (in the form of syrup and tablets) | up to six years old | 12 mg |
| from six to 14 years | 24 mg |
| over 14 years old | 24-48 mg |
It is always worth remembering that prolonged use of cough syrups for children can lead to overproduction of sputum. So mucolytics are canceled as soon as the dry cough becomes wet.
Expectorant drugs
When a dry cough in a child torments him for more than a day, doctors often prescribe syrups, which include a large number of medicinal herbs. They are able to thin the accumulating sputum, accelerating its elimination due to severe irritation of the cough center.
The composition of expectorant preparations includes plant extracts, which can have not only an expectorant, but also anti-inflammatory property, and some have a healing and decongestant effect.
For health, with a dry cough in a child, they are relatively safe. Exceptions are only children suffering from allergies. The fact is that these cough syrups for children are capable of provoking dermatitis, urticaria, and some other allergic reactions that occur during intensive treatment.
This table contains effective expectorant drugs, the effect of which has been tested by time. You will know exactly what to give your child from coughing.
| The name of the drug | At what age to take | What dosage (per day) |
| "Dr. IOM" | from three years old | half a teaspoon 3 times |
| At the age of six | to a full teaspoon 3 times |
| from 14 years old | one or two teaspoons 3 times |
| "Herbion" with plantain | from two to seven years | one measuring spoon 3 times |
| from seven to 14 years old | one or two scoops 3 times |
| from 14 years old | two scoops 3-5 times |
| "Bronchicum C" | from six months to a year | 2.5 ml 2 times |
| one to two years | 2.5 ml 3 times |
| two to six years old | five ml 2 times |
| from six to 12 years | five ml 3 times |
| Gedelix | two to four years old | 2.5 ml 3 times |
| from four to 10 years | 2.5 ml 4 times |
| from 10 years | five ml 3 times |
Additional effective remedies
Cough inhalation for children is used with an integrated approach to treatment. Such agents bring a positive therapeutic effect. For inhalation, inhale the vapors or use a nebulizer. In the latter case, inhalations are made using a solution of drugs. These can be ACC, Sinupret, Lazolvan, Fluimucil, Dekasan, Ambrobene. Soda buffer and saline are also added.
This treatment has several obvious advantages. The main one is that the drugs go directly into the airways.
Steam inhalations using herbal infusions (usually St. John's wort, sage, chamomile, coltsfoot, eucalyptus) help if the child does not cough, they also use all kinds of decoctions, mineral water, and baking soda solutions.
During inhalation, the temperature of the solution itself should not be higher than 40 degrees. This will avoid wounds on the mucosa, as well as other injuries.
Cough Compress
Another effective remedy is a cough compress for a child. This method has virtually no contraindications, it is effective in a variety of types of diseases.
Compresses come in many different types - dry and wet, oil and alcohol based, cool and warm.
The final choice of ingredients is determined by the causes and nature of the cough, as well as the individual susceptibility of the child to various drugs.
The compress should consist of three layers - a piece of gauze, bandage or cotton wool, film or polyethylene, a towel, scarf, scarf or blanket. The second layer is necessary to cover the wet layer from above, and the last one to insulate the lower layers.
The mechanism of a cough compress for a child is based on warming certain parts of the body. Thus, it has anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, bactericidal, antifungal effects on the patientās body as a whole. Sputum liquefies, relief comes.
Compresses have proven effective in bronchitis, acute respiratory infections, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, pneumonia, and laryngitis.
Be sure to remember about the general rules, which are strictly prohibited to violate. Otherwise, the effect will not be healing, but completely opposite. It is better to put a compress closer to the night, just before bedtime.
The procedure is contraindicated if there is a suspicion of high temperature or pressure. You can make a compress only when these indicators normalize. In an extreme case, completely abandon it in favor of other methods of treatment.
A compress is placed in the place to be warmed. When coughing, the best option is chest or back. It is forbidden to put a compress on the heart, it must be left free. Damage to the body should not be affected, if any.
The most common are compresses from potatoes, as well as vodka and honey. Compresses in most cases are forbidden to infants and the elderly.
To prepare one of the most effective compresses - honey, you must evenly rub the chest and back of the patient with honey. Lay a plastic bag on top, so a certain "greenhouse effect" is formed. You can replace polyethylene with parchment paper. The last layer is a blanket. The compress lasts about 60 minutes.
After removing it, it is necessary to thoroughly wash and lubricate the areas on which the compress was applied, with olive or sunflower oil. You can use a softening cream for the skin. Now you know how to cure a child's cough.
Folk remedies
In Russia, there are many folk cough recipes for children, many people use them. Their effectiveness has been tested for decades, so they can also be used, not forgetting the recommendations received from the doctor.
The folk remedies include compresses, which we already mentioned in this article, massages, the use of tea infusions and medicinal herbs. It is believed that coltsfoot, marshmallow, licorice, wild rosemary, and elecampane can effectively combat dry cough.
Tea with currants helps, especially when a cough is accompanied by SARS. Currants can be replaced with raspberries or honey. Another popular and often used folk remedy is hot milk with honey. This drink helps to get rid not only of cough, but also of sore throat. It has an antiseptic effect, will soften a cough and warm the patient. The childās body can more effectively deal with pathogenic microflora. Just keep in mind that honey is a strong allergen, therefore it should be used with caution, especially in the case of young children.
Often they cook radishes with cough honey for children. For this tool you will need:
- medium-sized black radish;
- two teaspoons of honey;
- very little sugar (if desired, you can not use it at all);
- vegetable knife;
- a small shallow plate.
In the process of preparing radishes with cough honey for children, start by thoroughly washing the root crop in warm running water, removing the most noticeable impurities. Cut off the skin and hat. With teaspoonful, remove the flesh of the radish, grind the resulting mass.
Together with sugar and honey, put it back into the root crop and let it brew for two hours. When time passes, you will receive juice, sweet and tasty for kids. This is a fairly effective and efficient tool that many have successfully tested on themselves and their children.