Most parents claim that they know what treatment is needed if a child has a cough, and what to do to prevent complications. But in reality, many mothers and fathers make the same mistakes. Let's figure out what to do if the child coughs. What to give with dry cough, and what with wet?
Is a cough a disease or not?
Coughing is not an independent disease, but just a symptom, which is accompanied by many infectious, inflammatory and colds. It is a natural reflex phenomenon that occurs when muscles of the respiratory tract contract. A cough is a protective reaction of the respiratory system from sputum or foreign particles to restore normal breathing.
It is important to make an accurate diagnosis as soon as possible and begin treatment if the child has a cough. What to do and what drugs to take, the doctor will decide. It is not necessary to prescribe medications and procedures to the child arbitrarily - this can be dangerous to his health.
Respiratory diseases in children
If a child has a stuffy nose and a cough begins, it is most likely a commonplace cold. However, infectious and dangerous inflammatory diseases (for example, pneumonia) can manifest themselves in a similar way. It is impossible to determine independently what disease the child has - pneumonia, bronchitis, tracheitis or laryngitis, which means that without knowing the exact diagnosis, it will not be possible to choose the right treatment. In addition, during the day, health usually improves, and in the evening the child coughs again. Any antitussive drugs should be prescribed by a doctor.
What medicines are suitable for babies
If a child coughs after a cold, then the disease has not been completely cured. A neglected form of the common cold is much more difficult to treat, so any diseases of the upper respiratory tract must be treated immediately after the onset of the first symptoms. Medicines that help cure an onset cough in a child are usually found in any pharmacy. In order to prescribe drugs, it is enough for an experienced pediatrician to get acquainted with the test results and listen to the child with a stethoscope. What to give the child with a cough that begins?
If sputum is not expectorated, that is, the cough is dry, expectorants are prescribed for the patient. Most of the modern pharmaceutical preparations contain natural ingredients (plantain, licorice root, sage). Children from an early age can be given Pertussin, Doctor Mom, Bronchipret, Herbion.
Mucolytics are prescribed if a child begins to cough wet, but sputum is poorly removed due to too viscous and thick consistency. Among mucolytics, children are most often prescribed Ambrobene, Lazolvan, Erespal. Reducing irritation in the throat, stopping perspiration and relieving inflammation of the mucosa can be done with the help of lozenges and lozenges based on natural ingredients, as well as antiseptic aerosols (Miramistin, Chlorophyllipt, Ingalipt).
Treatment recommendations
Not only taking medication matters if a child begins to cough. What to do to help the baby easier to bear the disease? Following simple guidelines will help speed up the healing process. First of all, it is important to ensure that the child:
- observed the regime of the day;
- moved less and lay more in bed;
- consumed enough drink (children’s broth of wild rose, tea with raspberries, lemon, honey, compotes and dried fruit jelly are considered especially useful for coughing in children).
Linen must be changed daily, but it is desirable to wash children's clothes with hypoallergenic powders without fragrances. Parents also should not use perfumes during the period of illness of the child, so as not to irritate the mucous membranes of the respiratory organs.
Many pediatricians express their opinion on the treatment of coughing in a child. Komarovsky, a well-known pediatrician, argues that humidity and air temperature in the room are of great importance for recovery from colds. If the apartment is too hot, then in dry air it is unlikely to get rid of a cough in a short time. Such an unfavorable microclimate will act as an additional source of irritation of the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx and provoke coughing attacks.
In order for the disease to recede as soon as possible, it is necessary to maintain an optimal level of temperature and humidity in the rooms. Ideal temperature indicators are + 21-22 ° C, and humidity - not more than 55%. Maintaining the right climate is easy. All that is needed is to regularly air the room and do a wet cleaning. If the street has dry air, you can moisten it with a household humidifier, and in the absence of the latter, wet towels hung on heating radiators.
The child needs to be given plenty of fluids. Concentrated juices and sweet compotes are best limited. Sour drinks also will not benefit, since they irritate the mucous membrane and cause new coughing attacks.
Nebulizer purpose
Even inhalation will help to cope with a prolonged cough. A solution (usually mucolytic or expectorant drugs) diluted with sodium chloride is poured into the nebulizer container. The dosage for inhalation is determined by the doctor. With a dry cough, inhalation with alkaline solutions gives a good result.
The course of treatment is usually 5-7 days. After treatment procedures, the frequency of coughing attacks is reduced. Moreover, you can use both compressor and ultrasonic nebulizers. If there is no such device, inhalation can be done standing over a pot of boiled potatoes or medicinal herbs. This type of treatment is suitable for children over three years old. Inhalations are carried out only under the supervision of adults.
Natural remedies
As a rule, alternative methods are used in order to supplement treatment and enhance the effect of pharmacy medicines. Before using any alternative cough medicine, you should consult a pediatrician. Next, we give an example of several tools that are considered the most effective and safe for children:
- Radish with honey. The cough recipe is quite simple: the root crop is cleaned and cut into thin plates. All slices need to be laid in a jar on top of each other and grease each layer with honey. After a while, the juice from the radish with honey will stand out - a cough recipe suggests giving the child exactly this liquid one teaspoon three times a day.
- "Mustard" socks. This cough treatment method can only be used if the child is not allergic to mustard. In plain cotton socks, pour 10 g of powder and put them on the baby's feet. The procedure is preferably carried out at night and do not remove socks until the morning.
- Foot baths with mustard. In water at a temperature of 37-38 ° C add a couple of spoons of mustard powder. The child is wrapped in a blanket, and his legs are lowered into the bath. The procedure itself lasts at least 10-20 minutes. During all this time, it is necessary to add boiling water to maintain the temperature not lower than 40 ° C. You can’t soar your feet if the child has a fever.
- Compress with rye cakes. The composition includes rye flour (3 tbsp. L.), Honey (2 tbsp. L.), Century juice (1 tbsp. L.). All components are mixed in an enameled bowl, then the dough is kneaded, from which it will be necessary to form one large or several small cakes and put on the baby's chest. A plastic bag and a warm scarf are placed on top.
- Milk with honey. This is the simplest cough medicine that all children love. In a glass of warm milk add a teaspoon of honey, a little butter and a pinch of baking soda, drink before bedtime.
- Rubbing with goat fat. Fat is applied to the skin of the back, chest and legs and rubbed thoroughly before bedtime. For raster, you can also use goose, bear or badger fat.
Allergic reaction
If a child begins to dry cough, how to treat it? In this case, we are talking about allergies. Coughing is only a response of the respiratory tract to dust particles and other irritants that the child inhales. In some cases, to get rid of an allergic cough, it is enough to take out textiles, down pillows and blankets, synthetic rugs and other things from the children's room.
The main difference between an allergy and a cold is a stable body temperature. With allergies, there is no sore throat when swallowing, the general state of health is not disturbed. Allergic cough may be accompanied by rhinitis, as well as with respiratory diseases.
It is possible to suppress the attacks of dry cough against the background of an allergic reaction with the help of antihistamines. Children are prescribed the latest generation of drugs, which last longer than their predecessors and are much less likely to cause adverse reactions. Such drugs include Claritin, Zodak, Suprastin.
Foreign body in the airways
In this case, it is urgent to take rescue measures if the child has a cough. What should I do if a child chokes or foreign objects get into his respiratory organs? When playing, children often stuff small details into their nose or mouth. Parents need to act immediately. If breathing is not disturbed, you must urgently call a doctor or emergency team. Carefully remove the bead, pea or other object of scanty size and at the same time not to damage the nasopharynx is possible only with special tools.
If the ingestion of a foreign body, food, drink in the respiratory tract caused a strong dry cough, while the child cannot completely cough, wheezes, blushes and waves his arms, it is urgent to act. Due to respiratory arrest, the child may turn blue, lose consciousness and die.
How to help a child who is suffocating
If the cause of the cough is a foreign object that has got into the respiratory tract, you need to help the child get rid of it and restore breathing. The baby is placed on his knee facing the floor, then between the shoulder blades clap a palm. Too energetic actions can only harm the baby. After clapping the child, you need to lower it upside down and hold it by the legs.
If the child is more than a year old, the Heimlich method can be applied to him. It runs like this:
- The victim must be tilted forward and behind him.
- Grasp the torso with both hands, with one hand gathered in a fist, and the other firmly press the fist to the stomach, between the navel and the upper quadrant.
- Make several pressing movements, trying to push the fist in and up.
As soon as the child is better and breathing is restored, an ambulance must be called urgently. In cases where there was a respiratory arrest, a doctor's examination is required.
Asthma in children
This disease can also cause coughing in a child. Komarovsky believes that the increase in cases of asthma is due to a significant deterioration in the environmental situation and an increase in the level of concentration of harmful, toxic substances in the atmosphere. Each attack is characterized by a strong dry cough, which is accompanied by wheezing and difficulty breathing.
You can suspect asthma in a child by a prolonged cough, which can not be treated with drugs. Unlike catarrhal respiratory diseases, asthma is not accompanied by an increase in body temperature, so parents often do not take seriously the cough that has appeared. A characteristic feature of asthmatic cough is the presence of adverse factors, irritants. This can be animal hair, and the dustiness of the room, and a pair of household chemicals.
A method of stopping an asthmatic attack
With an exacerbation of the disease, it is necessary to calm down and try not to panic. The child should see the balanced and calm behavior of the parents in a similar situation. Otherwise, the small patient may be frightened and will not be able to fully comply with the instructions of adults.
First of all, it is necessary to exclude contact with the irritant that triggered the attack. The child should be taken out to fresh air as soon as possible, unfastened or removed clothing.
If an attack begins, the child is seated, leaning forward and giving him the opportunity to lean on his hands. Grudnichkov should be picked up, it is better to keep them "column" in an upright position. If the attack does not occur for the first time, treatment tactics using an inhaler are usually known to parents in advance. During the day, it is recommended to use it no more than four times.
Quite often, an asthma attack in a child provokes tobacco smoke. In families where there are children with this disease, parents should abandon the bad habit. However, this does not exclude the possibility of smoke entering the house through the windows or the balcony. A child can accidentally inhale it in the porch, at a bus stop and other public places, so the inhaler should always be at hand.
Cough, whatever its cause, causes a lot of concern to the child and his parents. The treatment of diseases that are accompanied by coughing should be started immediately - this will avoid dangerous complications.