The question of how to cure a child’s cough often arises before most parents. It is clear that the pediatrician should deal with the treatment of childhood diseases, but often there are situations when it is better to try to do it on your own (for example, on vacation or on holidays), and you don’t always want to call a doctor because of a slight cough. Therefore, parents who want to quickly cure a child’s cough should know what can and should be done for this, and what is absolutely not recommended.
Let's start with the main thing. Before thinking about how to cure a child's cough with medications, rubbing and compresses, you need to reflect on the following questions. In most cases, the child’s body is able to cope with a cough if it is organized in the right conditions of existence. It is necessary that the temperature in the room does not exceed 20 degrees Celsius, and the humidity is at least 45%. The child needs to be constantly drunk, then the mucus in the nasopharynx and bronchi will not become excessively viscous and thick. Drinking regimen is especially important if the cough is accompanied by an increase in body temperature. It doesn’t matter what exactly the child will drink: juice, water, compote, tea - most importantly, this is the total amount of liquid.
There are many pharmacological agents designed to cure a dry cough for a child. However, it must be borne in mind that cough medicines are divided into two groups: some dilute sputum and promote its coughing, while others have an antitussive effect. At first glance, the effectiveness of the funds from the second group is much higher, because after taking such a medicine, the child literally immediately stops coughing or does it much less often. However, such treatment can be fraught with serious consequences, because in case of suppression of the cough reflex, sputum accumulated in the airways does not cough, but stagnates, and bacteria begin to multiply in it. As a result, a harmless cough can develop into bronchitis or pneumonia. Therefore, antitussive drugs should be prescribed only by the attending physician and only after examining and listening to the child. Expectorants do not cause such complications, but their excessive use contributes to the fact that the cough takes a lingering nature. Therefore, they should be taken until sputum is well removed, and then switch to a plentiful drink. Sometimes coughing can be caused by mucus running down the back of the throat from the nose. This is typical both for colds and viral infections, and for sinusitis and adenoiditis, so if the child coughs, and the pediatrician says that the airways are clean, it makes sense to consult a ENT doctor.
Often, parents want to learn how to cure a child's cough with herbs. For some reason, most of the population considers folk methods of treatment very easy and safe, therefore, without fear and doubt, gives children different teas, tinctures and decoctions. However, you should be aware that herbs often cause allergic reactions, therefore, folk remedies should be used with extreme caution, and not be too carried away with such treatment. In the treatment of cough, compresses, rubbing and mustard plasters are very popular, but pediatricians are increasingly saying that these methods are not as effective as many people are used to thinking. And in the event that the child has allergic manifestations, putting him mustard plasters and rubbing with strongly smelling agents is strictly not recommended!
There are situations when parents need not think about how to cure a child’s cough on their own, but seek medical help. If there is at least one of the following symptoms:
- the cough does not go away within a week (and there is not even a tendency to improve);
- the child becomes worse and (or) he has a high fever;
- cough is accompanied by severe pain behind the sternum;
- wheezing is heard or the child complains that it is difficult for him to inhale or exhale air;
- the cough became much less common, but then intensified again,
then you should not hesitate to call a pediatrician or go to the clinic. It is also unacceptable to self-medicate in the case of cough treatment in babies under the age of 6 months.