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Help for a child's cough. How and what to treat a severe cough in a child

When a child starts to cough, many parents wonder how to quickly cure it. Bronchospasm can occur for a variety of reasons. To select, you need to understand the nature of its occurrence and type. Pediatricians advise not to rush into taking pharmaceutical medications; in 25% of cases, attacks do not occur due to a virus or bacteria.

If the child is 3 years old or younger, you should immediately make sure that no foreign body has entered the respiratory tract. This will be indicated by attacks of suffocation and blue discoloration of the skin. The foreign object must be removed immediately, otherwise the baby may suffocate.

A simple cough in a child: what is it?

How to cure a cough - this question is asked by many parents who do not have time to consult a pediatrician. Most often, simple attacks of bronchospasm are associated with viral infections. For coughs, children over 4 years old are given special medications that are prescribed depending on the type of attack:

  • a dry cough will not go away quickly, as it needs to be made productive. Most often, such attacks occur in the initial stages of the disease;
  • A wet cough at home is easily recognized by an attentive parent. The attacks are accompanied by the release of mucus.

A cough medicine for children is prescribed after an accurate diagnosis is announced. Pediatricians identify several factors that contribute to the appearance of cough:

  • penetration of infection into the body is bacteria or viruses. A cough of this nature can be quickly treated using complex therapy. The doctor will prescribe tablets, syrups and home treatments;
  • allergies - in this case, children are prescribed special medications; if no measures are taken, the attacks will become chronic or swelling of the larynx may develop, which will lead to suffocation.

All harmful agents enter the baby’s body through the air. Allergies often occur to pollen, dust or pet dander. Pediatricians will tell you how to quickly cure such a disease after studying the appropriate tests for allergens.

Simple cough due to respiratory diseases

How to get rid of a cough that interferes with a child aged 3 years and older from leading a normal lifestyle. When the upper respiratory tract becomes inflamed, a cold occurs, one of the symptoms of which is a child’s cough. Many parents try to carry out therapy at home, forgetting about the complications that arise due to illiterate therapy:

  1. Inflammation spreads to the lower respiratory tract - lungs and bronchi.
  2. The appearance of otitis and tonsillitis, the infection actively enters the hearing organs and nasal sinuses. In this case, children cannot do without special procedures and antibiotics.
  3. The progression of the disease into chronic sinusitis.

Why does a child develop a cough and fever?

Therefore, it is important to prescribe the correct medications for a child’s cough. A pediatrician will make an accurate diagnosis for a simple cold. Most often, therapy includes the following manipulations:

  • Drink plenty of fluids to help your cough become productive. In this case, folk remedies are allowed; these can be herbal tinctures and decoctions. For these purposes, expectorants are prescribed;
  • compresses - are prescribed only if the child does not have a fever; bronchodilators are prescribed - these medications dilate the bronchi, which helps remove accumulated mucus;
  • healthy eating and rest;
  • inhalations with extracts of medicinal herbs.

Special medications have been developed for children over 2 years of age. It is better to avoid inhalations, as a spasm of the respiratory tract may occur. This leads to a disruption in the breathing rhythm, and the baby will suffer from lack of air.

A good remedy for colds is hardening and choosing clothes according to the season. Parents are terrified that their child is freezing and put on a lot of clothes. This leads to disruption of natural heat exchange. A bundled up baby sweats and gets sick.

How to cure cough in babies under one year old

Newborns with any symptoms of a cold should be shown to a pediatrician. Many fathers and mothers prefer folk remedies, which grandmothers actively talk about. This treatment helps only in 10% of cases. Most often, a simple bronchospasm develops into serious illness. That is why, for a child under one year of age, all medications for cough should be prescribed by specialists, taking into account age and health characteristics.

Physiological cough is a common condition in young children. Many mothers are interested in how to eliminate such an attack. Doctors believe that this type of cough can be overcome by simply turning your son or daughter onto his stomach. Due to the fact that the baby is always on his back, mucus accumulates in his upper respiratory tract. This causes an attack, as the body tries to “clear” the path for easy breathing.

But kids also get colds. Therefore, it is important to understand how to quickly cure a child’s cough so that complications do not arise. If a 5-year-old child easily takes pills, then it is difficult to give a one-year-old child the necessary drug.

“False croup” is a term that doctors use when there is swelling of the vocal cords and larynx in a young patient. If a child has such an attack, then it is necessary to urgently go to the hospital. This condition is life threatening.

How to quickly relieve cough in a newborn patient? In this case, a decoction of medicinal herbs helps if the cold is not severe. An effective way to treat cough in a child with inflammation of the upper respiratory tract is with plant-based syrups:

  • Doctor Mom - the drug allows you to remove phlegm. The dosage is calculated based on the weight and age of the child;
  • Gelisal – has virtually no side effects, the period of therapy should not exceed 10 days;
  • Linkas is a cough medicine that is chosen by many leading pediatricians in the country.

Many parents quickly treat cough in children with medications that contain acetylcysteine ​​and ambroxol. In many countries, these drugs have been banned since 2010, due to a large list of side effects. In Russia there are no such restrictions, but parents should not be negligent when purchasing medications for the treatment of a one-year-old family member.

List of medications for babies over one year old

It is important to cure a dry cough, as it greatly weakens the immune system and brings discomfort around the clock. What helps babies from 1 to 2 years old? Syrups that effectively fight coughs:

  1. Bromhexine is an expectorant. The standard dosage at this age is 2 mg 3 times a day.
  2. Sinekod (drops) - facilitates breathing due to a direct effect on the cough center. Dosage – 10 drops 4 times a day.
  3. Bronchicum - prescribed for infectious inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system. The doctor will prescribe the following dosage - 2.5 ml 2-3 times a day.

How to treat a child’s cough with folk remedies

“Dry mixture” deserves special attention. With its help you can get rid of cough at home. A 2-year-old child should be treated with medications carefully. An incorrectly calculated dosage can cause swelling of internal organs, poisoning, and gastrointestinal upset.

What to give for cough at 2 years old

Only a small number of parents are able to quickly get rid of a cold at home. It is easy to give your child a pharmaceutical drug. The main thing is not to make mistakes in self-diagnosis. Expectorants can help quickly cure a dry cough. But if the remedy does not help, then you should go to the hospital. If pneumonia or pneumonia is suspected, the young patient will be sent to hospital treatment.

Cough at home in two-year-old children is treated with the following medications:

  • Linkas – syrup with plant extracts. Children of two years old take the drug with pleasure, since it is deliberately sweetened. But not everyone likes the over-sweetness of a pharmaceutical product;
  • Erespal - dilates the bronchi and has an anti-inflammatory effect on the body as a whole;
  • Anise drops - simple dosage, 1 drop for every year of life. The drug must be diluted in water.

Only a pediatrician can tell you how to cure a cough without harming a young patient. The doctor will select the best remedy and calculate the dosage. When getting rid of painful attacks, the baby will immediately feel better.

Medicines from three years and above

The symptom of a cold is often a simple cough. Doctors know how to cure this condition. A child 3-4 years old should be shown to a doctor. The specialist will conduct an examination and prescribe the necessary medications.

Many medications for this age are available in tablets. A 4-year-old child can be offered the drug, previously crushed into powder. Ambroxol is the most popular medicine that will help get rid of a child’s cough. Your pediatrician will tell you how to take the pills.

The baby coughs, and this is always bad. If it is not a cold or an infectious disease, then you can eliminate this unpleasant phenomenon at home using proven methods that were used by our grandparents. Parents are undoubtedly interested in how to quickly cure a child’s cough at home, but they should be warned that this cannot be done in one or two days. It will still take some time, because the components used for this must, first of all, be safe for children.

The coughing process is completely physiological, as it is protective in nature, protecting the respiratory tract from the accumulation of dust particles, microscopic foreign objects, and also mucus. If a child coughs periodically throughout the day, this does not mean a serious illness. In this way, infants get rid of maternal milk or saliva from entering the respiratory system.

It is important for parents to pay attention to whether the cough is accompanied by other unpleasant symptoms, for example, fever, runny nose, headache. Sometimes even the absence of a fever in a child does not guarantee that a cough is not a sign of some disorder in the body.

It could be:

  • pneumonia;
  • bronchial asthma;
  • inflammation of the trachea and other diseases of the respiratory system;
  • respiratory diseases;
  • dysfunction of the digestive organs;
  • reaction to allergens of plant, animal origin, chemicals, if the child is taking any medications.

In all of these cases, a wet cough is usually observed, the symptoms of which are the quality of the sputum. It is this biological substance that can indicate the origin of the cough:

  • if it is watery, almost transparent, this indicates inflammation of the mucous tissues of the respiratory canals;
  • when there are bloody impurities in it, most likely there is tuberculosis or functional heart failure;
  • with asthma and bronchial inflammation - sputum is heterogeneous, viscous, containing clots and lumps;
  • when the sputum has a putrid odor and contains pus, it is an indicator of an abscess.

A dry cough can occur with diseases such as diphtheria, false croup, influenza, inflammation of the pharynx and larynx, and whooping cough. It is usually abrupt, reminiscent of a dog barking.

This cough does not go away in a child, but can develop, while the larynx swells and it becomes difficult for the baby to breathe. Children, from infancy to five years old, often suffer from this type of cough with false croup. This disease cannot be treated at home - it is better to consult a doctor immediately.

In some cases, even the absence of a fever in a child does not guarantee that a cough is not a sign of some disorder in the body.

When a child needs medical help

Even when sputum is discharged with a wet cough, self-medication can worsen the child’s well-being.

Parents need to know in what cases it is impossible to do without a doctor:

  • if after coughing the child begins to vomit;
  • if a cough occurs during sleep and such attacks cannot be stopped;
  • in addition to the fact that the baby coughs, wheezing and wheezing can be heard when he breathes;
  • pain in the child’s chest accompanied by a cough is a dangerous combination;
  • sputum has a greenish tint or contains blood;
  • the baby develops shortness of breath;
  • The cough remains for a long time (15-20 days) with intensive treatment.

As for the phenomenon of coughing after sleep, which occurs in the morning, in infants this is a natural action to get rid of mucus and tears, but in other cases, the prerequisites for it may be diseases of the nasopharynx, bronchial asthma, disruption of the gastric pylorus, allergic the body's response to stimuli.

Cough often becomes a residual symptom of past diseases, however, if this pathology is ignored, various complications are possible. That is why it is important to consult a doctor for any infectious or cold-related ailments, especially when it concerns children whose immune systems are not yet perfect.

However, quite often the baby simply coughs up unnecessary “garbage” in his lungs, or this phenomenon remains after suffering from laryngitis. How to quickly cure a child’s cough at home, and with the help of what means that will be harmless to him?

There are several such treatment methods and all of them are worthy of the attention of parents, since it is advisable to act comprehensively.

It is important to consult a doctor for any infectious or cold-related ailments, especially when it concerns children.

How to quickly cure a child’s cough at home

When a child has a coughing attack, parents can easily help him cope with this trouble, and sometimes even prevent its onset. There are several methods to quickly get rid of a cough at home.

There are some helpful steps you can take to do this:

  • the air in the nursery should not be too dry, since coughing is caused by insufficient humidity; for this, you can put a three-liter jar of water in the corner of the room or buy a special fountain;
  • When putting him to bed, you need to make sure that the baby’s upper body is at some elevation compared to his legs - this will make it easier for the baby to breathe.

When the baby coughs, you need to place your face down on your lap and give a light massage to the back, kneading and gently tapping on it. Sometimes it is enough to induce the gag instinct by touching the inner wall of the throat with a spoon - this will stop the attack.

Many people do not know how to treat a child’s cough. Various procedures and folk remedies are suitable for these purposes.

These can be compresses, inhalations and wraps.

  1. Inhalation is convenient to carry out at home, and this method is extremely simple - the child inhales steam over a bowl of hot water, to which plant ethers, medicinal herbs, and special products prescribed by a doctor can be added.
  2. Herbs such as linden with oregano, chamomile and sage, or eucalyptus with menthol and calendula are great for warming up the nasopharynx.
  3. A simple way is to mix a few drops of iodine tincture and a spoonful of soda into hot water - the recipe is suitable for thinning phlegm and noticeably making it easier for the baby to breathe.

But moms and dads need to know that this procedure cannot be performed if the baby has a high fever, heart and vascular disease, or an allergy to herbs or ethers. This method should also not be used by children who have a tendency to bleed or are suspected of having bronchitis.

For infants, wraps with a diaper or towel, previously soaked in diluted mustard, are used. The solution must be squeezed out and the cloth wrapped around the baby’s chest and back. Then you need to wrap the baby in a warm blanket or blanket. The whole procedure takes about four minutes, after which the mustard is washed off the skin, wiped dry, and the child is put to bed. For preschool and older children, you can simply place mustard plasters on top of gauze to prevent burns.

As a compress, potatoes are boiled in their jackets, mashed to a puree and mixed with turpentine, alcohol and any vegetable oil, one spoon per three medium potatoes. Two flat cakes are molded from the cool mixture and placed warm on the chest and back. They must be kept for at least 60 minutes.

How to cure a child’s cough using traditional methods:

  • Chamomile brewed with honey or a drink made from heated milk with the addition of natural honey and baking soda are good for coughs;
  • You can give children who are one year old a mass of grated onion pulp with honey or a small piece of butter mixed with it - this softens the mucous membranes of the throat, the onion disinfects the tissues of the pharynx, and attacks quickly pass;
  • the same positive effect is observed if you infuse honey with radish juice, placing it inside the vegetable and letting it stand for half a day in the dark; children drink the resulting juice in a small spoon three times a day;
  • Half an hour before each meal, children can be recommended to drink a tablespoon of steamed plantain leaf, steeped for five hours.

Video: Treating cough in children quickly at home


Finding out how to quickly cure a child’s cough at home is not difficult, the main thing is that one or another remedy is suitable for the baby. Before engaging in such treatment, it makes sense to consult a pediatrician about what is necessary and useful, and what is better to avoid so as not to provoke complications.

All articles undergo mandatory testing by practicing doctors.

Gomzar Anastasia Sergeevna
therapist More than 20 years of experience Education: Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education Far Eastern State Medical University

“Doctor, we don’t know what to do with the cough - we treat and treat, but it doesn’t go away.” “An emergency room? Can I have a doctor at home? The child is coughing a lot and can’t sleep.” Pediatricians hear such complaints almost more often than everyone else. What is a cough, how to deal with it and is it necessary?

First of all, coughing is a protective reaction of the body. With its help, it pushes out from the respiratory tract what the body does not need at all - from a relatively large foreign body to fine dust and microorganisms. The respiratory tract is lined with a special ciliated epithelium, which, with the help of mucus, drives everything foreign out, away from the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract - the nose, larynx, trachea and bronchi.

Coughing - a paroxysmal contraction of muscles - helps to complete this process. If there were no cough, any banal inflammation of the upper respiratory tract would turn into pneumonia. So, a cough is necessary. But which one? Of course, the one that is accompanied by sputum production. Doctors call it productive, everyone else calls it wet.

Other types of cough - dry, barking, annoying, paroxysmal, which occurs with whooping cough - are not useful, they greatly tire the patient, interfere with his sleep, can lead to vomiting, are accompanied by muscle pain and ultimately increase respiratory failure.

That's how many unpleasant things can happen from this, in general, necessary and harmless symptom. A cough needs to be approached differently depending on its nature. All cough remedies can be divided into three main groups: the so-called mucolytics - drugs that thin sputum, expectorants - which increase coughing, and soothing drugs - which reduce the activity of the cough center. In addition, some drugs have a combined effect - both mucolytic and expectorant.

In the treatment of cough, not only chemical drugs are used, but also a significant number of a wide variety of herbs and homeopathic remedies. In addition, to combat its different varieties, numerous physical procedures are used - from physiotherapeutic procedures, to various distracting means (cups, mustard plasters, rubbing) and, finally, chest massage, which is of particular importance in young children who do not know how to cough well. , or in patients with drug allergies.

There is a certain sequence (algorithm) in the use of cough remedies. The task is always the same - to ensure that the cough turns from dry to wet and the child coughs up sputum well. Let's look at specific situations.

Whooping cough

With this childhood infection, cough occurs due to the fact that the pertussis bacillus directly irritates the cough center. It multiplies in the nervous system. A person with whooping cough can cough from anything - loud noises, bright lights, anxiety.

The cough with whooping cough is very characteristic - it begins with a loud whistling inhalation, lasts in paroxysms for several minutes, and the child simply begins to faint. At the same time, he often sticks out his tongue so that his frenulum tears. With a whooping cough from terrible tension, hemorrhages can occur in the sclera of the eyes and the skin of the chest. In young children, attacks of whooping cough (repetitions) may be accompanied by respiratory arrest.

Leaving aside the prevention and treatment of whooping cough, I will only say that drugs that thin sputum and increase its secretion (mucolytics and expectorants) are absolutely useless here. Only drugs that calm the nervous system and relieve cough are appropriate here. By the way, this “whooping cough” character of the cough persists in patients for some time after recovery from this infection (up to 1 year) and with all common colds.


"Barking" cough with so-called false croup

“False croup”, or laryngotracheitis, accompanied by narrowing (stenosis) of the upper respiratory tract, is a rather dangerous condition and requires immediate hospitalization. You can leave a child at home only if the situation is repeated frequently and the parents are fully proficient in helping such a child. However, in the latter case, he must be under the close supervision of a doctor.

The essence of the disease is swelling of the subglottic space and a decrease in the clearance for air passage. This is usually accompanied by swelling of the laryngeal mucosa and very viscous sputum. These conditions can arise from two main reasons - acute respiratory infection and allergies. Viral croup is characterized by a gradual increase in events, a preceding temperature, and an increase in cough. An allergic reaction occurs suddenly, with large swelling and, as a result, a sharp narrowing of the larynx, but it also goes away just as quickly with the right help.

I repeat: in these conditions, calling an emergency or ambulance doctor is mandatory! But how can you help yourself? The child urgently needs to be “soaked”. To do this, give him a large dose of any mucolytic agent (if it is a mixture, then be sure to be warm!). Start giving him plenty of water. Open a window or vent and ventilate the room! Fill the bath with hot water, take the child in your arms and enter the bath with him for 10-15 minutes.

Do not fuss, shout, or frighten the child - anxiety may worsen respiratory failure. If for one reason or another you stay at home, do not go to bed - give your child warm water, give him mucolytics and expectorants and other drugs prescribed by the doctor, give him steam inhalation a couple of times.

Cough with obstructive bronchitis

With obstructive bronchitis - as well as with bronchial asthma - cough occurs as constantly as shortness of breath. The essence of this condition, which occurs most often in allergic children, is that the sputum formed in the bronchi is very viscous, and the child cannot cough it up. The bronchi spasm around this viscous mucus, and exhalation is especially affected.

Unlike “false croup,” where inhalation is difficult and prolonged, here it is exhalation that becomes especially difficult. And here, as with false croup, the use of various mucolytics - agents that dilute sputum - is very important. And only when the cough becomes wet enough is it useful to use expectorants.

It is imperative to give the child something to drink - give him at least twice a day, or even more often a simple massage - beating and kneading. To do this, 10-15 minutes after giving the drug that thins the sputum, you put the child on your lap, head down, and begin to give him a tapping massage with the tips of your closed fingers on the chest, periodically rubbing it with your palm and pressing from top to bottom, so that the sternum is pressed in inside. Ask your child to cough or press the handle of a spoon onto the root of the tongue. Don't be afraid of vomiting - this will liquefy the mucus.

Massage is especially important for children with allergies, for whom the use of many medications is contraindicated. The use of mustard plasters is also contraindicated for such children. Be sure to consistently give your child plenty of fluids. If the condition does not improve, shortness of breath increases - do not hesitate to call a doctor!

Cough with ordinary tracheitis and bronchitis

Most often it begins as dry, unproductive. There is no sputum. The main task is to first achieve its appearance. In the first days, use mucolytic drugs or mixed-action drugs, then expectorants. If the cough has become productive, the child coughs up phlegm well, all medications can be discontinued and proceed to chest massage. Do not forget to give your child plenty of warm solutions (fruit drinks, teas, juices). If there is no high temperature, you can use distracting remedies (hot foot bath, mustard plasters, rubbing) from the first days. All this, increasing blood flow to the respiratory organs, increases the appearance of sputum.

Cough with viral pharyngitis

When only the uppermost parts of the respiratory tract are affected - the pharynx, annoying frequent sneezing is very often observed. This cough does not carry any functional load and is very exhausting for the patient. Here, help may consist of inhalations with herbs, oils, soda inhalations, and giving cough sedatives at night.

Long, persistent cough

This is quite a complex problem. How to approach her? If your child coughs for a long time, he needs to be examined - show him to an otorhinolaryngologist, check his reaction, consult a pulmonologist and phthisiatrician. It is necessary to know its long-term temperature reaction and take a clinical test.

The reasons can be very different, even quite exotic. Thus, with helminthic infestation (ascariasis), there is a stage of passage of roundworm larvae through the lungs, which causes a prolonged severe cough in spring and autumn. But most often, a prolonged cough depends on the unsatisfactory condition of the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract, on its allergization, and chronic inflammation. Then the child may constantly produce mucus, and he will try to cough it up. These conditions must be treated by specialists.

Often a child has a cough for 3-4 weeks after suffering from an acute respiratory viral infection. This cough is aggravated by the parents themselves, giving the child cough mixtures, which, having a mucolytic and expectorant effect, themselves provoke this cough. So, if you have achieved a wet cough and good expectoration in the child, which usually takes 4-5 days, stop giving these remedies, switch to massage and warm drinks. The cough will go away on its own.

Article provided by the magazine "Our Baby"

Discussion

Yesterday the child returned as a lady with a dry cough. I started giving him the proven remedy Prospan syrup. Soon the dry cough will turn into a wet one and it will become easier to clear the phlegm.

09.02.2017 14:19:20, Marinka_tangerine

We have been using Prospan syrup for coughs for a long time. Many doctors praise him, and so do mothers. It quickly transforms a dry cough into a wet form. My children really like its taste, and I like the result.

Thank you for the useful and interesting article.
The cough does not go away for a long time even in case of pneumonia. Unfortunately, doctors cannot always recognize it after listening to the patient. Sometimes it is necessary to do fluorography to understand what is the cause of a cough that does not go away for a long time: [link-1]

04/04/2016 19:11:57, Olga888

I always keep Gedelix in my medicine cabinet - this is a herbal expectorant. It helps from the first day of its use, affects both dry and wet coughs, it is allowed for children from birth. It helps quite quickly and is not addictive.

03/24/2016 23:55:58, Angelina's Mom

For a bronchial cough, the pediatrician prescribed Prospan syrup to drink to remove phlegm. My overall health also improved; it turned out to be antimicrobial. The child liked the taste and drank it with pleasure. We recovered quickly enough and, most importantly, without consequences.

you need to gargle, put on socks with mustard, well, if everything is completely neglected, antibiotics of course

Having two children, I constantly deal with coughing. I went through a lot of medications, considering that my son has allergies. And then one day the pediatrician prescribed Prospan. It contains natural herbs, so it is practically natural. The cough goes away very quickly and the child sleeps peacefully at night after the first use.

11/19/2015 16:09:05, Magomedova

oh, cough! How we don’t love it! We thought for a long time about what to do, but in the end, with the help of syrup and Tylaxin, we cured it. Don't forget to gargle with salt and soda

We need to strengthen our immunity, friends! Doctors advised me to drink Tylaxin

Hello to everyone who wants to cure children's cough. We suffered for 2 years until a friend recommended ALOE + GRANTED SUGAR. From September to the end of May, the child suffered from cough and sputum, the syrups only caused an allergy, which also caused snot to flow. We take a 3-year-old aloe, wash it, cut off the cloves on the sides, chop it finely and carefully put it in a jar. One layer of aloe, one layer of granulated sugar, aloe, sand.....etc. We wait 3 days and the tincture is ready. Children: one teaspoon per day. Only on the first day, give half the norm to make sure that the child is not allergic to aloe. Good luck everyone.

I am grateful to Mikhail for this article, but still in our case I can’t find a way out. Please advise, we went to kindergarten and are adapting to diseases. As a result, we get sick often. Our pediatrician's prescriptions always begin with an antibiotic, is this true? Is it really necessary to prescribe an antibiotic to a child every time - be it ARVI, and this time we were diagnosed with bronchitis (which I doubt), but there is no one else to consult, so we take Augmentin again! But this is nuclear war for a child’s body. Help with your advice. How to treat a 2-year-old child without antibiotics at the first symptoms of a cold? Thanks in advance. Lyudmila and Nastenka

04/21/2007 13:54:38, Lyudmila

Content

At home, treatment of cough in children should involve the use of quick recipes, folk remedies and special medications. To recover, the child will need to be given rest, plenty of fluids to drink, and the air in the room to be humidified. Such complex therapy will help to quickly relieve children from possible complications caused by the disease.

What is a cough

In medical terminology, a cough is understood as a sharp exhalation, which serves as a protective reflex of the body to cleanse the bronchi of foreign particles, microorganisms and sputum. This is a reflex reaction of the body that occurs when there is a disease of the respiratory tract. It is accompanied by vomiting, hoarseness, anxiety, sleep disturbances and deterioration in the condition of children. Most cases of prolonged cough are accompanied by acute infections (ARVI, influenza), inflammation of the ENT organs, and the presence of adenoids.

How to treat a child’s cough depends on the type of pathological disease and the correct diagnosis. The classification distinguishes subspecies:

  1. By duration– acute illness (up to 3 weeks) and chronic (with a runny nose).
  2. By character– productive (wet, with sputum) and non-productive cough (dry, without mucus discharge).
  3. By origin– infectious barking (short, with inflammation of the larynx), convulsive (whooping cough), whistling (bronchial asthma).
  4. By type of bronchial mucus– light (chronic bronchitis), mixed with blood (pulmonary tuberculosis).

How to cure a child's cough

To relieve children from coughing, you need to start by drinking plenty of fluids, using inhalations, and using non-drug medications and herbal infusions. Medicines are prescribed only with a doctor's prescription - it is forbidden to independently select children's medications, or simultaneously take antitussive and mucolytic drugs, antibiotics, or bronchodilators. For treatment, pediatricians prescribe:

  • mucolytics– for diluting and removing sputum (Ambrobene, Halixol, Lazolvan);
  • antitussives– to suppress coughing in children (Sedotussin);
  • expectorants– help with sputum production (Gedelix, Pertussin, licorice root).

Treatment options

Depending on the dry or wet type, the treatment of a child’s cough differs. If a dry condition occurs, it must be converted to a wet, productive condition in order to speed up the healing process.

For example, the drug Fluifort has worked well for thinning sputum (translating a dry cough into a productive one). Syrup with a pleasant taste is convenient to use when treating a child. The carbocysteine ​​lysine salt in the syrup, unlike acetylcysteine ​​preparations, not only helps to thin the mucus, but also prevents it from flowing into the lower respiratory tract. That is why Fluifort helps restore the structure of the mucous membranes of the respiratory system, reduces the intensity of cough and facilitates the child’s breathing. The effect of the syrup begins in the first hour after administration and lasts up to 8 hours, so the child begins to feel relief almost immediately.

For treatment, it is allowed to use plenty of warm alkaline drinks, warm compresses, and bronchodilators. The wet subtype is easier to cure - mucolytics and expectorants are taken. Additional methods of treating bronchial inflammation include physiotherapy, electrophoresis, inhalation, cupping, rubbing, mustard plasters and massage.

The following varieties are considered popular medications for the treatment of children's cough:

  • antitussives– Bronholitin, Gerbion;
  • expectorants– , Gedelix;
  • mucolytics– ACC, acetylcysteine, carbocysteine;
  • lollipops– Septolete, Doctor Theiss;
  • – relieve laryngeal edema: Diazolin, Cetirizine;
  • bronchodilators– Salbutamol;
  • nasal drops– Naphazoline, Xylometazoline;
  • to prevent relapses– Broncho-munal, Broncho-Vaxom;
  • rubbing– Pulmex, turpentine ointment;
  • anti-inflammatory drugs – .

Anti-inflammatory drugs

If inflammation of the airways develops, anti-inflammatory drugs will help. They facilitate the healing process, relieve pain and discomfort when swallowing. The doctor will tell you how to quickly cure a child’s cough, and he will also prescribe anti-inflammatory medications:

  • , Serrata;
  • Gerbion, ;
  • , Fluditec, Bronchipret.

Expectorants

Cough expectorants in children are intended to speed up the removal of mucus from the lungs and treatment. The active ingredients in them are plant saponins and alkaloids, which make mucus liquid, increase its quantity, and promote expectoration. They should not be used by children due to the high risk of allergies and deterioration of the drainage function of the bronchi. Expectorant medications relieve cough:

  • marshmallow and licorice root syrup;
  • collections of thyme, coltsfoot, plantain;
  • Gerbion syrup with plantain – herbal preparation;
  • Bronholitin, Solutan - remove mucus from the bronchi;
  • Tussin, Pertussin;
  • baking soda (sodium bicarbonate);
  • potassium iodide;
  • can be treated with Prospan, Linkas, Doctor Mom, Gedelix, Ascoril syrup.

Mucolytics

Mucolytics promote the removal of phlegm; they help transform the dry type into a wet one.

Antitussives

Antitussive therapy can help cope with a painful cough, but it can only be used as prescribed by a senior doctor. The reason is the risk of stagnation of sputum and mucous secretions in the respiratory tract. Indications for the use of antitussive medications include whooping cough and sleep problems due to frequent attacks. Doctors recommend that children use such products extremely rarely - viscous secretions impair the drainage function of the bronchi, increasing the risk of secondary infection and respiratory failure.

Antitussive drugs are divided into central action (narcotic Codeine and non-narcotic Sinecode), peripheral action (Libexin). Non-narcotic drugs are prescribed for painful dry cough, vomiting, chest pain, and sleep disturbances. It is not recommended to use them on your own. The doctor may prescribe combination drugs - Hexapneumin, Lorraine (contraindicated for preschool children) and products with ephedrine (Bronholitin, Solutan) in case of profuse liquid sputum.

Bronchodilators

Drugs that relax the smooth muscles of the bronchi and expand their lumen are called bronchodilators. They are prescribed by a therapist in case of obstructive bronchitis or asthma. Popular medications for treating signs of chronic inflammation include:

  • Salbutamol, Ventolin– used as bronchodilator therapy;
  • Atrovent– anticholinergic drug;
  • – combined remedy;
  • Eufillin– short-acting theophylline.

Homeopathy

Cough recipes for children contain instructions on the use of homeopathy. The choice of medication depends on the type of cough, the cause of its appearance, and the first symptoms of infection. It is recommended to use the following useful tools:

  • Hepar sulphuris– from a dry, hoarse cough;
  • Arsenicum album– from dry, exhausting, irritation in the larynx;
  • Antimonium tartaricum– from dry debilitating, with interruptions, vomiting, nausea;
  • Ipecacuanha– from prolonged night pain, pain in the head, stomach;
  • Spongia tosta– from hoarse barking, burning, tickling in the larynx;
  • Rumex– from dry, strong, painful sternum when taking a deep breath;
  • Sambucus nigra- from croup, interfering with sleep, indomitable.

How can you rub your baby?

If the patient does not have a high temperature, rubbing and massage can be used; procedures are carried out with caution in case of dry cough subtype. We treat a child’s cough at home - the following ointments are applicable for dry cough with allergies, whooping cough or false croup:

  • Doctor Mom– with camphor, menthol, eucalyptus, nutmeg, turpentine oils, thymol;
  • Badger, Pulmex, Eucabal– warming, not suitable for two-year-old children prone to allergic reactions;
  • badger, bear, gut, goose fats– they are used to rub the chest of a child over 3 years of age, the massage is carried out carefully.

Inhalations

Inhalations are used to relieve dry cough. You can do them with nebulizers, inhalers, or simply breathe steam over a pan of hot water. The latter inhalations are contraindicated for children under 3 years of age. At home, the following solutions and medications will help with the symptoms of the disease:

  • , Ambrobene, ACC, Fluimucil, Rotokan, Tonzilgon;
  • calendula extract;
  • medicinal herbs - decoctions of sage, St. John's wort, raspberry, mint, eucalyptus, juniper;
  • Evkar or Ingafitol fees;
  • solution of soda, alkaline mineral water (Borjomi).

Compresses

To treat cough in children, compresses are effective. The following mixtures are soaked in gauze cloth, applied to the throat, sternum or back, and wrapped in cellophane and warm cloth. When treating colds, compresses can be done before bed or left overnight. Popular recipes:

  • add honey, butter, flour, vodka to dry mustard - on the throat for several days in a row;
  • mix a spoonful of honey, vodka, sunflower oil, heat in a water bath, close your neck, interscapular area, do it every other day;
  • crush boiled potatoes in their jackets, add butter, tie on your chest;
  • Dimexide diluted with water in a ratio of 1:3 or 1:4, heated - for 40 minutes before bedtime on the heart area, in the absence of high temperature, only for children over 12 years old;
  • Moisten a napkin with vodka, saline or mustard solution, apply to skin lubricated with baby cream for half an hour.

Mustard plasters

For dry type with difficulty in sputum discharge, cough in children is treated with the use of mustard plasters. Contraindications – elevated temperature (above 37.5 °C), skin irritation, psoriasis, neurodermatitis, tumors or asthma, up to one year of age. Avoid applying mustard plasters to the area of ​​the heart and spine; for small children it is better to place them in these places through gauze.

Depending on age, the exposure time of the quick procedure differs: up to 3 years - 2 minutes, up to 7 - 3, up to 12 - 5. After treatment, wipe the skin with a softening cream, if there is severe redness, immediately remove the product and remove the remaining powder with a damp, warm towel. Mustard plasters are applied in the evening, after which you need to change the baby into pajamas and cover with a blanket.

An effective cough suppressant for children

Not only expensive drugs can be effective in treating cough syndrome. The following medications will help with dry type:

  • mucolytics– Falimint lozenges, Halixol, Lazolvan syrups;
  • bronchodilators– Libexin tablets and syrup;
  • antitussives– elixir Codelac, syrups Gerbion, Stoptussin;
  • anti-inflammatory– syrups Omnitus, Ambrohexal;
  • antipyretic– Lorraine powder.

The following effective remedies for treating children of different ages will help fight wet cough:

  • expectorants– tablets ACC, Bromhexine, syrups Ambroxol, Mucaltin, Herbion with primrose, Pertussin;
  • warming up– Doctor Mom ointment;
  • antitussives– Bronholitin;
  • mucus thinners– Ambrobene capsules, suspension;
  • antispasmodic- Gedelix syrup.

Strong remedy

The following powerful remedies and treatment methods for children will help you quickly get rid of cough syndrome:

  • expectorant mixtures– licorice root extract, marshmallow, thermopsis infusion, Pertussin;
  • to thin mucus– solution of potassium iodide, Mucaltin, Bromhexine, Lazolvan, Fluimucil;
  • inhalation– a spoonful of soda per glass of water, ACC, Lazolvan;
  • vibration chest massage– place the child on his stomach, lightly tap the sternum with short movements with the edge of your palm.

Folk remedies

Some folk remedies for coughs for children are considered effective. Recipes to help get rid of obsessive attacks:

  • radish, onion or carrot juice with honey – a tablespoon up to 5 times a day;
  • you can give your child warm milk and vitamin drinks;
  • baked radish with sugar - strain the juice, give two teaspoons before meals 3-4 times a day;
  • squeeze lemon juice, mix with two tablespoons of glycerin and add honey to the contents of the glass - take a teaspoon up to six times a day;
  • mix hot milk with Borjomi in equal proportions and drink with honey or figs;
  • mix honey with anise or butter, take three teaspoons;
  • heat the salt in a frying pan, wrap it in a cotton sock, and quickly warm up the baby’s chest and back.

How to cure a baby's cough

Before the baby is one year old, the problem may be caused by a cold or teething. The following drugs, methods and rules are used to eliminate physiological cough:

  • regularly ventilate the room, install a humidifier;
  • drink plenty of fluids, light back massage;
  • rubbing with animal fat, walking in the fresh air;
  • inhalations are carried out with saline solution through a nebulizer;
  • mucolytics – Gedelix, Prospan;
  • homeopathy – Stodal syrup and Oscillococcinum granules;
  • chest patches Sopelka;
  • Tantum Verde spray - only in case of severe inflammation, because there is a risk of suffocation.

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Attention! The information presented in the article is for informational purposes only. The materials in the article do not encourage self-treatment. Only a qualified doctor can make a diagnosis and give treatment recommendations based on the individual characteristics of a particular patient.

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A child's cough is not an extraordinary phenomenon, but it invariably causes concern for parents. It often causes severe discomfort to a child, especially a small one. Therefore, adults want to cure their baby’s cough as quickly as possible.

Of course, coughing itself is a useful feature of the body: it clears the airways of mucus, dust and foreign objects. However, a characteristic cough with accompanying symptoms indicates a disease, so it cannot be ignored.

What is a child's cough?

Cough in both children and adults can be of different types, depending on its nature.

Depending on productivity, that is, on whether sputum is released during its attacks, it is divided into dry and wet.

Signs of a dry cough

A dry cough is accompanied by the following symptoms:

  • lack of sputum discharge;
  • sore throat;
  • obsession;
  • paroxysmal;
  • possible general malaise;
  • an increase in temperature may occur.

Symptoms of a wet cough

A wet cough is the body's reaction to the accumulation of sputum and disappears with it.

It is characterized by the following accompanying symptoms:

  • sputum discharge;
  • wheezing;
  • during severe attacks, chest pain may be felt;
  • lack of appetite;
  • Sometimes there is a significant increase in temperature.

What diseases can it indicate?

A cough may be accompanied by more specific symptoms, which are an indication of a specific disease:

  1. With a “barking” sound - it often manifests itself in young children as a sign of ARVI, upper respiratory tract diseases, as well as allergic reactions, usually observed at night.
  2. In combination with wheezing, it may indicate inflammation of the lower respiratory tract or a foreign object entering the child’s throat; it also accompanies bronchial asthma.
  3. Numerous coughing impulses with a characteristic “rooster” sound of inhalation after an attack are characteristic of whooping cough.

There are also less common types of cough: when inhaling, during emotional shock, during physical exertion, when eating, and so on.

In what cases should you urgently show your baby to the doctor?

Any seemingly unusual case requires consultation with a pediatrician and more specialized specialists in the direction of a local doctor.

So, if all the symptoms accompanying the attack appear very clearly, the cough is obsessive, does not allow the baby to sleep at night, is accompanied by the release of green sputum or with blood clots, as well as rusty or with an unpleasant odor, the high temperature lasts a long time - you should not delay contacting a doctor.

The same applies to a dry cough: if it has a “barking” sound, excessive frequency and intrusiveness, a high temperature and the child has problems with breathing due to attacks, it is necessary to visit a pediatrician as soon as possible.

The main causes of cough in children

The cause of cough can be unfavorable conditions or diseases.

Not related to illness

The first group includes the following cases:

  1. The child choked on drink, food, saliva, or a foreign object entered the respiratory tract.
  2. The baby breathes dry, dusty, polluted air, or inhales tobacco smoke or aerosol spray.

Symptom of the disease

The list of the most common diseases that cause cough is as follows:

  • infectious diseases, among which the first place is ARVI, as well as influenza, sore throat, tuberculosis. Whooping cough stands apart among infectious diseases, for which cough is the main specific symptom;
  • allergies (food, drugs);
  • asthma;
  • inflammatory diseases of the ENT organs.

However, experts note that the vast majority of cases of this symptom in children are still associated with acute respiratory disease.

In what cases can a cough be cured quickly?

First of all, it is necessary to remember that cough is not a disease, but a symptom of it. This means that there is no universal remedy for cough and the disease that caused the coughing attacks must be treated.

If the nature of the phenomenon is allergic, then it is possible to get rid of the cough in a fairly short time - by eliminating the allergen and taking antihistamines.

In case of asthmatic diseases, an attack can also be calmed in a few minutes if the necessary medications are available.

But with acute respiratory infections and inflammation of the respiratory system, it is not possible to quickly cure a child’s cough; the same applies, of course, to whooping cough.

How to help your child get rid of a cough: conditions at home

Before you begin treatment for cough, you should understand that for diseases accompanied by the formation of sputum in the respiratory tract and respiratory organs, it is a useful symptom, provided that you are productive.

Therefore, the primary task of parents in this case is not just to eliminate attacks, but to make them productive and not interfere with the child’s normal daily routine.

In other words, the ultimate goal of all health measures for coughing is to reduce its frequency, eliminate the risk of attacks and promote the removal of sputum.

Keeping the room clean

The first thing you need to do is not grab the first aid kit, but provide a comfortable environment for your sick baby. Special requirements are placed on indoor air humidity, temperature and, of course, cleanliness.

The ideal option is to wet clean the apartment daily. It is important that in the room where the baby is most often located, there are as few things as possible that accumulate dust - soft toys, carpets, pillows. Under this condition, it will be much easier for the baby to breathe, and for the mother to maintain cleanliness.

Comfortable humidity and air temperature

It is imperative to ensure optimal air humidity in the house - 60-70%. The problem of insufficient indoor air humidity is especially acute during the heating season, so it would be a good idea to purchase a special device to normalize it. As a last resort, you can hang wet terry towels over the radiators.

As for the air temperature in the room, 18-20 degrees is a sufficient level. Cool air is easier to breathe, and the child does not sweat, which means the body does not lose valuable moisture.

Correct water regime

By the way, during a period of illness accompanied by a cough, it is simply necessary to provide the baby’s body (and an adult too) with fluid. Moreover, you need to drink the more, the better, even not only when you want to.

It is important to offer your child at every opportunity:

  • water,
  • not too sweet compote,
  • fruit drink,
  • infusion of dried fruits,
  • warm tea,
  • mineral water.

Drinking plenty of warm fluids is a great way to improve mucus clearance and soothe a throat irritated by coughing.

All these activities significantly contribute to reducing the intensity of attacks and increasing their productivity. Thus, they help cure cough quickly.

In addition, you can use various folk remedies with caution, do inhalations and percussion massages, compresses, and, on the recommendation of a doctor, medications.

Folk remedies

According to the experience of many generations, mixtures prepared at home based on onions and garlic, lemon, honey, and ginger help get rid of an obsessive cough.

Radish with honey

Among folk remedies for coughs, radish infusion with honey is popular. It is done like this: cut out the middle of a large black radish and pour a spoonful of honey into the resulting cavity, leave for a day.

The syrup that appears in the cavity, which is a mixture of honey and radish juice, is given to children when they cough three times a day for 2-3 days.

Mixtures with honey

Efficiency is also shown by:

  1. Onion juice with honey in a 1:1 ratio.
  2. Warm milk with honey and mineral water in a ratio of 1: 1: 0.04.
  3. A healthy mixture of walnuts (0.5 kg), honey (0.3 kg), lemon juice (4 pcs.) and aloe (1 tsp), taken three times a day, a teaspoon.

It should be remembered that the dosage of using such drugs varies for children of different ages:

  • For children under 4 years of age, a single dose is recommended in the amount of a teaspoon,
  • for older children, you can increase the dose to dessert dose,
  • after 10 years - up to a tablespoon.

It is also important not to forget that doctors do not recommend giving honey to children under 3 years of age, and to make sure that the child is not allergic to the components of the mixtures. In addition, many pediatricians do not advise resorting to treatment with folk remedies if the child is still in infancy.

Warming baths

Often, to eliminate a cough, very warm foot baths are used, for example, with mustard powder (very little is needed so as not to cause a burn), after which the child’s feet are rubbed with a warming ointment, usually with the addition of badger fat, and socks are put on.

Compresses

Compresses placed on the baby’s chest and/or legs also help cure a cough faster.

Here are some recipes:

  1. Cakes made from warm boiled potatoes, a couple of drops of iodine and one and a half tablespoons of olive oil are placed on top of a sheet of paper on the child’s chest and back, and then covered with foil or polyethylene. Next, wrap the baby and leave the compress until it cools down.
  2. Woolen fabric is soaked in salt water (a heaping tablespoon of salt on a plate of warm water), a compress is made, and the child is wrapped. Leave it overnight.
  3. Garlic (a whole head) is ground with fat or oil in the amount of 100 g, the mixture is applied to the child’s feet before bedtime, and wrapped. Leave it overnight.

Thermal effect on sensitive points of the feet or directly on the chest also helps to liquefy and remove mucus.

Massage to ease mucus discharge

A cough that removes mucus from the respiratory system can be quickly cured only if the mucus comes out without problems.

You can help your child cough up mucus using percussion (tapping-based) massage. The vibrations imparted to the chest during its implementation promote the removal of mucus from the bronchi.

Instructions for implementation

To perform a massage correctly:

  1. We place the patient on his stomach on his lap or on a pillow.
  2. For a minute or two, we tap the baby’s back with the edge of the palm or the pads of the fingers towards the head, quite firmly, but without causing pain.
  3. We return the child to an upright position and ask him to cough.

The procedure is repeated 4-5 times. While you massage, remind your little patient to change head position once or twice a minute.

Important: at elevated temperatures, percussion massage is contraindicated!

Inhalations

To get rid of a child’s cough, modern mothers actively use inhalation devices: steam inhalers and nebulizers.

Steam inhaler

A steam inhaler produces steam with fairly large particles and is good for moistening the upper respiratory tract and removing mucus from it.

It allows inhalation for dry coughs with saline and mineral water, herbal decoctions, oil solutions and some medications.

Nebulizer

Nebulizers produce aerosol microparticles of liquid with a medicinal solution and are recommended for use in the complex treatment of diseases of the lower respiratory tract.

As a rule, in this case, inhalation requires a rather serious medication, which is sold in a pharmacy and is used only with a doctor’s prescription.

If there is no inhaler or nebulizer in the house, many parents, in the old fashioned way, organize steam treatments under a blanket “over potatoes” for sick children.

The benefits of inhalation for coughing attacks

What's good about all these events? The benefit of inhalation is that it actively moisturizes the respiratory tract, and along with it the dried mucus, which, as a result, makes it easier to cough up. Thus, inhalation is a good, and at the same time environmentally friendly cough remedy.

You should know that babies do not yet have a very strong cough impulse, therefore, if there is a lot of sputum and it swells in the respiratory tract, there is a risk that the child will suffocate, unable to cough up the mucus. Therefore, such procedures are carried out very carefully and infrequently, especially for young children.

Drug treatment

For diseases accompanied by cough, as well as for any others, a visit to the pediatrician is mandatory.

If your baby has a persistent and dry cough, or is unable to expel phlegm (if it is unproductive), although there is mucus in the respiratory tract, the doctor may prescribe a cough medicine to improve the situation.

There are two groups of drugs prescribed for the treatment of cough:

Antitussives that block the cough reflex

These remedies can be recommended for dry cough, including those of a psychogenic or allergic nature. For use in children, it is important to choose non-narcotic medications of this type that do not suppress brain activity and are not addictive.

Mucolytics

Mucolytic drugs dilute mucus or promote its production in a more liquid form, which improves the removal of sputum from the bronchi. As a rule, these preparations are made on the basis of plant components, for example, licorice root, plantain leaves or coltsfoot.

Important: you cannot take funds from these two groups at the same time! If you thin the mucus and at the same time suppress the cough, you can only achieve serious problems with the lungs, for example, pneumonia, but not recovery.

Prevention of cough in children

To prevent cough, as well as to treat it, it is important to create the most favorable environment around the child - ensuring normal temperature and humidity, as well as timely wet cleaning and ventilation in the room where the baby is.

The risk of catching a disease with a cough will be even less, the more time the child spends in the fresh air, actively plays, hardens, and runs barefoot.

It is necessary to follow the child's vaccination schedule against diseases such as whooping cough and tuberculosis. During periods of epidemics, you should refrain from visiting crowded places. And, of course, a healthy daily routine and proper nutrition are important.

With such preventive measures, your child will not need cough medicine!