Often the baby coughs. But bronchospasm may not be a sign of illness. A cough in a baby (as in an adult) is a natural reaction of the respiratory tract to irritation caused by the ingress of foreign bodies (solid and liquid) into them. To get into the bronchi and cause an attack can be: milk, saliva, mucus, etc.
A newborn's cough will go away as soon as the body gets rid of the irritant. On average, young children can cough up to ten times a day. And this is considered the norm for a healthy child. A slight cough is also the norm and should not be worried. However, it is important to remember that a cough in a child of 8 months or at any other age can be a symptom of a cold.
Types of cough
A newborn's cough (like sneezing) is normal and a protective reflex. In this case, it is necessary to distinguish between the types of cough in order to accurately determine the cause of bronchospasm.
A dry cough in babies can be caused by many factors. Therefore, it is not easy to pinpoint the cause of bronchospasm. It can be a symptom of SARS. In addition, dry cough is characteristic of para-whooping cough and whooping cough at an early stage. In other cases, such a cough in infants indicates an allergic reaction or even bronchial asthma.
Small children cannot get rid of phlegm on their own. Therefore, at first glance, it seems that bronchospasm is dry, but in fact it is wet, because the baby simply swallows phlegm.
In addition, a 2-month-old baby's cough may be moist. In most cases, it is accompanied by ARVI, but at the final stage of recovery. If your mucus is clear, don't worry. No complications are observed.
Coughing up yellow or green phlegm signals a bacterial infection. It affects the respiratory tract and often provokes ailments such as pneumonia, tracheitis, bronchitis and others.
Causes of bronchospasm
What causes a cough in a 5 month old baby? This is important to know. After all, the correct diagnosis is the key to successful treatment. So, the main reasons that cause a cough in an infant are:
ARVI. Experience shows that coughing in babies in 90% of all cases is a sign of the onset of this disease. The baby coughs, the attacks intensify at night. As a rule, bronchospasm can last for about two or more weeks, which indicates the need for urgent treatment.- Inflammation of the upper respiratory tract is also one of the factors that cause coughing. At first, there are attacks of an obsessive dry cough, which, without the use of urgent measures, can lead to dangerous complications, in particular, to false croup. With this disease, the throat walls become inflamed and narrowed, the child lacks oxygen. In such cases, contact your doctor as soon as possible.
- Dry air is another reason why a newborn coughs. Too dry air in a room causes a sore throat. If the cough in an 8 month old baby is not accompanied by other symptoms of colds, the humidity level in the room should be normalized. This will help relieve a severe cough.
- Inflammation of the middle ear. A cough in a child of 10 months may appear for this reason, then it will have a reflex nature. In other words, it is a response to the inflammatory process. In this case, calling an ambulance is the best option.
The ingress of a foreign body into the respiratory tract is dangerous for the health of the baby and also causes a cough in a 4 month old baby. If the crumb has choked, call a doctor immediately. An attempt to independently remove a foreign body is fraught with the fact that the object can get even more stuck in the throat.- Quite often, a 2 month old baby's cough can be related to air pollution. If you live in an industrial area or in an apartment that occasionally smokes, you should hardly be surprised if your baby coughs. The longer the baby is in such conditions, the more harmful it is for his fragile lungs.
- Allergic cough is a constant companion of allergies. Coping with allergic bronchospasm is difficult. And you shouldn't do it yourself without proper preparation. It is better to see a doctor who will tell you what to do.
ARVI. Experience shows that coughing in babies in 90% of all cases is a sign of the onset of this disease. The baby coughs, the attacks intensify at night. As a rule, bronchospasm can last for about two or more weeks, which indicates the need for urgent treatment.
The ingress of a foreign body into the respiratory tract is dangerous for the health of the baby and also causes a cough in a 4 month old baby. If the crumb has choked, call a doctor immediately. An attempt to independently remove a foreign body is fraught with the fact that the object can get even more stuck in the throat.How can I help you?
A cough in a child under one year old with and without a high fever should be treated only under the strict supervision of pediatricians. Otherwise, complications and dangerous consequences cannot be avoided. But a mom can help her baby relieve dry or wet coughs. Useful tips for this case:
Closely monitor the humidity level in the room where the child is. During the heating season, hot radiators dry the air. Therefore, we recommend purchasing a humidifier. You can also easily make it yourself: take water in a saucepan and place it under the battery. The water evaporates and thus increases the humidity in the air (you can also spray it regularly with a spray bottle).- To relieve a 9 month old baby's cough, remember to ventilate the room periodically. This should be done at least twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. Fresh air will help normalize the baby's respiratory system.
- Regular back massage can help relieve a cough in a 6 month old baby. Manual therapy improves the overall well-being of the child and promotes the discharge of sputum.
- If your baby is 1 month old and is coughing, drink more often. Especially a lot of liquid is recommended to be consumed by patients at high temperatures. Juices, teas, compotes and, of course, ordinary clean water are perfect for this.
- A 2-month-old baby's cough can be significantly reduced by rubbing animal fat on his chest and back. Rubbing is best done just before bedtime. After the procedure, the baby should be well wrapped and laid in the crib. In the morning, his health will improve.
If the baby is 4 months old and has a cough but has no fever, you can go out into the fresh air for a while. Taking short walks will distract the patient and help to cope with the seizures more easily.- Water procedures well relieve cough in a month-old baby. But before that, you need to decide on the diagnosis. Naturally, at a high body temperature, it is impossible to bathe the baby (it is better to wipe off with a damp towel). If the cough in a 3 month old child is not caused by a cold, then he can take baths with the addition of eucalyptus, chamomile, pine needles and other medicinal plants. This will intensify the coughing.
- A cough in a child of 7 months is well removed by inhalation. But in this case we are not talking about steam inhalation (it is still too early to do them). An ideal option is to install an ultrasonic humidifier right next to the bed. You can also add a few tablespoons of baking soda after filling the bath with hot water and breathe in the steam. Such therapy is allowed only with dry cough; with wet bronchospasm, it is better to beware.
Closely monitor the humidity level in the room where the child is. During the heating season, hot radiators dry the air. Therefore, we recommend purchasing a humidifier. You can also easily make it yourself: take water in a saucepan and place it under the battery. The water evaporates and thus increases the humidity in the air (you can also spray it regularly with a spray bottle).
If the baby is 4 months old and has a cough but has no fever, you can go out into the fresh air for a while. Taking short walks will distract the patient and help to cope with the seizures more easily.Cough medicine
Is it possible to treat a cough in a month-old baby with medications? Yes, but only a pediatrician should prescribe them. Today, a three-month-old baby's cough is treated with three large groups of drugs.
Newborn coughs can be treated with antitussive medications. They inhibit the cough reflex and are prescribed for dry cough (Butamirat, Oxeladin, etc.).- A cough in a 5 month old baby can be treated with mucolytics. Such drugs contribute to the liquefaction of sputum and its excretion from the body (they do not affect the increase in the volume of mucus).This group includes "Bromhexin", "Ambroxol", syrups based on licorice root, etc.).
- A newborn can take expectorant medications. Such funds perfectly improve the activity of the ciliated epithelium and promote the rapid discharge of sputum ("Gedelix", "Alteika", etc.).
Newborn coughs can be treated with antitussive medications. They inhibit the cough reflex and are prescribed for dry cough (Butamirat, Oxeladin, etc.).Fees
If your baby is coughing, try buying a herbal formula based on three or four herbs:
- chamomile;
- anise;
- plantain;
- marshmallow.
Some doctors advise using one or maximum two components for tea. Multi-component fees are recommended to be applied from 8 months of age.
Precautionary measures
Avoid overdose of expectorant cough medicine. Otherwise, the effect will be the opposite, which will lead to a protracted illness. In addition, it is fraught with an increase in the amount of phlegm, which is not easy for the baby to cough up.
It is impossible to treat a cough in a child for 1 month at the same time with antitussive and expectorant drugs. They don't mix well, which is what most syrup instructions say. If you ignore this advice and mix the above cough medicines, sputum will be actively secreted and the cough center will be suppressed. This is fraught with the development of pneumonia.
Common mistakes
Regardless of whether you are treating a cough in children under one year old or a cough in a 7 month old child, remember well:
- Only a doctor can prescribe antitussive drugs in the first and subsequent months of a child's life. These cough medicines inhibit the cough center. What if the mucus contains viruses or bacteria? The kid simply cannot get rid of them, because the phlegm will not be removed from the body. In this case, a cough in a child of 3 months will not turn into a productive one.
With improper treatment (and / or self-medication), a cough in a child of 6 months can develop into such dangerous diseases as bronchitis or pneumonia. A two month old baby can also suffer from secondary bacterial infections. In this case, a cough with sputum in a baby will have to be treated with antibiotics that are harmful to a young and fragile body.
With improper treatment (and / or self-medication), a cough in a child of 6 months can develop into such dangerous diseases as bronchitis or pneumonia. A two month old baby can also suffer from secondary bacterial infections. In this case, a cough with sputum in a baby will have to be treated with antibiotics that are harmful to a young and fragile body.Do not forget: it is far from always necessary to immediately give the crumbs cough medicine. A cough in a one-month-old baby can be caused not by a disease, but by many other reasons. Therefore, cough medications and the optimal treatment regimen are selected only by a specialist.
