Babies suffer from respiratory diseases several times more often than adults. Some people manage to catch the infection literally out of the blue. But more often the child becomes re-infected in school or kindergarten, where he gets after a recent illness with still fragile immunity. Therefore, children's cough for some mothers is almost a year-round phenomenon. Children's cough syrup helps to cope with it faster. The main thing is to choose it correctly.
Types of syrups
Now many people prefer to buy ready-made baby cough syrups in pharmacies. Which, in general, is correct, since the necessary proportions and concentrations of herbal extracts and other active substances are already laid down there. Moreover, in modern pharmacies there are many completely natural preparations, therefore, if they wish, even fanatical adherents of homeopathy can find a suitable medicine.
But those who do not trust pharmacology at all can prepare a fairly effective cough syrup for children just at home. They are made according to folk recipes from herbal decoctions, vegetable and fruit juices, honey and other high-quality and healthy products. But the shelf life of such homemade syrups is very short - up to 14 days and then in the refrigerator. So keeping such a tool close at hand "just in case" will not work.
But cough syrups for children are divided not only into home and pharmacy ones. Their main secret is that they are very different in their action. And this must be taken into account when choosing a medicine.
According to the effect on the child's body, all cough medicines (including syrups) can be divided into the following groups:
- Antitussives. Such drugs are designed to relieve attacks of dry, unproductive cough, which is caused mainly by non-infectious reasons: chronic diseases of internal organs, severe irritation of the throat, etc. Such a cough only strains the throat, provoking pain and inflammation of the vocal cords, so you should try to get rid of it as soon as possible.
- Mucolytic. Mucolytics are an indispensable tool for making it easier for a child to cough up thick, viscous mucus that is difficult for a child to get rid of on their own. It is formed with bronchitis, pneumonia, in the second stage of acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections. The drugs can change the viscosity of the phlegm, make it thinner, and it becomes easier for the body to push it out when coughing.
Expectorants. This group includes drugs that increase the amount of phlegm and stimulate the activity of the smooth muscles of the bronchi. They are prescribed in cases where there is a lot of mucus, but it does not clear its throat well. In no case should such funds be used simultaneously with antitussives - this can lead to bronchostasis and serious complications.- Combined. It is impossible to prepare these cough syrups for children at home: they simultaneously affect the cough center, reducing its activity and relieving coughing attacks, and thinning phlegm, softening the cough and converting the unproductive into the productive one. This is the best way to speed up recovery from acute respiratory infections, ARVI and other acute respiratory diseases.
Expectorants. This group includes drugs that increase the amount of phlegm and stimulate the activity of the smooth muscles of the bronchi. They are prescribed in cases where there is a lot of mucus, but it does not clear its throat well. In no case should such funds be used simultaneously with antitussives - this can lead to bronchostasis and serious complications.As you can see, finding the right cough suppressant for children is not easy. It is necessary to take into account many factors - from the age of the child to the causes of cough and the characteristics of the course of the disease.
Therefore, if this is not a common cold or a chronic illness, then it is better to consult a specialist.
When to see a doctor
Even the most effective cough syrups for children will not work with a serious illness. On the contrary, an independent attempt to cure a cough only with the help of this remedy will lead to the fact that time will be lost, and the disease will have time to penetrate deeper into the respiratory tract. Therefore, it is necessary to immediately consult a doctor when a child develops two or more of the following list of symptoms:
body temperature above 39OC (for babies - 38OWITH);- wheezing is clearly audible when breathing;
- severe redness and swelling of the mucous membranes of the throat;
- pieces of pus of a yellow-green color are coughing up;
- shortness of breath, blueness around the lips;
- sudden violent attacks of coughing;
- the cough is accompanied by vomiting;
- complete loss of appetite, pain when swallowing;
- white bloom or boils on the tonsils;
- swollen lymph nodes in the head area.
body temperature above 39OC (for babies - 38OWITH);These signs indicate the infectious nature of the disease. Antibiotic treatment is likely to be needed. Cough syrup can be helpful too, but it alone is not enough to solve the problem.
After examination and establishment of an accurate diagnosis, the child will be prescribed a comprehensive treatment, including anti-inflammatory, antibacterial or antiviral, antihistamines, etc. Cough medicine can also change as the state of health changes. At an early stage, combined syrups are usually prescribed, and then they can be replaced with expectorants.
TOP 5 syrups
Below is a list of the TOP 5 best cough syrups for children according to pediatricians. It is difficult to argue with specialists, although in our opinion, everything is very individual. And what works well for one child can provoke multiple side effects in another. This is not a call not to trust doctors.
It's just that if you see that the medicine is not suitable for your baby, be sure to tell the doctor about it and ask for a replacement.
- "Lazolvan". A modernized and revised version of Ambroxol (and significantly higher in price!). Mucolytic that helps thin phlegm and soothes coughs well. Its great advantage is with the complete absence of sugar and alcohol, which means that the drug can be given to the smallest and diabetic children.
"Gedelix". The best choice for naturopaths. The product is based on ivy leaf extract and does not contain sugar, alcohol, preservatives or chemical additives. It can even be used to treat babies. An effective expectorant that helps to quickly remove phlegm.- "Sinekod". A combination drug based on codeine with a mild sedative effect. Affects the cough center, reducing its activity and relieving the baby from painful coughing fits. Expands the bronchi, making breathing easier, thinning phlegm. Taken at night, it speeds up falling asleep.
- Doctor Theiss. A modern effective drug with a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect. Contains extracts of several medicinal plants, but the main component is plantain syrup. It tastes good thanks to the addition of mint. Quickly soothes and soothes coughs. Enriched with vitamin C, thereby stimulating the immune system.
- "Herbion". The same plantain syrup (which can be bought in pharmacies in its pure form!), But with the addition of mallow extract and ascorbic acid. There are two versions of the drug - for the treatment of dry and wet cough. Its big plus is its anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effect. With a cold cough, only it and steam inhalations may be enough for a complete recovery.
"Gedelix". The best choice for naturopaths. The product is based on ivy leaf extract and does not contain sugar, alcohol, preservatives or chemical additives. It can even be used to treat babies. An effective expectorant that helps to quickly remove phlegm.It is strange why this list did not include the proven "Alteika" - an effective syrup based on the root of marshmallow medicinal. This remedy has already cured more than one generation of children. Its only drawback is that in case of an overdose, an allergic reaction may occur. But when a medicine is given to a child, one must be careful with any drug.
In fact, the choice of cough syrups in modern pharmacies is simply huge - there are more than a hundred of them. Although there are much less active ingredients.
Therefore, if the cost of the drug prescribed by the doctor is too high, then do not hesitate to ask the pharmacist if there is a cheaper analogue. In 90% of cases, they exist!
Homemade syrups
For those who prefer to treat their child exclusively with home remedies, we offer several recipes for homemade cough syrups. Their disadvantage is that it will not be possible to prepare a medicine using the folk method without using sugar or honey, which means that it is not suitable for diabetics. The concentration of active substances in them is lower than in pharmacies, so they are weaker. The minimum course of treatment is 7 days.
The advantage of traditional methods of treatment is that you will know exactly what you are giving to the child. Knowing about the healing properties of plants, the prefabricated recipe can be corrected by excluding from it those components to which the child is allergic or he simply does not like them very much in terms of smell or taste.
But we must remember that preparing a medicine for a baby is not a field for creativity! Some plants don't go well with each other, and at best, such a syrup will be a useless delicacy.
The base for all syrups is caramelized sugar, which is then added with various components. If the sugar is simply melted, brought to a light brown shade and poured into molds or in small portions on parchment paper, then you will get lollipops loved by all kids, which perfectly help with dry barking coughs.
To prepare the syrup, decoctions of plants, essential oils, juices and other useful components are added to the caramelized sugar. The proportion of burnt sugar and liquid component is about 1: 1, and you need to pour water into sugar in a thin stream, and not vice versa. In this case, the solution is constantly stirred, and the water should be warmed up to 40-50OWITH.
Here are the ingredients you can add to melted sugar to make a great baby syrup:
freshly squeezed lemon, beet or cabbage juice (must be well strained);- decoction of chamomile, mint, eucalyptus, sage, calendula, thyme, oregano, coltsfoot, wild rose, plantain leaves;
- diluted with water 1:20 alcohol tincture of propolis;
- freshly squeezed ginger root juice diluted in half with water;
- essential oils: eucalyptus, tea tree, thuja, mint, cedar, pine, fir - 10 drops per 100 ml of water.
freshly squeezed lemon, beet or cabbage juice (must be well strained);Give this syrup a teaspoon 3-5 times a day, depending on the condition of the child and the doctor's recommendation. It is advisable to combine the intake of homemade syrups with fortifying drugs: multivitamin complexes and / or immunomodulators.
When treating with folk methods, the result from them should appear for a maximum of 3-5 days. If this does not happen, the remedy you are using is not effective. It means that the time has come to seek qualified help.
This should be done even earlier if the child's condition continues to deteriorate and he develops the alarming symptoms mentioned at the beginning of the article. Remember that complications in children develop faster than in adults, and they are much more difficult to cure, since most powerful drugs are not recommended for children.
