Will help a child with a strong cough. How to get rid of a severe cough in a child at home

Cough is not an independent disease, it is just a reflex, a protective reaction of the body, aimed at cleansing the respiratory system from dust, mucus, foreign bodies... So how to quickly cure a child's cough at home? It will not be possible to do this in 1 day without potent drugs that are not recommended for the child.

Causes of wet cough

A rare short-term cough is considered a normal physiological effect, due to which from respiratory tract "garbage" accumulated in them is displayed. Pediatricians say that a child under 2 years old can cough several times a day, and this is not a pathology. Thus, his larynx is cleared of microparticles. Cough infant may occur situationally from tears, milk, saliva trapped in the respiratory tract, or from an unsuitable microclimate in the room.

But if the parents have any concerns about the baby's health (he is inactive, appetite has worsened, other symptoms have appeared), it is better to consult a doctor for an appropriate examination. Since a cough without fever can be a manifestation various diseases... Among which:

  • respiratory infections;
  • respiratory diseases;
  • allergies;
  • pneumonia;
  • problems in the work of the gastrointestinal tract;
  • neurological disorders and others.

When is a cough dangerous?

Pediatricians warn: a wet cough is dangerous if you have the following symptoms:

  • attacks occur at night and are difficult to stop;
  • sputum is secreted greenish or bloody;
  • between attacks, with deep breathing, wheezing is heard;
  • despite therapeutic measures, the cough does not stop for 3 weeks, while the body temperature does not rise;
  • after an attack, vomiting opens;
  • the attack is accompanied by severe shortness of breath;
  • chest pain.



With such manifestations, you should immediately contact the clinic.

Sputum with wet cough

Before looking for methods on how to quickly cure a child's cough at home, it is important to pay attention to the type of sputum. By the nature of the discharge, you can determine the nature of its appearance:

  • watery-mucous, colorless sputum comes out during inflammatory processes in the respiratory tract;
  • transparent discharge with blood appears with pneumonia, flu;
  • vitreous and viscous discharge with lumps - indicates bronchial asthma;
  • sputum with bloody streaks may indicate heart failure or tuberculosis;
  • purulent discharge with bad smell may be a symptom of an abscess.

If necessary, sputum is taken for analysis in a laboratory.

How is a wet cough treated?

Any drug treatment should be prescribed by a doctor, after carrying out the necessary examination (tests, X-rays if necessary, consultations with narrow specialists: a pulmonologist, an allergist, a phthisiatrician). It must be remembered that a cough is a sign of a disease, so only an integrated approach to treatment will help get rid of it. Otherwise, you can eliminate the symptom cough, but not cure the disease. Let's say you know the reason. How to quickly cure a child's cough at home, if, for example, it is a residual consequence of Orvi?

For the treatment of wet (productive) cough, children are prescribed a course of drugs with a thinning phlegm and expectorant effect. These can be herbal medicines (for example, Pectusin, Mukoltin, Doctor Mom syrup, Gedelix, Solutan) or synthetic (for example, Lazolvan, Carbocisteine, Ambroxol, Pulmozin Bromhexin, ACC).

It is strictly forbidden to take sputum-thinning drugs with cough suppressants at the same time. This will provoke the deposition of phlegm in the bronchi and will only aggravate the state of health.

Rubbing with special warming ointments (Dr. Mom, Eucalyptus, Pulmex baby) helps to cure a wet cough (in the absence of fever).

No less effective is the use of aerosols and steam inhalation with the addition of drugs.

They stop drug treatment when the child is already recovering and is able to cough up sputum on his own.

Attention! Only the attending physician can prescribe the drug!

How to speed up the "process" of recovery?

Parents can speed up recovery. How to quickly cure a child's cough at home? For this you need:

  1. create a favorable microclimate in the room where the child is. The air he breathes should be humid and a little cool (18-19 ° C). Regularly conduct airing, wet cleaning, exclude irritating substances (smell of perfumery, tobacco smoke);
  2. adhere to a special drinking regime. Drinking plenty of fluids is important in treating any infectious disease. Drinking warm, plentiful drinks helps flush toxins from the body. In addition, tea with the addition of lemon, honey or raspberries will saturate the body with vitamins;
  3. carry out special breathing exercises between coughing attacks;
  4. organize outdoor walks.

How to help a child with a coughing fit?

Take off severe attack coughing can be done in several ways:

  • if the child is in bed, arrange him upper part torso on a hill (pave pillows). This will make breathing a little easier;
  • if the child is small, he should be laid on his knees face down, stroking and lightly tapping on the back;
  • give a warm drink. You can make a decoction of chamomile, tea with honey, or mix 1 glass of milk with 0.5 tsp of baking soda, 1 tsp of honey and 0.5 tsp of butter. This drink will soften the throat;
  • give the child 1 teaspoon of butter or honey;
  • inhalations with the addition of essential oils;
  • pharmacy syrups containing essential oils;
  • humidify the air. You can use a special electric humidifier or open up hot water in the bathroom and let your child breathe this steam. You can prepare a warm bath for the baby (in the absence of temperature);
  • provoke a gag reflex. To do this, you need to touch the back of the throat with a teaspoon. This will help relieve the spasm of the larynx.

Attention! Essential oils and rubbing can lead to obstruction! Before using this or that component, make sure that the child does not have an allergic reaction to it!

If you cannot relieve the attack yourself, you need to call an ambulance.

Traditional methods of treating wet cough

In traditional medicine, there are many effective ways to overcome a productive cough quickly at home. It:

1. Onion with honey

Peel and grind a medium onion. Add the same amount of natural honey to the resulting mass. Children are given this medicine three times a day after meals, 1 tbsp. This recipe can be used for babies after a year.

2.Red with honey

Wash the fruit of the black radish, cut off the tail. Make a hole inside in which to put 2 tsp of honey. The radish should be infused for at least 4 hours in a dark place. After that, the resulting juice is taken three times a day. The dosage depends on the age of the child. Small children take 1 tsp, children from 3 to 7 years old - 1 teaspoon each, children over 7 years old - 1 tbsp.

3 plantain decoction

A decoction of dry plantain leaves has a good expectorant effect. Pour 1 pinch of leaves with 1 cup boiling water. Insist for about 4 hours. The filtered drink is given to children 30 minutes before meals, 1 tbsp three times a day.

4 rubbing with fat

Fat of animal origin is used: badger, goat, bear. First, you need to melt it in a steam bath, and then rub the patient's chest overnight. This method is suitable even for the treatment of infants. If the cough is accompanied by wheezing, a little dry mustard can be added to the fat. The result of the treatment is noticeable after 3 days. But you need to repeat the procedure within 10 days.

5.Heating compress

The compress is put before bed. Prepared from boiled unpeeled potatoes (2-3 pieces), 1 tbsp of medical alcohol, 1 tbsp, vegetable oil, 1 tbsp of turpentine. Mash the potatoes and mix with the rest of the ingredients until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Make 2 flat cakes from it. Wrap them in several layers of gauze. Put one cake on the child's back, the second on the chest (bypassing the heart area). Wrap the patient warmly. Keep the warming compress for 1-2 hours, when removed, wipe the skin dry, change the child into dry, clean linen. This procedure can be repeated 3-4 times, alternating with other heating methods.

6 cough inhalation

At home, inhalation for coughing is the most gentle and effective way to treat it quickly. Their advantage is that medicinal substances, entering in the form of steam into the respiratory tract, immediately have a therapeutic effect. Inhalation helps to get rid of a long-lasting cough or relieve an attack.

Inhalation is carried out using pharmacy inhalers (nebulizers) or with the help of improvised means. Inhalations are carried out only if there is no fever in the patient. Inhalation is not recommended for children under 2 years of age (to avoid bronchospasm).

Inhalation with a nebulizer is carried out with the addition of drugs:

  • Pertussin. It is necessary to dilute 1 ml of syrup in 3 ml of saline. Do 4 inhalations a day. The course of treatment is 7 days;
  • Lazolvan. The medicine is diluted with saline in a 1: 1 ratio. For children from 2 to 6 years old, it is enough to dilute 2-3 ml of solution, 6-12 years - 5 ml. inhalations should be carried out 2-3 times a day, at least 10 days.
  • Good healing effect have inhalations with a decoction of linden, eucalyptus, Narzan or Borjomi (without gas).

If there is no nebulizer in the house, inhalations are carried out in the old, classic way. Medicines, herbs, essential oils are added to boiling water. The hot container is placed on the table, the child sits down at the table and deeply inhales the therapeutic vapor. Cover it with a towel for more effect.

An excellent way to quickly cure a child's cough at home is inhalation with baking soda (1 tablespoon of soda is diluted in a glass of boiling water). The rising steam should be inhaled through the mouth and exhaled through the nose for 5 minutes.

Contraindications to the procedure are:

  • allergy to the components of the drug used for inhalation;
  • the patient's predisposition to frequent nosebleeds;
  • discharge of sputum with blood;
  • serious illness of cardio-vascular system;
  • respiratory failure ІІІ st.

More recipes:

Mustard plasters and cough wraps

Although the use of mustard plasters is controversial among pediatricians, they are widely used in the treatment of wet coughs in the absence of high temperature... A mustard plaster soaked in warm water releases essential oil mustard, which acts on the nerve endings, irritating and warming her. This leads to increased blood circulation in the lungs.

The procedure for setting mustard plasters is simple. It is immersed in warm water for 20 seconds, then applied to the body. Mustard plasters are placed on the back - in the area of \u200b\u200bthe shoulder blades and on the chest (except for the heart area). Wrap a towel around the chest. Warm the child with a blanket. The duration of the procedure depends on the sensitivity and age of the patient:

  • from 1 to 3 years - 2 minutes;
  • from 4 to 7 years old - 3 minutes;
  • from 8 to 12 years old - up to 10 min.

It is better to put a mustard plaster on a child under 3 years old through cheesecloth or the inactive side (where there is no mustard) so as not to injure his delicate skin.

Then the mustard plasters are removed, the skin is wiped off, and the child is wrapped warmly. Putting mustard plasters every day is not recommended. Better to alternate them with other treatments.

For the treatment of young children, it is better to use not mustard plasters, but wrapping with a towel soaked in warm mustard solution (1 tablespoon of mustard powder per 0.5 liters of water). Moisten a towel in the solution, wring it out and wrap the patient's chest. The child is covered with a blanket. The wrap is kept for 3 to 5 minutes. Then the child is wiped off with warm water, dressed in dry clothes and put to bed. The procedure is not carried out more than 3-4 times.

Contraindications to the use of mustard plasters or mustard wraps are: asthma, psoriasis, eczema, neurodermatitis, skin problems.

Possible complications

A prolonged and tearful cough, frequent persistent attacks can cause the following complications:

  • vomiting caused by sputum discharge;
  • insomnia;
  • pinpoint hemorrhages in the eyes;
  • ear congestion or disease;
  • fainting caused by decreased blood flow to the brain;
  • spontaneous pneumothorax (rupture of the pulmonary vesicles);
  • involuntary urination and defecation;
  • the appearance of an abdominal or pelvic hernia;
  • deterioration of the general condition;
  • feeling of constant soreness (rawness) in the throat.

Prevention of cough in children

To reduce the risk of coughing in a child, you need:

  1. protect the child from contact with sick people;
  2. teach him to wash his hands with soap and water to avoid viruses;
  3. protect against secondhand smoke;
  4. make sure that he consumes vitamins and minerals in sufficient quantities;
  5. make sure that he drinks enough fluids, especially during illness.

Any disease is easier to prevent than to cure later. If you are looking for how to quickly cure a child's cough at home, then you have already “missed” the moment, and now you will have to be treated “in full”. Try to keep your child's medication as low as possible, home remedies can cope with wet cough, although not as soon as we would like.




And finally: what does Dr. Komarovsky say about the rapid treatment of cough:

Yes, now fortunately there are many good medicines plant-based and without chemicals. When we cough, we were prescribed Prospan syrup. My son liked the syrup, and I liked its effect.

For the first time this year, too, we were prescribed Prospan syrup, I had not heard of it before. I really like that it is natural, cough heals quickly. And it is also delicious, the son agrees to accept it without a fight.

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It is extremely difficult for modern parents to accept on faith the fact that fresh, clean and humid air can be no less effective remedy in the treatment of cough in children (including infants), rather than numerous pharmaceutical "delicacies": syrups and lozenges, lozenges, tablets and other cough suppressants. What does civilized medicine "say" about this? And how should parents behave if the child has been coughing for more than one day in a row?

Is cough treatment in children useless?

All children cough from time to time. As a rule, because they are ill, but sometimes also because they breathe the "wrong" air. It is important for parents to understand that a child's cough itself is not an independent ailment, it is not a disease. A cough is always one of the symptoms of a certain disease that either has a negative effect on the respiratory tract, or simply irritates them. Therefore, it is rather pointless to treat a cough (and only him) in a child.

First of all, it is necessary to treat the disease that this cough accompanies. As for the cough process itself, strictly speaking, it should not be treated, but relieved. And these, as it turns out, are radically different actions.

A cough is a defensive reaction!

In most cases baby cough (including a very painful one) is a protective reaction of the body against harmful external influences. In response to an attack by viruses or bacteria, or as a reaction to an allergen, an increased amount of mucus begins to form on the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, which the body ultimately tries to get rid of through coughing.

Why does a child need to cough at all? Then, so that viruses or bacteria that enter the lungs with the air do not settle on their walls and cause a severe inflammatory process - for example, or.

Often the cough comes "hand in hand", especially in infants. Since liquid snot (due to the fact that the child is often in the supine position) flows out not only through the nose, but also flows in the opposite direction - into the pharynx and larynx. Which provokes the cough reflex.

What do our children get sick when they cough?

So, cough is not an independent disease, but only a symptom. Either some kind of disease, or an "unfriendly" air environment. More specifically, the causes of cough in children are usually:

  • viruses;
  • bacteria;
  • allergens;
  • unsatisfactory air properties;

The most common "causative agents" of cough in children are infectious diseases and allergies (about 92% of all cases of cough in children occur for these two reasons). Of this number, about 90% are just infections, and only 10% are allergic reaction... The undisputed champion among infectious diseases that make children cough is (acute respiratory viral infection).

However, coughing is never the only symptom of the disease, whatever it may be. And by the very nature of the cough in a child (especially in a baby), it is extremely difficult to determine what exactly provoked it: infection or allergies, or maybe dry and stale air in the apartment. It is necessary that the situation be assessed by an experienced physician who, in such situations, is inclined to analyze a whole host of factors and symptoms, and not just a cough.

In addition to true diseases (allergies or infections), cough can also be provoked by external factors - namely, "low-quality" air. And it doesn't have to be filled with toxins or fumes. Sometimes, in order for the baby to cough uncontrollably all night until the morning, it is enough just not to ventilate the nursery for a couple of days and put a radiator near the baby's bed for heating ... Dry air will "force" the lungs to produce additional mucus, from which the body will reflexively try to get rid of - using the coughing mechanism. However, in a dry climate, the mucus on the membranes will dry out quickly (doctors call it a dry cough), which means that the child's cough will continue to intensify, without bringing him relief.

Why is cough in children "worse" than in adults

The fact is that when we cough, our respiratory muscles work. It is the reflex contraction of a certain muscle group that leads to the coughing up of sputum. But in children under 3-5 years of age, the respiratory muscles are still too poorly developed. Therefore, it is much more difficult for babies to cough up phlegm than for an adult.

And if a child cannot cough up all the mucus that has accumulated in the lungs, then viruses can also settle there. And therefore, there is a high risk of a serious complication (a common cold can turn into prolonged bronchitis or pneumonia) ... If the climate in the nursery is dry, and the baby, for example, has a clogged nose and he constantly breathes only through his mouth, then the phlegm in the lungs dries out ...

A dry cough is difficult even for an adult to cope with. When phlegm (that is, mucus that is produced in excess by the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract during a cold, allergic attack, etc.) dries up, it becomes smaller in volume, but denser in texture - like small raisins. To cough up such a lump, the respiratory muscles need to make a fair amount of effort. But the child's respiratory muscles are not yet sufficiently developed to master such a maneuver.

To facilitate this process, it is necessary to "make" the sputum more liquid.

This can be achieved in two ways:

  • With the help of non-drug measures,that help relieve coughs and keep mucus out of the airways;
  • With two types of drugs: some suppress the very mechanism of coughing, others - liquefy phlegm to make it easier for the baby to cough up. In addition, in the case of an allergic cough, the child should naturally be given an antihistamine as a medicine.

Let us examine both methods in detail.

Method # 1: No medicine is needed to relieve a child's cough!

There are simple “household” measures that can still be effective in clearing excess mucus in your child's airways and relieving coughing. Among them:

  • 1 The first and most important measure is create a humid and cool climate in the room where the child lives... To moisturize the airways, it is necessary for the baby to simply breathe moist air. You can increase the humidity in the room with a household steam humidifier. No steam humidifier - you can use a nebulizer inhaler.

It is not for nothing that healers in past centuries highly recommended that consumptive sufferers (that is, patients with tuberculosis) spend as much time as possible "on the waters" - namely, in a humid maritime climate. The increased air humidity significantly relieves coughing and improves lung health. By itself, without any medication.

  • 2 Sputum is produced by special glands located on the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. The viscosity of the sputum that these glands produce is directly related to the viscosity of the blood. Thus, in order to alleviate a child's cough (that is, to make the sputum more liquid), it is necessary to lower the viscosity of the blood. The easiest way to do this is to get your baby drunk properly. For this, ordinary water, and fruit compote, and fruit drink, and tea are suitable.

Moreover, what is interesting: the effectiveness of any expectorant drugs in comparison with the effectiveness of drinking plenty of fluids and staying in a humid cool climate is not recognized by science as higher! Simply put: if you correct the climate in the nursery and give the child plenty of water, it will "work" against the child's cough with a greater degree of effectiveness than if you give the child expectorant drugs.

Known children's doctor, Dr. E.O. Komarovsky about effective treatment cough in children: "Even the most expensive and modern expectorant medicine is no more effective in treating coughs than an ordinary pot of compote and a room that has been well ventilated."

  • 3 With a coughing child need to walk! This is a very common myth - they say, if a baby is coughing and snotty, then he should not walk. In reality, everything is exactly the opposite! If the child does not have a high temperature (above 38 ° C), it is not only possible, but also necessary to walk with him daily. To literally ventilate the airways.

Method number 2: Preparations and medicines for cough in children

Indeed, experienced doctors recommend to “fight” a child's cough primarily with the “household” methods that we have listed above. Nonetheless, medicinal way cough treatments also exist. In the case of children under 6 years of age, two types of drugs are used against cough:

  • 1 Medicines that suppress the cough reflex.

When is the first category of cough suppressants used? And why suppress it at all, when the mechanism of coughing itself was conceived by nature in order to save our lungs from the risk of inflammation?

Cough suppressants are used in cases where the coughing process itself is not associated with the condition of the lungs. For example, with whooping cough, a strong cough, as a rule, is not associated with lung damage, but with the fact that the brain center "responsible" for the cough is affected (the so-called cough receptors are irritated). In addition, coughing often occurs from external factors - a lot of dust in the air, or burnt, or smoke. That is, in cases where the cough does not depend on the amount of mucus in the lungs, but only works as a defense mechanism against "foreign and harmful" particles, together with the air rushing into the lungs.

The cough receptor is irritated, but this is not associated with sputum, it is not formed and there is no need to act on it. But the cough itself needs to be calmed - then drugs that suppress cough are used.

Remember medicinesThat "turn off" the cough (that is, suppressing the cough reflex itself), can only be prescribed by doctors!

  • 2 Expectorants for coughs (These are drugs that increase the amount of phlegm by thinning the mucus).

By acting on phlegm, expectorants make it thinner and thus make it easier to cough up.

Do not be surprised if, after using expectorant drugs (for children, they are usually available in the form of syrups), your baby coughs harder than before. This is the action of the medicine - it dilutes the phlegm, turning a dry cough into a so-called wet cough. Mucus becomes larger in volume, and the body will try to clear the airways from it just with the help of a cough. For a while, the cough will become more intense, but the lungs and bronchi will finally get rid of the mucus clots. Accordingly, the risk of complications will be significantly reduced.

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of expectorant drugs in any pharmacy. Starting from collecting herbs and ending with sweet "tasty" syrups, for which children agree to cough at least all their lives. These drugs, with varying degrees of effectiveness, affect the phlegm, thinning it. As a rule, after taking such remedies, the cough first increases (so the phlegm finally leaves the lungs), and then vice versa - it becomes quieter.

However, we repeat: the humid and cool climate in the house, as well as drinking plenty of fluids, affect phlegm in the lungs just as effectively (and in many cases even with greater success) than any expectorant.

How and what to treat a child's cough: about mistakes and prohibitions

There are two main, and at the same time very serious, mistakes that parents often make when treating cough in their children. And each parent should know these two categorical "no" as firmly as his name:

  • 1 You cannot give your child a medicine that suppresses the cough reflex on your own. Imagine a situation: due to certain reasons (due to a cold, or in an allergy attack, for example), an excessive amount of mucus is produced in the lungs. Accordingly, the child develops a cough, with the help of which the body tries to get rid of excess mucus in the lungs. If at this moment you "feed" the body with a cough medicine (that is, a drug that suppresses the cough reflex), then mucus in the lungs will accumulate, but will not be removed at all. At some point, this mucus will begin to obstruct the circulation of air in the lungs. In addition, viruses or bacteria present in the mucus and not pushed out of the lungs (because the cough was "turned off), will settle on the walls of the lungs, causing an inflammatory process - a complication will inevitably arise (such as bronchitis, pneumonia, etc.)
  • 2 Do not give a child (and indeed anyone!) Medicines of two types at the same time. This is the most difficult situation you can imagine: giving your child both a cough medicine (which suppresses the cough reflex) and an expectorant (that is, a drug that thinns phlegm and dramatically increases the amount of mucus in the airways). In this case, the fluid in the lungs will constantly increase, and the baby will not be able to cough it up in principle. After a while, you will hear wheezing and gurgling - the child must be urgently taken to the hospital.

How to treat a child's cough: a great paradox

So, when treating a cough in a child, we have the following arsenal:

  • Household reception: establishing a cool and humid climate, drinking plenty of fluids, walking.
  • Two types of drugs: drugs that suppress the cough reflex and expectorants.

According to all of the above arguments: we ourselves have no right to use drugs that suppress coughs (of course, if our children's health is dear to us). Using expectorants is also difficult. Since they affect mucus in the lungs and bronchi, which means they are not suitable for every cough.

More about this:

The fact is that, as you know, there are diseases of the lower respiratory tract (in other words, diseases that affect the bronchi and lungs), as well as diseases of the upper respiratory tract (that is, diseases that affect the areas of the nose, nasopharynx, paranasal sinuses nose, larynx).

The fact is that it makes no sense to treat diseases of the upper respiratory tract with the help of expectorant drugs (after all, they affect the mucus in the lungs and bronchi). It is categorically not recommended to treat diseases of the lower respiratory tract on your own. In this case, the medication must be prescribed by a medical professional.

Judge for yourself: if you think of giving the baby a cough from a small cough (for example, a tickle in his larynx) or, say, with a severe cold, an expectorant for coughing, then you will get a child who coughs violently all night long. Because to the sputum in the upper respiratory tract, he will also add an abundance of mucus in the area of \u200b\u200bthe lungs and bronchi.

What is left for the parents?

So it turns out that the use of any drugs for coughing in a child must be strictly coordinated with an experienced doctor. Nevertheless, parents still have effective means of fighting coughs in stock: create a moist and cool microclimate in the baby's room (ventilate, humidify the air, reduce heating), give the child plenty of water and regularly take him to fresh air.

The best conditions for a child to live in a room are an air temperature of about 21-22 ° C, an air humidity of about 65-70%.

No matter how banal and "too simple" may seem to you similar methods treatment - they are really effective, although they require a minimum of material costs. After all, isn't this what every prudent parent wants for his baby: to be able to maintain his health without the participation of pharmaceutical assortment: no pills, no syrups, no aerosols and drops?

A “normal”, non-allergic, cough in a child is a great opportunity to trust the opinion of experienced doctors and try to maintain the baby's health in an elementary way - a cool climate in the house, an active lifestyle for the whole family and plenty of drink for the child for several days ...

A cough is a defense mechanism of the body that helps a person get rid of mucus, foreign bodies accumulated in the respiratory tract, and with it from pathogenic microorganisms (viruses and bacteria). A cough in a one-year-old child is most often a sign of ARVI, however, other reasons for its appearance are also possible. In any case, you should not ignore this symptom, you should consult a doctor for a diagnosis and treatment.

It is necessary to approach the treatment of cough in a baby with full responsibility, since many children under one year old medications contraindicated (more in the article :)

Causes of a baby's cough

In order to cure a cough in a one-year-old baby, it is necessary to establish the cause of its occurrence. The most common ones are:

  • viral and bacterial diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tract (bronchitis, laryngitis, pharyngitis, etc.);
  • measles, whooping cough and other childhood infections;
  • adenoids;
  • bronchial asthma;
  • penetration of a foreign body into the respiratory tract (a piece of food, dust, etc.);
  • allergic reactions;
  • dry air in the apartment;
  • psychogenic factor (cough occurs only in stressful situations).

Treatment of the disease in a one-year-old child

A cough in a one-year-old baby is not an independent disease, it is only a symptom, therefore, the main treatment should be aimed at eliminating the cause.

With a viral etiology of the disease, the doctor will prescribe antiviral agents (Anaferon, Viferon, etc.), with bacterial - antibiotics, etc. Also, the choice of the drug depends on the type of cough - dry or with sputum separation.

Below are the medicines approved for use for coughs in babies at the age of 1 year, however, they cannot be used without the agreement of a doctor, since they have contraindications and side effects. In addition, the cause of the malaise may be a serious illness (pneumonia, bronchial asthma, etc.), and the condition of the crumbs may worsen.

Drugs for the treatment of wet cough

NameOperating principleMode of application
Syrup Ambrobene or Lazolvan (for children)
  • children under 24 months are prescribed 2.5 ml 2 times a day
  • from 2 to 6 years old - half a tsp. three times a day
  • from 6 years old - 1 tsp. 2-3 times a day
Solution for inhalation and oral administration Ambrobene or LazolvanInside:
  • babies under 24 months - 1 ml twice a day
  • from 2 to 6 years old - 1 ml three times a day
  • from 6 years old - half a tsp. 2-3 times a day

Inhalation (the specified amount of the drug is half-diluted with 0.9% Na Cl):

  • children under 24 months - 1 ml 2 times a day
  • from 2 to 6 years old, 2 ml 2 times a day
  • children over 2-3 ml twice a day
Linkas syrupHerbal anti-inflammatory drug, promotes the discharge of phlegm from the bronchi
  • children aged 6 months - 3 years, half a teaspoon. three times a day
  • from 3 years of age, increase the dose by 2 times
Bromhexine syrupMucolytic expectorant action
  • children under 24 months are prescribed 2.5 ml 3 times a day
  • from 2 to 6 years old - 1 tsp. 3 times a day
  • from 6 years old - 2 tsp. three times a day

Drugs for the treatment of dry cough

NameOperating principleMode of application
Kodelac neo dropsThe active ingredient butamirate citrate has an antitussive effect
  • babies aged 2-12 months - 10 drops three times a day
  • up to 3 years - 15 drops 4 times a day
  • older children - 25 caps. every 6 hours
Sinekod drops
Drops Stopussin (we recommend to read :)Contains butamirate and guaifenesin, which have antitussive and expectorant effectsThe dosage of the drug depends on the weight of the child:
  • less than 7 kg - 8 drops 3-4 times a day
  • 7-12 kg - 9 drops 3-4 times a day
  • 12-20 kg - 14 drops three times a day
Eucabal syrupThe drug based on plantain and thyme has an expectorant and anti-inflammatory effect
  • children aged 6-12 months - 1 tsp. once a day
  • from year to 7 years - 1 tsp. twice a day

Application of compresses and warming baths

3-4 days from the onset of the disease, provided normal temperature body, a child from the age of one year can do a warming compress or a bath. These treatments are aimed at improving blood circulation and relieving inflammation.

You need to boil two potatoes, mash them with a fork and mix with 20 ml of vegetable oil and 2 tsp. 70% alcohol. Wrap the warm mass in a gauze cloth and apply to the baby's back, avoiding the spine and heart. Wrap the child in a scarf for 40-60 minutes.


The use of warming compresses is allowed only under normal body temperature

You can also treat a cough with the use of warming wraps (see also:). Dissolve 1 tsp in a glass of warm water (40-43 ° C). mustard powder, moisten a piece of cotton cloth in the solution, wring it out and wrap it around the baby's back and chest. Wrap the baby warmly for 60 minutes, then wipe the skin first with a damp, then with a dry cloth.

You can make a heating bath with a water temperature of 39-40 ° C. The duration of the procedure is 10 minutes, the head should not be wetted, then wipe the crumb dry with a towel and put on cotton clothes.

Inhalation rules

On the recommendation of a doctor, you can do steam inhalation. To do this, you need to bring the child to a saucepan with a hot broth of chamomile, coltsfoot or soda solution (3 tsp per liter of water) so that he inhales warm steam for several minutes.

Often, the doctor recommends treating cough with inhalation through a nebulizer using ambroxol-based drugs. The medicine, in accordance with the age dosage, in a 1: 1 ratio is diluted with 0.9% sodium chloride solution, and the procedure is carried out in the morning and in the evening. During inhalation, the child should be calm so as not to provoke a severe cough.

Massage

To do this, put the baby so that the head is slightly lower than the body. With the palm of your hand, gently pat the back of the child in the direction from the lower parts of the lung up. The procedure can be performed several times a day, especially after sleep.

Effective traditional medicine recipes

Equally Effective in Fighting Coughs folk remedies, they are usually used as complementary treatment... Most effective recipesallowed for the treatment of babies:

  • pour dried figs with a glass of hot milk and leave for 30 minutes, take 100 g 2-3 times a day;
  • grate medium-sized radish and mix with honey (in the absence of allergies), insist for 2 hours, strain through cheesecloth and take 2 tsp. 3 times a day;
  • Pour 20 g of pine buds with half a liter of boiling water, insist for 30 minutes, give the baby 2 teaspoons to drink three times a day;
  • aloe juice, mixed half with water, has an anti-inflammatory effect and strengthens the immune system (10 ml 3 times a day);
  • mix 100 g of honey, juice from a third of lemon and chopped clove of garlic, take 2 tsp. three times a day.

Aloe juice helps to cope with a lingering cough, as it effectively dissolves mucus that accumulates in the bronchi

Disease prevention

For the prevention of cough and colds in a one-year-old baby, the following rules should be observed:

  • the temperature in the apartment should not exceed 20-22 ° С, it is better not to use electric heaters unnecessarily, as they lower the humidity in the room;
  • temper the baby, take him out for walks every day (at an air temperature of at least 18 ° C);
  • the child must eat well, receive a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals;
  • avoid contact with patients with ARVI.

When a child begins to cough, many parents think about how to quickly cure him. Bronchial spasm can occur for a variety of reasons. To choose, you need to understand the nature of its occurrence and type. Pediatricians advise not to rush to take pharmaceutical drugs, in 25% of cases, attacks do not occur due to a virus or bacteria.

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

A simple cough in a child: what is it

How to recover from a cough - this question is asked by many parents who do not have time to contact a pediatrician. Most often, simple attacks of bronchospasm are associated with viral infections. For cough for children from 4 years old, they give special drugs that are prescribed depending on the type of attacks:

  • a dry cough will not go away quickly, as it must be made productive. Most often, such attacks occur on initial stages diseases;
  • a wet cough at home is easily recognized by an attentive parent. The seizures are accompanied by mucus.

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

  • penetration into the body of infection is bacteria or viruses. You can quickly treat a cough of this nature using complex therapy... The doctor will prescribe pills, syrups and home treatments;
  • allergy - in this case, children are prescribed special medications, if no measures are taken, then the attacks will become chronic or laryngeal edema may develop, which will lead to suffocation.

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

Simple cough for respiratory problems

How to remove a cough that interferes with a child's normal life from 3 years and older. With inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, a cold occurs, one of the symptoms of which is a child's cough. Many parents try to conduct therapy at home, forgetting about the complications that arise against the background of illiterate therapy:

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

Why does the child have a cough and fever?

Therefore, it is important for a child to prescribe the right medicines for coughing. A pediatrician will make an accurate diagnosis for an elementary cold. Most often, therapy includes the following manipulations:

  • drink plenty of fluids to make the cough productive. Folk remedies in this case are allowed, it can be herbal tinctures and decoctions. For these purposes, expectorant drugs are prescribed;
  • compresses - are prescribed only if the child does not have an increase in temperature; bronchodilators are prescribed - these medicines expand the bronchi, which contributes to the elimination of accumulated mucus;
  • healthy eating and rest;
  • inhalations with herbal extracts.

Special medicines have been developed for children from 2 years of age. It is better to refuse inhalations, as respiratory tract spasm may appear. This leads to a failure in the rhythm of breathing, the baby will suffer from lack of air.

A good remedy for colds is tempering and choosing clothes for the season. Parents are panicky afraid that the child is freezing and put on a large number of things. This leads to disruption of natural heat transfer. The wrapped baby sweats and gets sick.

How to cure a cough in babies up to a year

Newborns should be referred to a pediatrician for any cold symptoms. Many dads and mothers prefer folk remedies, which grandmothers are actively talking about. Such treatment helps only in 10% of cases. Most often, a simple spasm of the bronchi spills over into serious illness. That is why, from a cough to a child under one year old, all medicines should be prescribed by specialists, taking into account the age and health characteristics.

Physiological cough is a common condition of young children. Many mothers are interested in how to eliminate such an attack. Doctors believe that this type of cough can be overcome by primitive turning the son or daughter on their stomach. Due to the fact that the baby is on his back all the time, mucus accumulates in his upper respiratory tract. This is what triggers the seizure, as the body tries to "clear" the way for easy breathing.

But babies also have colds... Therefore, it is important to understand how to quickly cure a child's cough so that complications do not arise. If a child at 5 years old easily uses tablets, then it is difficult for a one-year-old offspring to give the desired drug.

"False croup" is a term that doctors use during edema vocal cords and larynx in a young patient. If a child has such an attack, then an urgent need to go to the hospital. This condition is life threatening.

How to quickly remove a cough from a newborn patient? In this case, a decoction of medicinal herbs helps if the cold is not started. An effective way to treat a cough in a child with an inflammatory process of the upper respiratory tract will be able to cope with plant-based syrups:

  • Dr. Mom - the drug allows you to remove phlegm. The dosage is calculated based on the weight and age of the baby;
  • Gelisal - practically does not have side effects, the period of therapy should not exceed 10 days;
  • Linkas is the cough medicine of choice for many of the country's leading pediatricians.

Rapid treatment of cough in children, many parents carry out medications that contain acetylcysteine \u200b\u200band ambroxol. In many countries, these drugs have been banned since 2010, as there is a large list of side effects. In Russia, there are no such restrictions, but parents should not be negligent when purchasing drugs for the treatment of a one-year-old family member.

List of drugs for babies from a year

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 effectively fight cough:

  1. Bromhexine is an expectorant. The standard dosage at this age is 2 mg 3 times / day.
  2. Sinekod (drops) - facilitates breathing by directly affecting the cough center. Dosage - 10 drops 4 times a day.
  3. Bronchicum - is prescribed during 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

The "Dry Mixture" deserves special attention. With its help, you can get rid of a cough at home. A 2-year-old child should be treated with medications carefully. Illiterately calculated dosage can provoke edema internal organs, poisoning, gastrointestinal upset.

What to give for a cough at 2 years old

At home, only a small number of parents can quickly get rid of a cold. It is not difficult to give a child a pharmacy preparation. The main thing is not to make a mistake in self-diagnosis. Expectorant drugs will help quickly cure a dry cough. But if the remedy does not help, then you should go to the hospital. If you suspect pneumonia or pneumonia, the young patient will be referred for inpatient treatment.

A cough at home in two-year-olds is treated with the following medications:

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

How to cure a cough and not harm a young patient, only a pediatrician will tell. The doctor will select best remedy and calculate the dosage. When the painful seizures are relieved, the baby will feel better immediately.

Medicines from three years of age and above

A common cold symptom is often a simple cough. Doctors know how to cure such a condition. A child 3-4 years old should be seen by a doctor. The specialist will conduct an examination and prescribe the necessary drugs.

Many medicines for this age are available in tablets. A 4-year-old child can be offered a preparation previously ground into powder. Ambroxol is the most popular medicine that will help get rid of a child's cough. The pediatrician will tell you how to take the pills.

The answer to the question of how to cure a child's cough at home depends on the cause of its occurrence. Each disease that caused this symptom requires a special approach. For this reason, you should not self-medicate, it is recommended to consult a doctor and be examined.

In most cases, diseases that are accompanied by coughing attacks can be treated at home under the supervision of the attending physician; only in rare cases, the patient needs to be hospitalized. In children, such cases include pneumonia, stenosing laryngotracheitis, and severe forms of bronchitis.

What helps a child cough at home

Often parents ask the question of how you can treat a child's cough at home quickly. For this, first of all, it is necessary to provide the child with conditions that would facilitate the early resolution of the pathology. The following measures serve this purpose:

  1. It is necessary to humidify the air in the room where the child is. In humid climates, this can be done by frequent ventilation, in dry climates, using a special device (automatic air humidifier). During the heating season, it is recommended to hang wet towels on the radiators, place several containers of water in the room.
  2. The room should be regularly ventilated, wet cleaning should be carried out daily.
  3. If the baby's condition allows (if the temperature is not increased), you should walk with him in the fresh air.
  4. For the duration of the illness, exclude from the diet foods that can irritate the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract.
  5. Provide the child with a plentiful drinking regime, this contributes to better sputum discharge.

Drug therapy

From medicines for coughing, depending on the available clinical signs expectorant, mucolytic, bronchodilator, antitussive, antipyretic, anti-infectious, antihistamines can be prescribed.

Preparations are preferably in the form of syrup and inhalation. To little child usually do not give products in the form of lozenges or lozenges, as he may swallow or inhale the medicine.

Any medications should be prescribed by a doctor, since their use without taking into account the indications can lead to the opposite effect, a combination of some of them (for example, drugs of a central antitussive action and expectorants) can also have a negative effect.

Inhalation

Inhalation has a high antitussive efficiency, since it allows you to deliver active substance directly into the area of \u200b\u200binflammation. For children, inhalation with a nebulizer is preferable. They are carried out using alkaline mineral water, saline or solutions drugs... The doctor prescribes the drug, its dose and frequency of the procedure.

Steam inhalation in children is undesirable, moreover, they are ineffective.

Home physiotherapy

In children, for some diseases of the respiratory tract, they are used percussion massagewhich allows for better sputum clearance, and breathing exercises, contributing to the speedy tissue regeneration.

Traditional methods of treatment

Treatment of cough in a child at home is often carried out with the use of funds traditional medicine... Alternative therapy cannot replace the main treatment, but can be an effective adjunct to it. Parents should be aware that, contrary to the existing opinion, such treatment is not absolutely safe, therefore, like any other, it requires mandatory agreement with a doctor.

Phytotherapy

Of medicinal plants, the following have an antitussive effect:

  • peppermint;
  • plantain;
  • chamomile medicinal;
  • linden flowers;
  • clover;
  • sage;
  • eucalyptus;
  • pine buds.

Decoctions and infusions can be made from plant raw materials, used for inhalations.

For example, an infusion of marshmallow, coltsfoot and oregano (in a ratio of 2: 2: 1) is a popular cough remedy for children over 7 years old. Pour 2 tablespoons of the dry mixture into a thermos, pour 500 ml of boiling water and leave for 4 hours. Take ¼ glass 2 times a day.

Milk-based products

The most popular home remedies include milk-based remedies that reduce irritation to the lining of the larynx and help thin and clear mucus. For the manufacture of medicinal mixtures, you can use cow, goat or other milk with a fat content of at least 2.6%.

  1. Hot milk with honey.Add 1-2 teaspoons of honey to a glass of milk warmed up to a temperature of 40 ° C; you can also dissolve the same amount of butter in the drink. Warm milk is recommended to be consumed throughout the day and drunk before bedtime, which will help get rid of coughing attacks at night.
  2. Milk with mineral water. Helps with cough and sore throat, promotes the discharge of bronchial mucus. To prepare the drink, mix warm milk and alkaline mineral water of the Borjomi type in equal parts. Mineral water must be vented first.
  3. Milk with figs.It has a diaphoretic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory effect. To prepare the medicine, use dark purple or black figs .. 2-4 pieces of fresh figs are poured into a glass of milk, brought to a boil, kept on fire for several minutes and cooled. Before use, dried figs can be poured with cold milk and left for 30 minutes, then bring to a boil and leave for another 20 minutes. Consumed warm, 100 ml 3-4 times a day 30 minutes before meals.
  4. Milk with butter. Helps relieve a cough attack. To prepare it, dissolve a teaspoon of high quality butter in a glass of warm milk. It is recommended to drink the product before going to bed.
  5. Cocoa butter milk... The remedy helps against dry cough. To prepare the medicine, you need to dissolve 0.5 teaspoon of cocoa butter in a glass of hot milk, cool the product a little and give it to the patient to drink.
  6. Milk with onions... 2 small onions should be boiled in a glass of milk until softened. After that, the liquid is insisted for 4 hours, filtered and given to the patient a tablespoon every 3 hours.
  7. Milk with ginger. To prepare this drink, grated ginger root (3-4 cm long) and 2 tablespoons of green tea are poured into 1.5 liters of milk, brought to a boil, removed from heat and insisted for about 30 minutes. The product is taken in small sips several times a day.

Homemade black radish preparations

Means, which include black radish juice, have an expectorant effect and are often used for diseases of the respiratory system in children. There are several recipes.

  1. Add a small amount of sugar to the black radish juice, obtained by any available method. Take 1 teaspoon 4-6 times a day.
  2. Wash the radish thoroughly, cut off the top and cut out some of the pulp. Honey is placed in the formed recess, leaving room for the juice that stands out. The top is set in place, the radish is left for several hours. The finished product is taken in a teaspoon 3-4 times a day.
  3. Grind black radish with a grater, squeeze out the juice and mix it with liquid honey in a 1: 1 ratio.
  4. Cut the radish into slices, place in layers in a suitable container, sprinkle each layer with sugar and leave for several hours to extract juice, which is then drained into a storage container. The remedy is consumed 1 teaspoon several times a day.

Warming compresses

For some diseases, accompanied by cough (not all!), You can use warming compresses. Rules for their application:

  1. When treating children, a compress is placed either on the chest or on the back in one procedure. The location can be alternated every other day.
  2. The compress should not be applied to the area of \u200b\u200bthe heart and kidneys.
  3. If the child experiences discomfort during the procedure, the procedure is stopped immediately.
  4. If, after removing the compress, there is severe redness of the skin, allergies or other complications, you need to stop using this method and ask for medical help.

Contraindications to the use of compresses are the presence of allergies, skin diseases, high temperature. The method is not used to treat children in the first year of life.

  1. Potato compress... Boil the potatoes without peeling, knead, add two teaspoons of any vegetable oil to the mass, form a cake and place on the chest or back, then wrap the child with a blanket. Keep the compress until the potatoes cool.
  2. Mustard and radish compress for older children (after 10 years). 50 g of dry mustard, 50 ml of radish juice, 1 tablespoon of honey, 2.5 cups of water are mixed, soaked in a towel in the mixture, applied to the body, covered with cellophane and a woolen scarf. The procedure takes no more than 10 minutes. After removing the compress, the skin should be wiped dry, the patient should be wrapped in a blanket.
  3. Honey compress... Spread honey on the sick child's chest, cover with parchment and wrap the patient. The procedure is recommended to be carried out within 30 minutes. After that, the honey should be wiped off with a damp cloth, the place of exposure can be smeared with a small amount of vegetable oil.
  4. Compress with salt solution... 90 g of table salt is dissolved in 1 liter of heated water. Cotton cloth is folded in several layers, moistened in a solution, wrung out and applied to the body. Action time - until it cools down (10-20 minutes).
  5. Mustard compress. Mix 1 tablespoon of mustard powder, flour, vegetable oil and honey, form a cake, place it on the body and keep it for several hours. If the patient complains of severe burning sensation, the procedure should be discontinued.

Using body fat to treat cough

Traditionally, products based on internal fat are used, which are attributed to a particularly powerful antitussive effect. Modern doctors this opinion is not shared. Several recipes below are for informational purposes only.

  1. Badger fat used for rubbing, and children from 12 years old are allowed to take orally 1 teaspoon per day (sometimes fat is added to tea or milk). For rubbing, you can use any other internal fat; badger fat has no advantage.
  2. Goat fat used for rubbing. A mixture of equal parts of fat and honey is taken. They also use a means, for the preparation of which 1 egg yolk is added to 1 glass of warm milk, 1 teaspoon of goat fat and honey, a pinch of sugar. The mixture is consumed up to 3 times a day.
  3. Goose fat... One lemon is boiled in a small amount of water for 10 minutes, allowed to cool, peeled and squeezed into a broth. Add 2 tablespoons of goose fat to the liquid. The remedy is given to the patient 1 tablespoon before meals.
  4. Pork fat... 200 g of melted interior pork fat is mixed with the same amount of liquid honey, 100 g of butter, 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder. The drug is given to the patient 1 teaspoon 3-4 times a day, adding the mixture to a glass of warm milk.

Rubbing is not applied at elevated body temperature.

Types of cough

Cough is one of the most frequent reasons seeking medical help. If a cough is not properly treated, it can be distressing. long time, and the pathological process will progress. The table shows the main types of coughs, depending on the duration.

In addition, depending on the presence or absence of phlegm, the cough can be dry or moist (wet).

Causes and risk factors

The most common causes of coughing include respiratory infections and inflammatory diseases organs of the respiratory system (laryngitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, tracheitis, etc.). Cough attacks can occur in patients with bronchial asthma, tuberculosis, oncological diseases organs of the respiratory tract, whooping cough.

Cough can be accompanied by diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, pathology thyroid gland, cardiovascular system, helminthic invasions. Teens may have a psychosomatic cough caused by stress or intense anxiety.

Also, this symptom can be observed when:

  • the presence of an allergic reaction;
  • hypothermia of the body;
  • inhalation of cigarette smoke, dusty or too dry air, chemicals;
  • ingress of foreign bodies into the respiratory tract.

Young children may cough when teething or swallowing large amounts breast milk during feeding.

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