The child began to cough. How to prevent the development of cough in a newborn. Home steam inhalations over potatoes, herbal decoctions, etc. will not help your child

When a child begins to cough too often, many parents begin to worry about it, and they try to cure the baby in various ways. What to do with a dry cough in such a situation? Recipes for treatment are published below. But first, you should know that coughing is sometimes beneficial, as it allows you to clear the respiratory tract from dust, germs and bacteria. It is for this reason that the upper respiratory tract in a child creates mucus that removes all harmful substances.

What should be done if a child coughs?

During an illness of the respiratory tract, mucus secretion increases, as the body tries its best to get rid of microbes. In this case, the cilia that remove harmful mucus stop working when infected with the disease. And so the child begins to cough, since only he helps to remove harmful bacteria during this period.

Healthy children often cough, as a sufficient amount of harmful mucus accumulates in the body during the day and night. According to statistics, an eight-year-old child coughs 11 times a day.

What to do with a wet cough in children?

If the child has a wet cough that stops after a few coughing shocks, then you should not take any action to suppress it, since the cough is fulfilling its function.

If a wet cough drags on for a long time, then it is worth giving drugs that will help remove sputum (mucolytics, Bromhexine, Ambrosol and others). These drugs are best used a few hours before bedtime.

The most common means for sputum removal, used by most families. Typically, such drugs are sold ready-made and allow you to replace folk remedies for the treatment of cough with herbs (Mukaltin, Pectusin, Pikorin).

If a small child coughs, you need to use chest herbs.

You can also rub the chest with essential oils, this will only soften the cough, but will not cure the disease. Do not try to rub the child with fats, this does not affect the cough in any way, and even worsens skin breathing.

Nowadays, the pharmaceutical industry creates a lot of cough medicines. But, despite such an abundance of medicinal formulations on the market, you should not take any. First you need to find out the reason that caused the cough. For this, it is best to consult a specialist doctor. And only after you find out what is the cause of your child's cough, you can cure it.

What to do with dry cough in children?

When a dry cough occurs, it must be dealt with immediately, as it causes irritation of the mucosa due to accumulated sputum. Usually, with serious respiratory diseases, a dry cough is observed for several hours and only then begins to change to a wet one.

A delicious recipe - dissolve a large spoonful of sweet powder in a pan until it darkens, then mix the resulting mass with a small plate of milk. Ideally, the mixture, as it cools, will begin to harden, after solidification, give a tasty mass to the child's mouth. As it is completely resorbed, let him drink a mug of birch sap in small sips. But, birch sap makes it not very affordable.

You can also give your child hot milk with a teaspoon of baking soda.

try to give your child as much water as possible - drinking plenty of water restores the body's water balance due to illness. The sputum becomes less thick. During a cough, sore throat or pharyngitis, it is useful to use alkaline natural waters (for example, Borjomi). Their chemical composition contributes to facilitating sputum production and speed of cure.

For colds and coughs, it may be useful to take a course of inhalation. For children under four years of age, inhalation is not necessary, as this can cause an asthma attack. For the procedure in a child for coughing, take one tablespoon of coltsfoot (leaves), sage, chamomile and thyme, pour boiling water. Add drops of menthol or eucalyptus oil and a teaspoon of baking soda to the infusion. Inhalation is carried out twice a day.

Another 1 recipe for connoisseurs of good cuisine came to us from South America. If the child coughs, take a banana (not blackened and not green), rub it with a spoon in a small container and mix with water (the temperature should be sixty to eighty degrees) until you get a rich porridge. Add a few tablespoons of sugar to the mixture. The cough medicine for the child is ready.

Mix 2 shares of licorice and 1 part of linden plants, brew a spoonful of the mixture with a glass of boiled water. Give the decoction 10 min. stand and drink. The main thing is to use it in small sips and not more than three times a day. After taking this remedy, the child will cough less.

Cough figs are a panacea and a substitute for any lozenges for the larynx in a child. This is an ancient recipe. Take 1 fig, cut it into 2 parts and cook in a glass of milk until it acquires a distinctive color.

In order to cure a sore throat of a child, kill harmful microorganisms, form sputum, remove a dry cough, let the child drink a decoction of pigeon cyanosis. It will moisturize the bronchial mucosa, its separation of sputum, reduce the continuous and painful cough.

Medicines for coughing in children

For the treatment of laryngitis and tracheitis, drugs are used that suppress dry cough. For example, Codeine, Glaucine, Butamirat and many others. Cough remedies for a child are prescribed by a doctor. These substances can cause adverse reactions in the body.

An advanced and not dangerous remedy from the described category is Codelac phyto, in complex treatment, which helps to reduce the symptoms of coughing. Codelac phyto is used for severe dry cough that occurs with influenza, acute respiratory infections. This product is suitable for both adults and children. This remedy should be discontinued if the child develops an expectorant cough (usually on the third day of a cold).

Mucolytics and expectorants should not be used immediately with antitussives, as this often leads to blockage of the bronchi due to phlegm.


text: Irina Nacharova

Children cough and quite often. This is just a symptom that in most cases accompanies the infection. It is important for parents to be able to distinguish between types of cough. Of course, this knowledge does not negate the need to show the child to competent doctors!

1. To determine the type of cough and its cause, you need to analyze the answers to the following questions:

How long the child coughs (according to the medical classification, an acute cough can be considered if it lasts up to 3 weeks; if the disease lasts more than 3 and up to 8 weeks, then we can talk about a chronic infection)

What time of day does he cough the most?

What provokes the appearance of a cough (when the child eats, changes the position of the body, when he is on the street or, conversely, in a room with dry air, when talking);

Does the child feel pain in the chest when coughing, does he have shortness of breath, change in voice, dizziness;

Cough dry or with expectoration.

What type of cough should parents pay special attention to:

Sudden and persistent;
- with wheezing that can be heard at a distance;
- nocturnal, paroxysmal;
- with an admixture of blood;
- with green sputum;
- developed against the background of SARS, and lasting more than 3 weeks.

In these cases, you must immediately contact medical care. An in-depth examination of the child is shown.

An urgent call to a doctor, even at the slightest sign of illness, is necessary for all children under one year old, children with severe chronic diseases, as well as if the child has a high temperature (above 38 ° C) or shortness of breath.

2. Most often, the child begins to cough after he has a runny nose. Even if the baby already knows how to blow his nose, the mucus continues to flow down the walls of the pharynx, enters the upper respiratory tract, and the child begins to cough up a foreign liquid.

This parental observation is also confirmed by Yuri Ulyanov, ENT doctor, doctor medical sciences, Professor: “Indeed, it is the mucus that causes the cough. And not only specialists should know that the condition of the throat, trachea and bronchi is 100 percent dependent on whether there are violations in the nose. By coughing, the body reflexively protects the airways from the threat. Therefore, if a child has a runny nose and cough, it is the runny nose that should be treated. The cough will go away on its own if the correct treatment for nasal disorders is prescribed.

And that is why, with any even seemingly harmless runny nose, it is necessary to show the child not to a pediatrician, but to an ENT doctor. Only he can look inside the nose and adequately assess its condition!

The pediatrician will listen to your child and say if there are wheezing in the lungs, or if the focus of inflammation is higher.

3. If the upper respiratory tract is affected, then coughing is a symptom of laryngitis or tracheitis.

Laryngitis gives itself out by the appearance of dry mouth, sore throat, after the child begins to periodically beat a dry cough. He may hoarse or completely lose his voice. Laryngitis can cause a condition called false croup. The child's lower throat becomes inflamed and swollen, and mucus accumulates in it. Due to the narrowing of the air passages, a barking cough occurs. Croup usually starts at night in a child. Inhalation with the use of special devices and cool air helps to alleviate the condition.

With tracheitis, the mucous membrane of the larynx becomes inflamed. If a child constantly begins to have a strong cough in the morning, this is definitely tracheitis, a disease in which the mucous membrane of the trachea becomes inflamed.

Sometimes the cough lasts 8 to 14 days. At the same time, by the end of the first week, the cough not only does not subside, it continues to intensify and becomes barking, paroxysmal. This is a sign of whooping cough, a disease caused by the Borde-Jangu bacillus. In this case, the cough is necessarily accompanied by a deep breath with a characteristic lingering sound. Sputum may be clear. Such a cough can lead to vomiting. The child's face becomes puffy, eyes with swollen eyelids. It is necessary to immediately show the child to the doctor!

4. Doctors agree that it is impossible to suppress a cough! It is impossible to give children drugs that enhance the effect aimed at the violent cessation of coughing.

Vladimir Tatochenko, pediatrician, doctor of medical sciences, professor, unequivocally believes that it is impossible to fight a cough: “Cough was created by the Lord God in order to cough up all that is superfluous that is in the lungs. Imagine that a child with pneumonia or bronchitis is secreting a lot of mucus - and suddenly he stops coughing. All this mucus clogs the bronchi! So, we should not prevent the child from coughing, but should help him clear his throat.

When inflammation occurs in the bronchi, phlegm forms in them. Microbes and bacteria dissolve in sputum. Together with the cough, the body brings it all out. The bronchi are released - and the inflammation goes away. The person stops coughing.

5. Homemade steam inhalations over potatoes, herbal decoctions, etc. - will not help your child- says pediatrician Vladimir Tatochenko. “Steam contains 100 milligrams of water in one cubic meter. It does not moisturize and does nothing to help the body from coughing. Particles of water simply settle in the mouth - they do not reach the bronchi," says Vladimir Kirillovich, "When coughing associated with obstruction, it is good to use a regular nebulizer. The device creates a constant stream of non-hot drug particles and moisture. They are sprayed into the deepest sections of the bronchi and lungs, as well as into the sinuses. Thus, the medicine begins to act immediately.

If the sputum is very viscous, it should be thinned. And it is not at all necessary to buy pharmacy mucolytics. It is quite possible to do with the same effect in the old proven ways: drink tea with raspberries, milk with Borjomi, milk with soda, warm water with honey and lemon. By the way, scientists have proven that if you give your child two teaspoons of honey at night, it will help to almost completely eliminate the night cough. It is necessary to give the child as much warm liquid as possible: at least a little, but often.

And fresh and humid air will help your child recover even faster!

Is it painful for the child to cough or does the child choke from coughing? All parents face these problems sooner or later. The problem of coughing causes a lot of trouble for both babies and their parents, and their desire to make sure that the child does not cough at all is understandable. It would seem - so many new drugs in pharmacies - give me a pill and end suffering. But cough cough discord, and not everything is so simple. Cough must be treated very carefully and even respectfully. Let's figure it out and try to solve this difficult task.

Cough - friend or foe

For most parents today, it is no secret that coughing is needed, as it is a way to protect and clear the airways. In many cases, coughing is a symptom that signals an illness. And if you line up these diseases in a row, you get a pretty impressive list. It should be noted that cough can be caused by diseases not related to the respiratory system, for example, in the pathology of the cardiovascular system, in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Cough may also be due to inhalation of a foreign body and aspiration (ingestion) of food or gastric secretions into the respiratory tract. Not only a child, but also adults can choke while eating or choke on a drink, and then food particles or a few drops of liquid end up in the trachea or bronchi. The inhalation of a foreign body is accompanied by the occurrence of a sudden paroxysmal dry cough against the background of complete health. The cause of dry cough can also be the migration of toxocara, round helminths, for example, ascaris.

Knowing the nature of the cough impulse helps the doctor to distinguish between these and many other conditions:

  • small, frequent coughing is characteristic of irritation of the pleura;
  • staccato voiced (barking) cough occurs with laryngitis;
  • paroxysmal cascading cough with stridor breath and reprises is typical of whooping cough;
  • night cough often indicates heart failure, allergies, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
  • cough associated with a change in body position - with gastroesophageal reflux disease, postnasal drip with rhinitis / sinusitis;
  • hacking dry cough - with pathological processes in the circumference of the bronchi (compression by a tumor, lymph nodes, aortic aneurysm, etc.).
  • a cough that recurs regularly during or immediately after eating makes one think of hiatal hernia, esophageal pathology, or neurogenic disorders. The same cough, but with foamy sputum, in young children is typical for esophageal-bronchial fistulas.

Additional symptoms are extremely important to clarify the causes of cough. For example, weakness and weight loss accompany dry cough with allergies, tumors and tuberculosis.

Therefore, the first thing to remember when a cough appears is that you do not need to grab “what is at hand” from the first aid kit, because the so-called. "Cough medicines" have different mechanisms of action and should be prescribed according to the type of cough, its nature and stage of the disease.

So, since cough is a protective reaction of the body, contributing to the removal of foreign particles, microorganisms or pathological bronchial secretions from the respiratory tract, the correct tactic in relation to it will be the gradual relief of cough, and not its rapid suppression.

It is undeniable that cough is one of the leading symptoms of respiratory diseases. Any cold (in other words, SARS) is accompanied by episodes of coughing of varying intensity. Most often, cough is a symptom of acute infectious diseases. respiratory diseases and develops within the first 48 hours from the onset of the disease. In this case, the infectious-inflammatory process can be localized in various parts of the respiratory tract, which is used by the doctor when making a diagnosis. Therefore, there are such conditions as rhinitis, rhinosinusitis, pharyngitis, adenoiditis, acute laryngo-tracheitis, false croup, bronchitis, alveolitis.

The most common cause of cough is the so-called post-nasal drip syndrome - when, with a runny nose, mucus not only flows out of the nose, but also flows down the back of the throat, irritating it and causing an unproductive cough. In acute infectious diseases of the lower respiratory tract (laryngitis, tracheitis, bronchitis, pneumonia), the nature of the cough largely depends on the properties of the infection and the severity of the inflammation.

Dry paroxysmal obsessive cough brings the child to exhaustion with whooping cough. A paroxysmal, obsessive, painful cough is characteristic of parapertussis and tracheobronchitis, especially if the causative agent is chlamydia pneumonia (Chlamydia pneumoniae). Severe swelling of the subglottic space with laryngitis provokes hoarseness (hoarseness) and a sonorous, dry, suffocating cough, sore throat. Persistent dry cough occurs in tuberculosis and nervous tics. In acute bronchitis, the sensitivity of the reflexogenic zones of the bronchial mucosa increases, so coughing can be provoked by any irritating influences - smoke, dust, odors, air temperature changes, talking or singing, etc.

An unproductive cough that comes from the depths of the chest, does not bring relief and develops into attacks of suffocation in the early morning hours, is one of the most important clinical signs of bronchial asthma. But with pneumonia, in the first days of the disease, it can be a slight "consumptive" and superficial coughing, while the clinical picture is dominated by symptoms of intoxication and breathing difficulties.

Depending on duration, there are two categories of cough: spicy lasting less than three weeks, and chronic- lasting more than three weeks. Acute dry cough accompanies acute respiratory viral infections, rhinitis and sinusitis (allergic and non-allergic), pulmonary embolism, cardiac asthma, dry pleurisy, otitis externa, pericarditis, pneumothorax, foreign body aspiration, whooping cough. Chronic cough can be observed in chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, bronchial asthma, tuberculosis, tumors of the lungs and mediastinum, thyroid and thymus. As a chronic cough, a post-infectious cough, which is observed for 8 to 12 weeks, or a reflex cough after whooping cough, the so-called viscero-visceral reflex, can be mistakenly perceived. Along with this, the cause of chronic cough can be tumors (larynx, pharynx, esophagus, thyroid gland, etc.), swollen lymph nodes, immunodeficiency, cystic fibrosis (a hereditary disease with damage to the external secretion glands, accompanied by severe damage to the respiratory and digestive tract), insufficiency antitrypsin, prolonged use of certain drugs, and even neurotic or psychogenic cough. The larynx area can be squeezed by an enlarged thyroid gland, and as a result of such a mechanical effect, its lumen naturally narrows, which leads to a reflex cough, which has a special color, it is sometimes called barking.

Quite often, especially in childhood, a spastic cough accompanies a broncho-obstructive component, which worsens the state of health and significantly prolongs the recovery time. obstructive syndrome due to spasticity of the bronchi, infectious and inflammatory edema of their mucosa, impaired motility of the bronchioles, decreased secretion mobility due to its increased viscosity and insufficient surfactant content. So, a dry cough is not always useful, and sometimes reflects the presence of a serious illness.

Preparing for the battle with a cough competently

Of course, frequent, debilitating, painful coughing causes a lot of inconvenience and can be the cause of real suffering: it does not allow you to sleep at night, is accompanied by pain in the muscles of the chest and abdomen, and sometimes ends in vomiting. Therefore, the task is to establish the cause of the cough, optimize the treatment process, using rational methods of diagnosis and therapy, facilitating coughing, and converting a dry cough into a wet one. You cannot solve this problem on your own, so always seek help from a doctor!

Before making a diagnosis, the doctor will ask many questions. Analyze how long the cough appeared, whether it arose against the background of complete health or was preceded by a cold, is there a dependence on the season of the year and time of day, are there asthma attacks or wheezing, are there discharge from the nose, frequent coughing, heartburn or belching, puffiness whether the stomach is after eating, whether there is a fever, whether sputum comes off during coughing, its quantity and color, whether there are other diseases or risk factors (passive smoking, adverse environmental factors), whether the child’s mood changes easily and whether classmates were sick at school and many other points need to be clarified.

There are cases of ineffective cough due to pain in the chest or in the abdominal cavity, paralysis / weakness of the respiratory muscles, impaired consciousness and psyche, extrathoracic airway obstruction, decreased expiratory flow, impaired rheological properties of bronchial secretions. In addition to the causes of dry cough, there are also conditions for its occurrence: stagnation of mucus (mucoid obstruction of the bronchi), atelectasis, gas exchange disorders, pneumonia, lung abscess, brochiectasia, pulmonary fibrosis.

Drug therapy for cough is selected and controlled by the attending physician. The main drugs used in the treatment of coughing children are antitussives and expectorants. Antitussive drugs are prescribed to children ONLY with a dry, intense cough. These drugs inhibit the cough reflex, eliminating the painful, unproductive cough that tires the child. With a wet cough, which is accompanied by sputum, it is impossible to prescribe antitussive drugs. Their use in this case leads to stagnation of sputum in the bronchi, the creation of favorable conditions for the growth and development of pathogenic microorganisms and the development of severe complications. The main drugs for the treatment of wet cough are expectorants / mucolytics.

Their goal is to make sputum more liquid, fluid and facilitate its evacuation from the bronchi during coughing. This goal is achieved by stimulating the activity of the ciliated epithelium of the lining of the trachea and bronchi, increasing the secretory function of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and changing physical characteristics(thickness and viscosity) of the inflammatory secretion. Against the background of taking expectorant drugs, the cough becomes "softer", more productive, which makes it easier to breathe and general state sick child.

Discussing expectorant drugs, I would like to dwell in more detail on drugs of natural origin, namely, drugs based on licorice. Licorice (another name for licorice) is a medicinal plant, medicinal properties which are actively used in both alternative and traditional medicine. The most beneficial part of the plant is its roots and rhizomes, rich in vitamin C, a variety of carbohydrates, essential oils, tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, minerals and other compounds with healing potential.

Licorice root preparations are used in the complex therapy of diseases of the digestive system, allergic reactions, diseases of the joints and some diseases of the nervous system. However, the most common indication for the appointment of licorice are respiratory diseases, which are accompanied by a cough. Licorice root syrup has long been known as an inexpensive, safe and highly effective expectorant, widely used in both adult and pediatric patients. The therapeutic effect of licorice syrup in coughing patients is due to an increase in the activity of the ciliated epithelium and an increase in the secretory function of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, as well as anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effects of licorice.

In general, licorice preparations are characterized by: - ​​a mild and complex effect on the lungs and respiratory tract in diseases that cause coughing; - the possibility of combined use with other drugs, including expectorant drugs with a different mechanism of action (for example, drugs based on ambroxol), due to the absence of drug interactions and the inhibitory effects of drugs on the effects of each other; -safety of use, due to the natural origin of active ingredients and extensive experience in the use of preparations from licorice root.

Speaking about the safety of the use of expectorants from licorice root, we should separately mention the drug from the series "Liki Vedmedica BO" - licorice root syrup, since it, unlike other licorice preparations registered in Ukraine, does not contain ethyl alcohol. Due to this composition, this licorice preparation can be used not only in adults and older children, but also in the treatment of cough in children over 1 year old.

Thus, a huge amount of knowledge and professionalism of a doctor will allow you to exclude all the above conditions and choose the only right way to cure a cough. Be healthy!


How to recognize if a child's cough is dangerous or just a cold? What to do when a child coughs? Should I go to the doctor or take home remedies? Recipes for home remedies for cough.

Child's cough in and of itself is not a disease, but a symptom. Cough is a protective reflex. It removes inhaled particles and substances, as well as mucus from the respiratory tract. In most cases cough caused by an upper respiratory tract infection.

To find out what exactly is wrong with your child, listen to his cough. Child's cough May be:

  • dry
  • barking
  • wet
  • painful

The type of cough a child determines its causes:

  • Dry may indicate an allergic reaction. The dry cough of a child often provokes vomiting in him (due to the not yet fully developed mechanism for closing the stomach - the sphincter of the stomach).
  • Barking is a sign of croup. Croup is an inflammation of the larynx of the upper respiratory tract, which leads to their narrowing.
  • Wet means that a lot of secretion (mucus) has accumulated in the airways. Here you need to clear your throat. The cause of such a cough in a child is often an infection. But it can also just be that a lot of secretion (mucus) is being produced.
  • Painful child cough. If a child has pain in the lungs and stomach when coughing, this may be a sign of pneumonia (pneumonia).

How long does a child's cough last?

In most cases, if child cough not caused by an infection, it lasts a few days and then subsides.

In case of repeated periods cough(chronic) for many weeks there is a possibility of such causes:

  • immunodeficiency,
  • emerging asthma,
  • allergy.

In rare cases, heart disease also leads to chronic cough.

What to do if the child is coughing?

Mostly, cough is a sign that the airways are irritated by mucus, germs, and other irritants. And you need to get rid of these irritants.

  • If the child coughs a lot he must drink a lot of liquid to keep the airways moist. Drinking helps thin the mucus and make it easier to cough up.
  • You can put a hanger with wet linen in the bedroom This helps keep the air moist.
  • Rinsing also helps. inhalation solution table salt(direct humidification of the respiratory tract). Inhalation is the best option. Do it 3-4 times a day. For inhalation, an isotonic raster of table salt is also used (2-5 ml per time).
  • If the child's cough does not last long, then you can drink vegetable expectorant extracts and without a doctor's prescription.
  • As an expectorant, children are given mukaltin.
  • Syrups and potions cough can only be prescribed by a doctor. These potions suppress the cough but prevent the clearing of the bronchi.
  • If the cough is dry, you can just drink soothing syrup so that the child's throat does not "tear" from coughing.
  • Syrups containing codeine apply only to prescription doctor!
  • If the child coughs a lot or he has bronchitis, resort to various inhalations, appointed anti-inflammatory facilities. Prescribed for bacterial cough antibiotics.
  • If a newborn or small child coughing several weeks in a row dry cough, the doctor should find out if this is the onset of asthma or an allergy.
  • If the child coughs in winter, this can cause dry indoor air that irritates the throat mucosa. Therefore, in winter, ventilate the room often, hang damp towels, and try to keep the room temperature rather cool.
  • There are child coughing spells- during such attacks, you should keep your head and upper body high, that is, stand.
  • If your child coughing a lot and at the same time breathes very loudly, it is urgently necessary show it to the doctor.

Home remedies for coughs are inexpensive and effective.

If the child coughs“just” during a cold, then homemade cough remedies are just what you need! Children's doctor Martin Lang on his info site advises:

  • Cough tea with anise, cumin, primrose, linden. All of them have a positive effect on the elimination of cough. Cough tea mixtures for children can be found at the drugstore.
  • With a dry cough, it is very good to drink hot milk with honey.
  • Not for children: essential oils such as eucalyptus or menthol. They can lead to acute respiratory failure.

How to make your own cough syrup

Children up to a year juices with ivy extract are suitable (for example, Prospan), they have an expectorant effect.

How to make a chest compress for a cough.

If the child coughs, then a good help with coughing is warm compresses on the chest.

For babies cotton bags with cherry pits are well suited (the bag with pits is heated) or beeswax. And older children homemade compresses.

Curd compress. onion compress.
Place a terry towel under the entire back of the child so that you can then wrap the child in this towel. Take gauze or a cotton table napkin, put a centimeter of a layer of cottage cheese on it, heat everything together in the oven. Cover with another napkin and place on your chest. It is done in a similar way. Instead of cottage cheese, onions are cut finely and also heated.
thyme compress(cumin compress). Potato compress.
A tablespoon of dry cumin or a bunch of fresh cumin pour boiling water and let stand for 10 minutes. Soak gauze in warm tea and squeeze lightly. Apply to chest. Mash the boiled potatoes between two layers of cheesecloth and place warm on the baby's chest.
When applying each compress: Wrap the child with the edges of the towel, cover with a blanket. Keep the compress until it becomes cold.

When to go to the doctor?

It is not always enough just home remedies in the fight against a child's cough. The rule of thumb is: how younger child the more likely you need to see a doctor. In any case, you need to go to the doctor when:

  • child coughing and temperature body has risen more than 38.5 degrees
  • cough does not subside for 3-4 days and no no expectoration
  • the child breathes very fast
  • The child has labored breathing And chest pain
  • heard inhales and exhales
  • It has bloody expectoration
  • he drinks little, he has dry diapers and refuses to eat
  • cough starts suddenly and does not stop (suspected foreign body)
  • poor general condition of the child
  • there is a strong dyspnea, cough with barking or loud breathing(then see a doctor immediately)
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