A child at 3 months coughs without fever. The child has been coughing for more than a month, nothing helps - what to do? Causes of a cough in a child

Cough is a protective reaction of the body to the introduction of a foreign agent into the respiratory tract. According to the nature of sputum discharge, it is divided into wet and dry. This allows you to choose the right treatment in the future.

Causes of cough in a child without fever:

• allergic component;
• inflammatory diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tract;
• foreign bodies in the airways;
• helminthic invasions;
• physiological cough.

Allergy and cough in a child

Children, especially under one year old, are often prone to diathesis. Against this background, paroxysmal dry cough may occur. The main thing here is to eliminate the allergen: dust particles, pet hair, indoor plants.

Pediatrician Baranov A.A. in his book describes the primary and secondary prevention of allergic sensitization. To prevent hypersensitivity, you need:

• as long as possible to maintain (at least up to 6 months);
• avoid passive smoking;
• periodically (2 times a year) donate blood for specific Ig E, which indicates the presence of an allergic component;
• exclude contact with animals, dust, and the like (hypoallergenic life);
• follow a hypoallergenic diet.

When allergy symptoms appear, treatment is carried out with antihistamine drugs (Zodak, Zirtek, Loratadin), inhalations with drugs that expand the lumen of the bronchi (Berodual, etc.) up to 3 times a day. Inhalations with physiological saline solution (to moisten the mucous membrane of the bronchi and upper respiratory tract).

It is necessary to strictly observe the age dosage and follow the doctor's prescriptions. Any medications have contraindications, which must be read before use!

These are insidious inflammatory diseases that are accompanied by a dry, hacking cough. When he wears a "barking" character and is accompanied by a hoarse voice.

It is dangerous because with it, especially in young children, laryngeal edema quickly increases and an asthma attack may occur.

In practice, this happens, as a rule, in infants at 6 to 7 months. Laryngitis and bronchitis are the result of a cold and may be accompanied by other respiratory symptoms in the form of a runny nose. Cough can become chronic and last up to 2-3 months with inadequate treatment.

What to do to prevent chronic cough?

1. First aid for acute laryngitis is inhalation with saline and adrenaline, in a ratio of 1:5, up to five times a day. This quickly relieves swelling of the larynx.
2. Abundant drink. You can give mineral water without gas in small sips.
3. Antitussives and mucolytics.

Foreign body in the airways

The cause of a cough may be an accidental inhalation of balls, buttons, coins or small office supplies. The cough begins suddenly, the child loses his voice, breathing becomes difficult, the skin turns blue.

In this case, an emergency call for an ambulance is necessary! Parents, be careful! Do not leave your baby unattended, hide all small items!

Because of this, skin rashes may occur, total immunoglobulin E and eosinophils may increase in the blood, which will falsely lead the doctor to think about allergies.

But experienced pediatricians know that if allergic dermatitis or allergic cough is suspected, helminthic infestations in a child should be excluded.

2 times a year it is necessary to take tests for eggs, especially if the child attends a children's team, and, if necessary, carry out sanitation with anthelmintic drugs.

Medications in the treatment of pathological cough in a child

Antitussive drugs subdivided into:

• expectorants;
• mucolytic.

The first group is used to improve sputum discharge. Preparations from the second group are designed to liquefy it.

Expectorants:

• Codelac;
• Bronchicum.

• Ambroxol (Ambrobene, Lazolvan);
• Ascoril.

The most common in pediatric practice is Ambroxol, or Ambrobene.

The drug is good enough, a quick effect occurs, it can be prescribed from the age of three months in the form of syrups. It is applied up to 2 - 3 times a day orally or in the form of inhalations. ACC drug is used in the form of syrup from 2 years.

Children under 3 years of age should be given these drugs with caution, as there is a rapid and abundant sputum discharge in large quantities.

It is difficult for a baby to cough up such a volume. A good effect is the use of a nebulizer, due to which the drug directly enters the bronchi and lungs.

Herbal preparations are also useful. True, in order to avoid allergic reactions, you should not get involved in them. For babies, calendula, chamomile and thyme are used.

Physiological cough

In newborns, due to the anatomical features of the respiratory system (bronchial mucosa is delicate, covered with many blood vessels, a thin layer of mucus), a physiological cough occurs more often, which allows you to clear the upper respiratory tract from accumulated mucus.

Its feature is that:

• it is not accompanied by a rise in temperature;
• the baby eats well, sleeps, does not act up;
• does not require medical treatment.

Doctor Komarovsky advises to eliminate this type of cough:

• ventilate the room 3-4 times a day for 10 minutes;
• perform daily wet cleaning;
• humidify the air;
• walk outdoors for 1.5 hours.

During teething, in the fourth or fifth month of life, the child develops profuse salivation, as a result of which coughing may occur. It also does not require treatment.

In general, we can say that coughing in infants up to a year is a completely normal symptom, if not. This is how the airways are cleansed of accumulated mucus and dust.

A cough that appears at 3 months in a child can seriously alarm parents. In fact, there is cause for alarm; for such an early age, the phenomenon is not always harmless. That is why moms and dads should know the reasons for this condition.

A cough in a child of 3 months can appear for many reasons. The thing is that during this period his immunity is weakened, he simply cannot resist many diseases. Acute respiratory diseases are diagnosed especially often.

When there is no reason to panic

No matter how much parents like coughing, its main function is to protect the body from various pathogenic pathogens, so they come out of the respiratory tract. If a 3-month-old baby has a cough, it may be a symptom of some disease. It also happens that the baby simply chokes on milk from here and coughs.

Another reason that a three-month-old child develops a cough is strong salivation. The baby may suddenly choke on saliva, as it does not have time to swallow it in such a volume.

This can occur due to many reasons:

1. - the process of their formation often occurs in the first months of life.
2. Examination. Despite the fact that parents believe that the salivary glands are not yet fully formed, they are already working. In this case, you can observe how saliva "flows like a river." But it is worth noting that the phenomenon is temporary and will soon pass on its own.
3. Saliva acts as a defense against the entry of harmful bacteria. As soon as they enter the mouth, drooling begins to flow strongly.

In the video in this article, you can clearly see how much babies salivate. Of all the reasons listed above, only during teething can unpleasant symptoms occur: the body temperature rises, the general condition becomes weakened, the child coughs.

Children at this age react sharply to environmental changes. You can observe a cough in a child at 3 months after he enters a room with dry air. The nasopharyngeal tracts dry up, the body reacts to them by coughing. This can happen even if the child breathes in tobacco smoke.

Symptoms of the disease

If a cough appears in a child at 3 months old, only a doctor can decide how to treat it.

Such symptoms may appear due to the development of certain diseases, among which the following can be distinguished:

1. SARS- the most common disease that occurs in children at this age. The cough is rare and dry, with time it gets worse. Children often cough at night, during the day the symptom subsides. The duration of the cough can be several days, after which time the cough becomes wet. If such a symptom appears, it is recommended to visit a pediatrician or call him at home.
2. Infection affecting the upper respiratory tract. Diseases are accompanied by the development of the inflammatory process. Tonsillitis, rhinitis, pharyngitis can enter here. Cough in a 3-month-old child is present at night and during the day. The first symptom is a runny nose, the baby cannot sleep, eats poorly. Wheezing and whistling may indicate that the sputum did not come out, but penetrated into the bronchi, the phenomenon is considered dangerous, and requires immediate assistance.
3. Cough for 3 months in a child may appear due to allergies. Most often it affects children suffering from diathesis. However, coughing is not the only symptom; body temperature may rise, hyperemia on the skin.
4. Penetration of a foreign object into the human body present with coughing and sneezing. It is dangerous to get an object without special knowledge and skills; a specialist should do it.
5. Ear diseases such as inflammation in the middle ear. You can find out whether the baby's ear hurts or not, for this it is enough to press on his earlobe, but gently.

If a child coughs for 3 months, he should be shown to his pediatrician in order for him to conduct an examination, it is dangerous to ignore the signs. The photo below is an example of how the diagnosis is carried out.

What should parents do

If a child coughs at 3 months, the first thing parents should remember is that in no case should you treat it yourself. Such a process as diagnosis and treatment should be carried out under the strict supervision of a specialist.

But you can still perform some activities at home:

1. Ventilate the room several times a day, it is recommended to humidify the air. But keep in mind, when the room is ventilated, the child should not be in it. Raising the humidity is not difficult, you can wet the diaper and hang it up, as well as put some kind of container with water.
2. Make sure your child has a good expectoration. The child does not know how to expectorate mucus at this age, you can help him with this with the help of massage. You can carry out the procedure at home, as it is simple. Place your baby on your lap with your tummy down, lightly touch with your hands and stroke your back. Just 15 minutes a day is enough, and the child will feel better.
3. If the symptoms of the disease do not go away for a long time, you should give the child to drink as often as possible. Water must be boiled.
4. Engage in strengthening the body, walk more often in the fresh air, but dress according to the weather.

As mentioned above, the attending physician must decide.

Treatment Methods

If a three-month-old child coughs, while other unpleasant symptoms bother him, then it is unlikely that he will be able to do without drugs. But how to treat a cough in a child at 3 months? As mentioned above, only a specialist can solve everything in this situation.

The condition of the baby, the cause of the symptom and other factors should be taken into account.

The list of those drugs that can be given at this age is not wide:

1. Among the drugs with an expectorant effect, only two can be noted - Prospan and Gedelix, are available in the form of a syrup. They are based on a component of plant origin - ivy extract.
2. Homeopathic remedies can be prescribed - Stodal or Oscilococcinum.
3. At elevated body temperature, Paracetamol, Cefikon suppositories or Eferalgan syrup may be prescribed.

All drugs should be considered in more detail, they can be divided into several types:

1. Antitussives- allow you to get rid of paroxysmal, dry and debilitating cough. Already starting from two months, you can give Sinekod. Instructions for taking are in the package, but it is better to pre-specify it with your doctor.
2. Mucolytics- help get rid of a wet cough, can be prescribed if wheezing is present. An irritating effect is exerted on the mucus, after which it freely exits. From a cough, a child at 3 months old can be given Flavamed and Lazolvan.
3. Expectorants. More often, plant-based syrups are prescribed - Doctor MOM, Doctor Thais and more.

Many syrups can cause an allergic reaction, which is why they should not be given on their own. In case of suspicious symptoms, you should seek help from the hospital and stop further treatment.

Phytotherapy

If a 3-month-old child coughs, it can be treated with passive inhalations with essential oils or herbs. Take a bowl of hot water and place it near where the baby is. Add a few drops of essential oil to the water, as well as a pinch of soda, so the steam will be enhanced.

Important! For children of this age, it is forbidden to carry out steam inhalations with potatoes or soda.

A good effect in treatment can also be achieved as follows: in the bath where the child bathes, you can add a decoction of chamomile or sage. However, before using such methods, you should make sure that the child is not allergic to medicinal plants.

Serious mistakes

If a three-month-old child has a cough, how to treat it cannot be decided independently. There are many cases where many parents take the initiative in treatment, which subsequently leads to disastrous consequences.

The information below should be taken very seriously:

1. Antitussives should not be given alone. Imagine, the cough is not dry, but with sputum. When coughing, the child tries to get rid of the accumulated mucus, but what will happen if you give him such a drug? Sputum will not be able to come out, but will begin to accumulate in the lungs and bronchi.
2. You can not simultaneously give antitussive and expectorant drugs. This is the biggest mistake in the treatment of children. One remedy increases the amount of sputum, and the other turns off the cough center. After such procedures, children are most often hospitalized.

If a child coughs at three months, in no case should the symptom be left unattended. Take your baby to the doctor as soon as possible.

Prevention

In order to protect the child from various diseases, parents should follow some simple rules:

1. When going for a walk, you can not put on a lot of things for a child. If his feet and palms are dry, then things are dressed correctly, the baby will not sweat or freeze.
2. In order to increase the child's immunity, it should be tempered from childhood. It is recommended to take air baths.
3. In the winter season during outbreaks, it is not recommended to visit crowded places, so the risk of infection will be reduced. If this is not possible, you must wear a mask.
4. Even at this age, you should monitor the nutrition of the baby.
5. Spend as much time outdoors as possible.

Coughing in the first months of life is not the norm. When a child is 3 months old, the doctor determines how to treat a cough, therapeutic measures should begin in a timely manner.

Frequently asked questions to the doctor

Cough treatment

My three-month-old daughter was sick, we gave her inhalations, as the doctor prescribed, the sputum went away after that. The symptoms of a cold are gone, but the dry cough remains. Whether it is necessary to continue to do or make inhalations?

If the cough is rare and dry, then nothing needs to be done. If sometimes the baby coughs, you can do inhalations with physical. solution, but not more than three days. You can also do massage in order to improve blood circulation.

Any children's cough for a parent is a big problem and a cause for serious concern. When a child has been coughing for more than a month, nothing helps, examinations do not bring results, and the next package of pills and potions only exacerbates the symptoms, the parents' head is spinning.

What is a cough

Cough is a kind of protective reaction of the body. It is necessary for every person who breathes not the cleanest city air in order to cleanse the lungs from the accumulated "dirt".

When a person becomes ill, sputum forms in the nasopharynx, bronchi, and even in the upper lungs. It is necessary in order to neutralize bacteria and viruses. The body needs to remove this mucus, for this there is a cough.

Types of cough

According to the duration, doctors divide the following types of cough:

• Spicy. This type of dry cough usually stops after a few days. Instead, it appears wet, productive, with sputum discharge.
• A persistent cough lasts from two weeks to three months.
• A chronic cough is a type of cough that does not go away for more than three months.

As you might guess, it is not uncommon for a child to cough for more than a month. Nothing helps - also not an out of the ordinary situation. Let's figure out what can cause a prolonged and chronic cough and how to treat it.

Why does the cough last for a long time?

Very often, parents cannot understand why the child coughs for so long. What can not be done and what are the main mistakes in treatment, due to which the unpleasant symptoms of the disease may not go away for a long time:

• Use of expectorants for treatment (very often on the advice of a pharmacist at a pharmacy or a friend). Such an error in the choice of the drug causes excessive sputum production in the lungs, which the body does not have time to get rid of, and the child coughs without stopping. By the way, there is no evidence that such remedies are more effective than drinking plenty of water and washing the nose.

• Too dry and warm air in the room. Such a seemingly trifle can do a disservice in the treatment of any infection.
• Use of cough suppressants without acute indications. It is especially dangerous to take such drugs with a wet cough, because the body needs to get rid of the resulting sputum.
• Warming up, hot inhalations, rubbing (especially during the acute period of the disease) should not be done. Firstly, not a single doctor will advise overheating a child who already has a temperature. Secondly, even if the temperature has long passed, the effectiveness of this treatment method raises many doubts. Instead of such procedures, doctors recommend using a nebulizer.

month. Komarovsky answers

The doctor claims that the main treatment should be drinking plenty of water at room temperature, airing, humidifying the air and walking.

If a child coughs for a month without a fever, this is most likely the fault of the parents, who, for example, began to give mucolytics. Komarovsky always pays special attention to the fact that drugs are no more effective than a normal climate and frequent drinking. For children under two or three years old, according to Oleg Evgenievich, it is simply dangerous to give such funds.

The doctor considers this type of cough to be “normal”: a dry, acute cough that turns into a wet one with sputum in a couple of days, which gradually subsides (maximum in three weeks). If, after a viral infection, the child coughs without stopping, and against this background the temperature rises again, an urgent consultation with a doctor is necessary. Komarovsky recalls that such symptoms may be characteristic of a bacterial complication of SARS.

Whooping cough

Whooping cough is a dangerous infectious disease that in unvaccinated children in the early stages manifests itself as follows:

• Elevated to 37-37.5 degrees temperature.
• Dry infrequent cough.
• Weakness.
• Mucus discharge from the nose.

After about the second week of illness, spasmodic attacks intensify, the child coughs at night during sleep and during the day. Attacks can be so strong that they will be accompanied by vomiting. Cough during whooping cough can last up to three months. Treatment should take place in a hospital with the mandatory use of antibiotics.

In vaccinated children, whooping cough most often resolves in a very mild or erased form. Cough can only distinguish it by the fact that most of all the child coughs at night, which prevents him from sleeping. By the end of the second week, the cough intensifies, and then gradually disappears without treatment in about a month.

allergic cough

If a child has been coughing for more than a month, nothing helps, and does not get better, it is worth considering whether an allergic reaction is causing the attacks. Typical cough symptoms for allergies:

• It starts abruptly and has a paroxysmal character.
• Allergic cough is always dry and often accompanied by rhinitis (runny nose).
• The attack can last a very long time - up to several hours.
• Cough brings no relief.
• Sputum, if it is allocated, is transparent, without impurities of green or red color.
• Itching or sneezing may be present.

If your child is coughing, the reasons need to be investigated as soon as possible. Allergic cough without timely treatment can cause asthma or bronchitis. And this is already fraught with serious consequences.

Bronchitis

Bronchitis - inflammation of the mucous membranes of the bronchi. This is a fairly serious disease, which today, with timely and proper treatment, is quite successfully and without consequences cured.

Cough with bronchitis in a child has a number of differences:

• Violent loose cough with sputum.
• A sharp rise in temperature.
• Weakness.
• Wheezing pulmonary rales.
• The presence of wet with a characteristic gurgling, which can often be heard without a phonendoscope.
• Hard breathing.

The maximum term for coughing with bronchitis is two weeks. In other cases, we can talk about complications or that the bronchi have not recovered from the disease, and physiotherapy is required.

Neurological cough

Very often, pediatricians forget about such a common cause of cough as neurological problems. Sometimes mothers complain that the child has been coughing for more than a month, nothing helps. All the medicines have already been tried, the tests have been passed not once, doctors have been bypassed in the third round, but there is no result. The cause of a cough may not be a physiological, but a psychological reason.

Here is a list of neurotic cough symptoms:

• Intrusive dry cough.
• No signs of SARS.
• The baby coughs only during the day.
• Attacks worse towards evening (from accumulated fatigue).
• No deterioration or improvement for a long time.
• Medicines don't help.
• There may be shortness of breath during coughing.
• It always shows up in times of stress.
• It is often loud, as if special.

During the diagnosis of such a psychogenic disease, a complete examination by a pulmonologist, otolaryngologist, allergist, neuropathologist and psychotherapist is necessary. It is important to rule out all possible common causes of cough (including bronchial asthma and tuberculosis), since psychogenic cough lasting more than three months is detected in only ten percent of all cases.

The child is coughing. What to do?

So, the child has the classic symptoms of SARS:

• the temperature has risen;
• weakness appeared;
• suffers from a runny nose;
• tickle in the throat;
• worries about dry cough.

It makes sense to call a doctor and get treated for several days at home without pills: give the child more water, feed less, ventilate and humidify the room. In 90% of cases, a dry cough will pass in a day or two, and a wet one with sputum will appear. The temperature will begin to decrease, and all symptoms of SARS will gradually disappear. By the way, do not rush to immediately take the child to kindergarten or school, give the body the opportunity to recover properly.

If you observe non-standard symptoms in your baby, this is a sign of an urgent visit to the doctor:

• cough without fever;
• no runny nose;
• chest pain;
• impurities in sputum (blood, pus);
• deterioration after a clear improvement in SARS;
• the temperature does not go astray (neither "Paracetamol" nor "Ibuprofen");
• pale skin color;
• dyspnea;
• sharp without stopping;
• suspicion of the presence of a foreign object in the respiratory tract;
• nocturnal coughing fits;
• inability to take a deep breath;
• wheezing;
• cough lasts more than three weeks.

An examination by a pediatrician is necessary for any disease of the child. But if you find at least one of the above symptoms in your baby, you should see a doctor as soon as possible (depending on the condition, you may even need to call an ambulance).

For an accurate diagnosis of the disease, the doctor may recommend taking one or more tests:

• Clinical analysis of blood and urine to identify the nature of the disease (bacterium or virus).
• Sputum examination is prescribed, if necessary, by an ENT doctor (microbiological examination).
• Chest x-ray - in the presence of wheezing.
• Allergy test or analysis of the level of immunoglobulins in the blood (determines the presence of an allergic cause of cough).
• Whooping cough blood test (bacterial culture or antibody detection).

There can be only one conclusion: a cough cannot be treated without a doctor. Self-medication is dangerous and can lead to chronic diseases.

Cough in an infant is quite rare in comparison with children aged 1 to 7 years. If the baby receives only mother's milk as food, then the risk of suffering a cold for up to a year is minimized. In the presence of a runny nose and high temperature, ARVI can be suspected. If there is no snot, the thermometer shows 36.6 C, and the child begins to cough, you should check for allergies or whooping cough. In no case should you engage in self-medication, since the respiratory muscles of newborns and infants are not sufficiently developed. The baby will not be able to cough up sputum from the lungs and bronchi, which leads to stagnation of mucus in the airways and the occurrence of complications.

Types of cough

Coughing in babies is the same protective reflex inherent in nature as sneezing. Mothers worry when they notice that the child is coughing. Pediatricians consider a slight manifestation of the reflex to be the norm, even if the baby coughed several times a day. There are two types of cough:

1. Dry. It is typical for the initial stage of acute respiratory viral infections, parapertussis and whooping cough, bronchial asthma or an allergic reaction, which makes it difficult to make a correct diagnosis. An examination by a pediatrician is necessary, since mothers without experience often mistake a wet cough for a dry one (see also:). A baby under 3 months of age swallows mucus rather than coughing it up, so parents are confused.
2. Wet. If a cough in a baby begins without a fever, this means that the disease is nearing completion. Do not worry when clear and thin sputum leaves. Yellowish or greenish mucus indicates a serious infection in the respiratory tract.

If the cough in an infant is wet, does not go away within a month and is not accompanied by fever, this may be a sign of pneumonia, tracheitis, or chronic bronchitis. The bronchi of children older than six months are able to self-cleanse, but in newborns and babies up to 5-6 months, this function has not matured. Cough appears when sputum irritates the back wall of the nasopharynx, flowing down.

Basic therapy

Cough treatment is always individual and is prescribed only after a doctor's examination. The course depends on the nature of the disease and includes:

• Antipyretic drugs. If the temperature rises with coughing, syrups with ibuprofen or paracetamol will help to reduce it.

• Antiviral medicines. SARS can be treated with immunomodulatory agents. Doctors recommend using Viferon suppositories, since they have no contraindications and age restrictions (we recommend reading:). The drug can be prescribed to children from birth to one year.
• Washing the nasal passages. If the baby is prevented from breathing by thick snot, he sneezes and begins to breathe through his mouth (we recommend reading:). After a short period of time, the mucous membranes in the mouth and throat will dry out, and the child will cough. Before going to bed, it is important to rinse the baby's nose with saline or saline. During the day, you can instill 3 drops in each nostril 4 to 8 times. After the washing procedure, it is useful to drip the spout with an oily solution of "Ectericide" at a dosage of 1 drop. This will create a thin protective layer of the drug on the mucous membranes.
• Homeopathy. To cure an infant from coughing, pediatricians prescribe drugs based on natural products. Especially popular is the Stondal syrup, which has established itself as an excellent antitussive, bronchodilator and expectorant.

With a runny nose, it is forbidden to use antibacterial drops for the treatment of infants. Sometimes a doctor may prescribe a vasoconstrictor if the baby sneezes, but not for the treatment of SARS.

If a cough in a month-old baby is accompanied by snot, but the temperature remains within the normal range, this may indicate pharyngitis, laryngitis, or rhinitis of allergic etiology.

Cough remedies for babies

Infants and one-year-olds can be treated with safe forms of medications - drops and syrups. Cough medicines are divided into three groups:

1. Mucolytic. They are produced on the basis of hydrochloride, acetylcysteine, bromhexine and ambroxol, which thin thick sputum in the respiratory tract. Among the popular ones are: "Mukodin", "Flavamed", "Flyuditek", "Mukosol", "Bromhexine", "Ambrobene", "Lazolvan". Syrups are given to children up to a year, but only after consultation with a pediatrician.
2. Antitussives. They are prescribed for dry cough, which has the form of seizures. The drugs reduce the occurrence of the cough reflex, which is most effective in the treatment of whooping cough. Among the contraindications are children under 2 years of age. Syrups "Panatus" and "Sinekod" are allowed for children of the first year of life, if the therapy is carried out under the strict supervision of a physician.
3. Expectorants. They are effective if the cough of a one-month-old baby is wet, but the sputum comes out with difficulty (for more details, see the article:). Assign syrups based on plantain or ivy extract. Additionally, the composition includes plant components: coltsfoot, rosemary, thyme, oregano, elecampane, marshmallow, licorice, anise, thyme. Among the well-known drugs are recommended: "Prospan", "Doctor MOM", "Gedelix", "Bronchicum" and "Dr (we recommend reading:). Theiss. "Prospan" and "Bronhikum" are allowed from 4-6 months. A month-old baby may be allergic to herbs, so the baby's well-being must be monitored. If a skin rash or swelling occurs, the medication should be stopped and a pediatrician should be visited.

If a newborn sneezes and coughs, the doctor calculates the dosage of the drug (we recommend reading:). An overdose of an expectorant medicine is dangerous, since a month-old baby's cough can drag on. The volume of secreted mucus will increase, but a baby aged from a month to a year cannot physically cough it up.

It is forbidden to combine antitussive and expectorant medicines, as manufacturers warn about in the instructions. With the suppression of cough and the simultaneous formation of a large volume of mucus, pneumonia occurs.

Baby first aid

Before the arrival of the doctor, parents are able to follow simple tips to alleviate the condition of the crumbs. At home, it is difficult to determine why the baby is coughing and sneezing, but you can help reduce negative symptoms:

1. Plentiful drink. If a newborn coughs, then it is allowed to drink only water. When breastfeeding, breastfeeding should be offered more frequently. Do not forget that high temperatures lead to dehydration. Do not miss a dangerous signal if you watch the filling of the diaper. With infrequent urination (1 time in 4 hours), it is necessary to start soldering the little one. Babies from six months are offered raisin water, a decoction of wild rose or linden, diluted juice or dried fruit.
2. Minimum clothing. The warmer the baby is dressed, the faster it loses moisture. The mucous membranes dry out, so the baby begins to cough.
3. Walks in the open air. If the child coughs, but other health indicators are normal, short walks are allowed. The exception is weather conditions when it is very cold outside. Do not be afraid if the baby only coughed during the day, and in the evening after the walk, the cough intensified. This leads to a better discharge of mucus.
4. Comfortable air humidity. In order for a dry, painful cough to turn into a wet one, it is not necessary to resort to medicines. It is enough to set the humidity in the house at the level of 50-70%. The temperature in the room where the baby is located should not rise above 22 C. 18 C is considered ideal, otherwise the sputum in the airways will be more viscous and thick.
5. Safe inhalation. Steam procedures are prohibited in order to avoid burns to the skin and mucous membranes. If the baby coughs, it is recommended to install next to the arena for the duration of the illness. Doctors advise with a dry cough to fill the bath with hot water, adding soda to it. Then take the baby in your arms and sit in the bathroom, inhaling wet alkaline fumes.

Additional measures: do's and don'ts

A wet cough in one-year-old children is often accompanied by mucus that is difficult to separate. In this case, drainage massage will help. You can invite a specialist to your home who does professional massage for babies, but the mother is able to carry out some manipulations on her own:

• lay the baby on the back;
• put your palms on the chest and stroke it from the bottom up;
• turn the little one on his stomach;
• in circular soft movements "walk" along the back, avoiding the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe spine.

Finish the massage with light pats from the bottom up. It is advisable to position the baby so that the head is below the buttocks.

Fearing the negative consequences of taking medications, mothers, on the advice of their grandmothers, resort to the use of traditional medicine. Pediatricians are categorically against such experiments on the children's body:

1. Thoughtless manipulations almost always lead to the opposite effect. Compresses with dry mustard, vinegar or vodka provoke burns and poisoning. Often there are dangerous spasms of the bronchi and larynx.
2. Babies of the first year of life develop an allergy to medicinal herbs, so chest preparations, infusions and decoctions should be used after consultation with a specialist.

We must not forget that the time of shortage has long passed, and medicine does not stand still. The pharmaceutical industry can offer a lot of effective and safe drugs.

Expert opinion

Evgeny Olegovich Komarovsky does not see anything terrible in the cough reflex, since it is inherent in all people. The snot that appears flows down the nasopharynx in children, so the body is forced to get rid of mucus. When diseases of the upper respiratory tract or lungs occur, the volume of sputum increases, it is removed through a natural reflex.

If the snot in the nose dries up, it becomes difficult to breathe, which leads to further complications. Komarovsky believes that preventing sputum from drying out in the bronchi is also important if the little one is coughing. It is necessary to provide a sufficient amount of drink for the baby and organize access to fresh cool air. Without consulting a doctor, it is forbidden to use antitussive drugs that are effective only for whooping cough. The use of mucolytic and expectorant drugs is allowed if it is evening outside and you need to somehow act.

Symptoms of any type of cough allow you to visit a pediatrician and get the necessary recommendations. The following drugs are effective and relatively safe:

• lazolvan;
• acetylcysteine;
• bromhexine;
• potassium iodide;
• mukaltin;
• ammonia-anise drops.

They should be in the home first aid kit, but the doctor sets the dosage. The specialist will also tell you the appropriateness of using a particular medication.

The danger of complications after SARS is the development of acute bronchitis or pneumonia, there are frequent cases of secondary bacterial infections. The baby is prescribed antibiotics in tandem with additional medications. Such treatment will negatively affect the formation of the immune system, but there is no other way out. For this reason, Komarovsky recommends not self-medicating, contacting specialists in time and not endangering the baby. If the child has pneumonia before the age of 2 months, the lung alveoli remain affected and stop developing.

Why is whooping cough dangerous?

With whooping cough, the cough reflex has some characteristic features, only a pediatrician is able to make a correct diagnosis. A timely DPT vaccination does not completely protect against infection, but allows you to transfer the disease in a milder form. The mass refusal of vaccination in recent years has led to the fact that whooping cough is more common among preschool children. Self-treatment and self-confidence of mothers in their own actions complicate and slow down the diagnosis, since they turn to doctors at 2-3 weeks of illness.

Whooping cough and its severe forms are deadly to babies because of paroxysmal, hysterical coughing that provokes severe vomiting, respiratory failure, and even respiratory arrest. Whooping cough symptoms include:

• dry cough, similar to a common cold;
• in subsequent stages, the cough becomes more painful, not turning into a wet form;
• cough reflex occurs on exhalation and is paroxysmal in nature;
• after a prolonged cough, the child takes a deep breath, which is accompanied by a whistle;
• sometimes an attack of coughing can result in vomiting with a discharge of viscous sputum.

The cough reflex can occur up to 50 times a day, which should alert parents. Whooping cough is a bacterial infection, so antibiotics are used in therapy. Antibacterial agents are effective at the first symptoms, when the cough center is not yet in the stage of excitation. Additionally, antitussive drugs are prescribed to reduce the frequency and intensity of the cough reflex. The course lasts from several months to six months, so that the baby ceases to be contagious and does not pose a danger to others. During therapy, outdoor walks are not contraindicated, and it is advisable for parents to be patient.

Newborn babies are prone to many diseases, as they have not yet developed immunity. Especially often they are diagnosed with acute respiratory diseases, so the question of how to treat a cough in a child for 3 months cannot be called unusual or inappropriate. Parents face the difficult task of eliminating an unpleasant symptom, because almost all pharmaceutical preparations are approved for use in older children.

Treating 3-month-old babies is challenging

The nature of cough in children 3 months

Before you start treating a cough in a baby, you need to find out the reasons for its origin. This will help to choose an effective medicine and not harm the fragile body.

Cough is not always a consequence of acute respiratory infections and SARS. Doctors call this symptom a natural reaction of the body to irritants entering the respiratory tract: allergens, stomach contents, foreign objects (small parts of toys, dust, villi, etc.). In this case, the infant has a dry cough, in some cases he is disturbed by snot (with allergies) and lacrimation.

Experts say that a cough without fever in 80% of cases indicates an allergy or mechanical irritation of the respiratory tract in infants.

An elevated temperature in an infant indicates a viral etiology

If children develop snot and fever against the background of coughing, this in 99% of cases indicates the penetration of pathogenic microorganisms - viruses or bacteria into the body. Their presence is evidenced by:

• dry or wet cough that worsens in the evening and at night;
• increased body temperature;
• nasal discharge, which may be thin and clear, or viscous and green or yellow in color.

By the nature of the cough and the way the snot looks, the pediatrician can make an accurate diagnosis. So, with tracheitis and tracheobronchitis, a dry cough is first observed, and then a productive cough with wheezing. With laryngitis and adenoiditis, sputum does not appear at all, and the cough itself exhausts the child around the clock. With sinusitis, the cough is accompanied by the release of purulent snot and fetid sputum streaked with pus. The most severe cough occurs with whooping cough.

With viruses, the child also has snot

Important! If the baby is not able to cough up sputum on his own or the cough ends with blanching or turning blue of the nasolabial triangle, you should immediately consult a doctor.

How to treat cough in three-month-old children

To eliminate a cough in an infant, it is necessary to select medications in accordance with the diagnosis. But first, you should carefully consider the regime. At about 3 months, a newborn baby requires periodic upright positioning and active movement. Even if they have a cold, do not deny them this. It is important to remember that movement helps to quickly get rid of accumulations of sputum in the lungs and airways.

It is especially useful to keep a three-month-old baby in a "column" if his cough is due to reflux. It is better to do this immediately after feeding. If the baby is bottle-fed, it is important to ensure that he does not suck on an empty bottle. In this case, he can swallow air, which then pushes the contents of the stomach into the esophagus and larynx, which will provoke a new coughing fit.

Even during treatment, the child needs to move

Unlike monthly babies who should not yet be given complementary foods, when they reach the age of three months, coughing and wheezing can be improved by drinking plenty of fluids. It will help make coughing more productive. This will help to quickly clear the airways of irritants.

If children cough too intensely, and this symptom does not go away on their own, the baby needs specialized treatment.

Pharmacy cough medicine for three-month-old children

To get rid of a cough for a child of 3 months, pediatricians recommend using immunomodulators to start with:

• Viferon in the form of suppositories or nasal gel;
• Gripferon in the form of nasal drops;
• Genefron Light in the form of rectal suppositories.

Treatment begins with taking drugs to strengthen the immune system.

Since immunity at this age is quite weak, such drugs will help speed up recovery and avoid complications. They are especially good for the treatment of diseases of the upper respiratory tract caused by viruses.

To fight directly with a cough in a child of 3 months, pediatricians recommend using pharmaceutical preparations based on organic matter:

• marshmallow roots;
• licorice root;
• anise seed oils;
• ivy leaves.

Drugs safe for this age are available in the form of syrups. They are added to drinking water or milk formula. They relieve wheezing sounds in the chest and throat due to the mucolytic action and relieve inflammation. In the instructions for popular cough syrups, the minimum age when they can be taken is indicated by 6 months. However, when using the minimum single and daily doses, they can also be used in children at 3 months.

It is necessary to treat a cough in an infant with herbal remedies

When coughing due to an allergic reaction, children are prescribed antihistamines. The name of the drug and dosage are determined individually after examining the baby.

If a child suffers from colds and acute respiratory infections, and he has a fever, the doctor selects an antipyretic agent from among NSAIDs. Most often, the choice falls on Nurofen and Panadol.

Important! It is possible to use drugs, even if they are made on the basis of herbs, only with the permission of a pediatrician!

Folk remedies for cough in babies

Along with pharmaceutical preparations, folk remedies are used to treat babies. They are represented not only by decoctions and infusions for oral administration, but also by compresses, inhalations and applications on the chest and back. They can be effective against a mild cough or a debilitating cough if the dosage is right.

Chamomile tea can be used in the treatment of an infant

Pediatricians call the safest in this regard:

1. A weak decoction of coltsfoot leaves, with the addition of plantain leaves.
2. Herbal tea with chamomile or from breast collection (sold in pharmacies).
3. Infused in a thermos, the roots of licorice (the plant is better known as licorice), calamus or marshmallow.
4. A mixture of juice from one pureed onion and a tablespoon of natural honey.
5. Baked onion puree and a spoonful of honey.
6. Radish juice with honey.

Also useful for coughing will be decoctions from coltsfoot

The dosage of the listed folk remedies for coughing should be reduced to a minimum. More than one teaspoon should not be given to a child, even if the cough has not stopped. Pediatricians also recommend carefully monitoring the condition of the baby after taking home-made decoctions and syrups. If a rash appears on the body, breathing worsens, anxiety appears, their intake should be stopped and a doctor should be called. Of particular concern regarding the condition of the child after taking such funds should cause:

• difficult or shallow breathing;
• pale lips and skin;
• drowsiness or excessive agitation.

Important! Before using these funds, you should consult a pediatrician and make sure that the baby does not have allergies. Remember - do not experiment on children!

Breathing problems and drowsiness that appeared after taking folk remedies should be the reason for stopping such treatment and choosing other means.

Starting from the third month, cough can be treated with honey compresses on the chest. It can be smeared directly onto the skin or mixed with flour and a little linseed oil. Next, a cake is formed from the resulting mass and placed on the baby's chest before going to bed. If you add a drop of eucalyptus oil to a mixture of honey and flour, the remedy will help ease nasal breathing and eliminate a runny nose. Rubbing the baby's chest with badger fat also has a good antitussive effect.

Physiotherapy for cough in infants

In the third month of life, a child can be given passive inhalations for coughing with herbs and essential oils. To do this, take a bowl of hot water and put it near the place where the child is. Eucalyptus or anise essential oil is added to the water, a pinch of soda is added to enhance the release of steam. For the same purpose, you can use ultrasonic humidifiers - add a little oil to the liquid cassette. In this way, it is possible to clear the respiratory tract of sputum in a few days and eliminate a wet cough.

You can alleviate the condition with humidifiers

Note! The so-called "hot" steam inhalations from boiled potatoes or simply with soda are undesirable, especially if the newborn has an elevated body temperature.

Adding a decoction of sage and chamomile, eucalyptus or anise oil to the bath, where the child will bathe, also has a good effect. Before using this method, you need to make sure that the newborn is not allergic to plants.

Coughing in a baby in the first months of life is far from the norm. You need to treat it immediately after the appearance. At the same time, it is important to remember that any procedures, whether it be inhalation or taking medicines and folk remedies, can only be done after consulting a pediatrician.

The video will show the technique of performing a cough massage: