Cough in children is most common in 2 periods of 6 months-2 years old and kindergarten. If the cough is caused by a cold, there is no need for medication, and the child's cough will gradually go away on its own. In case the baby coughs with a high fever and difficulty breathing, the baby should be examined as soon as possible.
Cough is the body's good response
A child's cough caused by the influenza virus requires only proper care, not medication
A cough, like a fever, is the body's natural mechanism to protect itself against foreign invaders. When dust or phlegm falls into the airways, the body develops a cough response that pushes these things out, helping the body to prevent pneumonia.
Cough can also be one of the signs of the flu, which is common in 2 ages of 6 months to 2 years of age and kindergarten.
Doctor Nguyen Tri Doan, in the book Let your children be sick, is also clear. If your child has a cold with a virus, a child's cough can last for 2-3 weeks. Children will initially have a dry cough for a few days. The mucous systems in the airways, throat and bronchi then secrete phlegm mucus that kills the virus. That's why at this point, parents will find their children cough a lot and violently. Then the cough will subside and eventually the child's body will heal itself.
One important thing that parents need to pay attention to is the choking phenomenon while a child coughs. When a young child coughs a lot, it can easily lead to vomiting. Children are unable to spit out sputum like an adult, so gagging or vomiting while coughing can make parents panic. However, after vomiting with phlegm coming out, the baby will feel better.
In what cases are cough medicines used in children?
Cough medicines for children usually include 3 main types of expectorants, bronchodilators and cough medicines.
With expectorants, it is usually safe to use in children, but the effect of coughing is moderate. In case children can drink water frequently and have difficulty taking medicine, this drug is not necessary.
Bronchodilators are commonly used in children with bronchial obstruction, with a history of asthma or pneumonia.
Cough medicines, especially cough antibiotics, are often advised by doctors not to use them in children under 2 years of age, as they can lead to drug resistance and even respiratory failure. Parents should note that there are currently banned cough medicines for young children such as ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine etc. because they can cause dangerous respiratory complications for children.
What should parents do with a child's cough?
When a child has a cough, especially from the viral flu, it is not necessary to give medicine to the child. To minimize their child's cough symptoms, the basic principles that parents need to follow include the following steps:
If a child has a runny nose and then coughs, parents should suck it up. Use saline saline and squeeze 2 wings of the nose to help runny nose out. This will prevent the runny nose from getting into the throat and forming phlegm.
Let your baby sip warm water often. Note that the baby should only drink water when the cough has stopped to avoid choking.
Use herbal cough remedies to be safe and benign.
When does a child's cough become a concern?
A viral cough lasts only 5-6 days or longer, 2-3 weeks, but it is not of concern. However, if the child has symptoms of cough such as fever, with every severe cough, he or she gets tired, short of breath, stops eating, lethargy, pale face and breathing like asthma attacks, parents Should take your baby to the doctor as soon as possible.
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