How to stop a night cough in a child. How to stop a cough effectively. How to stop a persistent cough with folk remedies and drugs

Cough is one of the protective mechanisms of the human body, with the help of which irritating factors are removed from the respiratory tract. However, sometimes it becomes unbearable.

It is especially dangerous when the cough does not disappear for a long time in children. Parents need to know why this is happening and how to fix the problem. This article will focus on just that.

Causes of coughing fits in children

Cough can be infectious and non-infectious nature. In children, it is more often caused by colds, one of which is laryngitis, accompanied by inflammation of the mucous membrane of the larynx. The cough in this disease is barking, sonorous.

Whooping cough works differently, it causes seizures by activating a special center in the brain. Approximately according to the same principle, a cough occurs as a reaction to external stimuli (sounds, light, etc.).

Another common non-infectious disease is asthma. Attacks are accompanied by suffocation, i.e. the cough is spasmodic.

Less commonly, this problem worries children because of congenital heart defects. Pathology occurs as a result of stagnation of blood in the pulmonary circulation, which is also called the pulmonary. Blood stagnates in the vessels of the lungs.

Also, a strong cough often occurs due to dry air, inhalation of small objects or a large amount of dust. Another reason is the onset of teething in babies, which contributes to increased secretion of saliva.

What causes nocturnal coughs?

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Parents are stunned by the situation when the child, it would seem, has completely got rid of the disease, but at night he is disturbed by coughing fits. Sleep is a rest for the body, when all processes slow down, and the rhythm of breathing changes accordingly. Also, the lying position of the child can be the cause of the problem.
Antibacterial or antiviral drugs are unlikely to help with nocturnal coughing fits. You need to act on the center of the brain, which is responsible for the occurrence of coughing.
It is also worth paying attention to the means that dilute sputum and contribute to its excretion. If this problem occurs, you need to consult a specialist.
Varieties of cough and associated symptoms
To prescribe the correct treatment, it is necessary to recognize the type of cough. It is better to entrust this to a specialist, however, at home, without special education, you can try to diagnose a type of pathology. In any case, you should consult a pediatrician who will select the appropriate therapy.
Dry cough
This type of pathology is often associated with diseases of the throat, which are rarely accompanied by an increase in body temperature. If sputum is separated in small quantities, the focus of inflammation is in the larynx or pharynx. If the cough is strong and sharp, the inflammatory process develops in the trachea.
Dry cough is always a manifestation of a disease. It is often accompanied by the following symptoms:
sleep disorder;
increased symptoms at night;
nausea and vomiting;
hoarse voice;
increased secretion of saliva;
sore throat;
runny nose.

In advanced cases, suffocation, fainting, sputum with blood may appear. The child has convulsions, uncontrolled urination. When these symptoms appear, you need to call an ambulance.
Moist cough
Sputum is released when coughing caused by:
most viral diseases;
bronchitis;
asthma;
diseases of the nasal cavity.

A wet cough is often accompanied by:
prolonged bouts of coughing;
an increase in body temperature;
loss of appetite;
green secretions;
exacerbation of symptoms at night, which contributes to sleep disturbance;
chest pains.

As a rule, a wet cough appears after a long dry one. It is more difficult to cure it, so it is necessary to start therapy as soon as the first signs of the disease appear.

How to quickly stop a coughing fit in a child?
There are many home remedies that can help relieve a coughing fit in a child. However, when the first symptoms appear, it is recommended to contact a pediatrician, who should be consulted before using any treatment methods. Self-administration of therapy is fraught with aggravation of the disease.
Performing a massage
Massage helps to stop coughing, because. it helps to strengthen the muscles involved in the breathing process. It also increases the mobility of the ribs, which helps them open when inhaling. External exposure stabilizes the rhythm of breathing and slightly stimulates the action of drugs, sputum liquefies and is more easily excreted from the body.
It is forbidden to conduct massage sessions with a dry cough, but it is effective with a wet one, when the disease is not exacerbated. Contraindications:
body temperature above 37 degrees;
feeding - you need to wait a few hours after eating;
exacerbation of chronic diseases;
stomach ache;
skin pathologies: urticaria, allergies, etc.;
age up to a month;
a bad mood in a child - it is necessary to console him, conduct a session in a playful way.

There are several types of massage, it is most convenient to carry out drainage at home:
The child is placed on the stomach, a roller or a small pillow is placed under the hips. The arms are extended along the body.
First, warm up the muscles by stroking the back. Movements can be longitudinal and circular.
When the skin becomes hot, they move on to tapping. The palms are folded together and the edge of the “boat” is lightly tapped on the back. At the same time, the area above the lower back and directly the spine are avoided.
The child is then gently stroked on the back.
At the end, he is seated and pressed on the ribs from both sides. Movements should be short and not too strong. The baby should cough.

Massage is done with dry hands or using baby cream. The temperature in the room should not exceed 25 degrees. Up to 6 procedures per day for several minutes are allowed.
Air temperature in the room
The composition of the air, its degree of purity, humidity and temperature are factors that affect the success of cough treatment. The first two characteristics cannot be controlled at home, but the rest can and should be monitored. Simple instruments such as a thermometer and a hygrometer help with this. The optimal temperature for an apartment in which a child suffering from a cough lives is 18 ° C, humidity - 70%.
Most of the apartments in Russia are heated part of the year, and often there is no way to control the temperature in the room. It is maintained at around 25°C. If the child is sick, it must be lowered. Some resort to covering the batteries with blankets, rugs, special materials, etc.
Another affordable way to lower the temperature is to open a window. However, the child should not be in a room with an open window, he should be taken to another room until a constant temperature of 18 ° C is established.
Inhalation with a nebulizer
Inhalations will help relieve a spasmodic cough, they are effective for a number of reasons:
the medicine is given in spray form, which increases the rate of its absorption by the mucosa;
low risk of adverse reactions;
children easily tolerate the procedure;
the drug has a complex effect.

A nebulizer is the most convenient device for inhalation, which is suitable for almost everyone. Before using it, you must wash your hands, collect according to the instructions, check the tightness of the container for the drug. Then the drug is prepared, which is heated to room temperature. It is poured into the tank, diluted with saline or distilled water to the mark. Then carry out inhalation.
after eating or physical exertion, you need to wait 1.5 hours;
do not rinse your mouth with antibiotics or use mucolytics before inhalation.

Preparations for inhalation are selected by a doctor. Self-administration of drugs is contraindicated.
Antihistamines
You can quickly stop airway spasms and cough caused by allergies with antihistamines. However, in some cases an integrated approach is required.
Parents usually know what drug the child needs. Otherwise, you should consult a doctor. It is necessary to find out the causes of an allergic reaction in order to deal with its manifestations.
At the first sign of allergy, Suprastin should be given to the child. Usually the effect appears within half an hour. In general, the drug acts for about 12 hours, after which it is excreted from the body with metabolic products. If the coughing fits are too intense, the nasopharynx is treated with warm water or a weak solution of sea salt.
Antitussives
Often drugs are used that act on the brain, stimulating the removal of sputum from the respiratory tract (Glauvent). Mucus-removing agents (Tusuprex) are also used.
Antitussive drugs are contraindicated under the age of 2 years. In such a situation, herbal syrups are prescribed. They are not as effective in fighting cough, but they do less harm to the body. Some herbal preparations cause an allergic reaction, so parents should supervise the child.
Rubbing and rules for their implementation
How to relieve a coughing fit in a child at night? You can resort to rubbing, which not only relieves an unpleasant symptom, but also fights the disease. General recommendations:
you need to rub the body smoothly, with warming movements;
it is allowed to rub the heels, back, chest, without affecting the area around the heart;
the procedure is carried out before bedtime.

The procedure is contraindicated if the child is allergic to the components of the drug or if the body temperature is elevated. It is advisable to consult with your doctor.
Rubbing can be done with special ointments: Doctor Mom, Badger, etc. Camphor oil, badger or goat fat, honey or vodka are also used.
Folk remedies
In the fight against cough, a decoction of sage in milk is often used. The grass is boiled with milk, allowed to brew for several hours, filtered and watered to the child before bedtime. Regular use of the remedy helps to cope with a prolonged cough.
Also use black radish. The vegetable is cut into cubes, mixed with sugar and baked in the oven for 1.5 hours. The result is a gruel, which is given to the child during the day for 3 tsp. The last dose of the medicine should be at bedtime.
There is another way to use radish. The core is cut out, the cavity is filled with honey and insisted until the vegetable gives juice. Mixed with honey, it is given to the child in 1 tbsp. several times a day.
Other Methods
Physiotherapy exercises often come to the rescue with a prolonged cough. The following exercises apply:
Take a sitting position, keep your hands on your belt. While inhaling, turn the body to the right, take the right hand to the side. As you exhale, “buzz”. Repeat on both sides 5 times.
In a sitting position, raise your hands. When inhaling, spread them, while exhaling - lower them down, shouting loudly "kar". Repeat several times.

Such exercises imitate the sounds of animals, so they can be presented to the child as a game. However, it is almost impossible to force a baby to do this.
When is emergency medical attention needed?
Parents should sound the alarm and call an ambulance if:
bluing of the skin is observed;
discharge has a rich green color and is mixed with blood;
the child vomits or faints.

In such cases, you should not think about how to stop coughing at night. If the child is small, and his cough is not cured for a long time, he does not sleep well, eats, loses weight and constantly cries, a doctor should be called.
What is forbidden to do when there are coughing fits in children?
Parents should be guided by the principle of "do no harm" when treating a child. In order not to aggravate the disease, you can not:
calculate the dosage and course of the drug, not relying on the provisions of the instructions;
at the same time give drugs that remove sputum and suppress cough;
make inhalations with essential oils for babies;
apply alcohol compresses.

Children's cough is an elementary protective reaction of the body, which helps to clear the airways from various irritants: mucus, smoke or dust. Most often, it becomes a faithful companion of SARS and colds, causing severe attacks and anxiety.

What is a cough and what provokes it? How to stop a cough in a child at night and during the day? Is it possible to take expectorant drugs or is it better to treat a cough with folk remedies? Finally, in what situations should you immediately call a doctor?

Varieties and causes

Cough is divided into:

"Productive", when sputum leaves during it;
"unproductive" when the cough is dry.

A variety of infections become the causes of coughing, and very often its “allies” are fever, poor appetite and shortness of breath.

What can cause an infectious cough?

hypothermia;
various viruses;
false croup;
diseases of the trachea;
bronchitis;
pneumonia;
whooping cough.

Cough as a result of hypothermia

The most common cause of coughing is hypothermia. The child begins to have a sore throat, and then the microbes that have gathered in it sneak into the respiratory tract. The lower the lesion accumulates, the more difficult the disease is to treat.

However, it is the cough that helps the body fight the infection: the mucus formed in the nose flows further into the larynx, and causes a coughing fit that fights the infection lurking there.

Medical treatment for cough

It is possible to treat a cough with medicines only when the child's condition worsens and the baby cannot sleep peacefully due to seizures. To determine which drug is more suitable for him, you need to establish an accurate diagnosis of the disease.

With an unproductive cough, doctors prescribe medicines to a small patient to help thin the sputum and suppress the cough reflex. Intensive, accompanied by anxiety during sleep, is treated with expectorants.

How is the treatment method selected?

For this, it is defined:

how long and hard the baby coughs;
whether he expectorates sputum;
How does the child feel?
Does he have bronchospasm?

Typology of drugs by type of cough

To expectorate sputum, doctors prescribe ACC, Ambroxol or Mukaltin to the patient. They fight with dry cough with the help of "Bronholitin" (if the child is already three years old), and "Gedelix" if he is still small.

Narrowing of the bronchi, respectively, is treated with bronchodilators, and a cough caused by SARS is treated with combination drugs like Doctor Moma or Codelac Phyto.

Cough treatment with folk remedies

You can also overcome a cough with folk remedies, since quite a lot of them are known at the moment.

Tinctures

Black radish

It is cut into cubes, put in a small saucepan and sugared abundantly on top. Then they bake for about 2 hours, and the resulting liquid is filtered and this tincture is given to the child 3 times a day (2 tsp before meals).

Lemon juice

You need to add 2 tbsp. spoons of honey and 1 more glycerin. The resulting mixture is given to the baby six times a day, 1 teaspoon.

Honey with onions

It is necessary to grind the peeled onion and mix the mass with honey. Take after meals 3 times a day for 1 tbsp. spoon until cured. Children under one year of age are not given this remedy.

Compresses

Compresses are very effective for treating coughs, as they increase blood circulation in the throat and bronchi, and as a result, reduce inflammation. Contraindications for their use can only be called obvious problems with the baby's skin.

Potato treatment

Unpeeled potatoes are boiled, then a mixture of alcohol, turpentine and sunflower oil is poured into it (each remedy is added in 1 spoonful). The resulting mass is thoroughly kneaded and mixed, it forms a kind of cakes, which are wrapped in gauze and applied to the back and chest (but not on the heart).

The patient is carefully wrapped up and lies with a compress for 1.5 hours. After that, the body is wiped dry, and the baby changes into clean clothes. A similar potato procedure is carried out 3-4 times.

Apple cider vinegar treatment

Apple cider vinegar is diluted with water (3: 1), after which 1 tsp is added to it. honey. A napkin soaked in the solution is applied to the child’s chest and throat and covered with a film and a fluffy towel on top. The compress is kept for 20 minutes.

Inhalations

You can also try to overcome a cough with inhalation. Moreover, it can be both handy tools like boiled potatoes, and pharmacy inhalers-nebulizers, which are considered absolutely safe for babies.

mustard plasters

They can be put on children over 10 years old, as babies have very thin and vulnerable skin, which is easy to burn. If there are no other treatment options, then for younger children, mustard plasters are placed through a thin cloth, covering them with a towel on top.

The most common contraindications to their use are mustard allergy, skin lesions and fever.

Where to put?

The optimal place for installing mustard plasters is the area between the shoulder blades and the chest (but not the heart).

How to bet?

children from 1 to 3 years old are put on for 2 minutes;
from 4 to 7 years old - by three;
from 8 to 12 years - for 10 minutes.

Banks

Some time ago they were given to children without any exceptions, but today banks are rarely used to treat coughs: not only are the sensations not very pleasant, but the skin can also be damaged.

Diet

In addition to all of the above, keeping a milk diet and actively eating ordinary cabbage helps the baby to recover from a cough as soon as possible.

How to beat a child's cough at night?

Coughing attacks at night are a common phenomenon caused by the same mucus that accumulates in the nasopharynx and does not resolve on its own due to the fact that the child is lying.

As a result - a clogged nasopharynx and a cough reflex.

What can a systematic nocturnal cough indicate?

He may testify:

about a viral infection (rhinitis, sinusitis, adenoiditis);
about an allergic reaction (attacks are provoked by dust and begin as soon as the child goes to bed);
about whooping cough or bronchial asthma (they reach vomiting and are accompanied by noise and whistling);
about cutting teeth (the child chokes on saliva);
about gastroesophageal reflux (complaints of heartburn);
about helminths (cough may be associated with the movement of worms inside the body).

How to remove an attack?

Give the baby to drink warm milk with honey, chamomile tea, decoction of marshmallow, elecampane or plantain juice.
Ventilate the room so that the child can breathe easier.
Invite the baby to visit the home "steam room": fill the bath and stand in the room for 10-15 minutes.
Let the child suck on a spoonful of buckwheat honey.
Perform steam inhalation with a warm soda solution.
Give your baby a chest massage.
Rinse the nasopharynx before going to bed with a saline solution.
Turn the child at night as often as possible - from back to side and vice versa.

What to do if the baby inhaled a foreign body?

Sometimes a cough is triggered by an object getting into the throat. Determining if there is something foreign in the baby's airways is quite simple: he begins to choke, loses consciousness, and his face turns blue.

How to help?

tapping

To help him push out an object, whether it be a bead or a coin, you can put the child face down on his knees and gently, as if in jolts, tapping his hand between his shoulder blades.

Remember, the blows should be gentle, rhythmic and directed towards the head.

coup

If the object still does not come out of the throat, try turning the baby upside down and shaking him while tapping on his back.

Ambulance

If the child was unable to cough up the foreign body, take him to the hospital immediately. Every wasted minute can cost a child's life!

What can not be done in the treatment of cough?

If a child suffers from bouts of nocturnal coughing, you can’t just start stuffing him with antibiotics without any consultation from a pediatrician or ENT.
Infants under 6 months old should not be given antihistamines.
In babies up to six months, cough should not be treated by rubbing and inhalation.

When to call a doctor?

If the cough bothers the baby for a very long time, and you have used almost all of the above methods in search of the best remedy, you should not postpone calling the doctor at home. The fact is that the cause of a cough may not be a cold, but a completely different disease, for example, laryngitis or even pneumonia.

If the doctor insists on hospitalization, do not refuse, as coughing fits can cause choking and pulmonary edema. In medicine, this phenomenon is called a false croup, sometimes leading to death.

A strong cough is treated strictly under the supervision of a physician. According to the testimony, he will put the baby on prednisolone, and then, already in the hospital, will treat him with special equipment.

Remember that a cough is not always the result of a common cold. Very often, it becomes a sign of other diseases, and therefore, when starting to treat a cough in a child at home, consult a doctor so that he can make an accurate diagnosis for your baby.

Many parents are looking for a way to stop a child from coughing at night, without thinking that this is a defensive reaction of the body trying to remove an irritating factor from the respiratory system.

You can use a large number of medicines intended for the treatment of cough, but relief will come only after the elimination of the cause that caused this symptom.

Coughing is needed to clear the lungs of mucus. This process takes place daily in the morning. It has the name "morning cough" and is considered the norm. When pathogenic microflora or small objects enter the respiratory system, mucus begins to form more actively, and the cough center is irritated in order to remove everything superfluous from the various organs responsible for the respiratory process with the help of a cough.

Night is the time when the body is purposefully engaged in the processes of purification and regeneration. The organs resting at this time, working during the waking period, do not prevent him from doing the necessary work. A cough that appears at night indicates that the body is unable to cope with the irritant that has got inside, and it needs help.

Important! In a person suffering from an acute respiratory disease, mucus is formed all the time until the respiratory system gets rid of the irritant.

But sputum in a lying person accumulates more actively than in someone who is awake. When its amount becomes critical, the cough center is launched, which removes it. At this time, the person begins to cough strongly.

The role of the doctor in the treatment of the child

To find an effective way to stop a cough in a child at night with home remedies, you need to know what caused it. To do this, you must undergo a medical examination. There are many causes that cause nighttime coughing fits in people. It could be:

a foreign body that has entered the respiratory system;
allergic reaction;
tuberculosis;
pneumonia;
bronchitis;
tracheitis;
pharyngitis;
asthma;
whooping cough;
a brain tumor;
infected mucus flowing down the nasopharynx during a viral infection of the respiratory system;
chronic sinusitis;
overgrown adenoids;
reflux of food from the stomach into the esophagus;
dry air.

Parents themselves will not be able to determine the cause, and only a pediatrician can help them with this. If he finds a pathology that is treated by doctors of a narrow specialty, he will give a referral, allowing parents to receive specialized care under the state program for free.

Only a doctor can tell you exactly how to stop a barking cough in a child at night. He prescribes the necessary treatment and observes how the body reacts to therapeutic measures. The task of the parents is to fully comply with all the appointments of the pediatrician and, if necessary, contact him for advice. In most cases, attacks of dry cough are quickly removed with the help of special medicines intended for oral and external administration.

Attention! You do not need to try to find a remedy on your own, how to stop a coughing fit in a child at night, if this symptom is repeated often. It is necessary to treat the cause that causes a protective reaction of the body and eliminate it.

How to relieve an allergic reaction

Allergic cough is treated only under medical supervision. The allergist will prescribe medications, cancel them in a timely manner and select more suitable replacement medications. Self-medication in this case is unacceptable.

There are not so many ways to stop an allergic cough in a child at night. A baby prone to allergic reactions needs special care. His bed should contain only hypoallergenic materials. Wool blankets and feather pillows are a breeding ground for allergens. They harbor dust mites, moldy fungi that can cause a sudden bout of coughing at night.

At home, there is no way to deal with these violators of children's sleep. Parents looking for an effective way to stop a dry cough in a child at night need to buy bedding that is suitable for his health. This will reduce bouts of allergic cough to a minimum.

If the mother will carry out wet cleaning in a timely manner, maintain the humidity level in the norm, and eliminate allergens from the baby's diet in time, then the allergic reactions will stop. The fight against allergic reactions requires discipline, attention and the desire to achieve the goal from parents.

It is possible to alleviate nocturnal coughing spells with the help of enterosorbents. For children after 3 years old, tablet forms are used, and children are given syrups in which they are contained. Ready-made forms absorb those substances that cause an allergic reaction in the child's body and cause an attack of coughing at night.

If an allergic cough is repeated regularly, then a children's allergist may recommend inhalations with drugs that can relieve pathological reactions in babies. To carry them out, you need to purchase a nebulizer.

Ways to stop a sudden attack

Mom should know a few simple ways to stop a strong cough in a child at night if it appeared suddenly. You need to understand what caused the attack and eliminate it.

The child usually wakes up from such a reaction of the body to a pathogenic agent that irritates the cough center. If he suffers from allergies, then you need to give an antihistamine to prevent swelling of the mucous tissue.

An attack of coughing caused by irritation of the walls of the respiratory system can stop any warm drink for a while. In folk medicine, in this case, it is recommended to give a drink based on burnt sugar. To prepare it, you need a dry, clean frying pan, a tablespoon of granulated sugar and water.

The cooking method is simple. Sugar is poured into a hot frying pan, mixed, wait until it turns brown, pour 100 ml of water, bring to a boil and remove. The resulting product is poured into a clean container, cooled to a temperature of 40 ºС and given to the child 2-3 tbsp. spoons. This harmless remedy soothes the cough center.

It helps to relieve an attack:

Hot milk;
sweet tea with lemon and mint;
tea with honey;
mashed potatoes boiled in milk.

A child who suddenly began to cough should be awakened, seated in pillows. If the cough is very strong, then it can be assumed that something is stuck in the airways. Then you can tilt the child down so that the chest and head are strongly tilted, and pat on the back.

Attention! If the baby coughs, it can be put on a pillow so that the chest and head are below the line of the legs, and massaged.

This requires several times tapping movements with the edge of the brush to walk along the ribs from the bottom up. This allows you to direct sputum from the lungs to the exit. The massage ends with stroking movements from the bottom up along the side lines.

If a mother is looking for a way to stop a wet cough in a child at night with home methods, then she can use any warming rubbing agent. For children suffering from nocturnal coughing spells due to colds, various age-appropriate warming ointments can be used. They are applied to the chest, back, places of bends of the arms and legs, feet. Such external treatment often helps children calm down and sleep until the morning.

Beginning bronchitis can cause a barking cough at night. Honey compresses help stop dry cough in this disease in babies. Liquid honey is applied to the child's chest and back, and a vest, a cotton blouse is put on top, or a layer of sticky mass is covered with compress paper. If it is not there, you can use an office white sheet. Honey is left overnight. The skin absorbs it, and the symptoms of bronchitis often disappear from this.

Now many children are born prone to allergic reactions. Mom should check on the bend of the baby’s arm for a reaction to honey, with which she will make a compress. When redness appears on the skin, testing is stopped, honey is washed off with warm water and this method of treatment is abandoned.

How to prevent an attack

So that all family members can sleep peacefully, and not look for how to quickly stop a child’s cough at night, you should take care of a comfortable rest in advance. If the cause of the cough is established, the mother must create all conditions for the child to sleep peacefully.

It is known that the low level of humidity in the room greatly dries the mucous tissues of the nasopharynx. On this favorable soil, pathogenic microflora begins to actively multiply. The whole process of its settlement in the respiratory organs is accompanied by irritation of the mucous tissues, which causes a response in the body.

To prevent this from happening, the room must be ventilated before going to bed. Near the heating devices in the room, open vessels filled with water are installed. The water will evaporate, moistening the air. One way to moisturize can be to lay out wet towels on radiators that heat the apartment.

It is especially important to monitor the humidity of the air in the room, which is heated by convectors. Parents with a small child in the house should be responsible for choosing a heater at home during the cold season. From a convector heater, a dry cough often torments even an adult at night. You can get ARVI in one night, having slept the night in a room with this type of heating, if there is a sick person in it.

A small child with a weak immune system may begin to choke on a convector heating system, and will constantly be tormented by a dry cough at night. During the movement of air with the help of fans, dust is carried around the room, on which pathogenic bacteria live. To prevent this process, the mother needs to do wet cleaning in the evening in the room where her baby will sleep, place a cup of water in front of the convector, and hang several wet diapers in the room.

What preventive measures help

One of the causes of dry cough at night in children is a runny nose. The accumulated mucus flows abundantly down the nasopharynx and irritates it, causing a reflex cough. This can cause an activation of the gag reflex.

To prevent this phenomenon, the child's nose should be rinsed well before going to bed with salt water or a pharmacy solution of sodium chloride. Rinse the nose until the liquid completely flushes the passage, and the mucus that clogs the nasal passages exits through the oral cavity. Mucus residues are mechanically cleaned with a handkerchief or napkin.

Cleaned nasal passages are treated with oxolin ointment or drops containing an antiviral complex and having antibacterial protection. The oral cavity after such a procedure must be treated with an antiseptic Miramistin or Chlorhexidine. Such evening activities stop the reproduction of bacteria and viruses in the oral cavity, and the cough center will not be irritated.

Cough is accompanied by many infectious and inflammatory diseases. If the child began to cough, then the cause of this may be not only a cold. Against the background of such a symptom, bronchitis, pneumonia, whooping cough, laryngitis and a number of other diseases occur. Treatment can begin only after the exact cause of the ailment is identified. But parents should know how to soothe a cough in a child.

How to distinguish between wet and dry cough

Cough is a reflex, due to which the body tries to cleanse itself of irritants that have entered the respiratory organs. With the help of muscle contractions and abundant secretion of mucus, allergens, pathogenic microorganisms and foreign objects are removed from the respiratory tract.

It is necessary to treat not cough, but its root cause, bronchospasms can only be calmed. But for this you need to know what kind of cough we are dealing with.

Dry

Unproductive cough, hysterical, intense. But he does not bring relief, since sputum is not coughed up. Such coughing attacks may end in vomiting. Depending on the disease, a cough can sound different:

False croup and laryngitis - rough, reminiscent of a dog barking;
Whooping cough - exhausting and annoying;
Allergies and nervous disorders - frequent and superficial.

The main task of treatment for dry cough is its translation into a productive form.

A dry cough usually indicates the onset of the disease, while a wet cough indicates the approach of recovery.

Wet

A wet cough is productive, that is, in this case, the sputum leaves. During a coughing attack, the baby wheezing and gurgling sounds are heard in the chest, and at the end, viscous mucus is coughed up. Such coughing also often indicates serious illnesses, but always indicates that the treatment is going well.

How to help a baby

To stop a cough in a child, the doctor prescribes syrups and potions. With a dry cough, drugs that suppress the cough center and mucolytics are prescribed. With a wet type of cough, expectorants are indicated. It should be borne in mind that mucolytics and antitussives should not be given at the same time. This will lead to congestion and infection.

There are many ways to stop a strong, debilitating cough in a small child. Dr. Komarovsky recommends that you first create optimal conditions in the house for the recovery of the crumbs, and then only resort to drugs.

Air humidification

In the room of a sick child, it is often necessary to carry out wet cleaning. The fact is that dust particles that have entered the respiratory organs lead to irritation of the mucous membrane and increased coughing attacks. Several times a day, wipe not only the floor, but all surfaces.

One wet cleaning is often not enough to moisten the air well. Therefore, in the children's room it is recommended to hang wet towels or use a special humidifier.

To humidify the air, you can put it in a children's aquarium. This artificial reservoir will allow you to maintain constant humidity.

If the child has an allergy, then it is better to refuse an aquarium and fish, since dry food is the strongest allergen.

We remove allergens

With frequent dry coughing at night, you can think about allergies. The cause of this phenomenon can be household dust, animal hair, plant pollen and even food products.

To calm a strong dry cough in a child in this case, it is necessary to change bed linen, remove feather pillows and blankets, and remove all excess textiles that accumulate dust from the room.

In children's rooms you can often see a lot of large, plush toys. It must be remembered that they are good dust collectors. Therefore, if possible, they are cleaned or often vacuumed and washed.

Proper Diet

A sick child is always very weak, and therefore he has no appetite. Do not force the baby to eat if he does not want to. During illness, you can indulge his desires in food. He can ask for a sandwich or sweet curd, this is quite enough to maintain strength. Food should not be cold or hot, as this will lead to a deterioration in the patient's condition.

It is important to properly organize the drinking regimen. Thanks to the liquid, pathogens, toxic substances and allergens are removed from the body. The patient can be given water, tea, compote and fruit drink. When coughing, it is good to drink jelly, a viscous liquid envelops the mucous membrane and eliminates irritation.

It is worth giving up freshly squeezed concentrated juices. They strongly irritate the mucous membrane of the pharynx, which leads to increased coughing.

Inhalations

Inhalation will help to quickly relieve a cough attack in normal home conditions. They should be carried out using a nebulizer. This device sprays medicinal solutions, and the aerosol is delivered directly to the site of inflammation. For inhalation at home, it is recommended to use:

Alkaline mineral water with released gas, Borjomi and Essentuki are suitable;
saline;
A solution of baking soda.

If the cough is accompanied by bronchial obstruction, then the doctor may prescribe Berodual. This drug is pre-diluted with saline.

To facilitate the withdrawal of viscous sputum, inhalations with Ambroxol or Lazolvan are prescribed. The duration of one procedure is 15 minutes, 3-4 sessions are performed per day, while the medicinal solutions are alternated.

When carrying out inhalations, the child should use a children's mask that fits well to the face.

Folk recipes

Time-tested folk recipes will help to quickly relieve a cough attack:

A coughing child is given half a teaspoon of honey. It should be randomly absorbed for several minutes. This method of treatment is only suitable for those children who are not allergic to bee products.
In a glass of well-heated milk put a teaspoon of honey and ½ teaspoon of butter. Give a drink to a sick child.
Milk with soda helps with coughing. A pinch of baking soda is added to a glass of warmed milk and given to the patient. You can add a little honey and cocoa to the milk to improve the taste.
Raspberry tea will help to stop a cough attack. To do this, dissolve a few tablespoons of raspberry jam in water.

If a debilitating cough is caused by whooping cough, then during coughing attacks the patient should be taken to the bathroom and hot water should be turned on. Vapors soften the mucous membrane, due to which the cough stops.

In the old days, whooping cough patients were kept near water bodies. Humidified air contributed to a decrease in the frequency and intensity of coughing attacks.

How else to help the baby

There are a number of effective methods that will help reduce the intensity of coughing attacks.

Warm compress

If the child's temperature is normal, then a warm compress can be applied to the chest. It can be made from boiled potatoes, rye flour and cottage cheese. The cake is placed on the chest, covered with cellophane and a warm scarf.

Massage

After a therapeutic massage, sputum also quickly and easily leaves. You can do it even for infants:

The back of the baby is gently tapped with the fingertips, the movements should be directed from the bottom up;
Perform rubbing the back with the edges of the palms;
Stroke the back and chest of a sick child with warm palms.

Before performing massage techniques, a little Pulmex Baby or Badger ointment can be applied to the palm of your hand. You can also use turpentine ointment, but it is pre-bred with baby cream.

After the massage, a sick child can be given a few spoons of Borjomi mineral water. This will make coughing easier.

mustard plasters

Mustard applications warm soft tissues well, reduce irritation and inflammation. Mustard plasters are put on sick children for no more than 5 minutes. To avoid skin burns, applications are placed on top of a layer of gauze. Alternatively, mustard plasters can be applied with the reverse side.

Help with an attack of false croup

Attacks of false croup always frighten both a sick child and parents. In this case, the drugs help poorly, so you need to act in the following sequence:

A window is opened in the room so that there is an influx of fresh air;
They take the baby in their arms and try to calm them down. It must be remembered that crying and irritation further increase the intensity of the attack;
Carry out inhalation with mineral water or saline. If there is no nebulizer, then the mineral water is heated to 50 degrees, after which the baby is placed next to the pan so that he breathes vapors;
You can take the baby to the bathroom and run hot water there. Hot steam soothes severe coughs;
Do foot baths. They collect well-warm water in a bowl or a small bucket, add a little mustard powder and lower the baby's legs into the solution. After the procedure, the feet are wiped dry, rubbed with turpentine ointment and put on cotton socks.

If such actions did not help and the condition of the sick child worsens every minute, it is urgent to call an ambulance!

When to see a doctor right away

There are a number of symptoms that indicate severe pathological processes occurring in the baby's body. It is impossible to delay in contacting a doctor in such cases:

If the high temperature goes badly for three days;
If there are streaks of blood or foam in the coughed up sputum;
If the coughing attack ends in vomiting;
If the baby's chest is very bubbling and wheezing.

Urgently call a doctor if there are signs of respiratory failure. In this case, the baby is weak, his entire nasolabial triangle turns blue and breathing is difficult.

An intense cough attack in a child is most easily relieved by inhalation through a nebulizer. Warm tea, milk with soda and honey, as well as warm compresses will help reduce irritation of the respiratory tract.

The cough of a small child is always a concern for parents, especially if it occurs at night. Such regular attacks deprive the patient of the baby, his mother and father of a full-fledged deep sleep. To help their child, parents use cough syrups, unconventional methods, and even worse, antibiotics. However, to provide full assistance, it is important to know the cause of this condition.

Cough in children and its types

With the help of a cough reaction, the respiratory organs are reflexively released from microorganisms, dust and foreign substances. The causative agents of this condition can be viruses, bacteria and allergens.

The most common seizures are:

Dry cough - response to irritation of the respiratory tract.
Wet - with the accumulation of mucus (sputum) in the bronchi.

There are several forms of cough reaction:

physiological that occurs when it becomes necessary to clear the respiratory organs of foreign particles or mucus. In young children, this condition is considered the norm and may appear when crying, changing position during sleep, after feeding.
"Coughing" - a response to prolonged irritation of the respiratory tract, may be a signal for the development of laryngitis or laringo - tracheitis.
sharp - occurs with acute inflammation of the trachea, bronchi and lungs.
Bi-tone - a change in cough tone due to a violation of air circulation during inflammation of the adenoids and bronchi.
Convulsive - after frequent coughing shocks, a loud breath occurs, the vomiting center is irritated, as a result, vomiting occurs after an attack. Most often occurs in the evening and at night.
Barking - with inflammation of the vocal cords and larynx. It is characteristic of whooping cough, croup, laryngitis, tumors of the trachea, hysterical attack. There is hoarseness of voice and aphonia.
periodic - characteristic of respiratory diseases, bronchial asthma, pneumonia.
Permanent - observed in a chronic inflammatory process in the respiratory organs and circulatory disorders.

Coughing fits are divided into parts of the day:

morning - with chronic inflammation of the upper respiratory tract.
Evening , not disturbing throughout the day - with pneumonia and.
Night - occurs due to the physiological characteristics of the tone of the vagus nerve (bronchospasm).

Causes of regular dry cough in a small child at night

Cough attacks in crumbs can be a symptom of many processes, such as:

- hypersensitivity can cause new bed linen, pillow or even furniture. If, in addition to coughing, the baby has skin rashes, swelling of the nose and eye, it is urgent to find and remove the allergen.
Infection with harmful bacteria - with many viral infections, sputum accumulates in the bronchi of the child, which leaves with difficulty in the supine position. At night, the blood circulation in the body is passive, the mucus almost does not liquefy, which is why the cough reflex becomes more intense than in the daytime.
- with rhinitis, pharyngitis, adenoiditis or sinusitis, the baby breathes through the mouth, which leads to dryness of the oral cavity and larynx. As a result, an attack of dry cough is provoked.
heartburn attack (gastrointestinal reflux) - very difficult to determine, not all children can explain their feelings.
Teething - during this process, there is an active release of saliva, which, in a supine position, can flow into the larynx and irritate the receptors. Avoiding the problem is very simple - raise the head of the baby.
Whooping cough - a very dangerous disease that affects the upper respiratory tract and knocks down the usual breathing. For frequent cough attacks (every 30-40 minutes), whistling and protrusion of the tongue are characteristic, they can end with intense vomiting. To stop the suffering of the child - urgently seek the advice of a qualified specialist!
Bronchial asthma - a serious pathology and another reason to start the examination and treatment of the child. The disease is rapidly gaining momentum, cough can appear at any time of the day.

A nighttime cough can also trigger too dry or cold air in a child's room.

How to get rid of a dry cough in a baby at night?

It is important for concerned parents to remember that the appointment of all medications should be done by a qualified specialist after examining and examining the baby!

To alleviate the suffering of the child and provide him with a good sleep, you need to calm the cough center.

This can be done using traditional methods:

Wet cleaning and ventilation children's room before bed.
Additional air humidification in the apartment - you can use special factory appliances, or you can simply pour water into a container or put wet towels near the heaters.
Give your child extra fluids throughout the day - decoctions of herbs (breast collections No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3), fruit drinks, fortified teas, soda mineral water without gas.
Before going to bed, rinse the nose with a warm weak saline solution. (1 teaspoon per 300 grams of water).
When the first coughs appear the baby can be given a coffee spoon of natural honey and drink it with warm milk, in which soda is added at the tip of the knife.
Compress - mix boiled mashed potatoes, dry mustard powder, honey, 70% alcohol and vegetable fat. Put all the ingredients on a gauze cloth, lay on the back, cover with waxed film and insulate. The procedure lasts about 60 minutes.
Inhalations - you can breathe in vapors of potato or herbal (from sage, pine cones, birch buds) decoction, chlorphyllipt, propolis, star balm, soda solution (2 tablespoons per 500 ml of water) or alkaline mineral water.
Rubbing - put a soft mitten on your hand and gently rub the baby's breast and back with a warming ointment.
Hot foot baths - Everyone knows that with hypothermia of the lower extremities, a spasm of the upper respiratory tract occurs. By steaming the baby's legs, you can prevent or remove this process; you can add a pinch of dry mustard to the bath. At the end of the procedure, be sure to wipe the legs dry and put on warm socks.
diet therapy - inclusion in the diet: grated black radish salad with sour cream; herculean porridge with vegetable oil; mashed potatoes with milk; cranberries, persimmons, citrus fruits, rosehip broth, cranberry juice with honey, grape juice.
Breathing exercises – Experienced specialists will help you choose individual exercises. You can independently inflate air and soap bubbles with your child - this helps to improve pulmonary ventilation.

In the home first aid kit, you can store a set of medicines that can be used before contacting the children's consultation:

Combined antitussive drugs - Tussin plus, Bronholitin, Altai syrup, Stoptussin.
Agents that suppress irritation of respiratory tract cough receptors - Libeksin, Levopront.
Non-narcotic antitussive drugs - Glauvent, Sinekod, Tusuprex.

Whatever method parents choose to deal with a dry cough, the most important thing is to make it transition into a wet one, so that it becomes easier for the baby to cough up sputum.