What should I do if my three-month-old baby coughs? Don’t rush to give cough medicine

Spring is a period of high incidence of upper respiratory tract diseases, and babies are more likely to catch colds and coughs at this time due to their weak constitution. Many parents, especially their grandparents, rely on old experience and believe that cough medicine should be taken immediately when coughing. In fact, this is not scientific. Pediatricians remind that the causes and severity of babies\’ coughs are different, and the treatments and care are also different. Stopping your cough immediately is counterproductive. Coughing is a symptom, not a disease. It is a neural reflex process and an important self-cleaning and protective mechanism of the body, which is beneficial to clearing secretions, allergens and foreign matter from the respiratory tract (mouth, pharynx, throat, nose, trachea, bronchi, lungs, etc.), and has Removes respiratory tract irritants and resists infection. A slight cough or a cough with phlegm sounds is normal and helpful for recovery. Coughing should be encouraged rather than using cough suppressants. The U.S. FDA recommends that children under 6 years old use cough syrup with caution. ◆ Certain ingredients in cough medicines have an impact on children’s recovery from illness. For example, cough syrups containing central antitussive drugs will inhibit the baby’s cough reflex, and children of this age will not cough up phlegm like adults. Even if the baby spits it out, the coughing force is not particularly strong. In this way, although the baby no longer coughs, the secretions in the respiratory tract will not be fully cleaned, and can easily accumulate in the pharynx or trachea, causing secondary infection. Cause disease aggravation. ◆ In addition, the central antitussive ingredients in some cough drops, such as codeine, can be addictive. The State Food and Drug Administration recently issued an announcement clearly stipulating that cough drops containing codeine are prohibited for children under 12 years old. However, if there is a severe cough, on the one hand, it will damage the child\’s delicate respiratory mucosa, and on the other hand, it will also affect the child\’s rest, sleep and study. At this time, it is necessary to consider treating the cause of the cough under the guidance of a doctor and using appropriate cough suppressants. drug. Common cough causes include respiratory infections and post-infectious cough, upper airway syndrome, allergic cough and foreign bodies in the airways. It can also be seen in gastroesophageal reflux, tuberculosis, bronchiectasis and psychogenic cough. Identifying the causes of coughs and targeting the causes based on symptoms and age characteristics is the key to treating coughs! Especially for chronic coughs, it is most important to find the root cause. Simply relieving cough will treat the symptoms rather than the root cause. The general principle is that if your baby\’s cough does not affect eating, sleeping, or other daily activities, there is no need to give him cough medicine. ➤ For minor coughs caused by colds, if the child only has cough and sputum and does not show signs of bronchitis or pneumonia, the treatment can be based on reducing phlegm, supplemented by patting on the back, humidifying the air or atomizing inhalation. Oral cough medicine is not required. . ➤ If a dog barks or coughs like a bamboo, accompanied by hoarseness, or even difficulty breathing, most of them are acute laryngitis. What parents need to do is to open the window or humidifier as soon as possible. And you need to go to the hospital for treatment in time. Blind use of cough medicine will cover up the condition. ➤ If you have a severe cough caused by inhaling foreign matter in the airway, you should seek medical treatment in time. Of course, you should not use cough suppressants. ➤ For coughs caused by allergic diseases, the allergic disease should be actively treated. In severe cases, some anti-allergic drugs can be used at the same time as anti-allergic drugs.Cough medicine, but under the guidance of a doctor. Children of this type should go out less often on hazy and rainy days. It is recommended to wear a mask when going out and avoid allergens as much as possible. ➤ For severe, paroxysmal dry cough without phlegm that affects the child\’s sleep, some cough medicines can be used according to the cause. If you have asthma, you can use cough syrup or atomizer containing bronchodilators under the guidance of a doctor. Inhalation therapy. Home treatment for cough ★ 3 months to 1 year old: Give warm liquid orally (such as warm boiled water, warm apple juice) when coughing, 4 times a day, 5 to 15 ml each time. Be careful not to use honey water to prevent the risk of botulism poisoning. ★ Children over 1 year old: Take 2 to 5 ml of honey water orally if necessary, which can help dilute sputum and relieve cough. Studies have found that honey water can help reduce the frequency and severity of nighttime coughs. ★ Spasmodic cough: Turn on the shower faucet to help your baby inhale the warm water vapor. ★ Drink more water: It can help dilute the phlegm in the throat and make it easier to discharge. ★ Patting on the back: Patting the back with your hands in the shape of a hollow fist can also help loosen the phlegm in the airway and make it easier to discharge, and promote blood circulation in the lungs. In fact, instead of treating the disease that has already formed, it is better to detect it in advance when you are not sick or when you are about to become sick, and prevent it before it happens, so that it has no chance to develop into a disease. This is more important than knowing how to treat the disease. The best way to prevent children from coughing is to use scientific concepts to guide children in their daily diet, clothing, eating, and outdoor sports, so as to make children strong and resistant. At the same time, avoid going to crowded places with no air circulation during seasons when respiratory infections are most common. public places, etc.