How to cure a child’s cough - the most effective methods. Treating a child's cough at home

On topic children's health Most parents have a reverent attitude. As soon as the baby coughs at least once, the parents begin to stress themselves out and imagine serious illnesses.

Less often, but it happens the other way around, when a child’s cough goes unattended by adults and leads to the development of severe chronic diseases.

Any healthy person or child can cough several times during the day and this is part of the norm. Cough is not an independent disease, but just one of the symptoms that can accompany various diseases and pathological processes in the body.

What kind of cough can a child have:

• Physiological.

In this case, coughing is just defensive reaction to short-term exposure to a stimulus. This cough can occur when foreign objects enter the Airways or in case of climate change (for example, dry air in an apartment).

In infants, coughing or choking may occur after feeding when a small amount breast milk enters the trachea when belching. Sometimes with a cough in the morning, mucus or phlegm that has accumulated during the night comes out. In children after six months, which is accompanied by increased salivation and, as a result, a cough reflex.

• Pathological.

At various diseases coughing from a protective reflex turns into a pathology that poisons the life of a small patient and his parents.

What processes can cause a child to cough:

• bacterial infection. Pharyngitis, laryngitis, tracheitis and other pathologies of the respiratory tract almost always occur with this symptom;
• viral diseases (colds, ARVI, flu, etc.);
• air, less often food allergies;
• diseases of other organs and systems (GERD, heart defects, etc.).

IN childhood pathological cough is more often associated with colds; it is often caused by a violation of the microclimate in the room or allergies. In any case, a child’s cough is almost never the only symptom of the disease.

When a cold occurs, it is accompanied by fever, runny nose and other manifestations of general intoxication of the body. the connection with the causative allergen is clearly visible, and additionally watery eyes, a rash or watery discharge from the nose appear.

General principles of treatment

Cough - severe symptom, especially for young children. The cough reflex involves not only nerves, but also the respiratory muscles, which are still poorly developed in babies.

When a child has a hard time coughing up mucus and phlegm, it begins to accumulate in the lungs and cause severe complications. Besides, infants are more often in supine position, which also contributes to stagnation of sputum and the course of the disease is more severe than in adults.

Treatment of cough in children is carried out using the following methods:

• Non-drug methods and means traditional medicine.
• Drug therapy.
• Physiotherapy.

The combination of these three therapy methods can cope with cough in a child of any age. Let's look at each of them in more detail and focus on the most effective ones.

Non-drug therapy

There are a number of specific requirements and rules regarding the regime of a sick child and maintaining appropriate conditions in his room:

• Humidification of the atmosphere.

To do this, the room is regularly ventilated 4-5 times a day and always before bedtime. As a humidifier, you can use special devices (humidifiers, air ionizers), a nebulizer with saline solution. In the absence of such devices, during the heating season, place plates with mineral or salt water under the radiator or start an aquarium.

• More liquid.

The production of mucus and phlegm occurs in special goblet cells. In order to enhance mucus production and make it more liquid, the child is asked to drink the maximum amount of liquid (water, juices, fruit drinks). In addition, drinking plenty of fluids helps to quickly remove bacterial breakdown products and toxins from the baby’s body, which significantly speeds up the treatment of cough.

• Good nutrition and food regimen.

A balanced diet during illness will allow the baby to get everything essential vitamins and microelements without accompanying dietary supplements and synthetic vitamins.

• Walks in the open air.

Child with cough, runny nose and low temperature up to 37.5 degrees can and should go outside. Walking helps calm your baby, and Fresh air has a beneficial effect on the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract and strengthens the natural immune defense.

It is important to understand these recommendations correctly. A sick child needs treatment, attention and rest. You shouldn’t take a baby with a high fever out for a walk, and you shouldn’t lock a coughing child at home within four walls for a week.

Traditional medicine

It is very rare to cure a child’s cough using only traditional medicine. But old proven methods work well for initial stages disease or in combination with drug therapy.

What you can use:

• Inhalations.

The only way to perform inhalation in a child of any age is a special nebulizer device. These devices come in two types (ultrasonic and compression). The peculiarity is that the drug substance does not dissolve in hot water, as with the steam method, but is sprayed into small particles.

Inhalation - what you need to know, how to do it correctly? Advice for parents - Union of Pediatricians of Russia.

Thanks to the nebulizer, the active properties are preserved medicinal substances without the risk of burning the baby's delicate mucous membranes with hot steam. The “breathe over hot potato or chamomile” methods are suitable for adults and should not be used in children, especially younger age. Read more about choosing an effective inhaler, and what medications to use for inhalation are described.

• Mustard plasters.

Mustard plasters should not be applied to skin lesions, pustules or rashes on the body. This procedure can be performed on children after the first year of life. Their effect is a local irritating and warming effect, due to which blood flow increases, sputum discharge is facilitated and the immune response is enhanced.

Mustard plaster is not placed on the heart area or on the spine. For children with thin, sensitive skin, it is better to place a thin cloth or gauze between the skin and the mustard plaster. When coughing, mustard plaster is applied to the area chest and hold it starting from 1 minute, gradually increasing the interval to 5 minutes.

Warm baths (water temperature 38-40 degrees) effectively treat children's cough in the first stages of the disease and are good for its prevention. IN acute period, at high temperature foot baths is contraindicated. Contraindications are also the presence of pustules, abrasions, eczema on the legs

• Compresses.

There are several types of compresses: dry, wet, alcohol, etc. When coughing, dry warming compresses are usually used, where alcohol or dimexide acts as a warming component.

How to make a compress: gauze is soaked in the active substance and placed on the throat, covered with a layer of polyethylene (for example, cling film), and a warm scarf on top. Keep for 15 minutes to half an hour.

• Decoctions and tinctures.

Medicinal expectorant herbs (marshmallow, licorice, thyme, ivy, etc.) are used with great caution in children. Due to the high reactivity of children immune system, there is always a risk of complications in the form of allergic reaction.

Drug therapy

If preventive measures and methods alternative medicine turned out to be ineffective, then you need to select medications under the supervision of a doctor. Let's take a closer look at how to cure a child's cough with medications.

Antitussives

Drugs in this group are designed to suppress the cough reflex. They are prescribed for coughs that are associated with irritation of the central nervous system, when the cough is caused not by phlegm, but by irritation of nerve receptors. In children they are often prescribed for measles, whooping cough and some other infectious diseases.

Antitussives are used to suppress a dry cough without phlegm. Prescribed only with the consent of a specialist, after preliminary diagnosis.

What are they?

• Central action(narcotic and non-narcotic). Narcotics are rarely used, only in cases of severe pathologies and for strict indications in a hospital setting. Non-narcotic drugs central action(Sinekod, Stoptussin, Bronholitin) for young children are produced in the form of drops and syrups, there are also tablet forms.
• Peripheral(Libexin). It comes in both syrup and tablet form. For the treatment of dry children's cough It is permissible to use only as prescribed by a doctor.

A peculiarity of drugs in this group is that they are not prescribed together with expectorants and mucolytics. This happens because with the simultaneous liquefaction of sputum and the use of an antitussive, mucus and sputum will stagnate and complications will develop (for example, congestive pneumonia).

Mucolytics and expectorants

At wet cough and cough with thick, difficult-to-discharge sputum, choose this group of drugs.

What these medications do is they break down the disulfide bonds in the sputum, causing it to become thinner.

In addition, they increase the activity of the respiratory muscles, due to which the mucus quickly unsticks from the walls and leaves the bronchi and lungs. Some mucolytics have a mild anti-inflammatory effect.

Let's remember the most known drugs this group and let’s look at their features:

• Lazolvan. Active substance ambroxol. Available in syrup form. It is recommended to use for the treatment of cough with difficult to separate sputum in children over 2 years of age.
• ACC (acetylcysteine). Prescribed for acute and chronic diseases lungs, which are accompanied by the formation of viscous mucus. Prescribed to children after 2 years. When using, it is recommended to drink more fluid.
• Gedelix. Plant syrup based on ivy leaf extract. Approved for use in children from the first days of life after consultation with a doctor.
• Fluimucil. Contains acetylcysteine. Has the ability to liquefy sticky sputum. It can be prescribed to children from the first days of life after consulting a doctor.
• Bromhexine. It has an expectorant and weak antitussive effect. Stimulates the discharge of sputum and reduces its viscosity. Recommended for use in children after three years of age. Prescribe with caution to patients with hepatic and renal failure in the anamnesis.

Often, using only recipes from traditional healers, you can alleviate a child’s well-being faster and without harm to his health. However, eliminating cough will require strict adherence dosage of decoction or infusion, prepared remedy.

This short review provides information on how to treat cough in children at home, what folk remedies for a debilitating dry cough can be used to alleviate the child’s condition.

Causes of dry cough in children

Repeated dry cough during the day, worsening at night, with various sources, is a signal of the development of the disease. The mucous membrane of the respiratory organs becomes inflamed, this process turns into edema, resulting in a non-productive cough.

Main reasons nonproductive cough:

• viruses that have entered the child’s body, reducing the functioning of his immune system. Minor soreness and irritation of the mucous membrane does not create conditions for independent clearing of phlegm from the throat. The cough manifests itself in attacks that cannot be stopped;
• diseases caused bacterial infections, accompanied by a dry, prolonged cough with tears and salivation;
• The cause of dry cough attacks may be pathological process caused by impaired motor function upper sections gastrointestinal tract;
• a sudden cough that occurs in a child while he is awake while playing may be caused by foreign object in the form of crumbs. In this case, immediate contact is required medical care;
• an unproductive cough may be the result of an allergic reaction of the child’s body to fumes from dyes, cigarette smoke, dust, or pet hair;
• a dry cough can be a consequence of stress, anxiety and other psychogenic causes.

All possible reasons manifestations of pathology in a child’s respiratory tract have certain characteristics, so it is impossible to use medications without finding out the cause of a dry cough. You should immediately contact a pediatrician, who, based on the research performed, will determine the source of the disease and prescribe a course of treatment.

How to treat cough in children at home?

Therapy for nonproductive cough little man has its own characteristics, but it is based on the same principles as the treatment of adults. Once you are convinced that a barking dry cough is a consequence of a disease, you need to be guided by the following methods of helping your child:

General therapy

It is used if a dry cough is accompanied by an increase in temperature; first of all, it is necessary to provide the child with rest, bed rest. Antipyretic drugs, drinking plenty of fluids, the use of antiseptic solutions is mandatory when inflammatory processes throat.

At normal temperature bodies can be used effective procedure cough treatment - inhalation of herbal decoctions. In this case, it is necessary to obtain permission from the attending physician. Inhalations are performed for several days at intervals of 5-6 hours until the cough is accompanied by sputum production;

Treatment with medications

Performed under the supervision of a doctor. His consultation is mandatory in case of fever and non-productive cough. The doctor prescribes cough suppressants in especially severe cases.

To treat cough in children, drugs that do not contain drugs are used. These drugs affect cough reflexes in the child’s brain and receptors located in the mucous membrane covering the bronchi. Such drugs include Tusuprex, Sinecode, Stoptussin, Lorraine.

Drugs with enveloping properties are effective in drug treatment. They reduce irritation of the inflamed mucous membrane.

Medicines with expectorant properties represent the basis for the medical treatment of nonproductive cough in children. With their help, the inflammatory process in the mucous membrane and the discharge of sputum from the bronchi are reduced.

Modern medicine has a wide range of medicines plant origin. These are syrups, tablets based on plant substances such as thermopsis, marshmallow, chamomile. They are safe for treating young patients. It is recommended to take these medications in small doses, but with a short time interval.

More strong drugs mucolytics on a synthetic basis are presented: ACC, dazolvan, ambrobene, bromhexine. The list of these drugs is quite long.

Ambroxol and a series of drugs based on it are used to treat patients in the first year of life. These drugs promote expectoration of sputum and relieve inflammation. In addition, they stimulate the child’s immune system.

Drug treatment includes the use of bronchodilators, medications that relieve inflammation and swelling of the bronchial mucosa.

For dry cough caused by allergic diseases, apply antihistamines. Usually, the doctor prescribes Claritin, Diazolin or Suprastin for young children;

Folk remedies

The best option for dry cough for infants and older children early stages diseases. The health of children should be treated with special caution and the most tested and effective ways treatment. Traditional medicine has a long history of treating and preventing diseases in children. Dry cough is no exception.

The collection of herbs used by traditional healers to treat inflammatory processes is huge. Using traditional medicine recipes, modern pharmacists have selected herbs that are used as expectorants, anti-inflammatory and tonic agents.

It is still difficult for small children to gargle, but they can breathe in the vapors of aromatic herbs. This procedure is very interesting and entertaining for them. Used for aromatherapy simple devices: a vessel with a decoction of medicinal herbs, an aroma lamp or a modern inhaler.

There are a lot of plants for inhalation, the most familiar of them are:

Licorice

The pharmacy sells syrup made from licorice root. However, a self-prepared drug will bring more benefits, since in the home version the decoction does not contain sugar and alcohol, which are included in pharmaceutical syrup.

Like any medicine, licorice is used as prescribed by a doctor for a certain time, no more than one week. The fact is that its irregular use can cause water-salt imbalance in the body, causing muscle cramps and trembling.

Ginger

Ginger has an expectorant effect and at the same time modulates the functioning of the child’s immune system. An infusion is prepared from this plant by brewing it with boiling water. Ginger is an excellent preventative against viral diseases. Taking it daily in small quantities will help resist viral infections;

Honey with radish

Effective antimicrobial agent honey infused in radish. Honey is poured into the hole cut in the radish fruit. An infusion of honey and radish juice can be used as an expectorant after 2-3 hours. Take the resulting tincture 3-4 times a day, one tablespoon. The healing effect is manifested in the treatment of children with chronic and recurrent respiratory diseases;

Simple folk remedies are available in every home for dry coughs for children: a paste of boiled onions, honey, milk and butter. The composition has mucolytic properties, enveloping inflamed areas.

The following compositions are indispensable as expectorants with a simultaneous calming effect on the mucous membrane:

• honey-milk mixtures;
• bananas crushed in milk;
• herbal teas mixed with milk.

Warming compresses

Dry or wet compresses reflexively affect the inflamed areas, causing blood flow, which increases microcirculation and increases metabolism. As a result of their action, pain is reduced, discomfort:

• Compress from vegetable oil, alcohol or vodka and honey, prepared in a 1:1:1 ratio of components, has a warming effect; as a result of this effect, phlegm is liquefied and easier to remove from the body. Desired effect achieved by keeping the compress for one hour;
• Compress based apple cider vinegar reduces painful sensations in the throat. Apply a wrapping compress on the side of the chest and back in the area of ​​the lungs, having previously lubricated the child’s skin with oil. The compress is kept for no more than half an hour;
• Honey and cottage cheese, taken in the ratio of 100 g of cottage cheese and one tablespoon of honey, are heated and mixed in a water bath. The resulting mass is applied to the body of the sick child and covered with plastic wrap. The compress must be kept overnight. Traditional healers claim that the mixture of these components helps to reject old mucus, reduce temperature, and treat advanced bronchitis.

You should know that warming compresses cannot be used in cases of increased weakness and temperature.

Badger and bear fats

They are used as antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs for nonproductive cough.

Badger fat is mixed with milk and honey. This composition is easier to offer to a child. Once in the throat, the mixture envelops the throat affected by inflammation, providing a calming effect. Complete recovery of dry lingering cough occurs on the third day Badger fat is a very powerful anti-inflammatory agent, it is successfully used for treatment running forms tuberculosis;

Bear fat acts similarly to badger fat. Adding this fat to a child’s diet will significantly increase his immunity.

There are known methods for treating dry cough in children using pork and goose fat. They are characterized by having a softening effect on the mucous membrane of the throat and subsequent effective expectoration of sputum.

Badger and bear fats contain a unique amount of microelements. Therefore, they are valued much higher than ordinary fats. Badger and bear fats can be used as compresses. Such procedures soften and warm up mucus, promoting its rejection from the respiratory tract.

Physiotherapeutic procedures

The addition of physiotherapy to the main course of treatment is necessary, doctors say. The essence of treating a dry cough in a child is to transform a non-productive cough into a wet one, followed by expectoration. In addition to the main course of treatment, the doctor recommends physiotherapeutic procedures. These include inhalations and electrophoresis cups, mustard plasters, warming compresses prescribed to the small patient by the attending physician. It sets the course of treatment, the number and frequency of procedures.

Dry cough and tickling are the body’s reaction to a number of respiratory diseases. Medication treatment prescribed by a doctor, appointment medicines, allow you to cope with this disease in a short time.

However, folk remedies have an excellent effect, which can be used at the first manifestations of the disease, before consulting a doctor. They are time-tested, easy to prepare, available in every home and safe for small sick children.

After examining the child by a doctor, starting treatment on his recommendation, folk remedies can be left. Properly selected treatment methods and strict adherence to the doctor’s recommendations contribute to the rapid cleansing of the child’s body from the infection with a dry, debilitating cough.

Cough is the most common symptom respiratory disease, which occurs in young children. To cure a disease, you need to know the cause of its occurrence. Exist different methods getting rid of the troubling problem, and in this article we will look at how and how to treat cough in children at home.

What is a cough

Cough is a reflex mechanism for protecting the respiratory system, which protects a person from the penetration of a foreign object. It could be bread crumb or accumulated phlegm. All reflexes are controlled by the central nervous system. Cough is no exception. In case of any danger that threatens the lungs, the brain automatically sends a “signal”, a cough occurs and the problem goes away. This, for example, happens when a person chokes.

When treating children, parents want to eliminate coughing attacks in their child as quickly as possible. Antitussives can be used for this, but this can even be harmful. Antitussive drugs disable the necessary reflex, and as a result, phlegm can accumulate in the baby’s bronchi and lungs, which causes serious inflammation.

Cough is an assistant to the body that promotes... Its presence signals that something is wrong in the body and measures need to be taken to remove the problem, not the symptom itself. If you cure the problem, the cough will no longer bother you.

Why does cough occur - what is the cause

Coughing attacks occur in children as a result of various diseases.

• Cold.
• Tracheitis.
• Bronchitis.
• Pneumonia.
• Whooping cough.
• Measles.
• Pleurisy.
• Allergy.
• The child may choke on something.
• The indoor air is too dry.
• Sometimes the cough reflex is associated with heart disease, ear inflammation, and diseases of the digestive tract.

There are two main types of cough: dry and wet or in medical terms unproductive and productive species.

A dry, unproductive cough most often occurs in children who have experienced inflammation of the throat and trachea. It manifests itself with a loud barking sound. When wheezing occurs, it is a sign of asthma. Whooping cough, which is accompanied by noisy inhalation and vomiting, is characteristic of whooping cough.

Since a child does not tolerate a dry cough well, the first task of doctors and parents is to transform a non-productive cough into a productive one with sputum discharge. During treatment, it is also important to monitor the composition and color of the sputum.

Types of the most dangerous cough

There are cough manifestations that can signal a serious danger to the baby’s health.

• The sputum is green.
• Blood in mucus.
• Wheezing cough with wheezing that can be heard at a distance.
• A persistent cough that lasts three weeks or more.
• Heat.

It is important for parents of babies under one year old to remember that their respiratory muscles are poorly developed, so it is difficult for them to cough up accumulated mucus. If you have a high fever and all of the above symptoms, you should immediately seek medical help.

Treatment of cough in a child with medications

If a cough is accompanied by a fever, doctors’ actions are often aimed at lowering the child’s body temperature. Drugs are also prescribed that help thin the mucus and remove it. Physical procedures and inhalations are also used.

For inflammatory processes in the lungs, bronchi and others respiratory organs caused by a pathological pathogen, antibiotics may be prescribed. Independent selection of medications for cough in children is contraindicated, only after consultation with a doctor.

Treatment of cough in children at home

• Infusion of plantain leaves

— Dry plantain leaves 1 tsp.

— Water 200 ml.

Pour 1 liter into a thermos and pour in a glass of boiling water. Leave the product to sit for two hours. Drink a teaspoon every 4 hours

• carrot juice

Juice from the root vegetable helps get rid of severe cough. You can drink it throughout the day, adding honey to taste.

• Collection of herbs for cough

- Mother and stepmother 1 tsp

- Oregano 1 tsp.

- Thyme 1 tsp.

— Calendula 1 tsp.

All medicinal herbs place in an enamel bowl and pour 500 milliliters of boiling water. Simmer over low heat for five minutes. Cool and give this effective folk remedy for cough to your child a tablespoon three times a day, before breakfast, lunch and dinner.

• Radish with honey against cough in children

— Juice 200 ml.

- Honey 1 tsp.

Black radish juice is an excellent cough remedy that can be prepared at home. One way to prepare the product: you need to wash the radish and make a small depression in it, cutting out the core. Place a tablespoon of honey inside the fruit and set aside for five hours. Pour the resulting radish juice and honey into another bowl; you can drink a teaspoon three times a day. Add honey to the radish again. You can use the vegetable until it dries completely.

• Onion decoction

— Onion 2 pcs.

— Milk 500 ml.

Place two finely chopped onions in an enamel bowl. Pour in milk and bring to a boil. Add three teaspoons of honey to a warm drink. Drink a tablespoon every hour for three days.

• Milk with

— Milk 1 liter

— Cedar cone 1 pc.

Place the cone in an enamel bowl and pour milk. Boil the product over low heat for two hours. Strain the finished milk, drink a tablespoon every two hours, you can add honey.

• Milk, cocoa and banana from

Cocoa and banana have excellent expectorant properties that will help your child get rid of phlegm and cough at home.

— Milk 500 ml.

— Banana 1 pc.

- Cocoa 1 tsp.

Beat the banana with a teaspoon of sugar and cocoa in a blender, transfer to a clean bowl and pour in hot milk. Drink 100 ml three times a day before meals.

Compresses for treating cough in children

• Mustard flatbread

— Mustard powder 1 tbsp. l.

- Flour 2 tbsp. l.

— Liquid honey 1 tbsp. l.

- Vinegar 1 tbsp. l.

Place all the ingredients of the recipe in a bowl and knead the dough. Roll out the finished mustard cake and place it on the baby’s chest and back. Put oilcloth on top, then paper, cotton wool and wrap with a warm scarf. All layers of the compress should be several centimeters larger than the previous one. It is better to do the compress at night.

• Flax seed compress

Heat in a frying pan and pour into a tight cloth bag. Place the compress on the baby's chest and wrap tightly with a woolen scarf. Leave for two hours.

Inhalations against dry and wet cough

• Soda inhalations

Soda is considered a remedy, so inhalation for a child’s cough can be done at home. If you don’t have an inhaler, it will be convenient to inhale the steam over any vessel, covered with a blanket.

- Soda 1 tbsp. l.

— Water 1 liter.

Place baking soda in a bowl and pour boiling water over it. Let cool slightly. Inhale steam several times a day. When inhaling, it is very important to follow safety precautions so that the child does not get burned.

If you use a kettle with a funnel for inhaling steam, then constantly monitor the baby’s condition: for children under 2 years old, the temperature of the liquid should not exceed 40 degrees, for older ones it can be a little more. The procedure takes 2-3 minutes, then a short break and you can continue.

When treating cough in children at home, you should pay attention to the air and humidity in the room. If you place a child closer to a heating radiator in the hope that he will recover faster, this will not lead to a good result. Mucus that accumulates in the lungs when exposed to dry air becomes viscous and difficult to get rid of. To thin out the mucus, the room where the baby is located must be regularly ventilated, the air temperature should be 18 - 20 degrees. During illness, you need to drink enough water. Water thins the mucus in the bronchi.

Prevention measures

Cough in children most often occurs due to viral diseases that begin with a runny nose. As a result, a runny nose can descend lower, affecting the throat, trachea, bronchi and lungs.

If nasal discharge appears, you should try to remove it as quickly as possible. Parents need to constantly clean their child's nose. At the beginning of the disease, if there is no fever, apply dry heat, clean the nose with cotton pads.

To the many children who suffer pulmonary diseases, relaxing by the sea helps. The most favorable period for patients is considered to be April and May. It is during these months that the sea air is most saturated useful elements that will benefit the child.

Watch this short video on how to make the black radish cough recipe:

Dry cough is a rather painful condition for children. The baby is constantly tormented by attacks, but there is no relief. You can help him with quite traditional medications from the pharmacy, but many parents prefer folk remedies that will quickly and effectively relieve the child from suffocating attacks. About such recipes from the arsenal alternative medicine we'll talk about it in this article.

Peculiarities

Cough is not an independent disease, it is just a symptom indicating that something has gone wrong in the child’s body. And, before deciding on the treatment of this symptom, you need to understand that a reasonable approach is when the cause is treated, not the effect. To find it, see your doctor.

Cough in children is most often associated with acute respiratory diseases, flu. However, it is also possible that foreign objects may enter the respiratory tract. In addition, children often suffer allergic cough. There is even a nervous cough reflex, mainly in children who are hyperexcitable and restless, subject to severe stress.

Depending on the duration, the cough can be acute, protracted, subacute and chronic. An illness that torments a baby for no longer than 2 weeks is called acute. If a child has been coughing for about a month, doctors say it is protracted, and if it has been coughing for about 2 months, it is subacute. If you have not been able to cope with the problem for 8 weeks, then the child chronic illness, which will require long-term and serious treatment.

Based on timbre, coughs are divided into dry and wet. Dry is quite easy to recognize, since it is unproductive or unproductive, in other words, it is not accompanied by sputum production. Sometimes it has the character of a bark, since the sound is very similar to a dog barking.

The cough reflex with a dry cough occurs in response to irritation of the respiratory mucosa, which is caused by viruses. That is why dry cough is considered one of the clear signs the onset of influenza or ARVI. The allergic reflex is also usually dry. But in this case, irritation of the receptors is caused by allergens that the child inhales along with the air (pollen, particles household chemicals, contaminated air, tobacco smoke, toxic fumes).

At nervous cough the cause of receptor excitation should be sought in neuropsychic disorders, in psychosomatics. Neither medications nor folk remedies will be effective for it, since it is necessary to treat nervous system, not the respiratory system.

Dry cough is characterized by an increased frequency of attacks, it especially affects the child at night. Many children complain of chest pain.

Parents should know that different types Coughs are treated completely differently. Wet requires the use of mucolytic and expectorant drugs, and with dry it is important to reduce the intensity of the cough reflex. With regard to the choice of folk remedies for treatment, the same rule applies. If a mother finds it difficult to determine the nature of her child’s cough, you should not treat it at random, it is better to consult a doctor.

Dr. Komarovsky will talk about the types, features and dangers of dry cough in children in the next video.

Causes of dry cough

As already mentioned, the most “harmless” and easily removable cause of dry cough is initial stage influenza or acute respiratory viral infection. This happens most often, but do not forget that dry cough is also accompanied by other diseases, many of which are best not even thought about treating at home:

• Bronchial asthma. The dry exhausting reflex in this disease has a paroxysmal character. Often attacks are accompanied by suffocation; they require immediate use of medication.
• Pneumonia (lung inflammation). A non-productive cough with this disease is muffled, monophonic with frequent attacks, which intensify if the child actively moves, runs, and breathes more often.
• Various inflammations of the trachea, bronchi and larynx. The cough can be barking, rough, and accompanied by hoarseness.
• Dry pleurisy. With it, a dry cough is very painful, the child is limited in movements, since any change in body position causes severe pain in the chest.
• Malignant neoplasms (tumors) in the tissues of the respiratory organs. The reflex with this problem can manifest itself in different ways, so this condition is the most difficult to diagnose.
• Whooping cough. A nonproductive cough with this disease quite often ends in vomiting. This reflex is practically not treatable with medication, but goes away on its own over time.
• Allergy. The cough reflex is permanent; coughing does not change the timbre or depth of sound. The mucous membranes of the nasopharynx have a grayish pale tint.
• Pulmonary tuberculosis. A nonproductive cough in this disease is long-lasting and protracted. Sometimes parents confuse it with chronic. This condition requires immediate attention to the hospital, since tuberculosis is dangerous and contagious.

When you can’t get by with folk remedies alone

Any evidence of a dry cough should alert sensible parents and force them to make an appointment with a doctor for their child. If the doctor confirms that the symptom is caused viral infection, you can treat it at home with a clear conscience, including folk remedies.

However, statistics are stubborn things, and they say that every fifth child whom their mother brought to the doctor with complaints of a dry cough actually inhaled foreign body, for example, a small part from a toy. In this situation, folk remedies will not help; you need to remove the object as soon as possible before severe inflammation begins.

A dry cough may be a symptom coronary disease hearts, and also indicate problems with hematopoiesis. These conditions require highly specialized treatment, naturally, not with antitussives and non-traditional cough recipes.

That is why it is important to visit a doctor and undergo the necessary additional diagnostics.

Effective folk remedies and methods

When treating dry cough at home, parents should be very careful and respond to the slightest changes in the child’s condition. Dry cough - very insidious symptom. Thus, laryngitis, which is accompanied by this type of symptom, can result in a complication in the form of false croup. Without a quick response from parents and timely medical care the child may suffocate. It is better if, before choosing a prescription for alternative medicine, the mother still consults a doctor.

There are a great many recipes for dry cough. Let's look at the most famous, popular and proven by generations of children.

Pine buds

You can buy them at any pharmacy or prepare them yourself. In boiling milk (half a liter) you need to add a tablespoon of aromatic pine buds. This pine drink should be infused for at least 3 hours, then strained and given to the child a quarter glass several times a day.

Onions with milk

A couple of medium-sized onions should be cut into rings or half rings and boiled in milk until tender (the rings should become soft). The drink is cooled, filtered and a teaspoon of linden honey is added. Single dosage- a tablespoon, the child should be given water frequently - every two hours for three days. Usually this is enough for the cough to soften and its intensity to decrease. If the child is under 3 years old, you should not put honey in the drink, as this can cause allergies. Replace the bee product with sugar or fructose.

Mustard

Useful product, which will help quickly cure dry cough. A tablespoon of mustard seeds should be mixed with a spoonful of vegetable oil, a spoonful of honey and two spoons of 9% vinegar. Heat it all up, but don’t boil it. Mix two tablespoons of flour into the resulting mixture and form into flat cakes. Place damp gauze and a layer of cling film on the baby's chest and back, lay out warm mustard cakes and cover with cotton wool. This compress can be left on for 4 hours.

The procedure should not be performed on children under any circumstances. infancy, since all the ingredients are strong allergens, and heating can disrupt the baby’s heat exchange.

Barley

100 grams of barley grains are ground into powder, poured with 250 ml of water and brewed in a water bath for 30 minutes. Then the resulting liquid is infused, filtered and given to the child warm several times a day. Age restrictions There is practically no such recipe; it can be given to children under one year old and to children older.

Pine nuts

Boil 50 grams of unpeeled in milk (1 liter) pine nuts or a whole pine cone. Strain, cool. Give the child 1-2 tablespoons 5-6 times a day.

Garlic ointment

Several large cloves of garlic need to be chopped or grated fine grater, mix with badger fat or Vaseline oil, leave in the refrigerator and rub on the heels of a child with a dry cough at night.

Ginger

Ginger root should be washed, peeled, grated or finely chopped. This mass for one serving of drink will be required on the tip of a teaspoon. Pour boiled, but not boiling, water over the ginger and let it brew. If necessary, add currant juice, raspberries, honey or sugar and give the child a drink at night.

Inhalations with essential oils

To carry out such procedures for non-productive coughs, it is best to use eucalyptus and fir oils. You shouldn’t add too much of them, 1 drop is enough. Together with oils, use medicinal plants and herbs for inhalation that have antitussive properties - sage, coltsfoot.

Compresses

Compresses for unproductive coughs can be made from cottage cheese or calcined salt. The main rule is no compresses or inhalations if the child has a fever. First you need to reduce the fever, and only then move on to warming procedures.

• In a home where a child with a nonproductive cough lives, it is necessary create optimal conditions environment. They will help you recover faster, and in the future they will be an excellent prevention of respiratory diseases. The air in the apartment should not be too dry. To do this, use special humidifiers, bringing the humidity level to 50-70%. If you don’t have such a device, you can hang wet towels over the radiators and make sure they don’t dry out.
• The air temperature that promotes recovery is not higher than 19 degrees. The room must be ventilated several times a day and wet cleaning done at least once a day.
• For inhalations, which are very effective for dry coughs, use special device- an inhaler. If, as half a century ago, you cover your baby’s head with a blanket and force him to breathe over boiled potatoes, you can complicate his already significant health problems with burns to the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx, trachea and bronchi.
• The best procedure that should accompany the treatment of a nonproductive cough is plenty of warm drinks. It will promote the formation of sputum, which will turn the cough into a productive one and the child will recover much faster.
• If folk remedies, despite all your efforts, cannot cope with a dry cough, you need to consult a doctor. The “critical” period is considered to be 2 weeks from the start of therapy. If there is no relief, sputum does not form, the intensity of the cough does not decrease, additional symptoms(temperature), this is a reason to stop home treatment and proceed to the medications prescribed by the doctor.
Potions
• Folk remedies

It can be caused by a number of reasons, and there are many methods of treating it. But besides medications Traditional medicine also helps in the fight against cough. The effectiveness of this method of treatment has been tested for years, and there are a minimal number of contraindications and a mild effect on children's body, made this method incredibly popular. Many modern parents prefer to limit the amount their child consumes. chemicals Therefore, they choose to treat cough in children with folk remedies quickly and effectively. This article presents some of the most popular and effective means traditional medicine, which can become your “lifesaver” in treating your baby.

Egg potion

Preparing the mixture is quite simple:

1. Boil a glass of milk.
2. Add a tablespoon of honey and the same amount of butter.
3. After that, beat egg yolk and mix it with the previous ingredients.
4. Add baking soda to the mixture using the tip of a knife.

You need to take a teaspoon of the mixture three times a day.

Milk mixture

Milk-based mixture also allows you to quickly eliminate cough. To prepare it, you will need half a liter of milk, brought to a boil, and a tablespoon of pine buds. The ingredients need to be mixed and allowed to brew for an hour. The child should drink the decoction a day.

Lemon with honey and glycerin

This recipe will also help cure a cough, the cause of which has not even been established.

1. Wash the lemon thoroughly and pierce its peel in several places.
2. Boil the lemon. This will take no more than 5 minutes.
3. Squeeze the juice out of it and add 2 tbsp. l. glycerin.
4. Pour the mixture into a glass with a capacity of at least 250 ml.
5. Top up the glass with liquid honey.
6. Let the mixture sit for 3-4 hours.

Accept this mixture Only for children who do not suffer from allergies to bee products. The dosage is usually a teaspoon of the product 3 times a day. However, it can be increased in case of severe cough, as well as in case of protracted nature of the disease.

A mixture of honey, glycerin and lemon has a number of beneficial properties.

1. Moistening the throat with glycerin, which reduces the intensity of the cough.
2. Supporting immunity with vitamin C.
3. Antibacterial effect of honey on infectious agents.

Onion broth

This recipe was popular at the beginning of the last century and is still used by parents.

1. Peel 2-3 onions and chop them.
2. Pour milk (400 ml) over the onion pieces and boil for 5 minutes.
3. Add honey - 2 teaspoons.

You need to take a tablespoon of the infusion every hour until the acute symptoms disappear.

Black radish with honey

Radish has been used to treat coughs in children since ancient times. To prepare the composition, you will need black radish, which you need to thoroughly wash and cut out the core from it to make something like a cup. Place 2 teaspoons of liquid honey into the resulting cavity and leave to stand for a while. After some time, juice will begin to release in the “cup”, which must be thoroughly mixed with honey. Children can be given a teaspoon of the mixture 3 times a day for 1-2 weeks.

You can use the same radish several times by simply adding new honey.

Radish with milk

This option is in no way inferior to the previous one. Take 2 radishes, peel them and cut them into small pieces. Place in a jar, alternating each layer of radish with a tablespoon of honey. After 6-8 hours, a mixture of juice and honey will form in the jar, which must be poured into a separate container. A teaspoon of the mixture plus a tablespoon of milk is a single dose for use. You can give your child radish with milk three times a day.

Mustard and honey

Using these products, you can prepare several cough remedies.

1. Grind the mustard grains to make 1 tablespoon. Add the same amount of honey and sunflower oil. Stir and pour in 2 tbsp. l. table vinegar. The mixture must be heated in a water bath to +50 degrees and add 2 tbsp. l. flour. Knead the resulting mixture into a dough. After this, you need to place a dough cake on the baby’s back and chest. To do this, follow a certain procedure: put wet gauze on the body, then cling film, then dough, then cloth and cotton wool. You can secure the compress with a scarf. After 6 hours, the cake must be removed by wiping the area under the compress with a dry cloth. You need to do a similar compress 3-4 times.
2. Mix 3 tbsp. l. sunflower oil, the same amount goat fat(buy at the market) and honey, 3 tbsp. vinegar and mustard powder. Divide the resulting mixture into three equal parts and make cakes that need to be placed on the chest (1 piece) and on the back (2 pieces). This compress can be left overnight; you can do it every day, but no more than 5 days in a row.
3. Take one tablespoon of aloe juice, dry mustard, vodka, honey, visceral fat(vegetable oil) and flour. Mix all ingredients and place in a water bath. Stir the slightly heated mixture again and form into cakes. They need to be placed on the back in the projection of the lungs. Be sure to place gauze under the cakes and on top of them, and cover with film on top. Swipe this procedure two days in a row. Distinctive feature This version of the compress is that it is simply impossible to cause a burn to the baby with its help. Therefore, it can be used even in small children.

Other folk recipes for coughs

If the above recipes do not suit your child, you can use other cough control methods. We offer you a number of recipes that can be prepared at home.

Barley decoction for the treatment of dry cough in children

Pour 20 gr. ground barley grains with 1 cup boiling water and let it brew for 5 hours. After this, the infusion must be boiled for 10 minutes. To treat dry cough in children, the decoction should be taken 1 tbsp. 5 times a day.

Honey and olive oil

Take 2 tbsp. honey and oil and mix. Give your child a teaspoon three times a day. This method will enhance the coughing up of phlegm.

Potato inhalation

Boil regular potatoes along with peelings. Drain the potatoes into a small bowl and place your child over it. The main task is for the baby to breathe in pairs for at least 15 minutes. It is best to cover his head with a scarf or towel so that the steam does not escape in all directions, but goes directly into the baby’s mouth. After such inhalation, be sure to put the baby to bed. Do not forget that the steam should not burn.

Radish with sugar

In order for the radish to release its juice, you need to sprinkle it generously with sugar. After the chopped vegetable has stood for several hours, liquid will appear in the container, which should be given to the child every hour, a tablespoon.

Blackcurrant and honey

Hoarseness and severe coughing attacks can be eliminated with the help of blackcurrant juice and honey. To do this, take half a glass of juice and a glass of honey, stir and let stand for a few minutes. Then you can give the mixture to your baby. Optimal dose– 1 tbsp. l. three times a day.

Viburnum decoction

A healing decoction of viburnum can help you with tracheitis and bronchitis; you can give it to children with caution. To prepare the decoction, you need to take viburnum berries (100 g) and a glass of liquid honey. All this must be mixed thoroughly. You need to take the mixture 4 times a day, one tablespoon at a time. You can also drink it with tea or warm water.

Calamus root

Another recipe that allows you to quickly get rid of coughing attacks is an infusion of calamus roots. To prepare it, you need to take 200 ml of boiling water and a tablespoon of roots. The infusion should cool, after which it can be taken half an hour before meals, 2 tablespoons. It is recommended to drink the infusion all day, drinking 500 ml.

Infusion of coltsfoot

This infusion will help you relieve your baby of a dry cough. It’s easy to prepare: take a tablespoon of coltsfoot and pour a glass of boiling water over it. Ready product Give the baby a tablespoon every hour and a half.

Inhalation with herbal decoction

You can carry out inhalation using a mixture of coltsfoot, oregano or soda solution. You can also add menthol or eucalyptus essential oil.

Milk with soda

Even young modern mothers know this recipe, because it is the most popular and widespread, and also very easy to prepare. Take a glass of hot milk, add a teaspoon of butter, soda on the tip of a knife and warm mineral water. If you drink this remedy in a hot form, so that it does not burn the throat, the effect can be seen after the first dose. Milk and soda also help a lot - a drop of soda per glass of hot milk.

Mustard and vodka

This recipe allows you to get rid of a prolonged cough. You need to make a compress for your child from a tablespoon of dry mustard, honey, flour and sunflower oil (all in a tablespoon) with the addition of 1.5 tbsp. l. vodka. The mixture must be thoroughly mixed and heated in a water bath. The compress should be placed on a layer of gauze in the chest area, covered with gauze and cellophane on top. You need to do this procedure for several days until the cough disappears.

The article contains many recipes that will help cure your child of almost any cough. Only as when using medicines, in treatment with folk remedies, care and proportions must be observed. If your child is prone to allergies, then you need to choose a recipe that does not contain allergenic components.

When making compresses for your baby, remember that they cannot be applied at a fever. And you need to observe the child’s reaction; if the skin turns red and irritation begins, immediately remove the compress and wipe the skin with water.

Treatment with folk remedies can also be carried out in combination with those traditional drugs which I prescribed for you medical worker. Therefore, be sure to get specialist advice.

Remember that a child’s cough needs to be treated from the first days of its appearance. This way you will be able to avoid negative complications.