Cough in a child can be dry, wet, allergic, barking … Regardless of the type, it can be a pain for the child. Learn to recognize the types of cough in your child so that they know how to help the child and what treatment to give. Can I give my 4-year-old cough medicine?
What can a child’s cough mean?
A child’s cough is usually a sign of a respiratory infection. Usually, the disease begins with a runny nose, which flows down the child’s throat and irritates the mucosa in which viruses multiply. Then the child often cough and we say that he has a dry cough. After a few days of illness, the respiratory system produces secretions and the child begins to cough it up. However, coughing in a child is not always a symptom of the disease. In this way, the bronchial mucosa can react to dust or crumbs of bread that has got into the respiratory tract. Cough allows you to clean them of everything that irritates.
Do you use cough medicine for children?
The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend the use of cough and cold medicines under the age of four (and cautions up to the age of six). Cough suppressants and decongestants have not shown benefit in this age group and have been shown to cause serious side effects. In 2005, 1519 children <2 years of age were treated in the emergency room in the USA because of side effects and overdose of cough and cold medicines. Some events were fatal.
The child is between 4 and 6 years old: see recommendation for less than 4 years or use medication with care under medical supervision.
Over-the-counter cold medicine is not recommended for children 4 years and older. Give them to children aged 4 to 6 only with the permission of the doctor. After the age of 6, you can follow the directions on the packaging (however, be careful when dosing). Also, because colds are caused by viruses, prescription antibiotics won’t help.
For cough – adequate air humidification
The cough intensifies in dry and warm air. Therefore, it is important that the air in the apartment is properly moisturized. Ready-made devices for air humidification are available on the market, however, a similar role is played by the aquarium – even a small one, with an A4 sheet area. We fill the aquarium with water, we can put stones in it and plant the plants. Due to the fact that the water in the aquarium evaporates, the air in our apartment will be moisturized.
