When your baby is having a bad time and having cough altogether, your baby can get irritated and annoyed because of the cough he has got into. A baby cough can have several meanings and obviously, you can’t ask your baby that what’s wrong. Children can have eight or more coughs a year, which is quite normal as there are hundreds of different cold viruses which your baby is unaware about.
A cough basically is the body’s way to protect itself, said by Howard Balbi. There can be different causes of baby coughing including:
- Viral pneumonia.
- Bacterial infections.
- Allergies or asthma.
- Or a habit coughs.
Your baby can be affected by the cough depending on the cough he is suffering from such as a dry or chesty cough. With the suffering of cough, it can also be accompanied with:
- Red eyes.
- A sore throat.
- Loss of appetite.
- A blocked nose.
When your baby is suffering from cough, don’t assume that it is because of the cold, there are 7 bad toddler cough you should be worrying about:
7. The Wretched Cough
In the wretched cough, your children becomes too weak, even he is not too wiped out to play, suffering from cough, a high fever, muscle aches and he sniffles, this is when you need to worry and ask your doctor about the treatment of it.
It is caused by the viral infection; also known as the influenza which attacks the respiratory system. This kind of flu has the long nurture period in kids and they get with this virus along and spread it around the family, it is said by Dr. Lonzer, the wretched cough is spread easily; for example, if a kid sneezes in a class, it is spread and flies across the room.
To treat this baby cough, try these:
- Make sure your kid drink plenty of fluid.
- Give him some hot drinks such as a warm tea with honey.
- Get him a steamy shower.
6. Whooping Cough
It is another name for pertussis, it is an infection which is caused by the bacteria known as Bordetella pertussis. Kids suffering from whooping cough will have back-to-back coughs without breathing in between. When they are done with coughing, in the end, they will make a whooping sound, there are several other symptoms of pertussis including runny nose, mild cough and sneezing. An early treatment is needed for the whooping cough and it can be treated with antibiotics, early treatment helps in avoiding spreading the diseases.
If your child is less than 6 months old and is suffering from the whooping cough, do call the doctor immediately as your kid will need to be hospitalized. The infection of whooping cough is treated with antibiotics and other members of the family should keep themselves away from the suffering child as it is highly spreadable infection. The infection is cleared up with the usage of antibiotics for 5 days. If you are treating your children at home then you should keep these things in your mind.
- Give the antibiotics to your children exactly as given and suggested by the doctor.
- Keep your home free from dust and smoke and all irritants.
- Use a clean and cool mist nebulizer to soothe the cough.
- Make him drink plenty of fluids.
5. The Nighttime Cough
The cough which keeps your child awake all night and he keeps coughing at night constantly then he is suffering from the nighttime cough which can be caused because of asthma or a chronic condition where the lungs becomes narrowed and are inflamed. To treat the nighttime cough of your kid, you can:
- Keep your child’s head higher; put some pillows on your kids head, shoulders and back so that they can sleep in slightly higher position which will allow them to breathe easily.
- Feed him some honey; honey treats the nighttime cough better than anything.
- Encourage them to drink fluids but avoid orange juice as it can ache the throat sore from coughing.
- Go for chicken soup; chicken soup can do wonders when your kid is suffering from the nighttime cough.
- Keep their bed clean; if your kid is prone to allergies then make sure to keep the bed clean and prevented from dirt and tiny creatures.
“When your baby is sneezing and have a runny nose, and she might get the difficulty in breathing and eating as well. Try the saline nasal drops which will help in shrinking the swollen airways. Use this for two to three times a day.”
4. The Barking Cough
Barking cough refers to the upper airway which restricts the breathing and results in the croup cough sound or a barking cough. The symptoms of the barking include the slight cough at initial stage, if the kid is suffering from enough inflammation and coughing, child will develop a barking cough.
This cough is caused by the viral infection or your child can get this virus by breathing the infected respiratory droplets sneezed in the air. The barking cough can be treated by:
- Do calm your child: the barking cough will sound worse if your kid starts crying, so try to calm your child by cuddling and staying calm yourself. Play soft music or read a story.
- Treat the fever by using Ibuprofen.
- Cool night air; if you can, take your child into the cool night air for 10-20 minutes or try to take a slow car ride with the windows open.
- Steam up the bathroom; Take your child in your lap and sit with them in a steamy bathroom, this will make them calm in about ten minutes.
3. Dry Cough
A dry cough is mostly caused by the infection of the upper respiratory tracts including nose and threat or a common cold, the dry cough can also be a sign of the pneumonia which is the inflammation of lung tissue itself. To treat the dry cough:
- Keep your baby away from the dirt, smoke and aerosol sprays which irritates the throat of a baby.
- Provide frequent feedings.
- Make your child rest well.
“Don’t give your child any kind of medication without asking your doctor, they may get infected or get any kind of other disease. Try to make them fuller with fluids and if they are still suffering from cough, do contact your doctor ASAP.”
2. The Phlegmy Cough
This cough is caused by a common cold but can get severe with the time and especially if your little one is getting irritated and annoying with the phlegmy cough then you surely need to take better care. The phlegmy cough can last for one or two weeks and it is worst at initial stage. As this cough is caused by the therefore it won’t be treated by anti-biotic.
Try to use the saline nose drops if your kid is too young to blow the nose, or use the bulb syringe will help in clearing the mucus and your child will be less likely to cough.
1. The Whistling Sound Cough
- Your baby was suffering from a cough from few days but suddenly it ended up at raspy and whistling sound. Your baby sounds so irritable and breathing rapidly, he is surely suffering from the wheezy cough.
- The cause behind the wheezy cough is bronchiolitis which is the infection of the tiniest airways in the lungs. The most common cause of wheezy cough is the respiratory syncytial virus also known as RSV.
- If your child is suffering from this infection than do contact your doctor immediately and especially if your kid is having difficulty in breathing.
Do’s
- Do make sure your kid is having plenty of water.
- Do save them from cold weather.
- Breastfeed them.
Don’ts
- Don’t give your children honey when suffering from dry cough.
- Don’t give them chilled water.
- Don’t let them sleep in day time.
