There are a lot of remedies that help a child cough. Syrups, medicines and cough tablets for a child today can be purchased at every pharmacy. A huge selection of pharmaceuticals provides an opportunity for parents to select substances by cost and composition.
Almost all respiratory diseases are characterized by coughing, which is considered a protective reaction of the body to a ripening infection. With its help, harmful secretions and microorganisms are removed from the body, thereby facilitating the respiratory process. What helps a child with a cough (dry or wet), we will describe below.
Syrup for babies
Gedelix is recommended for children under one year old. It thins mucus and has an antispasmodic effect. The active substance of this drug is ivy extract. It shows significant efficiency, a couple of days after taking the most viscous discharge begins to recede without difficulty. This is an excellent cough remedy.
Pretty efficient"Prospan" is considered a medical preparation, it copes well with both dry and wet coughs. Children's syrup is allowed to be given to crumbs from the first days of life. It contains ivy concentrate and has a fruity aftertaste. Children take it with pleasure.
"Lazolvan" is an excellent syrup that quickly removes sputum from the respiratory tract. It is recommended to take no earlier than six months of age.
If the baby is already 8 months old, it is recommended to use Eucabal, which has an anti-inflammatory effect.
All of these medicines should only be used as a syrup.
For children over two years old
At this age, the list of permitted pharmaceuticals is expanding. What will help a child with a cough at 2 years old?
- "Gerbion". It contains a concentrate of mallow flowers and plantain.
- "Ambrobene". Mucolytic and expectorant medication. Shows secretomotor, secretolytic and expectorant effect.
- "Travisil". Another medicine that helps a child's cough. Herbal syrup. Shows anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effects. Recommended for pharyngitis, tonsillitis or bronchitis.
- "Doctor Theiss". It has excellent taste and great efficiency. Includes mint and psyllium extracts. It has a mild effect on the irritated mucous membrane. Discharge freely begins to be expectorated throughshort time after taking.
Types of pills
Pills that help a child's cough can be divided into 4 main groups:
- Antitussives. They affect the brain, in particular, the cough center, suppressing its dynamism. Such pills can have a narcotic effect (these substances are extremely rare in childhood and are not sold without a prescription) and non-narcotic (such drugs are taken after consulting a doctor, they are not addictive).
- Expectorants. Medicines in this category increase cough, helping to quickly free the child's body from unnecessary sputum, microorganisms and viruses. These can be tablets with thermopsis, marshmallow and other herbal ingredients that have an expectorant effect.
- Mucolytics. Such substances have a great influence on the sputum itself, as a result of which it becomes dissolved and is better coughed up by a sick child.
- Antihistamines. Pills of this kind of category are prescribed in situations where the cause of the cough is related to allergies. It is better to entrust the choice of a suitable drug to the doctor.
How to choose pills?
Since various categories of medicines in the form of tablets are used in cough therapy, it is important to consult a doctor before taking them. The pediatrician will examine the child, establish the root cause of the cough and its type, after which he will prescribe treatment taking into account age, since a child of 7 years old is allowed to prescribe one substance for a childfor younger children, the list of medicines is reduced, and for the older children, it expands. Let's analyze the most effective pills that help a child cough.
Dry cough
Dry cough tablets can only be used as directed by the doctor. It is appropriate to use them only with an obsessive prolonged cough, which causes an emetic reaction, causes inconvenience in sleep. Effective drugs can be bought in the range of 90-250 rubles. How to help with a debilitating dry cough in a child?
- "Codelac". An antitussive medication that minimizes the excitability of the cough center and makes it easier to cough up sputum. It contains thermopsis, licorice, sodium bicarbonate and codeine. Appointed no earlier than from the age of two.
- "Libeksin". A cough medicine with a peripheral effect that reduces the susceptibility of receptors in the airways and dilates the bronchi. In childhood, it is prescribed with caution and taking into account the body weight of children.
- "Terpincode". An agent in which terpinhydrate, codeine and sodium bicarbonate are combined. In such a medical preparation, an antitussive effect and an expectorant result are recorded. Issued to children over the age of twelve.
- "Stoptussin". An antitussive drug that reduces the excitability of bronchial receptors and activates the production of mucus. Assigned to children over twelve years of age.
- "Omnitus". A medication that effectively helps a child with a cough with a central effect, as well as a slightanti-inflammatory and bronchodilator effect. Tablets with 20 mg of the active substance can be prescribed to children over six years of age.
- "Tusuprex". The drug affects the cough organ without a narcotic result. It is prescribed in rare cases to children from the age of two.
Wet cough
If the child's cough began to be expectorated, the doctor will advise you to start taking mucolytics and expectorants. How to help with a wet cough in a child? Here is a list of effective remedies:
"Muk altin". The main active ingredient in these tablets is marshmallow extract, which is supplemented with sodium bicarbonate. The substance has an expectorant, enveloping and anti-inflammatory effect. It is allowed to be used by children over three years old, while for young children the tablet is crushed into powder and then mixed with water
- "Thermopsol". A medicine that includes the herb thermopsis and sodium bicarbonate. Reflectively affects the bronchi, stimulating the secretion of sputum and its expectoration. The dose for the child is determined by the doctor.
- "Ambroxol". This substance has a mucolytic effect. The tablet form can be taken by children over 12 years of age.
- "Bromhexine". Such a drug exhibits both expectorant and mucolytic effects. Suitable for children over 3 years of age.
- "Lazolvan", "Ambrobene" and "Flavamed". These substances contain ambroxol, for this reason they are classified as mucolytics. Such a drug is only allowed to be used by children who are already 12 years old.
- "Ascoril". Combined medication with bronchodilator, mucolytic and expectorant effects. Recommended for ages 6 and up.
- "Pectusin". This substance is based on eucalyptus oil and menthol, for this reason the drug has a distracting, antitussive and anti-inflammatory effect. Assigned to children who have reached the age of 7.
Inhalations
Cough is a symptom of many diseases that are common in children. There are many effective methods to cure a cough. One of them is inhalation. This is a method that helps a child well with a cough, dry or wet, will also help reduce inflammation of the throat and lungs, thin sputum, and also improve coughing. All this is the key to a speedy recovery.
It is worth noting that this method of treatment is not suitable for everyone. There are a number of contraindications:
- under one year of age;
- with acute inflammation of the components of the lymphatic pharyngeal ring;
- when coughing up blood or pus;
- at elevated temperature.
Recommend inhalation for the following diseases:
- inflammation of the mucous membrane of the larynx and vocal cords bronchitis;
- asthma;
- tuberculosis;
- cough caused by SARS.
Inhalation:
- this procedure is preferably done shortly before meals;
- when treating the throat, inhale through the mouth and exhale through the nose;
- in the treatment of the nasal cavity, it is necessary to do the opposite;
- recommend no more than 10 treatments;
- the duration of the procedure should be no more than 10 minutes.
You can make a solution at home to improve the condition of the mucous membrane of the respiratory system. These include solutions of s alt and water, soda and water. Ordinary mineral water is also very useful, they also use medicines with an antitussive effect ("Lidocaine").
Anti-inflammatory drugs against edema and various inflammations. These include Rotokan and Pulmicort. With a cough caused by allergies, these drugs can speed up recovery. Also, these are effective ways for those who do not know how to help with a cough from snot in a child. Since inhalations (steam) help to cure not only a cough, but also a runny nose.
To eliminate problems with the respiratory tract, it is recommended to use Ventolin, Berotek, Berodual.
Use herbs:
- chamomile;
- St. John's wort;
- sage;
- mint.
Essential oils are used to soften the mucosa. Natural eucalyptus or sea buckthorn oils are also recommended.
There are several types of inhalation. Steam inhalers are used for steam inhalation. Alternatively, you can take a large container into which you need to pour boiling liquid. Various substances are often added to it, such as herbs and essential oils.
In nebulizer treatment, medication is sprayed into the airways. Particles of the drug will reach the respiratory system faster, their action is more effective. Due to the rapid spread of the drug, the patient begins to feel better after a few procedures. The necessary solutions are poured into a special container of the nebulizer, most often these are special saline solutions.
Despite the speed and effectiveness of the nebulizer, the steam inhalation treatment method is better suited for the child's body, since only pure organic substances are used.
Folk remedies
Not all medications are approved for use in the treatment of children, so folk remedies and methods very often become a panacea for mild forms of diseases in children. This fully applies to the treatment of children with a problem such as cough.
The following are the most famous and used folk remedies that have proven to be effective.
How to help a child with a dry night cough?
Very common and recommended recipe for a folk remedy for dry cough in children, which consists of seemingly simple affordable products, but it is very effective for bronchitis, tracheitis,laryngitis. You can make this folk remedy as follows:
- boil 1 liter of milk, add one tablespoon of honey and butter (butter);
- honey must be added after cooling the milk slightly so that it does not lose its medicinal properties;
- add baking soda to the yolk (at the tip of a teaspoon), beat and add to the resulting composition. Here it should be noted that a sick child takes such a composition quite easily due to the neutral habitual taste.
Treating a child aged 3 and over
Children over three years of age are advised to give a composition based on lemon and honey when coughing. It is prepared as follows:
- squeeze the juice from the lemon boiled for 5 minutes;
- add 2 tablespoons of pharmaceutical glycerin to the resulting juice;
- add honey in such quantity that the volume of the resulting composition was about a glass;
- insist this composition during the day in a dark place.
In addition to expectorant and antitussive action, this recipe has a general strengthening, antibacterial effect.
A fairly traditional folk recipe using black radish and honey:
- a deepening (fossa) is made in the washed radish root;
- one teaspoon of honey is poured into the recess;
- you need to use juice, which is formed quite quickly in this recess.
Such a folk remedy is perceived by many kids as a delicious dessert, which greatly facilitates the process of taking the medicine.
Wet cough remedies
What helps a child with a wet cough? In order to cope with a wet cough in a child, alleviate the inflammatory process and relieve irritation, such a tasty medicine as raspberry jam (raspberry tea) is suitable. Raspberries grated fresh with sugar are a storehouse of vitamins and microelements.
To speed up the process of sputum discharge with a wet cough, a mixture of honey, lingonberry juice and gruel from grated aloe leaves in equal quantities is suitable.
In addition, our grandmothers advise using this method: before going to bed, the child needs to put chopped fresh garlic or baked onions in socks.
In the treatment of folk remedies for cough in children of different ages, medicinal herbs and fees are widely used, among which the following should be noted:
- pine bud decoction has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, healing effect, strengthens children's immunity;
- an infusion of medicinal plant thyme, which helps relieve inflammation, has an expectorant effect, very rarely provokes allergies.
This infusion is made as follows:
- a tablespoon of crushed plant is poured into a glass of boiling water and infused for half an hour;
- lime blossom decoction also has an expectorant effect;
- tea with ginger root is suitable for children over 2 years old, it is an excellent anti-cold, anti-inflammatory agent;
- medicated expectorants are suitable for children over 3 years oldinfusions of violet petals and medicinal anise.
In any case, before using folk remedies for coughing in children, it is recommended to consult your doctor.
Before using any drugs, you need to consult a specialist and read reviews. What is the best remedy for a cough in a child? All of the above remedies are very effective and have received a lot of positive feedback from parents whose children suffered from cough. The main thing is to never self-medicate, so as not to harm your own child.
