Within the first year of life, a child gets a cold up to seven times. Since cough and cold medications are not tested for use by young children, they are not recommended. It has in fact been shown that they can have side effects on them, especially if not dosed correctly. But you have to try to make the baby feel better somehow. Coughing is actually a natural way for him to get rid of irritants and mucus, so you need to make sure he is able to breathe normally despite the cough. Talk to your pediatrician about giving your baby a nasal aspiration. It also tries to make him feel at ease, to make the environment more comfortable, humidifying it, and to give the child the right drugs, which have a fluidifying action.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Helping the Child to Breathe
Step 1. Prepare a saline solution
Proceed by boiling some tap water and letting it cool, or buy some distilled water. After boiling and cooling, take a cup of water and add half a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of baking soda. Mix well and pour into a closed jar. You can store the saline solution at room temperature for up to three days.
The saline solution in a bottle or in ampoules can also be purchased at a pharmacy or supermarket. If used correctly, it is a product that can be administered to small children in complete safety
Step 2. Put the drops in the baby's nose
Fill a pediatric pear with saline solution. Have the baby lie on his back and lift his head slightly. Gently support his head so that you are in full control during the operation. Slowly and gently pour 2-3 drops of solution into each nostril.
- Be careful not to insert the tip of the pear too deeply into the baby's nose. The tip should just go beyond the opening of the nostrils.
- Don't worry if your baby sneezes, spraying some of the liquid out.
Step 3. Let it sit for a minute
Wipe your nose dry in case the liquid has leaked from sneezing or dripping. Keep the baby flat on his back while you wait for the saline to take effect. Wait a minute or so, then empty the pear into the sink or bowl.
As you prepare to introduce the liquid, never leave the baby alone and do not allow him to turn his head here and there
Step 4. Vacuum out the mucus
Squeeze the pear and insert the spout into the baby's nose. The tip should enter the nostril only 6 mm. Release the pressure on the pear, thereby sucking up the mucus. Dry the nozzle with a towel. Proceed with the second nostril, then refill the bead with saline and place 2-3 drops in each nostril. To thoroughly cleanse the pear, wash it with warm soapy water.
- Probably, after the birth, the clinic left you with a pear. However, be careful not to overuse it: for a newborn, 2-3 aspirations and washes with saline solution per day are sufficient. If the baby is a little older, limit it to four times a day, so as not to risk irritating the delicate nasal mucosa.
- The ideal moments to practice this operation are those before bedtime or breastfeeding.
- If you are unsure of how to proceed, contact your pediatrician.
Step 5. Consider a nasal spray
If the idea of sucking mucus from your baby's nostrils makes you uncomfortable, you can always purchase a bottle of saline spray. Choose a specific nasal spray for babies, available in pharmacies and many supermarkets. They are made on purpose to avoid the use of the pear and the passage of the aspiration.
- Be careful to buy a simple saline-based spray, with no added medications.
- Follow the instruction leaflet and, when done, clean the baby's nose thoroughly from any liquid residue.
Part 2 of 3: Providing Relief and Comfort to the Baby
Step 1. Keep his head slightly raised when he is lying in the crib
Raising your baby's head with a low pillow or rolled washcloth can help him rest better when cooled. Remember not to leave blankets or pillows lying around the crib. To operate safely, place the pillow or towel under the mattress. With the head slightly raised during sleep, the little one will breathe easier.
To avoid the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), make sure your baby sleeps on his back at all times
Step 2. Regulate the baby's body temperature
If he has a fever, try not to bundle him with too many clothes. Wear light clothing, but check often that it is warm enough. Touch his ears, face, feet and hands. If they feel hot or sweaty, the baby is probably too covered.
If you put on clothes that are too heavy or in too many layers, the child can feel uncomfortable and his body may have even more difficulty in eradicating the fever, which in fact risks increasing
Step 3. Pamper the baby
If he's not well, chances are he'll tend to be whiny and a lot on you. Try to find time to pamper him even more than usual and to comfort him when he's sick. If he is very small, try to carry him in the carrier and have him sleep most of the time. If he's a little older, pamper him and try reading him stories or doing puzzles together.
Encourage him to rest. To recover from the cough, the child needs extra rest
Step 4. Keep the air moist
Run a humidifier or cool steam diffuser in his room overnight. The water vapor is able to free his respiratory tract and make him breathe more easily. To humidify the environment you can also use bowls of water, left around to evaporate.
If you don't have a vaporizer, you can temporarily transfer the baby to the bathroom while taking a hot shower. Close doors and windows and stay in the bathtub to breathe in the warm value. Be careful to keep the baby out of the tub and never leave him alone in the bathroom
Part 3 of 3: Treat it with Food and Drugs
Step 1. Pay attention to the power signs
To stay hydrated, the baby needs more liquid food, especially if he has a fever. If you are breastfeeding or bottle feeding your baby, try breastfeeding him more often to get more fluids. Feed him as often as he tells you that he is hungry. You can give him less milk but more frequently, especially if he is having trouble breathing. If you eat solid foods, make sure they are tender and digestible.
Breast milk and fluids in general have the effect of thinning the secretions of the airways, making it easier for them to expel mucus through coughing
Step 2. Cut down on dairy products
If you are breastfeeding him, please continue to do so. But if you drink cow's milk or consume dairy products, it's best to reduce the amount. In fact, these are products that tend to make the mucus thicker. If the baby is over six months, give him water and diluted fruit juices.
- If you are under six months old and take the milk from your bottle, please continue to give it to him even if it is dehydrated cow's milk: it is important that he continues to take in the precious nutrients and vitamins contained in his main source of nutrition.
- Avoid feeding him honey before the year of life: it is a preventive measure against the onset of infantile botulism.
Step 3. Treat any fever that accompanies the ailment
If the baby coughs and has a fever, you can give him paracetamol (Tachipirina), but only if he is at least two months old and carefully following the instruction leaflet. If he is older than six months, however, you can give him either paracetamol or ibuprofen. Contact your pediatrician in the following cases:
- The baby is less than three months old and has a fever of 38 ° C or higher
- The baby is over three months old and has a fever of 38.9 ° C or higher
- The fever has lasted for more than three days
Step 4. Get him examined by a doctor
In most cases, the cough triggered by a simple cold heals on its own within 10-14 days. Instead, take the child to the doctor in the following cases:
- Lips, fingers and toes bluish. This condition requires immediate medical attention: call the emergency room immediately!
- The baby is less than three months old and has a fever of 38 ° C or higher, or is more than three months old and has a fever of 38.9 ° C or higher
- The child coughs up blood
- The cough is getting worse or coughs are very frequent
- Child struggles to breathe (gasps, takes rapid breaths, wheezes or breathes strangely)
- The baby refuses breast or formula milk (or you notice that you need to change it more infrequently than usual)
- The child is vomiting
