Don’t assume your toddler’s cough is just a cold and buy over the counter cough medicine—it could be something more serious.
Here’s what to look for and what to do.
1.The Barking Cough
Maybe your toddler has stuffy nose but has been able to sleep for a few hours and suddenly you hear a strong cough that sounds like a bark with him struggling to catch a breath. That is Croup, a viral illness that usually affects children ages 6 months to 3 years. Gets better during the day and gets worse at night.
What to do- try the hot water therapy. Turn on a hot shower and sit with your child in the steamy bathroom for 15 to 20 minutes, since the warm, moist air will clear his throat and also help him breathe.
2. The Phlegmy Cough
If it always sounds like your child has something in her throat when she coughs- sounds mucousy with running nose, watery eyes and zero appetite, then it is most likely common cold. Children get an average of six to ten colds a year, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, so you can expect more. LOL.
What to do- Since colds are caused by viruses, antibiotics is useless in this case. Try giving a warm bath after the hot water therapy, and nasal drops. See your doctor is symptoms persists.
3.The Dry, Nighttime Cough
Could be Asthma, a chronic condition which causes the airways in the lungs to become inflamed and narrowed, and produce excess mucus. This mucus tickles the lungs making the child to cough. This cough is triggered by exercise, allergies, colds, or cold air.
What to do- See a doctor immediately if you suspect asthma.
4.The Miserable Cough
Does it look like your child is too bothered by this cough to play or eat or even sleep? Influenza, otherwise known as the flu, a viral illness that attacks the respiratory system. The flu has a long incubation period in kids, so they can walk around with the virus for days before they get sick, sharing it with friends and family. “It’s spread through little droplets, so when a classmate sneezes just once, the flu virus flies across the room,” says Dr. Lonzer.
What to do- Keep your child hydrated. Give plenty of fuilds, milk, water. In children older than 6 months, Ibuprofen with food or milk will bring down her fever and relieve aches. In children younger, see the doctor for a better prescription.
5.The Whoopy Cough
If your child has had cold for more than a week and coughs several times in one breathe while making a strange whooping sound, check with your doctor immediately!. The Whooping cough is caused by a bacteria called pertussis attack the lining of the breathing passages, producing severe inflammation that narrows—and sometimes even blocks—the airways.
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