What to do if your 8-month-old baby coughs and has phlegm

When an eight-month-old baby starts coughing and has phlegm, it will probably make many parents anxious. Some babies had a cold before, and then the cold got better, but they started coughing. Although the cough is not very frequent every day, it has been intermittent and has not improved. And it feels like there is always phlegm in the baby's throat. Parents are really anxious. At this time, what can parents do?

1. Sputum removal care

Parents can clasp their hands and pat the child's back from bottom to top and from outside to inside, because this is the direction of the child's lung lobes and bronchi, which can help the child to clear up phlegm. Mothers can let their children lie on their forearms and pat them with their other hands. When patting the back, you need to use more force. Too light a force will not have much effect. You must be extra careful when caring for a coughing baby at night to prevent sputum from blocking the respiratory tract and affecting the baby's normal breathing.

2. Take cough and expectorant medicine

When your baby coughs and has phlegm, you should take cough suppressants and expectorants or undergo nebulization treatment to moisten the respiratory tract and dilute the phlegm. But you cannot use cough suppressants, because cough suppressants and expectorants are two different things. Cough suppressants will affect the discharge of phlegm and make the condition worse. Parents should not rush to seek medical treatment!

Pay attention to indoor ventilation to keep the air fresh, control the temperature at 20℃-24℃, and the humidity between 50%-60%. Family members try to avoid smoking at home. Even a little bit of smoke can make the baby's respiratory tract uncomfortable and make it more difficult to cough up phlegm, so for the baby's health, the home should be a smoke-free place.

4. Dress appropriately

Dress your baby appropriately. Don't rush to add more clothes to your baby just because you think he is sick, to prevent him from catching a cold. In fact, when the baby is sick, the clothes should not be too many or too few, and should be loose. The elastic pants should not be too tight or worn to the chest to avoid affecting the baby's breathing.

5. Drink enough water

When the baby coughs and has phlegm, parents should give the baby more warm boiled water. Adequate water can effectively help the baby dilute the phlegm and facilitate coughing up the phlegm. The diet should also be as light as possible. Breastfeeding mothers should also pay attention to their diet, drink plenty of water, and eat less irritating foods, because these will be passed to the baby through breast milk.

The main causes of cough with phlegm are: upper respiratory tract infections, such as rhinitis, sinusitis, and pharyngitis; lower respiratory tract infections, such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia. The main symptoms include breathing noises, difficulty feeding, rapid breathing, large chest rise and fall, and coughing.