![]() If the cold air rushing over his face while you drive stops the crowing and barking, you may turn around and go home. If neither or these help, then we suggest you put the child in the car, roll down the window on his side of the car, and drive to the emergency room. By either method, the cool air or warm moisture, their throat will be soothed, allowing a reduction in swelling and easier breathing. Either bundle your child up and carry him outside into the night air for five or ten minutes, or take him into the bathroom, turn on the shower, and sit with him while the bathroom becomes steamy for five or ten minutes. The next two suggestions may sound strange, but they work. Note: Your child must be seen immediately if he/she shows signs of respiratory distress: flaring of the nostrils, sucking in at the nape of the neck, head bobbing, sucking in of the skin between the ribs, of severe belly breathing.Ī child with a croupy cough, a fever less than 102 degrees, and does not appear terribly ill or uncomfortable, may be treated with the following measures:įirst, a cool mist vaporizer by his bedside helps soothe the swelling in the breathing passages, and allows to breathe more easily. There are several things you can do, the most important of which is determining whether your child has a fever or not. The result is a child who may have had a runny nose for a few days and suddenly awakes in the middle of the night crowing like a rooster or barking like a seal. This is the area of the breathing tube which is narrowest and can least afford any degree of swelling to occur. This cough is produced by swelling below the vocal cords in the throat. 14 for dosing).Ĭroup is a special type of cough. If the cough interferes with your child’s restful sleep, which by the way is important to his or her getting well, we recommend elevating the head of the bed, a cool mist humidifier, and benadryl (pg. The cough is a result of irritation in the breathing tubes, much in the same way as a sneeze rids the nose of dust and mucus. As long as they are not overly bothersome to your child, there is not a great deal of concern.Ĭough Cough is the body’s way of ridding the breathing passages of unwanted mucus or infecting particles. Most of these will last a week to ten days. It is not uncommon for a child to have as many as 9 to 16 colds in a year. The brands that we routinely use are Ocean, Ayr and Nasal. Doing this allows secretions to be loosened and drain more easily into the back of the throat. At that time you gently suction the nose to remove the nasal secretions. Two drops are placed in each nostril every two to three hours while your infant is awake, and left there for approximately ten to fifteen seconds. Secondly, we recommend normal saline drops, salt water. ![]() Fourth, try a nasal saline spray or a Sinus rinse kit.įor infants who are congested, and are having difficulty breathing or sucking because the congestion fills their nose, we recommend the following: First, frequent suctioning with the bulb syringe you were given in the nursery helps clear the mucus from the nose. Third, increasing the amount of fluids the child takes in per day helps make the secretions less sticky. This allows gravity to pull the drainage away from the back of the throat, and causes less coughing, gagging and choking, Second, humidified air from a shower/bath, or vaporizer (warm or cool mist) may be helpful by adding moisture to the air to loosen thick sticky secretions in the nose. Whenever the child has clear drainage from his nose that is bothersome either to the child or to yourself, the following measures can be taken to lessen the aggravation.įirst, we recommend either sleeping on the stomach, or elevating the head of the child’s bed. In fact, there are people who believe that children do not exist without runny noses. There is nothing more frequently seen by doctors than children with runny noses. Viral Upper Respiratory Infections and Croup Viral Upper Respiratory Infections and Croup
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