How To Suppress an Infant’s Cough
An infant’s cough is a whole lot different than an adult’s. While adults can take home remedies and over-the-counter medications, such is not the case when the patient is an infant.
If your baby suffers from coughing, you have to take immediate action to prevent it from getting worse and probably leading to a more serious condition.
It is so hard to see your small baby heaving his chest just to be able to release the tension caused by coughing. If only you could touch your hand to his chest to get rid of his cough.
But it is not that easy, and you have to be very careful in giving your child any kind of medication. Suppressing your infant’s cough the natural way is the best way to go. Here are some tips on how to alleviate your child’s coughing.
Lay him down on his stomach
If he is done with his coughing fit, lay him on your bed facing down so that if he has phlegm in his lungs, it will be released from its hold on the lungs.
Make sure that he is comfortable in this position. If he begins coughing again, carry him and let him expel the phlegm by carrying him facing forward. Doing this will help him get the phlegm out easier.
Carry him and place him in your arms vertically
Carry him as you would normally do. His head must rest on your shoulder. With this position, he can breathe freely and expel any phlegm he has in his throat. If he is carried lying down, it will be harder to breathe.
Pat his back gently
Curve your palm inward and gently pat the back of your child. This will remove the phlegm that is stuck in his lungs and can be expelled easily. Make sure that you do not use too much force or your baby will get hurt. Remember, his back is not as strong as yours, so be gentle.
Use a humidifier
This will make the air inside the house cooler. During the summer months when the weather is humid and clammy, it is easy for infants to contract a cough because of lack of fresh and cool air that comes in the house.
Take him outside
Fill your child’s lungs with fresh air and you will see that his cough will go away immediately. Take him out of the house in the mornings when the sun is not yet too hot and high in the sky. The fresh morning air will get inside your baby’s lungs and cleanse them.
If you have attempted every natural remedy that you know to stop your child’s coughing and still no positive result is seen, it is time to see his pediatrician.
If a day or two passes by that your child is not healed, take him at once to his doctor. There he will be given the right kind of medication and the right dosage for him to get well. Be vigilant in giving your child his medications so he will get well.
Take note of the hours and the intervals that you have to give him his medicine so he does not miss a dose.