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How to treat a cough in a six month old baby. Video
Babies have difficulty coughing up phlegm, and therefore their colds are quite difficult. In the absence of proper treatment, the disease can be complicated by pneumonia, so it is important not only to give the baby the right medicine, but also to properly carry out an expectorant massage.
When a baby needs an expectorant massage
A baby’s cold most often begins with a stuffy nose and sore throat. In the absence or ineffectiveness of treatment, the infection quickly descends into the bronchi, which leads to the accumulation of sputum in them and the occurrence of cough. Expectorants and inhalations are usually very effective, but children under the age of six months are not always able to clear their throat on their own, how can a child’s throat be treated? You can enhance the effect of medicines and speed up recovery with the help of expectorant massage.
It is necessary to do an expectorant massage to the baby in the following cases:
- with hard wheezing
- with difficulty breathing
- with an abundant amount of sputum
- with frequent coughing that interferes with the baby’s sleep
If a child over the age of one year is recommended to do an expectorant massage on the 3-4th day of treatment for a cold, the procedure can be performed for an infant at the first signs of illness. The fact is that the infection in babies spreads much faster, is much more severe and can lead to serious consequences.
Expectorant massage is contraindicated in high fever and skin rashes. Before carrying out the procedure, the child must be shown to the doctor so that he makes the correct diagnosis and prescribes concomitant treatment
How to give an expectorant massage to a six month old baby
To carry out an expectorant massage, the baby will need a roller, which can be made by twisting the diaper tightly. The roller should be placed under the baby’s chest so that the head is ultimately lower than the torso. The back of the crumbs should be rubbed until slightly reddened, after which, with pinching movements of your fingers, walk from the middle of the back to the shoulders. The spine area does not need to be massaged. The procedure should be repeated 10–20 times. Instead of pinching movements, you can do stroking.
It is important that the direction of movement is from the bottom up (towards the shoulders), and not vice versa.
After an expectorant massage, you can give your baby a warming compress. This will help to quickly cure both the beginning and the lingering cough. For children under one year old, compresses based on alcohol (alcohol, herbal tinctures) are not suitable; it is better to prefer natural ingredients such as honey or warm mashed potatoes. Having applied the mass to the back of the baby, you should cover it with plastic and wrap it in a warm shawl or towel. Keep the compress for 10-15 minutes.
Cough should be treated in this way for 7-10 days, but improvement usually occurs on the second or third day. If this does not happen, you should re-show the baby to the doctor to make sure that there are no complications and the baby is really on the mend.
Also interesting to read: fetal hypoxia.