This is an automatically translated article.
Newborns are susceptible to external factors that cause respiratory diseases. Phlegm in the throat is one of the signs of respiratory diseases such as pharyngitis, nasopharyngitis, bronchitis... cleaning the phlegm in the throat helps children limit the risk of spreading to the lower respiratory tract.
1. What causes babies to have phlegm in their throat?
Newborn's resistance is not yet fully developed, so it is easy to be affected by external factors, especially the respiratory tract. In addition, when sick, the ability to remove sputum is also poor because the cough reflex is still weak.
There are many causes and factors that can cause phlegm in the throat of babies, including:
Nasopharyngitis : Nasopharyngitis in babies can be caused by allergies, viral agents, bacteria or viruses. All fungi cause the body to increase secretion of nasopharyngeal secretions to eliminate pathogens. Mucus in the nose causes a runny nose, stuffy nose, it can flow down the throat causing the child to wheeze, cough or down the lower respiratory tract causing lower respiratory tract infection. Bronchitis: Inflammation and increased secretions in the bronchial tree. When children with bronchitis often cough a lot of sputum, severe shortness of breath, rapid breathing, wheezing. Colds and flu: Both are caused by viruses. But the viral agents are different. Usually, cold symptoms are milder and the prognosis is better. Children often show symptoms such as cough, fever, runny nose, and stuffy nose after experiencing cold. As for the flu, children often have a high fever, fatigue, cough, sore throat, crying... Severe complications can cause lower respiratory infections. Gastroesophageal Reflux: Because the child's sphincter is not yet fully developed, reflux often occurs when food cannot be digested. When children with this disease often have a lot of cough, vomiting, sore throat mucosa and produce sputum. Some factors increase the risk of making babies more susceptible to phlegm in the throat, such as: cold, environment with a lot of cigarette smoke, pollution, too dry weather, changes in weather...
2. How to clear phlegm in the throat for babies
When a newborn has phlegm in the throat, it makes parents very worried, but the drugs are very limited to be used for babies when not needed. To quickly clear the throat and remove sputum, you can apply some of the following measures:
Add enough fluids for the baby If the baby is exclusively breastfed (under 6 months old), you can feed your baby many times. During the day or children over 6 months old can use water, they should drink more water every day. Because when the body has enough water, the mucus will be thinner and easier for the baby to eliminate through sneezing and coughing.
Aspirating sputum with a nasal aspirator When phlegm accumulates in the throat, it will make the child uncomfortable and fussy, and may also have complications from otitis media or pneumonia. So you can use safe tools used to remove phlegm in your baby's nasopharynx such as a rubber suction bulb, a soft wire nasal aspirator or a nasal aspirator. Note that these tools are always cleaned before use and need to be kept clean to avoid infection when used on children. Should be used separately for each child to avoid cross-contamination.
Before sucking the nose, you can thin the sputum for the child by instilling a few drops of physiological saline in each nostril. When sucking the baby's nose, raise the baby's head slightly to avoid choking, suck on each side.
You can repeat nasal suction 2-3 times per day.
Physiological saline drops In addition to the use of thinning sputum to make nasal aspiration easier, physiological saline helps to disinfect the nose and throat for infants and young children.
Put 2-3 drops in each nostril, then hold the baby in a standing position so that the mucus can easily drain out.
Vibrating for children Vibrating is a measure to help sputum can be expelled more easily, stimulating cough for children to remove sputum.
Position the baby so that you can pat his or her back. You cupped your hand and gently patted the baby's back to help loosen the phlegm in the airways. Note that when patting, only pat the lungs, avoid hitting the spine or abdomen of the child.
Make sure the environment is clean Avoid cigarette smoke, dust, mold or anything that can cause allergies in children to limit the recurrence of the disease. Regularly clean blankets, pillows, children's clothes and other items in the house, especially carpets, which contain many disease-causing microorganisms. Cleaning and removing the agent will help reduce the risk of the infant developing respiratory illness.
Use some essential oils Essential oils such as melaleuca, lemongrass... help warm the room, reduce nasal congestion and reduce phlegm production. You can vaporize the room with essential oils or use a little on blankets, pillows, and clothes so that your baby can smell it.
Keep the child's body warm A cold child is a favorable condition for many microorganisms that can cause illness in the child and the mucus will be more secreted. One of the ways to take care of a child with phlegm in the throat is to keep the body warm and avoid cold, especially in the winter months.
Humidify the child's room If the environment is too dry, it will make the child more susceptible to illness and the dry mucus will be more difficult to remove. Therefore, increasing the humidity in the child's room helps keep moisture in the child's respiratory tract, helping to thin the sputum, creating a pleasant feeling for the child.
Herbs With babies, you can use a number of herbal recipes to help dilute phlegm, remove and clear phlegm in the throat faster. Some recipes you can apply such as:
Kumquats with ginger and alum sugar: Kumquats, according to oriental medicine, have a warm, sour taste that has a sputum effect. Ginger has warm properties to help increase resistance, eliminate cold and reduce nausea. You can cut kumquats in half, remove the juice, remove the skin, add a few slices of ginger and then add steamed rock sugar for children to drink 3 times a day. Pear, chives, ginger, rock sugar: In the case of children with a lot of phlegm, thick and yellowish sputum, you can use this recipe. Chives have warm properties, help eliminate phlegm, relieve colds, but also have antibiotic properties that can eliminate some disease-causing bacteria. You can make this syrup by slicing half a clean pear into a diced shape, a handful of chives, adding a few slices of ginger and rock sugar and steaming it. Give the child 3 times a day, if the child can chew, you can give him a piece of pear. Lemon basil, kumquat, rock sugar: Lemon basil is a very effective medicine in the treatment of respiratory infections, it has warm properties to help eliminate phlegm, antiseptic, and reduce cough. Combined with kumquat and rock sugar increases the effectiveness of sputum. You can add a handful of basil leaves, a few kumquats cut in half, rock sugar, add water and boil for about 10 minutes. You can make a lot and store it in the refrigerator for about 3 days. Children drink 3 times a day with warm water. You should choose clean herbs, should be washed with salt before making syrup for children. Children under 1 year old should not use honey because it can be poisoned, but if the child is over 1 year old, you can replace rock sugar with honey if it helps to increase the effect.
Massage for children You can use essential oils or diluted warm ginger water to act on certain acupoints on the body. That helps to warm the body, reduce the formation of phlegm in the throat for children because according to traditional medicine, phlegm is mainly caused by cold. Areas you should massage such as the back (corresponding to the blood circulation), the soles of the feet (Dung Tuyen acupuncture points), the elbows (the Khuc Tri acupuncture points)... each area should be massaged for 1 to 2 minutes. Persistence in doing this for 7 days, once a day, can both reduce sputum production and increase the child's resistance.
3. When should the child go to the doctor?
The implementation of home remedies is an effective way to clear phlegm in the throat. But it is always necessary to monitor the child's abnormal developments, so that timely treatment can be given. When a child has phlegm in the throat accompanied by the following signs, you should quickly take the child to a medical facility for examination and treatment:
The phlegm in the throat is abnormally green, brown or red-brown. It may be due to a bacterial infection or blood in the sputum. There are signs of respiratory failure due to sputum obstruction or serious illness such as cyanosis around the lips, shortness of breath, wheezing, rapid shallow breathing, chest indrawing, and bulging nostrils. Vomiting a lot, vomiting again after eating. No appetite, poor feeding, lethargy or irritability. The child has a high fever, body temperature above 38.5°C and signs of infection such as dry lips, bad breath, and dirty tongue. Children cough or sputum lasts for more than 2 weeks, coughing too much makes them tired, affecting their activities and sleep. Children with ear discharge due to complications of otitis media. Clearing phlegm in the throat helps children feel more comfortable and also limits the risk of disease progression. So, if you see that your baby has phlegm in the nose and throat, take the above measures to help remove the phlegm for the child. In addition, it is also necessary to closely monitor the child if there is any abnormality, so go to the doctor immediately for early treatment.
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