Coughing in baby and toddler | Cough

Coughing in baby and toddler

There are different types of cough in toddlers and babies. It is important to distinguish between the typical cold cough and a potentially life-threatening situation. Like adults, coughing in small children serves to clear the airways of foreign bodies and secretions and is a natural defence reaction of the body.

If the child suddenly begins to cough heavily and there were no symptoms of illness before, it may have swallowed something. This becomes even more likely if the child has been observed to swallow something or if there is a close temporal connection to playing or eating. This usually happens between one and four years of age and often involves food components or parts of toys.

In most cases, the swallowed object ends up in the stomach and is excreted through the digestive system. By tapping between the shoulder blades on the slightly bent upper body and encouraging a strong cough, the child can be supported. However, if the child shows serious symptoms such as shortness of breath (which in infants is manifested by retractions of the rib cage or by so-called nasal wings), the cough is ineffective (quiet cough, bluish discoloration of the skin, child increasingly loses consciousness) or if the swallowed objects are small magnets, button batteries or something that can swell up (such as nuts, seeds), a doctor should be consulted urgently.

If the cough occurs at night and is barking, possibly accompanied by hoarseness or cold symptoms the day before, it may be pseudocroup. Pseudocroup is an unspecific inflammation of the upper respiratory tract and typically manifests itself with barking breath, hoarseness and a whistling sound when inhaled (inspiratory stridor). In severe cases it can lead to shortness of breath, accelerated heartbeat and blue coloration of lips and fingernails (cyanosis).

In many cases, infants are very restless, which further intensifies the symptoms. Mostly children between six months and six years are affected. Calming the children is the most important measure in this situation, so that they use less oxygen and the shortness of breath improves.

A doctor should always be consulted for safety reasons. In the vast majority of cases, however, coughing in small children is the typical cough that accompanies a cold. Colds are much more common in toddlers and babies than in adults, as the immune system is still developing and small children are often exposed to bacteria and viruses through contact with other small children in the crèche or kindergarten.

Between eight and ten times a year, colds can occur. A dry cough can be an indication of an allergy or beginning asthma. There are other, rarer causes of coughing in small children and babies; however, many illnesses are nowadays successfully prevented by vaccinations and have become rare, for example diphtheria (“real croup”), epiglottitis or whooping cough. or coughing in the child