This List of Cough Medicines for Babies That Are Safe for Your Children

When a baby coughs, many parents immediately give a cough medicine to the baby. Though the use of cough medicine in infants should not be careless. Not all cough medicines are safe and are recommended for infants. Let's get to know any cough medicines that are safe to use for babies.

Coughing is a normal reaction and form of the body's mechanism to clear mucus, germs, and impurities from the airways and lungs. Coughing usually occurs when the throat, trachea, or lungs become irritated, inflamed, or infected.

Cough Medicine for Safe Babies

Coughing in most infants often caused by a viral infection or irritation from pollution or dirt (such as dust and smoke) in the air. Coughing because these two things will usually subside on their own.

This fairly common complaint actually does not need to worry too much if it is not accompanied by other complaints, such as fever, shortness of breath, and the baby looks weak.

Coughing in infants is sufficient to be overcome by increasing milk intake and rest. However, if your child coughs with fever or he becomes more fussy, consider giving the following drugs:

Fever Relievers

Types of fever-reducing medications that are safe for babies namely paracetamol and ibuprofen. For babies, paracetamol and ibuprofen are generally available in syrup form. However, the two drugs have rules, namely:

• Paracetamol
  Paracetamol can be given if your child is 2 months old, provided that he is born after gestational age 37 week and weighs more than 4 kg. Paracetamol can relieve fever and pain due to inflammation in the throat that causes a baby to cough.
  Proper administration of paracetamol is every 4-6 hours, and no more than 4 times in 24 hours. In order for the dosage of paracetamol given accordingly, use a dropper or spoon of medicine in a bottle according to the dose.
  Too much giving of paracetamol can cause liver damage. Therefore, be sure to always comply with the recommended dosage given. Paracetamol tends to be safer for the baby's digestive tract than ibuprofen.
• Ibuprofen
  Ibuprofen can be given if your child is 3 months old or weighs more than 5 kg. Ibuprofen can reduce fever, pain, and reduce inflammation. However, the administration should be no more than 3 doses within 24 hours and the time interval when giving this drug is also not too fast (less than 6 hours). Compared with paracetamol, ibuprofen tends to make the baby's stomach uncomfortable, so he can experience side effects such as nausea or vomiting.

Saline solution

If your little cough is not accompanied by a fever, you can give saline solution that can be purchased at the pharmacy. Aside from being in the form of drops, saline which is a sterile salt solution is also available in spray form.

This saline solution serves to thin the thick mucus, making it easier to remove, relieve baby's breathing, and moisturize the airway due to air that is too dry or dirty.

Mother can drip saline solution into the baby's nostrils, then suck the mucus using a mucus suction tool that looks like a pipette.

It must be understood that paracetamol, ibuprofen, and saline solution are only used to make the baby feel more comfortable and can rest until the cough subsides.

Mothers should also not choose cough medicines for infants or adults in circulation on the market, for example sputum thinners or cough relievers, which are usually found in cold medicines. These drugs are not safe for consumption by children under two years, including infants.

In addition, the use of antibiotics is also not always needed to treat coughs in infants. Antibiotics are only used if a cough in a baby is caused by a bacterial infection.

To determine whether a cough in a baby is caused by bacteria or not and to determine what type of antibiotic is suitable for use, it is necessary to have a doctor's examination first.

Natural Ways to Overcome Coughing in Infants

In addition to administering cough medicines for infants, coughing can also be overcome with simple steps the following:

1. Increasing fluid intake
Increasing fluid can reduce mucus and make the respiratory tract more smooth. Infants under 6 months may only be breastfed, so give your child more milk when he is coughing. While babies over 6 months may be given warm water interspersed with breast milk.

2. Utilizing warm water vapor
Moist air can prevent the inside of the nose from drying out and keep it moist, while relieving the respiratory tract.
If the air is dry around a baby's bed, use a humidifier to make the air in the room more humid. If no such device is available, steam coming from a basin filled with warm water can also relieve your breathing.

3. Giving honey
Honey works to thin mucus and relieve coughing and help treat infections in the baby's airways. Its properties are almost the same as cough medicines sold on the market. Based on research, giving two teaspoons of honey (10 ml) to children aged 2 years who suffer from respiratory infections can make the frequency of coughing is reduced and helps children to sleep more soundly.

However, honey is only recommended for children over 1 year of age. Avoid giving honey to babies because it can cause botulism, which is poisoning due to the bacteria Clostridium botulinum.

A cough that does not make a child fussy or does not accompanied by other complaints is actually not a condition that needs to be aware of.

But be careful if coughing in infants appears along with other complaints, such as high fever, decreased appetite or not want to breastfeed, wheezing, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, or cough will not subside in more than 7 days. If a baby coughs up with these complaints, you should consult a pediatrician.

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