Treating Bronchitis In Toddlers
The bronchial tubes are responsible for transporting air from our throat to our lungs. An infection of these tubes is referred to as bronchitis. When these tubes get infected, they become inflamed, thus making the process of breathing difficult. This kind of an inflammation also leads to the production of mucus, which then induces coughing. Bronchitis could be acute or chronic. The former is very often the outcome of either a cold or the flu. In toddlers, bronchitis generally starts off as a respiratory infection. It then goes on to develop within the nose, throat...
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... and the child's air passages or airways. This condition has been found to be more prevalent among children exposed to polluted air, chemical vapor and second hand smoke.
Symptoms of Toddler Bronchitis
Symptoms of bronchitis in toddlers include coughing that may or may not be accompanied by phlegm, wheezing, sore throat, nasal congestion, fever, and the discharge of yellow or greenish thick mucus. Here are a few home remedies to treat this condition. Steam inhalation works as an effective treatment for bronchitis in toddlers. Run a hot shower for about 5-10 minutes, so as to allow the steam to build up in the room. Sit with the toddler in the room for about 10 minutes. The inhalation of steam will help in draining any mucus and it will also clear the nasal passage. An alternative to this would be to place a humidifier in the child's room at bed time, as this will also help in getting rid of excess mucus.
Toddler Bronchitis Signs and Causes
Before knowing about the bronchitis causes, symptoms, and treatment, you should first know what bronchitis is. Inflammation of the bronchial tubes is referred to as bronchitis in medical terms. Bronchial tubes connectthe throat and lungs, and they carry the air that we breathe to the lungs. Due to viral infections, these tubes sometimes become inflamed, which leads to excessive coughing and difficulty in breathing. Usually, the virus responsible for bronchitis is more active in winter season. This is the main reason that the occurrence of bronchitis is often mistakenly diagnosed as a common cold and cough.Although anyone can get affected by bronchitis, like any other ailment, toddlers and younger kids are more prone to this disorder as well, because of their weaker immune systems. In fact,a weak and suppressed immune system is primarily responsible for the increased susceptibility of toddlers to viral and bacterial infections. Young kids and toddlers are curious by nature, and they tend to put everything in their mouths. This is another reason why are easily affected by such ailments. The first and foremost step to take is to maintain ensure that your house is clean and disinfected; this will, to some extent, prevent your baby from catching infections in the first place.
Apart from infections, allergies can also lead to bronchitis type symptoms;however, this is not bronchitis, it only mimics the symptoms. Inflammation of the bronchial tubesoccurs only due to the viral infections. Toddler bronchitis causes are no different than those in children and adults.Symptoms of bronchitis may appear after a few days of the infection has occurred. Signs of bronchitis in toddlers, children, and adults are also more or less similar. The only difference might be in the severity and intensity of discomfort. The common signs and symptoms of bronchitis in toddlers are as follows:
- Dry or wet cough; the frequency and intensity of the coughing is very high, and many a times may result in vomiting.
- Green or dark yellow mucous comes out while coughing.
- Pain in throat and upper portion of chest.
- In severe bronchitis, there might be high fever and could be a cause of concern.
- Shortness of breath
- Discomfort and fatigue
As soon as you notice the above signs and symptoms, you should immediately take your child to the doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment. It is best not to self-medicate the child as it may lead to what is referred to as "drug abuse," and may ultimately result in serious complications. Usually, many parents take it as cough due to common colds and start administering the common pediatric expectorants. However, do keep in mind that prior to the treatment, proper diagnosis has to be carried out by a doctor. Like any other viral ailment, there is no treatment as such for bronchitis as well. But, like most other viral afflictions, mild doses of antibiotics may be advised by your doctor in order to prevent any other bacterial infections, which may occur due to a weakened immune system as a result of the viral ailment.
Toddler Bronchitis Treatment
Toddler bronchitis treatment is also more or less similar to that of adults. During toddler bronchitis treatment, you should always keep the following points in mind so as to provide relief to your child as well as ensure a speedy recovery:
- Make your child drink a lot of fluids at regular intervals as it greatly helps in thinning the mucus deposited in the throat, the bronchial tubes, and the lungs. Furthermore, give your child fruit juices that are rich in Vitamin C such as orange juice, filtered guava juice, and the grapefruit juice. Vitamin C is known to build up the immune system.
- While extracting the fruit juice, you can also add small quantities of garlic and ginger to it. Garlic and ginger, being natural expectorants, help in clearing the mucus from the respiratory tract.
- You can also give your child warm soups made from leafy vegetables and tomatoes with ginger, onion and garlic added to it.
- Keep your child away from smoky and dusty environment.
- Always keep your baby covered with warm clothing in order to protect him from exposure to cold.
For more appropriate advice on administering a liquid diet, you should seek the advice of your health care provider.
Remedies for Toddler Bronchitis
Make sure that the child consumes plenty of fluids and water. Vegetable soups and fruit juices should be introduced in their diet. Warm a teaspoon of eucalyptus oil and then gently massage 2-3 drops on the child's chest once a day. This will help in gaining relief from a congested chest. Add half a teaspoon of turmeric to a glass of arm milk. This should be given to the child at bed time on a daily basis, till the symptoms subside. This remedy will help in fighting the infection. Mix together equal quantities of ginger powder, long pepper and pepper with a teaspoon of honey. This mixture should be fed to the child once a day. It will help in combating a cough and reducing fever. Onion juice is also known to work well on this condition. Half a teaspoon of raw onion juice should be fed to child every morning till the symptoms reduce.
Toddler Bronchitis Fever, Cough and Cold
Toddler bronchitis cough is associated with fever. In order to ease the cough and provide relief to your toddler, you can give your child warm soups to soothe the throat. Speak with your doctor about natural expectorants that will help soothe the airways. Toddler bronchitis fever may be of the order of 102 degree F to 104 degree F. This is really a cause of concern for all the parents, and you must consult a doctor immediately if your toddler's fever rises. High fever is never a good sign and requires proper medical treatment.
As mentioned in the above paragraphs, you can always prevent your toddler from getting bronchitis or colds by simply taking a few preventive measures.