Why does my child's legs hurt at night? Massage and warming. Wrong daily routine

For children of all ages, sleep is very important. This is not just a rest after activity, at this time the information that the baby receives during the day is assimilated, it improves mental development. Therefore, sleep must be strong and healthy, so that he enters the new day cheerful, ready for new experiences. Not all children are able to sleep through the night. It is considered normal if the child gets up physiological reasons Or if he's hungry. But often the child wakes up at night with a tantrum, and the parents do not know how to calm him down so as not to frighten and harm him.

Content:

What is considered a hysteria

Many mothers at least once got up because of the crying of their 2-3-year-old child, who had previously slept peacefully, waking up only when he wanted to go to the toilet or have a bite to eat. It is quite easy to distinguish a tantrum from ordinary nighttime awakenings. It's strong nervous excitement, more often uncontrolled, manifested in a cry, tears. Trembling, uncontrolled movements of arms and legs are possible. An anxious child may not recognize his parents, pushing them away and even hitting them.

Night tantrums are often confused with whims, which manifest themselves, like the daytime whims of a child. The baby begins to cry because he needs his mother's attention. As soon as the mother is nearby or he gets what he wanted, the child calms down and falls asleep on his own.

If the parents fail to calm down, on the contrary, the baby screams more from touch, breaks out, breathing becomes intermittent, the forehead is covered with sweat, we are talking about hysteria. They can be single, repeated after a long period of time or not repeated at all. But more worrying is the recurrence of similar situations almost every night. Here it is already worth thinking about taking action as soon as possible.

Doctors do not advise immediately attributing this condition to pathologies. As a rule, there are no deviations of a mental and neurological nature here. In most cases, time passes and children outgrow this period. This does not mean that you should wait for a moment without doing anything. It is necessary to understand the reasons.

Causes of night tantrums

The physiology of sleep is quite complex. Sleep consists of fast and slow phases, replacing each other throughout the night. And if an adult is dominated by slow phase when the body is relaxed and the brain is resting, then in children, especially younger age, REM sleep predominates.

During this period, the brain is processing the information received during the day. You can observe how the baby's eyes move under closed eyelids, he twitches his arms and legs, pronounces sounds, words, even whole sentences.

In babies, REM sleep is observed throughout the night. The older the child gets, the longer the slow becomes, deep dream. During REM sleep, dreams occur, which most often cause tantrums in many children. It can be like bad dreams, nightmares, or just an abundance of impressions. This is comparable to the moment of wakefulness, when the child cries from overwork and a lot of emotions. The same thing happens when he sleeps, only he experiences all this in a dream, not yet being able to distinguish a dream from reality.

What exactly causes tantrums in a child at night, this is what parents should figure out.

Unhealthy family environment

Little kids are very sensitive to negative energy. If there is a tense atmosphere in the house (quarrels, scandals, or a constantly tired, irritated mother), all this will certainly affect the child's psyche. During the day, when adults loudly sort things out, insulting each other, the child is able to hide in a secluded corner and quietly observe what is happening, and at night he will experience this horror again. Feeling the weak protection of mom and dad, the baby sees nightmares and wakes up in tears.

Important! You need to learn to sort things out outside the room where there are children. It will be ideal if adults learn how to conduct dialogues without raising their voices. You can not drag the crumbs into the conflict! Mothers who take it out on their children should remember that the smallest irritation is a big tragedy for a son or daughter.

Fears and nightmares

Nightmares are usually associated with increased emotional stress. If during the day the mother seriously scolded the baby, he quarreled with a friend on the playground, watched TV for a long time before going to bed, where they showed the terrible Baba Yaga or the “ugly and evil uncle” from an adult film, then at night these fears will return to the child, and tantrums will be avoided is unlikely to succeed.

Watching TV should be limited, especially before bed. When the tantrum happened, the little one needs to be reassured by stroking his head and whispering warm words to him. If necessary, turn on a soft light (a night lamp or a sconce with a very weak glow - ideal for a nursery). It is a good practice to put your child to bed with their favorite soft toy, which is sure to “protect” from bad dreams.

Wrong daily routine

Some modern parents popularize education “without limits”: you can make some noise and run wherever your beloved child wants, and eat and relax when you want. But there is nothing good in the fact that the child wakes up for dinner, and fits into night sleep deep after midnight, no. The nervous system is depleted, problems with sleep appear.

The daily routine needs to be normalized. The procedure for going to bed should be pleasant and last at least an hour: play interesting but calm games, take a warm bath, possibly with pediatrician recommended soothing herbs read books or listen to music.

hyperactive children

There are more and more of these guys modern life dictates its own rules. Parents trying to make a genius out of a child, alas, often overdo it. From Monday to Sunday, the baby attends many circles, sections, events. But they do not always maintain such a rhythm.

It happens that the hyperactive child himself requires a similar rich life, but you need to think about whether he has time for games with peers or self-study favorite thing. Bright weekdays carry a big load that the baby does not feel. But at night all this manifests itself in the form of whims arising from overwork.

On a note: It is imperative to develop the child, but this must be done not contrary to health. Parents should leave time "for childhood" so that their son or daughter grows up not only smart and well-rounded, but also healthy.

Of course, health problems can also be the cause of a child’s nighttime tantrums. In little ones, it is more often teeth, colic, neurological problems. Then this issue is better to decide with a doctor. It is worth seeking advice if the situation has not improved at the age of 7-8 years (at this time, as a rule, children's tantrums at night stop).

Video: "Being a parent is easy." Advice from psychologist and family consultant Inna Morozova

What Not to Do

Parents whose children often wake up at night need to remember that the baby is already frightened, most likely, by a terrible dream, you should not frighten him even more. You can not scream at the child, trying to wake him up completely, sharply douse or splash water in the face, especially cold. You can’t slap on the cheeks and even more so beat, no matter how tired the parent is.

Some mothers share their experience when, with indomitable night crying, a sharp breath in the face helps them. But what works for one doesn't always work for others. If such a practice has not been applied, it is better not to use it. When they blow in the face crying baby, this causes a temporary delay in breathing (on which the method is based), but the inability of the child to inhale can frighten him even more, and then the tantrum will develop into a panic. The consequences can be the most unexpected: from a slight startle to serious neurological problems, such as stuttering.

How to deal with a night tantrum

First of all, you should find out and eliminate the reasons why the child wakes up at night:

  1. Organize daily routineby determining the time for daytime sleep for children under 5-6 years old.
  2. Retirement for a night's sleep should be calm, excluding too active and noisy games.
  3. For some time, while the tantrums are repeated, it is better for the mother to sleep in the baby's room, so that when he wakes up from a nightmare, he is not even more scared when he does not see his parents nearby. Psychologists, as an alternative, offer a soft toy with which the child will fall asleep.
  4. Hyperactive children should be shown to the pediatrician and pediatric neurologist. Perhaps they will recommend drugs designed specifically for children that relieve excessive arousal.

The best thing a mother can do is to take the child in her arms and try to calm him down with strokes, light rhythmic taps on the back, whisper that she is there, nothing bad will happen.

If the child is actively fighting back, there is no way to calm him down, you should not wait for the tantrum to end on its own, because this may not happen. In some cases, particularly impressionable babies have a fever, convulsions, even epileptic seizures. It will help bring the child to his senses soft fabric dipped in cool (but not cold) water. It should wipe the forehead, cheeks, chest, stomach, legs and arms of the child. From the temperature contrast, the child will most likely come to his senses, stop screaming and fighting back, and then he can be picked up.

If the baby can speak, then in the morning you need to ask him about the cause of the tantrum. For example, horrible dream mom and dad will be able to explain by telling the baby that everything they see is not reality. And no one will dare to offend a son or daughter.

Quite a bit of time will pass, and the night tantrums that tormented your beloved child will pass. According to statistics, by the age of four or five, they disappear completely. If the problem is persistent and daytime the child also behaves very aggressively, then you should be wary. This behavior is indicative of neurological disease, for example, increased intracranial pressure which parents cannot recognize on their own.

Video: Dr. Komarovsky about a bad dream. How to improve your baby's sleep and sleep


Coughing at night in a child happens quite often, but there can be many reasons for it, from a simple cold to dangerous childhood infections. Parents are always worried child health and when a child gets sick, they have to do everything possible to cure him as quickly as possible.

Causes of night cough

Cough accompanies many diseases and most often it is SARS or influenza. But with these diseases, coughing usually occurs at any time of the day, and not just at night.

If during the day the baby feels relatively healthy, but the child’s cough intensifies at night, this is unfavorable. diagnostic feature. It can be caused by the following diseases.

Whooping cough and its consequences

This infection is characterized by severe coughing attacks., a coughing in a child at night it persists for several months after recovery. In terms of sound, it is paroxysmal, very loud, painful.

A wet cough at night in a child can be caused by bronchitis and sputum accumulation. If the baby took an expectorant medicine before going to bed, then the cough occurs closer to the morning.

The reason for this phenomenon is that during the day, sputum is relatively easily excreted from the bronchi- physical activity and medications help with this. During sleep, sputum, on the contrary, lingers, and a wet cough occurs in the child at night.

Laryngitis

It is advisable to raise the child more often in vertical position so it will be easier for him to breathe

This disease causes barking cough child at night.

The sound of coughing is quite characteristic, it can also occur in the daytime.

In a dream, it is enhanced by increased excretion phlegm, dry air in the room where he sleeps, the impact of changes nervous system during sleep.

These factors can provoke not only a coughing fit at night in a child, but also its complication - a spasm of the larynx.

It is necessary to fight not only with the cough itself, but also with the factors provoking it - dry air in the first place.

A barking cough in a child without fever at night is a sign of incipient laryngitis.

Bronchial asthma

If a child chokes from coughing at night, then this is one of the signs bronchial asthma . This form of the disease is considered less favorable than that in which attacks occur during the day. characteristic feature pathology - dry cough at night in a child without fever, but with pronounced violation breathing - most often, shortness of breath on exhalation.

Other reasons

Cough at night in a child can also occur for reasons not related to the respiratory system. Already in very early age you may encounter such a problem as gastroesophageal reflux.

This is the reflux of acidic gastric contents into the esophagus, causing irritation of its walls, abdominal pain and a strong cough in a child before vomiting.

The condition is aggravated by lying on the right side., and may be somewhat relieved if you lie on your left side or on your back.

In order to more accurately establish the cause, it is necessary to consult a doctor, since he has necessary funds diagnosis of various pathologies.

It is important for parents to know what 15 coughs during the entire sleep time is the norm for a healthy child.

If the baby coughs more often, then you should pay attention to the features of the cough - it is dry or wet, at what time of the night it occurs, in what position it increases, in which it weakens. The answers to these questions will greatly help the doctor in diagnosing.

Never combine expectorants with antitussives

The first thing parents need to do - correctly assess the condition of their baby.

If the child has already been to the doctor, then with a nighttime cough, adults only need to follow his instructions.

If the child’s cough at night began suddenly, then there are several activities that will help alleviate the condition.

The easiest way to cope with a cough at night in a child, the causes of which are excess sputum.

  1. If a child with bronchitis coughs at night, he must be awakened and given a mucolytic drug. You should not go to bed immediately, but half an hour after taking it, so that the child can cough properly.
  2. Dry cough in a child at night Komarovsky, a well-known pediatrician and popularizer of medical knowledge, recommends treat primarily by humidifying the surrounding air- this eliminates the provoking factor.
  3. Also, you can take it at night. sedatives, but you should not use inhalations and aroma oils. Antitussive drugs can only be used if there is no sputum. A dry cough at night in a child whose cause is not clear requires a trip to the doctor, but as a rule, it can wait until the morning.
  4. With bronchial asthma, attacks of dry cough in a child at night happen quite often, especially when the treatment regimen is violated. For this case It is necessary to teach the child to use an inhaler with a bronchodilator so that he can help himself.
  5. If there is paroxysmal cough in a child at night, and taking the drugs recommended by the doctor does not have an effect, then need to call an ambulance. The same should be done if the child has already had spasms of the larynx or attacks of bronchial asthma.
  6. If there are no life-threatening symptoms, then you should go to the doctor in the morning.
  7. pay attention to folk remedies cough, which in combination with a little patience will help to recover.

What not to do: 5 main contraindications

The main rule of rendering medical care- do no harm. What should parents do to comply with it? There is several actions that can be harmful, so you should refrain from them:

  1. Give antitussive drugs when coughing with sputum - from them the sputum will become thicker and more viscous, and the condition will only worsen.
  2. Use with a dry cough at night in a child any essential oils, as well as spraying various aerosols (air fresheners, body sprays) in his room - this can provoke a coughing fit.
  3. attend school, Kindergarten, circles and sections during infectious disease especially if a diagnosis of whooping cough is made.
  4. Refuse to go to the doctor, and even more so - from hospitalization, if it was suggested by the ambulance doctor. Also, do not violate the prescription of a doctor.
  5. If a child coughs to the point of vomiting at night, do not give the child food before bedtime. Dinner should be at least two hours before the baby goes to bed.

More accurate advice will be given by the doctor after the diagnosis is made and treatment is prescribed. If the ambulance doctor suggested hospitalization, never refuse it.

findings

Often, health problems first manifest themselves during sleep. When a child coughs at night, it can be very frightening for parents. What to do in such a situation? The main thing is not to panic, but to contact a specialist who can accurately diagnose.

Parent feedback

Ekaterina, 25 years old, Chelyabinsk

My baby suddenly got sick. During the day he felt well, but the child's cough at night, without fever and almost without sputum, happened like clockwork.

I tried everything: cough syrups, soothing herbs in tea, and grandmother's recipes - and nothing helped, sometimes it only got worse.

We went to the clinic, the pediatrician referred us to a pulmonologist, and we were diagnosed with bronchial asthma. They wrote out a huge list of drugs, told me to change the pillow and blanket so that they were synthetic, without fluff and feathers. Now we take medicines on schedule, but we live without a night cough.

Anastasia, 45 years old, Omsk

My son is 12 years old, he is late with me. He always grew up healthy, even rarely caught a cold, but after the removal of the tonsils, he began to get sick more often and more severely - the slightest runny nose can turn into bronchitis. And when he gets sick, he immediately coughs at night.

I used to panic right away, now I know that, if anything, I need to issue an ACC, and in the morning I should see a doctor.

Kristina, 16 years old, Omsk

My brother often has laryngitis. It always starts with a cough at night, loud, all over the house.

Mom already bought a humidifier in his room so that it always works, even when he is not sick. It helps, but not much. The pediatrician in the clinic is going to put chronic laryngitis.

Sleepwalking in children is a widespread phenomenon. Young men are more prone to night walking. However, girls also often suffer from a similar pathology. The reason for unconscious night walking lies in the characteristics of children's sleep.

Sleepwalking, the second name is somnambulism, is a condition in which the sleeper shows motor activity. He may get out of bed, go to another room, or pick up an object. In rare cases, such activity can lead to injury to the sleepwalker himself or even to his death.

Important: The reason why people suffer from sleepwalking is not exactly established today. The only thing known to science is that somnambulism can be passed down the hereditary line.

Most often, sleepwalking occurs in children over the age of 4 years. Moreover, such a phenomenon does not arise due to the development dangerous pathology. Moreover, according to somnologists, by the age of 8, the phenomenon disappears without a trace.

Reasons for the appearance

Why is the baby sleepwalking? Knowing the reasons similar condition is the first step towards defeating him. Most often, provoke the appearance of this phenomenon, the following factors:

  • stressful situations;
  • team change;
  • constant anxiety;
  • excessive emotionality;
  • dreaming nightmares.

As a rule, with such factors, the phenomenon gradually disappears without a trace, as soon as the child's psyche gets stronger.

It is worth noting that in some cases a child may sleepwalk due to epilepsy. With such a pathology, the symptoms will be as follows:

  • sleepwalking will be observed no more than 4 minutes;
  • there will be a pronounced trembling of the legs and arms;
  • sleep will become restless or even insomnia will appear.

And the third most common provocateur, due to which the child walks in a dream, severe fatigue caused by increased physical and intellectual stress. For example, saturated school program, supplemented by various circles and activities.

In addition, a child can walk in a dream, and due to the following factors:

  • due to an injury;
  • due to infectious pathology;
  • with enuresis;
  • at various disorders personality;
  • pathology of the central nervous system;
  • due to heredity.

In any case, when such signs appear, parents need to visit a doctor and conduct an examination of a small sleepwalker.

How to tell a sleepwalker from a sane baby

You can distinguish absolutely healthy guys from lunatics by the following features:

  • somnambulists sleep and walk around the dwelling with open eyelids. In addition, their pupils are dilated and there is no facial expression;
  • often the sleepwalker sleeps on the bed in a sitting position;
  • children with the phenomenon under consideration, try to sleep out of the house, can move or pick up various items and perform many other actions;
  • child, asks questions and answers them;
  • when the attack of somnambulism ends, the teenager goes to bed. Moreover, he can lie down, not only in his bed, but also on the mat, landing or in any other place where he will be at the end of the attack.

Important: It is highly undesirable to wake up a teenager during an attack. Because he can be very frightened, start screaming and crying, and will not understand what is happening.

Those suffering from somnambulism, upon awakening, will not remember about sleepwalking or what they were doing during the manifestation of the phenomenon.

Actions of parents

If you find similar symptoms in your child, do not panic at first. In this case, your actions should be as follows:

  • you can’t wake up a somnambulist;
  • carefully bring it to bed and lay;
  • in rare cases, it is allowed to interrupt sleep in a soft and quiet voice.

If this phenomenon is detected, parents will need to visit a doctor and undergo an examination in order to exclude the development of diseases of the central nervous system. In addition, a consultation with a neurologist is indicated.

However, the most important thing is to keep teenagers safe during bouts of sleepwalking. To do this, do the following:

  • remove all items from the children's room that could hurt or cause a fire;
  • if you live in a private house with several floors, place the child's bedroom on the lower floor;
  • at night, securely fix the front door with several locks;
  • close all windows firmly at night so that the young somnambulist cannot open them.

Ways to fight

Almost all doctors are inclined to believe that sleepwalking does not need treatment. As a rule, the older the child becomes, the less damaging the psyche, the factors that affect it.

And to take control of night walking, follow these rules:

  • work out the optimal ;
  • if the child has not reached school age, daytime sleep must be mandatory;
  • try to protect children from situations that provoke stress and anxiety;
  • 2 hours before bed, organize a quiet pastime. Keep track of the games and programs he is watching. Do not load the psyche with emotions, regardless of whether they are positive or negative;
  • a warm relaxing bath before going to bed has a positive effect on the central nervous system;
  • an hour before the planned night's rest, give the child warm tea with honey and lemon balm.

It is necessary to treat the phenomenon under consideration in the case when violations of the central nervous system are detected. In this case, there is no single method of elimination. A psychotherapist helps to relieve neuroses by resorting to the following methods:

  • restorative therapy;
  • sedatives medicines;
  • gymnastic exercises.

If the cause of sleepwalking lies in epilepsy. The doctor prescribes anticonvulsant medications. Well, in the case when the child received severe stress, a psychologist and a course of sedatives will help.

Is it possible to wake up a sleepwalker

Is it possible to wake up a somnambulist during night attacks? This question is asked by all parents who once encountered such a phenomenon. As mentioned above, waking up a sleepwalker is not recommended. The fact is that at such moments, little lunatics do not control their behavior and consciousness. In view of this, it will be difficult to predict his reaction.

The famous pediatrician Komarovsky advises parents not to disturb the sleepwalker during night walks, provided that there is no danger to his health. Moreover, as practice shows, more often children walk in a confined space, and as soon as the attack passes, they go to bed.

If you have identified a similar manifestation in your child, your main task is to ensure the safety of nightly adventures and consult a doctor as soon as possible.

What is strictly forbidden to do

We found out why the child walks at night, now let's list the actions of parents who are strictly prohibited.

  • do not disturb the lunatic;
  • do not grab his hands;
  • do not shout or swear;
  • do not interrogate him;
  • do not use cold water to wake up the baby.

Such actions will provoke fear, and this is the first provocateur of the development of enuresis, fear of the dark and night terrors.

Which doctor should be consulted

Having determined that sleepwalking in a teenager, parents will need to visit a neurologist. In addition, it is desirable to be observed by a psychologist. These experts will identify the cause and recommend how to get rid of it.

Special mention should be made of folk methods. With such a phenomenon, one should not resort to various folk recipes. It is important to consider that the peculiarity of somnambulism is that it occurs most often as a result of stressful situations.

Accordingly, a doctor specializing in the work of the children's central nervous system should eliminate the problem that has arisen.

Somnambulism should not provoke fear and despair in parents. Remember, this phenomenon is temporary, and if you choose the right tactics for adolescence, everything will go away. The main task of moms and dads is to strictly follow all the recommendations of doctors, namely:

  • calm down yourself and understand that the little lunatic is no different from other children;
  • to focus the attention of the child on the fact that you love him very much and night trips will soon stop;
  • create a cozy and friendly atmosphere at home;
  • do not play games or watch programs before going to bed that provoke irritation of the psyche;

Often, a calm conversation between mom, dad and child allows you to find out why night walking occurs. If your child is very tired from attending an excessive number of circles and school work, your task is to review the children's schedule. Of course, extra classes help develop the child. But is such a development really necessary when its price is a violation normal operation CNS.

Important: If you find that a child is prone to sleepwalking, you should not tell other relatives or good friends. Let this problem remain within the family. Otherwise, the child may face ridicule in his address.

Studies show that in most cases, capricious and whiny children are prone to sleepwalking. So, the main task of mom and dad is to organize active and positive leisure for the child. To do this, use the following methods:

  • spend more time outdoors;
  • a walk on a bicycle and a scooter perfectly cheers up, and in winter, stock up on skis;
  • temper children and do not forget about yourself;
  • the house should have a cozy atmosphere and a positive attitude;
  • get a pet and appoint a child as a caretaker;
  • give light relaxing massages to the baby, treat her to calming tea before going to bed and offer herbal bath.

From time to time, parents are faced with such a problem as a night cough attack in a child. What to do in this case? How to help the baby?

Causes

Cough can be caused by the following reasons:

  • Respiratory pathologies - rhinitis, sinusitis, adenoiditis or pharyngitis.
  • Bronchial asthma.
  • Whooping cough.
  • SARS.
  • Congestion of mucus in the nasal passages, which causes a reflex cough.
  • Sputum from the lungs in the supine position does not depart, blocking access to oxygen.

If your baby has one of these diseases (conditions), you should get recommendations for treatment from your pediatrician. A competent doctor will help prescribe an adequate treatment for the situation so that your baby does not suffer from such unpleasant disease like a cough.

How to stop an attack At night, you need to be especially careful if the baby is sick. It is necessary to understand which type of disease torments the baby, because treatment depends on it.

Types of cough

Dry cough

Attacks of dry cough in a child appear due to the development of certain diseases in the body, such as:

  • Viral infections in initial stage. At normal flow illness after a few days, the cough becomes wet.
  • Allergies and various irritants. Presence in the room where the baby is located, tobacco smoke, dust, chemical substances(e.g. floor cleaner or air freshener), animal hair.
  • Whooping cough. Redness on the face is common. There is vomiting. With whooping cough, breathing is often difficult (reprises).
  • Asthma. Paroxysmal dry cough, wheezing, shortness of breath begins. A short inhale is followed by a long exhale.

Moist cough

Various bacteria and viruses are causative agents of seizures wet cough. At night, the child develops a cough, accompanied by sputum. This can happen with some diseases:

  • SARS. A wet cough in acute cases indicates a positive trend and accompanies the beginning of the recovery of a small patient.
  • Bronchitis.
  • Pneumonia.

Whooping cough

Accompanied by the following symptoms:

  • Dry and frequent.
  • Vomiting, tears appear, the whites of the eyes turn red.
  • Jerky, deep breathing between attacks.
  • If a child is not vaccinated against whooping cough, convulsive cough is a reason to think about this disease.

Allergic

This type may be accompanied by the following symptoms:

  • Eruptions on the skin.
  • Selection clear slime from the nose.
  • Tears from eyes.
  • It can lead to laryngospasm (stenosis) or even bronchospasm (asthma).

Barking cough with stenosis of the larynx

You can also call this type of cough laryngospasm or false croup. This means that part respiratory system swells and interferes with the access of oxygen. It is difficult to confuse it with other species, as it is similar to the barking of a dog. There is swelling of the larynx, wheezing, often develops suffocation. Usually, laryngospasm is accompanied by a very strong attack of nocturnal cough in a child.

Causes of stenosis (false croup)

  • Laryngitis.
  • Tracheitis.
  • Bronchitis.
  • Adenoiditis.

False croup often begins in sleep, from about one in the morning until four in the morning. Boys from six months to six years are most susceptible to laryngospasm.

Treating a nocturnal cough in a child

How to help a child with a nighttime coughing fit? Pediatricians advise parents not to be nervous. The baby feels the emotions of the parents and begins to worry even more, which entails an increase in the problem. Immediately plant a coughing person, while lying down is strictly prohibited! Turn on the light, open the window for access fresh air. Try to understand the type of cough that torments the baby. Based on this, apply the following algorithm of actions.

If the child has bouts of dry cough

  • The baby needs to be warm alkaline drink. For example, without gas or ordinary water with soda diluted in it (on the tip of a knife). Make sure that he drinks in small sips, otherwise you can provoke vomiting.
  • Clear the small patient's nasal passages with saline or hypertonic spray. If necessary, use a cotton swab to remove mucus buildup. You can also use an aspirator, for example, "Otrivin baby", if the child does not yet know how to blow his nose himself. enjoy cotton swabs to remove mucus from the nose is not recommended, since the hard end of the stick can easily damage the delicate nasal passages of the baby, because he cannot sit still.
  • If air access through the nose is difficult due to mucosal edema, use children's vasoconstrictor drops. During an attack, the unhindered passage of oxygen through the nose is important.
  • Humidify the air. It is best to take the baby to the bathroom when the cough starts, put it on your lap and turn it on in the bathroom hot water to form steam. It is not necessary to wet the crumbs.
  • Can also be made or alkaline mineral water. To do this, you must have an inhaler at home. Doing inhalation with a pot of boiling water is strongly not recommended! A small patient may inadvertently burn himself on the hot wall of the pan or even turn the boiling water over himself.
  • If you are completely sure that your baby is not allergic to honey and pharmaceutical herbs, you can give him a decoction of herbs with a spoonful of honey. But it should be remembered that if an allergic component is present in the cause of the disease, then honey and herbs can aggravate the situation.
  • It is impossible to give a baby without a doctor's prescription when coughing with an unclear etymology, antitussive drugs, such as Sinekod or Stoptussin.

Allergy

How to stop nocturnal attack cough in a child of an allergic nature? Give your baby antihistamines based on their age and weight. For example, "Suprastin". It is effective at emergency care, unlike "Zodak" or "Zirtek", which help well with long-term therapy.

How to help a child with a nighttime coughing fit if he is wet

  • Immediately seat the patient to improve sputum discharge.
  • Make massage with tapping movements. The tapping should be strong enough so that the sputum that has settled in respiratory tract, began to depart with a cough.

What to give a child from an attack of night cough if he is wet? You can give mucolytic drugs such as Ambrobene, Lazolvan or ACC. It is necessary to carefully observe the dosage of drugs, based on the doctor's prescription, as well as the weight and age of the child. You can also do inhalation with these drugs, if the form and instructions of these drugs allow. Inhalation is carried out with a nebulizer.

Whooping cough

With this type of cough caused by whooping cough, the drug "Sinekod" or analogues of this medicine are usually prescribed. Treatment takes place on an outpatient basis.

Barking cough, or stenosis of the larynx

If the cough sounds like a barking dog and sounds very rude, you need to call an ambulance! Doctors usually come quickly for nighttime coughing fits in a child 2 years of age and younger. Older children can also count on timely and qualified medical care.

Due to the narrowing of the larynx, air cannot enter the lungs of the baby, he can suffocate. Till Ambulance rides, parents should alleviate the condition of the crumbs.

Ways to relieve false croup

They partially coincide with the dry cough relief techniques described above:

  • Open windows for fresh air.
  • Humidify the air in the room.
  • Clear the nasal passages.
  • Give warm alkaline drink.

Also, with stenosis of the larynx, the following techniques are used:

  • Burying in the nose vasoconstrictor drops during a nocturnal coughing fit in a child, what needs to be done, parents reduce the swelling of the respiratory system. Previously, emergency doctors even recommended dropping this remedy on the root of the tongue in acute period diseases to reduce swelling, but in recent times doctors do not advise doing this, because it can adversely affect the work of the heart.
  • Give any antihistamine, which is in the house, observing the dosage by age. To achieve the fastest effect, you can use "Suprastin".
  • If the stenosis is not very strong, inhale the baby with saline or mineral water using a nebulizer.
  • If the false croup is strong and the condition of the small patient worsens, it is necessary to inhale with the drug "Pulmicort". This is hormonal drug that relieves swelling. He has practically no side effects, but after it it is recommended to rinse your mouth with alkaline mineral water to avoid thrush in oral cavity. If inhalation with this drug helped little, do it again.

What to do with a nighttime cough in a child if the above methods do not help? In this case, the ambulance doctors will give the baby an injection of "Prednisolone", which will quickly relieve all symptoms. Then parents are advised to take the baby to the hospital and continue treatment in the hospital. "Prednisolone" is the most effective method fight against false croup, but with many side effects. Therefore, the task of parents before the injection of this drug is to try inhalations. Often they completely relieve symptoms and "Prednisolone" is not required.

If children have had stenosis at least once, in home first aid kit must be present "Pulmicort", a nebulizer for inhalation, antihistamines and saline. As well as "Prednisolone" in ampoules and a syringe. Of course, it is not recommended to inject this hormone on your own, but if the count goes by for minutes, and the ambulance is in a traffic jam, the parents may not have a choice.

Some drugs should not be given to a child from a nocturnal coughing fit, which is due to the peculiarity of the course of laryngospasm:

  • Antitussive drugs, such as "Sinekod", "Stoptussin" and other analogues, cause severe stagnation of sputum in the bronchi, which can make you suffocate! After all, coughing is designed to remove phlegm from the respiratory tract.
  • mucolytics during false croup are also prohibited. They cause liquefaction of sputum, which, due to swelling of the larynx, cannot come out.

Prevention

If sometimes there are night coughing attacks in a child, what to do for prevention?

  • Turn your baby over at night.
  • Ventilate the room where the baby will sleep.
  • Get a humidifier and run it in the bedroom. Even good as a moisturizer wet towels hung on heating appliances. As they dry out, change them several times a night. Also place a container of water at the head of your ward.
  • Watch the temperature in the room - it should not be too high. It is enough to maintain the temperature from +18 to +21 degrees.
  • During the day and at night, flush the nose with saline or special hypertonic nasal sprays with high content salts. It is better to use a solution for washing in the form of drops, as sprays can cause otitis media or provoke a severe cough.
  • When you are sick, you need to drink a lot. Ideally, this should be homemade raisin compote, which contains a lot of beneficial trace elements and salts needed by the baby during the illness. But if the child refuses it, give any drink to which he agrees. The liquid should be warm. Also the dining room is alkaline mineral water without gas helps prevent or even relieve mild cough. Avoid honey or other ingredients that may cause an allergic reaction.
  • Raise the head of the bed with a roll or pillow placed under the mattress. This will allow mucus not to stagnate in the nasopharynx, and it is better to expectorate sputum from the lungs during sleep.

As a conclusion

How to relieve a coughing fit in a child at night, the pediatrician will always tell you. Even with a slight indisposition of the baby, it is advisable to consult a doctor. This will help avoid many complications.

If children, regardless of age, begin to be very worried about coughing, which manifests itself most often at night. Parents should urgently find out the cause of this manifestation by contacting a qualified doctor for this. You should not treat children on your own, using various antitussive drugs or folk remedies for this. After all, if a child coughs heavily at night, and during the day there is no cough at all, first of all, you need to carefully check general state child, regardless of whether he or she is 3 years old or 4 years old. And this is only possible experienced doctor after receiving the results necessary analyzes. Self-treatment only aggravates the situation, the cough can intensify and even reach vomiting. To avoid unwanted complications, a visit to the clinic should not be postponed, because night, long time relentless, bouts of coughing will exhaust both the children and the parents who care for them.

First of all, it should be understood that any kind of cough (not to be confused with coughing) indicates that some kind of pathology is developing in the body, and it is the cough that begins to fight it. Therefore, it is not this manifestation that needs to be treated, but an ailment that begins to develop in the child's body.

to show up nocturnal cough maybe for several reasons:

  1. Against the background of the development of a viral disease. For any viral disease coughing fits worse at night. This is explained by the fact that, taking a supine position, the mucus formed due to colds, much harder to move away. The child is not able to get rid of snot, so he has to breathe not through his nose, but through his mouth. And this action constantly provokes the occurrence of a dry cough. Both children's and adult organisms that have succumbed to the effects viral infection, should remove sputum, and with the same intensity both at night and during the day. And since lying down makes this process more difficult, coughing fits at night can become more frequent. Such a process is observed in the following childhood diseases:
  • pharyngitis and rhinitis;
  • adenoiditis;
  • sinusitis.

If a coughing fit occurs only during the day, this may indicate the development of more complex diseases.

  1. If there is no cough during the day, and at night the manifestation greatly torments the child, seek medical assistance needed as soon as possible. After all, such a symptom may lead to the development of serious ailments, for example, bronchial asthma or whooping cough. Indicates the development of whooping cough violent attack cough, which almost always comes to vomiting, while the face turns red in children and the tongue protrudes strongly.

With the development of bronchial asthma, an attack of coughing most often manifests itself closer to the morning, the child sweats heavily during an attack, and a kind of whistle is heard when inhaling. Both diseases are very dangerous with complications and rapid progression, therefore, as soon as the signs of the disease are noticed, examination of children and selection complex treatment the doctor should take up, and as soon as possible.

  1. Due to the effect on the body of the allergen. If it is noticed that the child begins to cough up as soon as he lies down in his bed, while the cough is dry and without fever, then most likely the attack is caused by an allergen. allergic reaction may cause:
  • stuffing a pillow or baby blanket;
  • poor-quality stuffing of the mattress or sofa on which the child sleeps;
  • poorly rinsed bed linen or children's pajamas.

If, after a short time, a child laid in a crib not only coughs, but also begins to profuse tearfulness and mucous membranes swell, this will be another proof that there is a serious allergen nearby, which needs to be eliminated as soon as possible.

AT without fail child will need urgent help doctors if:

  • nocturnal coughing will be very long and will occur without obvious reasons;
  • if the secreted sputum is saturated green, with blood impurities;
  • if a child sweats during a night cough, he has an increase in body temperature.