Question

My child is only fifty days old, and lately, they’ve been coughing in the mornings and have a stuffy nose. I can also hear a rough sound in their lungs, and they’re spitting up fluid. Could this be a respiratory infection? Doctor, are there any specific remedies? What sleeping position should they adopt for comfort? Thank you to the doctor and all the netizens.

Answer

When children have upper respiratory infections, it’s important to pay attention to their rest schedule and ensure they get adequate rest, maintain a high-quality living environment, drink plenty of water, and supplement vitamins. Generally, improvement can be seen within 2-3 days.

  1. General Measures Children should be kept in bed to rest and avoid unnecessary energy expenditure. It’s best to isolate them from crowds and avoid crowded places to prevent unnecessary complications.
  2. Diet Since children with respiratory infections often have reduced appetite, it’s important to provide them with light and easy-to-digest foods during this time, such as congee or egg custard. Additionally, increasing fluid intake helps with sweating and cooling down.
  3. Symptomatic Treatment When a child’s body temperature exceeds 38.5°C, physical or medication-based cooling (cooling) should be administered. Methods like forehead cold compresses can be used for physical cooling. However, if the child shows signs of chills, do not use this method.