Question
For a five-month-old baby who is coughing with phlegm and also has vomiting, and has a lot of milky white milk residue on the tongue, can they take children’s cough syrup? Is it normal to still be vomiting at this point?
Answer
When treating a baby’s cough, it’s first important to identify the cause. Generally speaking, mild and infrequent coughs help expel phlegm; once the phlegm is cleared, the cough will naturally subside, so there’s no need to use cough medicine. Severe and frequent coughing can be harmful to the body. For severe coughs, you can use expectorant medications like codeine syrup for a short period to help clear the lungs. For babies with coughs accompanied by a large amount of phlegm that is thick and hard to cough up, expectorant medications should be used. You can use phenylephrine, pseudoephedrine, and dextromethorphan syrup for colds and coughs, while also ensuring the baby consumes enough fluids to help dissolve the phlegm and promote its expulsion.