Diseases do not know the age limits, and therefore the question often arises of how to treat the throat of children up to a year. After all, babies are still too young for adult medicines, moreover, many children are not suitable for them. And the mother’s confusion in such a situation is understandable, because the baby can’t complain, can’t explain what, where and how it hurts.
Fortunately, there are a number of simple procedures that can improve the well-being of a child without resorting to medical treatment, or accelerate recovery when undergoing a full course of treatment. The child is one year old. Sore throat. What to treat? We will answer this question in this article.
When to sound the alarm
A baby's throat can hurt for various reasons. How to treat the throat for children up to a year depends primarily on the type of infection, but there are a number of procedures that will help the child in any situation.
A sore throat may result from drying out. The mucous membrane, when dried, squeezes the organs below it, causing painful sensations. Sometimes the reddening of the throat itself occurs as a result of the above process.
As a rule, relief comes after the first intake of warm liquid and the pain does not return until the next morning. Provokes this condition warm dry air. It is enough to install a humidifier or slightly lower the temperature in the room, as the unpleasant sensations will cease to annoy the baby.
If the reddening of the throat and anxiety of the baby do not go away after the first feeding and are accompanied by symptoms such as fever, runny nose or enlargement of the tonsils, then you should immediately go to the doctor who will tell you how to treat the baby's throat. 1 year is the age for a child when home therapy is undesirable.
Possible reasons
When examining a child, the pediatrician draws attention to the location of redness, its nature and associated symptoms. If the back of the larynx turns red and the tonsils look normal, then we are talking about pharyngitis. The inflammatory process in the tonsils is called tonsillitis.
If the inflammatory process in the baby’s throat is accompanied by a runny nose and cough, then in most cases the cause of the disease is a viral infection, which requires symptomatic treatment.
In the absence of symptoms characteristic of a viral infection, first of all, tests aimed at identifying bacteria are carried out. Bacterial damage is treated with antibiotics even at such a young age, because self-healing does not occur in this case, and the further development of bacteria in the body will bring incomparably more harm than antibiotics.
Pharyngitis
Various pathogens can cause pharyngitis, and it depends on the cause and how to treat the throat of children up to a year. Pharyngitis caused by irritating factors was discussed at the beginning of the article. Getting rid of an unfavorable factor, for example, solving the issue of temperature and humidity, you will get rid of the disease.
Bacterial pharyngitis in babies is extremely rare and most often accompanies bacterial tonsillitis. The basis of treatment will be a course of antibiotics, supplemented by symptomatic treatment.
Viral pharyngitis, the main cause of complaints of inflammatory processes in the throat of infants, does not need specific treatment. The course consists of symptomatic treatment and strengthening the baby's immune system.
Tonsillitis
Tonsil inflammation can result from the activity of viruses, bacteria, or fungi. Each of the causative agents of the disease requires specific treatment and without the help of a specialist it is impossible to decide how to treat the throat of children up to a year.
Viral tonsillitis is treated symptomatically, without the use of antibiotics.
Bacterial tonsillitis, also known as tonsillitis, requires a full course of antibiotic treatment, since the bacteria that caused it can lead to serious complications.
Fungal tonsillitis is treated with antifungal drugs. In addition, the course of treatment necessarily includes activities to strengthen the baby's immune system.
In the treatment of any type of tonsillitis, special attention is paid to alleviating pain and relieving inflammation. Unlike the inflamed larynx, the pain of which is wave-like and worsens during the day, the inflamed tonsils hurt constantly and prevent the child from swallowing. And the inflammatory process is accompanied by their increase, which can complicate breathing.
General recommendations
How to treat red throat? The child is 1 year old or even less, so we recommend that, regardless of the type of disease, adhere to a number of simple-to-follow rules that will help to improve well-being and speed up recovery. They can be arbitrarily designated by three points
Having ensured that all three points are fulfilled, you will not only facilitate the well-being of the child and accelerate his recovery, but also with a high degree of probability will be able to avoid returning to the question of how to treat the child's throat for up to a year.
Air
The air in the nursery should be moist and cool. Moderate air humidity makes breathing easier for both a sick and healthy baby. And compliance with the temperature regime facilitates the struggle of the child's body with an increase in body temperature as a result of the disease.
Humidifiers will help to solve the problem of humidity, but for lack of such, you can use the popular method: place a container of water in the immediate vicinity of the heater. If the design allows, then directly above it.
Ventilate the room regularly and do wet cleaning. This will reduce the concentration of pathogens in the room and facilitate the regulation of humidity.
Do not give up walks if the doctor has not given opposite directions. At the same time, you should not wrap your baby up more than you did when he was healthy.
Water
The child is one year old, has a red throat, fever. What to treat depends on the disease, but ordinary water will help relieve the symptoms of the disease. A plentiful drink allows you to remove the plaque from the larynx, which causes painful sensations, and facilitate the removal of toxins. Irrigation of a baby's neck with decoctions and medications based on water leads to a suppression of the activity of pathogenic microflora.
The main condition: the drink must be moderately warm, since too hot or cold liquid will additionally irritate the reddened throat, exacerbating the pain. The easiest way to check the temperature is with the back of your hand. If the water splashed on it does not bring a feeling of coolness or heat, then the temperature is suitable.
Peace
At the time of the illness of the baby, it is desirable to isolate him from annoying factors, such as noise, bright light. Also try not to force the baby to move when he does not want to be active.
Emergency help
The sudden onset of the disease causes panic and forces you to clutch at the first available means at hand. A correctly organized first-aid kit and an easy-to-follow manual for moms will help you avoid mistakes.
Your very first action for a sore throat in a baby is moistening the larynx. If there are no coughing spells, try to drink the baby, if there is a cough, sprinkle a little water on the baby's tongue or cheek. From there, she can already get into the larynx without the risk of drowning.
Measure your child’s body temperature. If it is not higher than 38 degrees, refrain from using medicines until visiting a specialist. In the event that the temperature is high, give the baby the recommended dose of an antipyretic infant and call an ambulance.
To quickly increase immunity, a child should be given an antiviral drug immediately before the doctor arrives. It can be "Interferon" or "Grippferon". Currently, the pharmacy network provides a wide selection of drugs for treating the throat in babies. What drug is currently needed for your child, only a doctor can say. Before his arrival, it is necessary to remove the accumulation of mucus in the nose with flagella, or using a special device for aspirating snot. If this is not done, then the inflammatory segment will accumulate in the nasopharynx and the microbes will quickly move to the throat.
What medications will help before the doctor arrives
For children older than three months, the independent use of such drugs as:
- Nurofen
- "Panadol" for children;
- "Paracetamol" for children.
For infants less than three months old, you can apply:
Carefully re-read the instructions for use and do not exceed the recommended dosages even in an emergency. All of these drugs have not only antipyretic, but also analgesic effect. Try to do everything possible so that between the detection of symptoms and the examination of the child by the doctor, no more than the period of action of one dose of the drug passes.
In the absence of the necessary drugs in the medicine cabinet, you can apply rubdown. The procedure is carried out with a cloth dampened in warm water, wiping the entire body of the child and at the end of the procedure the baby is not wrapped.
The advice of a doctor everyone knows
How to treat the throat of a child up to a year? Komarovsky recommends focusing on measures that facilitate the general condition of the child and at the same time do not harm the body of the baby. These recommendations are simple to implement and very effective, so consider them in more detail.
Humid and cool. In the children's room, the microclimate should be just that. It does not matter how you achieve this result, but it is preferable to have a humidifier and regular ventilation.
Regular drink. Water, baby tea, compote, milk - any moderately warm liquid is suitable.
How to treat a throat, a child 1 year old? Komarovsky never gave a specific list of drugs for a single case in order to avoid self-medication. After all, if a child has a viral infection, then specific treatment is not required and the two recommendations listed above are more than enough for a successful recovery. And if you have a sore throat, then the attending physician should choose the antibiotic.
And most importantly: trust the doctor. If your child is prescribed one or another course of treatment after the examination, then you should not waste precious time looking for a diagnosis that satisfies you with a panic request "the child, 1 year old, has a sore throat than a cure." Immediately proceed to the procedures, because the duration and intensity of the illness of the baby depends on you!