A child who has phlegm and can't cough up phlegm is a common respiratory problem. What is phlegm? It is a post-infection secretion that contains components such as viruses, bacteria, white blood cells, etc. If the phlegm is not discharged, it can block the airway, affect breathing, and prolong inflammation. So, we need to help children cough up phlegm so that they can breathe easily and get back to health.
Some children cough up phlegm and swallow it, will this be a problem? In fact, there is no need to worry, because phlegm will be excreted from the digestive system and will not cause harm to the body. However, some children do not cough up phlegm because their airways are weak or they do not cough hard. At this time, we parents should take some measures to help our children expel phlegm.
One way is to pat the back. The principle of patting the back is to use vibration to shoot the phlegm from the bottom up. When shooting, you should pay attention to the hollow shape of the palm, and the strength should be moderate, not too light and not too heavy. The position should be behind the lungs, not the spine or ribs. The time should be when the child is coughing or when he has just finished coughing.
Another way is to let the air in your home be a little moister. Dry air makes phlegm thick and not easy to cough up. Moist air makes phlegm thin and easy to cough up. We can use a humidifier or boiling kettle to increase the humidity of the air, or we can let the child drink more water or eat some foods that moisten the lungs, such as pears, lilies, honey, etc.
Coughing up sputum