Coughs can also concern several moms and dads, especially if you’re a first-time parent. It’s one of the most common symptoms of a childhood illness. A kid’s cough can indicate a simple cold or a sign of a more severe disease needing urgent care.
This article will discuss the six types of coughs and when to seek urgent care for your kids:
1. Green Mucus Cough
Green mucus cough is usually a cold symptom, especially if your kid also has a sore throat and a runny nose. Your child might be suffering from a sinus infection if they have a cough with fever and thick green mucus.
A persistent cough accompanied by a cold could mean your child has pneumonia.
Let your child blow their nose or use a bulb syringe to clear the mucus. Saline drops and a cool-mist humidifier may also help. Consult with your healthcare provider before buying over-the-counter cold medicine for kids.
Colds usually go away on their own, and antibiotics won’t help. Call your nearest urgent care center if you suspect a sinus infection or pneumonia.
2. Dry Cough in Kids
Residual mucus causes persistent cough after a cold that will eventually clear up. Your kid could have asthma if the dry cough usually happens at night.
Mucus in inflamed and narrow lung passages irritates, creating a cough. Asthma usually happens after exercise, in cold air, when lying down, and when the child has allergies or a cold.
Remove asthma triggers like dust, mold, pollen, and pet dander from your home. If it’s not asthma, let them stay hydrated while the mucus clears from their system. Rush your kid to the nearest urgent care center if their cough worsens at night or after exercise.
3. Wiped-out cough
Your child may have the flu if they have a cough accompanied by a fever, ache, and fatigue. The flu is a virus that may incubate in the body for days before your child starts feeling sick.
The flu virus must find its way out of your kid’s system. Letting them stay hydrated, get enough rest, and ensure they take their medications will help relieve symptoms.
Bring them to your urgent care clinic if they have difficulty breathing or a persisting fever.
4. Wheezing Cough
A baby with a wheezy cough or a gurgly or raspy-sounding cough could have an airway infection called a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This disease usually affects babies in the winter months. And it could be asthma in older kids.
Adding a cool-mist humidifier in their room can help with congestion. Ensure that your child stays hydrated and gets plenty of rest.
While RSV usually clears on its own, you should let your pediatrician know what’s happening. Give your baby urgent care if they have trouble breathing.
5. Barking Cough
It could be croup if you hear a bark-sounding cough with a high-pitched whistle when your kid breathes in. It usually affects children aged six months to three years and causes inflammation in the windpipe.
Adding a cool-mist humidifier in your child’s bedroom, a hot shower, staying in a steaming bathroom, and ensuring they stay hydrated can help relieve symptoms.
While coughing usually goes away eventually, call your pediatrician if you suspect it. And call urgent care if your child is struggling to breathe.
6. Whooping Cough
Pertussis bacteria causes this type of cough in kids. This coughing sound can pose a severe viral illness. Your child might have a whooping cough if they’re having coughing fits and making whooping sounds when they inhale.
Babies are more vulnerable to whooping cough because they haven’t completed their DTaP boosters. The cough may be followed by gagging or puking in babies instead of whooping sounds.
Ensure your child gets enough rest. A cold, quiet, dark room may help reduce the risk of spreading germs. They must also stay hydrated and avoid areas with irritating air, such as fireplaces or secondhand smoke.
Rush them to your urgent care center if you suspect a whooping cough.
To Sum Up Coughs
Educating yourself on the different types of kid’s coughs and knowing when to seek urgent care can help you and your child stay healthy.
If your child needs immediate care for a cough, bring them to Your Kids Urgent Care and let our healthcare professionals take charge! We offer superior kids’ urgent care services in Vestavia Hills, Alabama. We also provide telemedicine services. Contact us today!
