Treatment for chest infections in babies

[NichyNoo]

I've posted this in Health but thought I'd post here as well as this board is busier.

DS is 8 months old and, since he started creche in February, has had three colds. All the colds have gone onto his chest as he doesn't know to blow his nose or how to cough up mucus like older children/adults do. So the phlegm sits on his chest.

He has been to the doctors during each of the colds (for other reasons such as general check-up, weighing-in) and each time the doctors (two different ones) have listened to his chest, heard the phlegm in his lungs and prescribe a 7 day course on a nebuliser. This is an aerosol machine that we rent from the pharmcay with a face mask that we put ventolin and atrovin in and that he inhales for 10mins at a time. Of course he hates it and screams twice a day when we do the treatment.

I am in Belgium and they seem to prescribe this treatment for every chest infection/cold. I looked on the NHS Choices website and it is rarely used in the UK.

Can I ask what UK doctors prescribe/recommend when babies get chesty colds/coughs as I am reluctant to use the nebuliser and ventolin for each and every cold as I personally think it is a bit overkill. Every chesty cold he gets is described as 'un peu de bronchite' (a bit of bronchitis) - in the UK we would say he simply had a chesty cold. I am right in thinking this is over-medicalising or do you think it sounds like a sensible treatment?

Thanks in advance!

[AngelDog]

My DS was prescribed a course of amoxicillin (antibiotics) for a chest infection.

The cough has gone on for 3 or 4 months now and since taking the antibiotics the GP has repeatedly said 'just keep an eye on it'.

[rainbowrain]

yes, mine had antibiotics and because he was wheezy due to the phlegm they prescribed the blue inhaler (just a reliever) to calm it down.

[madwomanintheattic]

ds1 had double pneumonia caused by rsv when he was 11 weeks, and was on the nebuliser 5x day (with similar reaction to your lo - he hated it)

for every subsequent chest infection he just got oral anti-b's though. it has to be quite bad here (in canada) before they go for the full monty.

[varyingdegreesofdeafness]

We've had lots of antib's for ds as he has had lots of chest infections. He has ahd brochiolitis, and stayed in hospital, and this was treated with nebuliser and oxygen box. Prior to anti b's he was given the blue and green inhalers, but they haven't ever seemed to do much.

I think it's what sounds are in the chest, a crackle is the main concern whenever ds has been seen at doctors. If you lok at his tummy and his breathing seems a bit off, if his tummy isn't rising and falling with breathing but the sides of his tummy under his b=ribcage are pulling in and out that means his lungs are struggling and he is having to use abdominal musscles to work lungs and needs to be seen pretty quick.

[ninjamonkey]

if it is just a cough and cold, nothing is prescribed as it is a viral infection and antibiotics will have no effect.

However, if it goes on for 10+ days with no improvement and getting worse, best to check with gp to see if it has developed into a proper chest infection (and is a bacterial infection) because if it has it should normally be treated with antibiotics to clear it up before it develops into something worse.

But like i said, if it is just a cold and cough, it should clear up by itself within 2 weeks with no prescription. Just paracetamol, and something like karvol and/or a saline spray to help clear the nose.

[Pleiades45]

Have you tried putting a humdifier in the bedroom? DS was prone to chest infections and I used a humidifier in his room at night. I think this helped ease the coughing.

I was told that in small children the airways are narrow and not fully developed hence the reason why they develop the chestiness so easily. My understanding is that the ventolin relaxes the airways to help with the breathing.

[madwomanintheattic]

humidifier is a good idea if you don't have one already. we used ours a lot. mothercare used to do a nursery version i think.

[jester68]

My daughter has had 2 chest infections. The first was when she was 4 days old and resulted in a 4 night stay in hospital with oxygen and antibiotics.

Second was last month when she was 9 months old when she had to have a course of amoxicillin to clear it.

[Sirzy]

Ds has had lots of chest infections since having bronchiolitis and ending up on cpap.

He has only ever has nebulisers during hospital admissions (5 of them) Ds hates the Nebs but they do really work when he is at his worse. He normally has them anything from half hourly to 4 hourly depending how bad he is.

Generally it's antibiotics, steroids and bump his inhalers right up. He is asthmatic anyway.

I don't understand why they would go straight to Nebs without trying inhalers first. It can't be THAT bad if they are only needed twice a day and inhalers are less traumatic for the child.

If it's regular I would ask about a long term steroid inhaler.

[NichyNoo]

Thank you for all the advice. We haven't used the prescription for the last nebuliser (went to A&E with a bad eye infection and doctors ignored his eyes, listened to his chest and prescribed yet another course on the nebuliser). Yes he sounds chesty and a bit crackly but his breathing isn't laboured and he is happy.

Sirzy his first chest infection was also bronchiolitis and since then every cold goes on his chest. I don't know if they have regular inhalers here - I have never seen anyone use one.

I don't actually know what the difference is between a chesty cold and a chest infection as all the doctors here say is 'un peu de bronchite' so I don't actually know if he has a cold or a chest infection.