Treatment for chest infections in babies

[NichyNoo]

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!

It all depends on what his chest sounds like when they're examining him. Some babies do get wheezy with colds & ventolin/atrovent can help with that, but in the UK it would be by inhaler & spacer device rather than nebulised, the general rule being that if you're poorly enough for a nebuliser you probably need some extra oxygen too & should be in hospital. 7 days does sound like a very long time to be 'needing' it.

If it's a run if the mill cough or cold, then calpol if he's hot, plenty of fluids, saline spray or drops to help ease any nasal congestion & raising the head end of the cot at night can help. Often babies sound really chesty, but it's just all the gunk collecting at the back of their throat (you feel like you want to cough for them), rather than on their chest (as in a chest infection). Signs that it's probably a chest problem rather than just a cold would include if he seems to be breathing faster than normal, sucking in between his ribs or at the top of his chest, any sort of grunty noise with his breathing or if his nostrils seem to be flaring when he breathes. If ventolin/atrovent are going to work, they have an effect straight away, so if you notice he improves after the nebuliser, once he's stopped yelling, then they're probably doing some good. At that dose frequency they're unlikely to do any harm other than making him cross. Hope that helps :-)