Why does a child choke on saliva or snot and what to do in this case

Often, when there is strange behavior in their baby, young mothers look for answers on the Internet or from friends. As in the situation if a child chokes on saliva or snot. Instead of going to a pediatrician or ENT specialist, mothers self-medicate. This cannot be done. Let's figure out what is the reason for this situation and how to act?

If a child chokes on saliva or snot in a dream, it is imperative to seek help from a pediatrician.

Peculiarities

Even in the womb, the baby's salivary glands begin to work and produce saliva. By three months, the amount of saliva produced by the baby increases, and he, without having time to swallow it, may choke and cough. Parents should not panic if this situation does not cause discomfort in the baby.

Saliva at this age plays the role of a disinfectant. After all, a newborn begins to explore the world, and all objects that fall into his hands are pulled into his mouth. Of course, parents will not be able to disinfect everything around them. But saliva comes into play. Its second function is pain relief. When the baby is teething and the gums are swollen, it helps to survive this process easier, which is why it is produced in large quantities.

Copious secretion of saliva and snot is usually observed during teething.

The eruption of the baby's first teeth is additionally accompanied by the appearance of mucous discharge from the nose. Some mothers associate the occurrence of a runny nose with a viral infection and begin to stuff their child with all sorts of medications. Let's list the factors that lead to the release of a large amount of snot.

• Since the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose are nearby, with any inflammation of the gums the process rises higher, and the active production of mucus begins in the nasal cavity to fight a possible infection.
• When teething, the baby's immunity partially decreases, and the risk of contracting the virus increases.
• The mucous discharge “on the teeth” is transparent in color and ends 2-3 days after the eruption of the molar. A runny nose is characterized by copious discharge of snot and a change in color to yellow or green.

An increased amount of natural secretion can lead to the child choking and coughing.

Why does a child vomit during a runny nose?

Many parents are faced with the fact that their child chokes on snot in his sleep for unknown reasons. Most often, this phenomenon occurs during a cold. There can be many reasons for this, and in order to understand why exactly the baby is choking on snot to the point of vomiting, you need to urgently consult a pediatrician.

Common causes of vomiting when a baby has a stuffy nose:

• Irritation of the larynx. The child begins to choke on snot until a gag reflex appears if the snot gets into the larynx and irritates its walls, as well as the walls of the esophagus. Even if there was only one episode of vomiting, this cannot but alert responsible parents. Moreover, such situations with a cold are rarely isolated. In addition, if rhinitis is of an infectious nature, then there is a possibility that mucus enters the esophagus, thereby infecting internal organs. The only danger posed by vomiting is severe dehydration. But, nevertheless, the problem needs to be solved as early as possible. Otherwise, complications may arise.

• Regurgitation. If a child vomits, then the problem is regurgitation. After breastfeeding, the baby must be brought to an upright position so that there is no excess air in the diaphragm. But, if the baby vomits between feedings, the reason may be infectious processes occurring in the body. Most often, these are appendicitis, intestinal infection, diseases of the nervous system, and various metabolic disorders. High temperature can also cause a gag reflex in a baby.

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Can I have a runny nose and cough when teething?

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• Inability to blow your nose. A newborn baby simply has not yet learned to blow his nose correctly, which causes him to begin to choke. If you have a severe runny nose, parents should suck out the mucus from the nose themselves. Otherwise, mucus begins to flow down the larynx, causing a severe cough and infecting the stomach and intestines. In these cases, the child feels sick.
• Posterior rhinitis. Vomiting is caused by posterior rhinitis. If a baby vomits more than once a day, then the reason lies precisely in this disease. One of the signs of posterior rhinitis is the characteristic “grunting” sounds that a child makes while breathing.

But, whatever the reasons for the appearance of a gag reflex in a child, you need to urgently consult a doctor or call an ambulance at home. If a baby chokes due to nasal congestion, this can lead to serious health problems in the future without timely treatment. Especially if the baby suffocates before going to bed or especially during sleep.

Causes

If the amount of saliva produced does not bother the baby, then parents should not worry. But when the baby has a cold, and snot from the nose along with saliva goes down to the phlegm in the lungs, blockage of the airways occurs. Due to his age, the baby is unable to clear his throat and simply suffocates.

When the child is lying down or sleeping, parents should carefully monitor his condition, especially at night. After all, then the passage of secretions becomes difficult, and the baby may choke.

This is why control is very important.

A baby may choke on saliva if there is a pathology. When saliva is added to food while sucking on a breast or bottle, the baby is simply not able to swallow everything at once. This usually resolves within 3 years. At an older age, you should consult a pediatrician.

During teething, mucus from the nose flows down the back of the throat and usually provokes a cough. It is important to monitor the child at this time in order not to miss viral diseases and to exclude the occurrence of complications.

Excessive production of snot and saliva may indicate the presence of pathology.

Causes of night cough in a child

It is important for parents to remember that coughing attacks are not an independent disease, but a symptom. It appears both during the day and at night.

But more often it occurs only during sleep. This is explained by the horizontal position of the body.

In this case, sputum, accumulating in the bronchi, dilutes and makes it difficult to breathe freely.

1

Bacterial and viral diseases. These are ARVI, influenza in the initial stage, bronchitis, pneumonia. More often, nasal secretions when the body is affected by a viral infection are transparent in color and resemble the consistency of water.

Also, snot flows into the throat and provokes a cough due to bacterial pathogens that cause inflammation of the sinus mucosa; it develops against the background of sinusitis. This mucus takes on a greenish tint and becomes thick.

• 2
• Chronic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, allergic reaction to medications, dust, fluff, wool and other allergens are also common causes.
• 3
• Sometimes a baby coughs when he sleeps due to overeating and the stomach contents being thrown up through the esophagus into the larynx.
• This often affects infants and children under one year of age, especially when there is no pillow provided and sleep takes place on a flat, smooth surface.
• 4

Pathologies of the adenoids cannot be ruled out either. When they become inflamed, the nasopharyngeal tonsils increase in size and interfere with free breathing.

1. 5
2. Excess secretion of the salivary glands, which occurs during teething.
3. 6

Foreign bodies trapped in the nasal passage, which does not happen often, but pediatricians are also aware of such cases. Or the problem is in the air.

Does the cough reflex develop only in the children's room or in other rooms? Does mom use aggressive detergents to wash bed linen? Answers to these questions will help your doctor make an accurate diagnosis.

Actions

To prevent a newborn from choking on excess saliva during sleep, you can place a blanket rolled up under the back, or use an anatomical pillow. This approach will eliminate the possibility of turning onto your back and prevent saliva from flowing into the airways. This approach can be used at night.

When snot appears, heavy breathing and “grunting” of the baby, it is necessary to determine the etiology of the disease. Only a pediatrician can find out the cause and prescribe treatment. If mucous discharge appears on the teeth, drug therapy is not required. You just need to make it easier for the baby to breathe and help get rid of snot.

First aid

What to do if, after all, the child chokes on saliva and begins to choke:

• Clearing the airways. Place the baby with his back to himself, wrap his arms around him and press sharply, but not too much, in the stomach area. Then, leaning forward a little, lightly spank between the shoulder blades with your palm.
• Clearing saliva while lying down. The baby is placed on his back, with his body higher than his head. Using two fingers, index and middle, make 4-5 compressions on the chest. After each pressure, the chest should straighten completely. Do not use force so as not to harm the baby.

Ways to free a child’s airways from excess saliva and snot.

After such procedures, allow the baby to cough. Breathing should level out and wheezing should go away.

If a child is choking and choking on snot:

• Buy a nozzle ejector at the pharmacy. A pear-shaped device will be useless because it will not be able to cope with thick mucus.
• Stock up on saline or other saline liquid. You can purchase a special salt spray for children.
• Prepare vasoconstrictor drops for the nasal cavity. Required only for infectious diseases.

Let's start the cleansing process:

1. It is important to secure the child in a lying position on his back; you can swaddle him tightly.
2. Inject saline solution into one nostril and immediately suction it out with an aspirator.
3. Do the same for the second nostril.
4. Repeat the procedure 2-3 times for each nasal passage until you see that the mucus has become thinner or is absent altogether.
5. Apply vasoconstrictor drops according to the instructions. They will prevent infection from entering the inner ear. Any medications other than saline solution are allowed to be used only as prescribed by a pediatrician.
6. On the third day, the mucus usually becomes less thick and will flow out of the nose on its own.
7. Washing with saline solution should be carried out 3-5 times a day, depending on the child’s condition.

In any case, your actions will lead to tears and screams of the baby. You should not stop the procedure, because the presence of a large amount of snot in the nasal cavity can cause complications.

If the mucus is very viscous and it was not possible to get it out, then the right solution is to go to the ENT specialist.

What to do if a child chokes on snot in his sleep?

If a baby suffocates with a runny nose, then vomiting from snot is only a symptom, not a cause. First of all, to solve this problem, children must undergo an examination and, if necessary, pass all tests. This will help determine exactly what caused the appearance of abundant mucus in the larynx.

When a child vomits for a long time, you need to call a doctor at home. Until the ambulance arrives, he needs to be laid down and given more fluids. Do not feed rough foods that irritate the intestines. It is not advisable to take any measures before the pediatrician arrives. Even if there is an increase in body temperature. You need to be close to the baby at all times so that he is not afraid, and at the first sign of a gag reflex, take the necessary actions.

When children choke from accumulated mucus, treatment should be aimed at cleansing the nasal mucosa. The nose is washed several times a day with decoctions of medicinal herbs or saline solutions purchased at the pharmacy. Rinsing the nose will not only remove accumulated mucus, but will also relieve inflammation and swelling. Also, during washing, some of the bacteria are washed out along with the solution.

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Why does a child have bloody snot when he has a runny nose, and what should I do?

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Drops based on plant extracts (Pinosol, Sanorin) are effective in combating nasal congestion. Unlike vasoconstrictor drops, which negatively affect the delicate mucous membrane of children, herbal sprays gently cleanse the nose of snot and moisturize the walls of the nasal mucosa, disinfecting it at the same time.

When children begin to vomit, more water should be given. Taking action on your own can be dangerous, especially if it starts in an infant. It is difficult to say what caused such ailments, so the best option is to wait for the doctor.

It is impossible to give “adult” medicines for the common cold to children due to the fact that the concentration of substances in such medicines is much higher than in children’s medicines. And the use of tablets or drops only leads to a worsening of your child’s condition.

The medications necessary for therapy are prescribed by a doctor. He also prescribes the dosage and duration of treatment.

After some time, you should see your pediatrician again. By following all the doctor’s recommendations to cure your child, your child will be cured much faster.

Summary

The child's health comes first. If the saliva that is secreted or snot prevents the baby from breathing, he begins to choke and cough, you need to identify the cause of their appearance and act. For parents, the main thing is not to harm the baby, and to carry out any procedures only after agreement with the treating pediatrician.

Materials used in the article:

1. Official website of Doctor Komarovsky
2. MedScape
3. Wikipedia
4. PubMed
5. Association of Pediatric Anesthesiologists and Resuscitators of Russia