Teaching Baby to Spit out Mucus

[ForeverDance]

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to teach your little one to spit out mucus? My DD is 17 months and has a cold right now. She is coughing up a large amount of mucus and because she is swallowing it, she often ends up choking and gagging until she throws up, especially at night. I am going to put a call into the CF clinic this morning but I thought someone here might know a tip or trick to teach a baby to spit it out instead.

Thanks.

 

[Ratatosk]

If you're not already doing so, increase CPT (chest physiotherapy).

When DS had a cold as a baby, we usually just used the dreaded booger sucker and saline drops and sucked the mucus out of his nose. When he was 3 months he developed a cough and would cough so hard he'd throw up his formula and mucus. We were already doing 4 CPT treatments with nebs per day to keep his lungs clear. Turned out he had bronchitis and needed some antibiotics get rid of it.

 

[ForeverDance]

Thanks for the reply. We have increased both the length of each CPT session and the number of times a day. It's basically standard procedure for us any time she has a cough to add another session or increase the time, or as in this case, do both. I am thankful every day that my mom is home with her so we always have this option. But I do appreciate the advice.

 

[Ratatosk]

Another thing I recall doing was to get the bathroom nice and warm and let him play in the bathtub for awhile before bed and cpt. Got things loosened up, so I could get his nose cleared. Other than when he's gotten bronchitis a couple time, his issues were mainly sinus/plugged nose. Might help.

 

[ForeverDance]

Thanks for some more great advice. I meant to mention last time that her cold is all in her chest. She has no nasal symptoms at all. Just a cough and lots of mucus. At this point I am waiting to hear back from the clinic on whether we will start antibiotics (kinda early since she's only had symptoms for two days). The only advice she could give me regarding the mucus was to get her to drink plenty of fluids.

 

[ForeverDance]

So the clinic has decided not to go with antibiotics at this point since it's early but they are prescribing an inhaler for her. They suggested that it might help open her airways and make it easier for her to breathe, particularly at night. I'm happy to have something to help her with, but I'm feeling pretty bummed that she has had to be prescribed an inhaler. She's been so healthy and her lungs have been working so well and this just feels like a step down the wrong road. Sigh.

 

[Aboveallislove]

Wait, I'm confused. Was DD not using Xopenex or alubterol 2x daily perform chest physio-therapy? What is the inhaller?? I'm just really concerned now that she isn't getting standard of care from CF Center. . . I might just be misreading.

 

[Ratatosk]

I guess I just assumed you were doing nebs, bronchiodialators along with CPT, which is what we've always done from the beginning. Also, assuming you're going to a cf clinic; however, when DS had bronchitis at 3 months, the local cf team told me it was normal, that they cough, it's what they do; however, his team in the City pretty much told us that his baseline should be no cough and prescribed antibiotics.

 

[ForeverDance]

DD is being seen by an accredited CF center. We are in Canada and I believe the standard practices are slightly different. She has had CPT twice a day since 4 weeks old and has no cough as a baseline. She is not on any other lung treatments at this time. The inhaler they prescribed was ventolin and was simply to get her over the cold if required (we actually did not end up using it).

She is still sick so we will begin a 14 day course of antibiotics today.