Pediatrician Mom: Tips for Clearing Phlegm for Children

This is the 2745th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

When children suffer from respiratory diseases, they often have symptoms such as coughing and expectoration. Infants and young children cannot cough up phlegm on their own, so parents need to pat their backs to help expel phlegm, improve breathing difficulties, and restore effective respiratory function.

The principle of spitting

Gravity and vibration are used to loosen the sticky phlegm accumulated on the tracheal wall, and postural drainage is combined to make the phlegm easier to cough out.

Preparation posture for spitting

Choose one of the following positions:

In the first method, the baby can lie on the operator's legs (a pillow can be placed on the abdomen for support if necessary), with the head low and the hips high, tilted about 15 to 20 degrees, and the head tilted to one side.

The second method is that the child can lie on his or her stomach on the bed with a pillow under his or her abdomen for support, with the head low and the hips high, and the head tilted to one side.

The action of spitting

Put your fingers together naturally, bend them into a cup shape, and tap your chest and back with your palm facing downward. The tapping direction is from bottom to top and from both sides to the middle.

When tapping, avoid tapping the child's sternum, heart, spine, lower edge of the ribs, and internal organs below the waist. Do not tap on the drainage tube or suture line.

Tapping is a gentle and light application of force, which utilizes the natural movement and bending of the wrist joint. It taps rhythmically, avoiding being too light or too heavy. The sound of tapping is hollow rather than solid. If performed correctly, tapping is painless.

Precautions for spitting
1. The time for sputum clearing can be arranged 1 hour before meals or 1 to 2 hours after meals. For infants, it can be done half an hour to 1 hour before feeding or 2 hours after feeding to avoid vomiting and aspiration pneumonia.

2. The effect of expectoration is better after nebulization or steam treatment.

3 It is appropriate for children to wear soft cotton clothes and avoid wearing clothes with buttons on the chest or back to avoid discomfort when clearing sputum.

4 The operator should cut the nails in advance to avoid hurting the child.

5. If the child is wearing a necklace or jewelry, or if the operator is wearing a watch, bracelet, or bangle, they should be removed first to avoid hurting the child.

6 When clearing the phlegm, let the child's head tilt to one side and pay attention to whether the child has difficulty breathing, pale face, cyanosis of lips, vomiting or other discomfort. If any of the above situations occur, stop clearing the phlegm immediately and clear the secretions from the mouth and nose.

7 When spitting out phlegm, if any secretions are discharged from the mouth or nose, they should be wiped away immediately to avoid blocking the respiratory tract.

8 After spitting out the sputum, the child can continue to maintain the "drainage posture" for 5 to 10 minutes to facilitate the discharge of sputum.

9. Tapping the phlegm should last for 10 to 15 minutes each time (tapping on both sides for 5 to 10 minutes each time). You can tap the phlegm 4 to 6 times a day, and up to once every 2 hours.

10. Young babies cannot spit out phlegm, and the phlegm they swallow can be excreted through the digestive tract and in the feces (a large amount of sticky substance can be observed in the feces).

11 It is recommended to eat less sweets and drink more water to make phlegm easier to discharge.