Cough And Colds Relief For Baby: Elevate His Head, Shares Chynna Ortaleza

Many kids today experience respiratory issues, such as cough and colds, as well as runny nose, and nasal congestion. No parent wants to see their child sick, so we do everything we can to help them feel better. Here's one tip from Salem Cipriano's pediatrician, as shared by his mom Chynna Ortaleza.

"Always elevate your baby's head. 45 degrees, sabi ni doc!" the mom of two shared on Instagram on January 7, 2020.

Chynna's 3-month-old son, whom she calls Nukie, has been coughing for days. She's grateful Salem is a "chill baby," who manages to "still manages to smile through all the vomit and coughing spells."

"Happy that his lungs are clean," she shared. "But it looks like he really got the allergies of our family," she added. Salem's pediatrician also prescribed new allergy drops and advised to continue nebulizing, apart from raising his head slightly.

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Elevate your baby's head 45-degrees

Elevating your baby's head or keeping their head above their chest helps open up their airways and clear up congestion. It works when your infant us coughing, has colds, a runny nose.

Wendy Sue Swanson, M.D., a pediatrician and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), explains, "This keeps the mucus draining in the right direction and helps ease coughing." It's especially helpful at night, as it lessens the chances of your baby being woken up by coughing so they can get their much-needed sleep.

Remember that infants are advised to sleep on flat on their backs, without pillows or any loose beddings in their sleeping area. (Read more about safe sleep practices for babies here.) To safely elevate your baby's head while asleep, try the following:

• Lift the head of your baby's crib a few inches by placing books under the legs.
• Roll a towel and place it under the head of the mattress.
• For toddlers, use a firm pillow to raise their heads above their chests.

Chynna revealed that she still couldn't carry weight for a long time, so she placed Salem on his Aprica Yuralism baby chair and set it on a slight incline. No worries! We're sure Chynna has all eyes on her son while he's sleeping on the chair with a folded towel under his head.

For natural remedies for babies' cough and colds, click here.

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