Treatment of hoarseness in infants can be done with simple measures such as comforting the baby when crying a lot and providing a lot of fluids during the day, as excessive and prolonged crying is one of the main causes of hoarseness in the baby.
However, hoarseness in the baby can also be a symptom of infections, usually respiratory, or other diseases such as reflux, allergies or nodules in the vocal cords, for example, and in these cases the treatment should be guided by a pediatrician or ENT specialist and , generally involves the use of medication or speech therapy.
- This is the most common cause and occurs because excessive and prolonged crying can put pressure on the vocal cords.
- Making the voice more hoarse and rough.
How to treat: Make the baby stop crying, comfort him or her and offer him many liquids such as milk, especially if he or she is breastfeeding, natural water and juices, which should not be too cold or too hot.
How to treat: Consult your pediatrician or otolaryngologist to guide treatment, which may involve only a few precautions, such as holding it under the mattress and avoiding lying down your baby within the first 20 to 30 minutes after meals, or using medications, if necessary, prescribed by your pediatrician. More information: How to care for a baby with reflux.
Reflux, which is the passage of food or acid from the stomach to the esophagus, can also be a cause of hoarseness in the baby, but with treatment and a decrease in reflux, hoarseness disappears.
Your baby’s hoarse voice is usually caused by a viral infection, such as a cold, flu, or laryngitis, for example; however, in these cases, hoarseness is temporary and usually disappears when the infection is treated.
How to treat: See your pediatrician or otolaryngologist for antibiotics or antivirals, depending on the cause of the infection, and prevent your child from crying and give him or her plenty of fluids, not too cold or too hot.
In some cases, hoarseness in the baby can be caused by air irritants such as dust, pollen, or hair, such as causing a respiratory allergy and therefore a hoarse voice.
How to treat: Avoid exposing your baby to allergens such as dust, pollen, or hair, clean your baby’s nose with saline or nebulizers, and offer plenty of fluids during the day. The pediatrician or otolaryngologist may also prescribe antihistamines and corticosteroids, if the symptom does not improve. See other precautions to take: childhood rhinitis.
Nodules in the vocal cords consist of thickening of the vocal cords and are therefore similar to calluses and are caused by tissue overload by excessive use of the voice, such as excessive and prolonged crying or crying.
How to Treat: Consult a speech and language pathologist for voice therapy, which consists of education and voice care training. In some cases, surgery may be needed to remove the nodules.
An excellent home remedy against hoarseness is ginger tea, as this medicinal plant has an action that relieves irritation of the vocal cords, as well as having antimicrobial properties that help eliminate microorganisms that can cause infections, for example.
However, this remedy should only be used in infants older than 8 months and with the permission of the pediatrician, as ginger can be aggressive to the stomach.
ingredients
How it’s prepared
Lightly crush the ginger or cut the sides, then add it to the boiling water cup and let stand for 10 minutes. Finally, when the tea is a little hot, give the baby 1 to 2 tablespoons of drinking.
This remedy can be repeated 2 to 3 times a day, according to the pediatrician’s instructions.
It is important to consult your pediatrician or otolaryngologist in cases where:
In these cases, your doctor recommends testing to identify the cause, make the diagnosis, and guide appropriate treatment.