Any kind of breathing difficulty your infant or child experiences can be scary for parents. It is often nothing to worry about and illnesses like bronchiolitis, mild croup and a cough can often be treated at home.
Use your instincts with newborns and babies. It could be:
In older babies and toddlers you may notice:
Get help and call 999 or take them to A&E if:
Bronchiolitis is a common respiratory tract infection that affects babies and young children under a year old. The early symptoms are similar to those of a common cold and include a runny nose and cough.
As it develops, the symptoms of bronchiolitis can include: A slight fever, a persistent cough and difficulty feeding.
Symptoms usually improve after three days and in most cases the illness isn’t serious. However, contact your GP or health visitor if your child is only able to feed half the normal amount or is struggling to breathe, or if you are generally worried about them.
Source: www.nhs.uk/conditions/bronchiolitis
Childhood Asthma
Allergies and Hay fever
If you suspect you or your child may have a food allergy, it is very important to ask for a professional diagnosis from your GP, who may refer you to an allergy clinic.
Many parents mistakenly assume their child has a food allergy when in fact their symptoms are due to a completely different condition or a food intolerance.