Babies cough for a range of factors, including health problems, medical conditions and inflammations. If your baby coughs after drinking water, it may be a response to the temperature if the water is exceptionally cold. An extremely cold drink may aggravate the throat and air passage. In addition, your baby might be drinking too fast or getting excessive water in the mouth, triggering her to cough. This might particularly hold true if your baby drinks water from a sippy cup lying down or with her head slanted back too far.
Cough Causes
When a baby coughs, it might be frightening, but it generally is not a sign of a severe health problem or condition, according to KidsHealth. In truth, coughing is helpful since it helps protect your baby’s respiratory tract. Coughs might be caused by asthma or a bacterial or viral infection. If a baby is overcoming a cough triggered by a health problem, certain irritants in the environment may temporarily aggravate the cough, such as cold air, strong smells or animal dander. Extremely cold water may intensify a cough that your baby already has and may have nothing to do with the drink.
Determining the Problem
If water causes a coughing spell in your baby, attempt to determine the reason for his irritation. If the water is too cold, make sure the water he is consuming is at least room temperature level in the future. Also make sure he is not putting down or tilting his head back when he is drinking so he is not getting gigantic gulps that are making him gag and cough. If you are not sure why he is coughing and he appears unpleasant, call his pediatrician.
Warnings
If your baby coughs constantly after consuming water, ensure you don’t provide her any over the counter cough medications, warns the American Academy of Pediatrics’ HealthyChildren. These medications can have dangerous side effects when given to babies and children under 2 years of age. In addition, lots of sites recommend using honey mixtures to relieve a cough, though honey ought to never be provided to infants– babies under 12 months old– to prevent baby botulism, recommends Dr. Jay L. Hoecker of MayoClinic.com.
When to Call the Pediatrician
Your baby’s cough after consuming water is probably not severe, however call his pediatrician if he has difficulty breathing or is breathing extremely rapidly; has blue coloration on his lips, tongue or face; his cough is accompanied by a high fever; or he is wheezing.