We often hear parents say, “I’m afraid my child will develop pneumonia if he coughs”. In fact, the cause and effect relationship is reversed. Coughing may be an early sign of pneumonia, but you cannot say that coughing up pneumonia is the cause. When many parents hear that their child is coughing, they immediately give them a cough medicine. It is understandable to love your child, but in fact it may not be correct and it may not be good for your child. First let’s understand why people cough. The normal airway has a certain amount of mucus that is used to protect the airway from aggression and its integrity. When there is a respiratory infection, airway secretions and necrotic detached tissue will increase, or when choking occurs, the fluid or foreign body in the airway increases and the body causes coughing through the nerve reflex to remove the foreign body from the airway, ensure the airway is open and maintain normal respiratory function. Without the cough reflex, a person will choke. Thus, coughing is a self-protective reflex. It allows the expulsion of phlegm and facilitates the recovery from infection. There are many causes of coughing. The most common cause of a child’s cough is inflammatory irritation, such as the inflammatory response caused by microbial infections such as viruses, bacteria, and mycoplasma. In addition, common causes include mechanical irritation (e.g. choking on water, foreign bodies in the airways, etc.), chemical irritation (inhalation of irritating gases such as smoke), and mixed irritation (e.g. asthma, etc.). A child who occasionally coughs a few times may have a little reaction of the respiratory tract to changes in the air, and there is not necessarily anything wrong. Respiratory infections are common in childhood. After infection, airway secretions increase and coughing occurs, and when the cold gets better, the cough slowly gets better. Since children have weak muscle strength and a weak cough reflex, especially in small infants. Therefore, children should apply cough suppressants with caution. In particular, central cough suppressants are not recommended for children. For example, cough suppressants containing codeine are not suitable for children and have very limited effect in children and may produce many side effects, such as addiction, respiratory depression and even death in severe cases. If a child’s cough does not interfere with appetite, sleep and other daily activities, it can be observed mainly. In addition, children can be encouraged to cough so that phlegm does not get blocked in the airways; keep the air fresh and moist; and for some children with recurrent coughs that require long-term nebulization, home nebulization therapy can be performed under the guidance of a doctor; please consult a specialist for specific medications.