




Treatment at home



Find out when you should call an ambulance




Keep your child upright

Keeping your child upright may make their breathing easier and may be useful when they're trying to feed.

If your child has a nap in an upright position, make sure their head doesn't fall forward by supporting it with something, such as a rolled-up blanket.

Drink plenty of fluids

If your child is being breastfed or bottlefed, try giving them smaller feeds more frequently.

Some additional water or fruit juice may stop them becoming dehydrated.

Keep the air moist

If you have an air humidifier, using it to moisten the air may help your child's cough.

Your home should be heated to a comfortable temperature, but don't make it too warm because this will dry out the air.

Smoke-free environment




Relieving a fever


These are available over the counter from pharmacies without a prescription.



Always follow the manufacturer's instructions when giving your child medication.

Don't give aspirin to children under the age of 16.


Saline nasal drops

Saline (salt water) nasal drops are available over the counter from pharmacies.



Treatment in hospital

Some children with bronchiolitis need to be admitted to hospital.

This is usually necessary if they aren't getting enough oxygen into their blood because they're having difficulty breathing, or if they aren't eating or drinking enough.



Extra oxygen






If your child has RSV, they'll need to be kept away from other children in the hospital who aren't infected with the virus to stop it spreading.




If your child can't use nasogastric fluids or they're at high risk of respiratory failure, they may be given fluids directly into a vein (intravenously).

Nasal suction

Nasal suction isn't routinely used in children with bronchiolitis. But it may be recommended if your child's nose is blocked and they're having trouble breathing.


Leaving hospital




Research into other treatments


For example, antibiotics and corticosteroids aren't recommended for treating bronchiolitis. 


Page last reviewed: 05/08/2018
Next review due: 05/08/2021