Runny nose in children

Rinse your nose

Because young children are usually unable to clean their own nose, you should do it for them. Proceed as described in the box on the next page.

Teach a child to blow his nose

Most children under three years of age have great difficulty with blowing their nose, but it's worth trying with a two-year-old. Teach him to blow out the candle, and then show him how to do it with his nose and say: "That's how people flaunt themselves."Then blow your nose and let the baby hold the handkerchief in front of your nose. Now he is doing the same thing, and you flaunt together."Blow, do not snort!" - this is the slogan of a club of clean noses, but you need to blow carefully.

If you exhale too sharply, it can drive the discharge into the sinuses of the nose and tighten the disease. Some experts even consider that it is better if the child slowly pulls the secretions back into the throat, and then pushes them with a cough, than blows and pushes the mucus into the sinuses. But small children rarely cough up mucus. Instead, they swallow it, and their stomach rebels. Vomiting after a cough is not uncommon in children.

How to make discharge more fluid

Dry air and narrow airways do not work well together in one room. The respiratory tract is strewn with tiny fibers, the so-called cilia, which carry a layer of mucus. This protective system acts like a miniature drive belt, removing dust and other particles from the inhaled air. Dry air, especially with central heating, acts like a sponge, drawing moisture from all parts of the body - skin, hair and especially from the respiratory tract. As a result, dry air stops these drive belts. Mucus accumulates clots and serves as a breeding ground for bacteria;as a result, we have swollen, blocked airways, and it is difficult for us to breathe.

If you give your child as much fluid as possible during the day and include a vaporizer( evaporator) when he sleeps, this helps make the discharge more fluid and makes it easier to expel them when sneezing or coughing. Or take the child to the bathroom, close the door, turn on the hot shower and take a steam bath together. Steam uncork the respiratory tract and helps the secretions to flow out.

How to uncork a stuffy nose of a child

Very young children rarely know how to blow their nose. Clear them nasal passages should you. Here's how to wash your nose.

Instructing a child in the nose drops

Buy a salt spray for the nose( a special composition of water and salt, released in pharmacies without a prescription).Keep the child upright. Squirt one jet into each nostril. Then put the baby for one minute, so that the head is below the body. This allows the salt water to dissolve the dense secretions and stimulates the baby to sneeze, thereby expelling them to the front of the nose, where you are already waiting for them, armed with an old kind aspirator. Be prepared for the child to not like this intrusion into his nose;but small spouts need to be cleaned so that they can breathe, especially during feeding.

Or you can prepare salt drops yourself. Put a pinch of salt( no more than a quarter teaspoon) in a glass of warm tap water( with a capacity of 240 ml).Pipette a few drops into each nostril with a plastic pipette and proceed as described above.

Never release the rubber tip of the pipette or spray gun while they are still in the child's nose. Otherwise, the discharge from the nose will fall into the pipette or vial, and their contents will be infected. Rinse the area of ​​the pipette and spray that comes in contact with the nose. Since they have a special composition, the drops that are sold in pharmacies have a milder effect on the nasal mucosa than the nasal drops for home preparation.

Use of a nasal aspirator

To use an aspirator, squeeze a rubber bulb, then insert a plastic or rubber tip into the baby's nose, deep enough to avoid gaps, and gradually unclench fingers so that the mucus plugs are drawn into the pear. Do this two or three times with each nostril or as long as it takes and how much the child will tolerate. After each use, collect soapy water in the aspirator and then rinse thoroughly with clean water. In the pharmacy you can buy aspirators of various shapes.

Maintaining the indoors where the baby sleeps, the necessary humidity will give the respiratory tract the moisture they need. Allergists warn that a relative humidity of more than 60 percent can promote mold and dust mites, thereby causing allergy, while specialists in respiratory diseases make it known that a humidity of less than 25 percent can lead to airway blockage. Thus, the relative humidity of 30-50 percent is ideal for a child's room. Measure in the bedroom humidity, using a hydrometer, which is sold at a hardware store.

Although for humidification of air we prefer vaporizers, other appliances, humidifiers, if properly used and kept clean, can also perform this work well. Here are some tips on the use of vaporizers( vaporizers) and humidifiers:

• Because the vaporizers produce hot steam, they carry the threat of burns. Place the vapouriser in a place inaccessible to the child.

• Flush vapors and humidifiers according to the manufacturer's recommendations at least once a week, preferably more often. A good solution for washing is obtained from half a cup of bleach to 4 liters of water( or better

use the solution that the manufacturer recommends).After washing, rinse the appliance thoroughly.

• Change the water daily and dry the vapouriser when not in use.

• Use the water( distilled or taped) recommended by the manufacturer.

• Place the vaporizer at a distance of approximately 60 cm from your child and direct the jet of steam towards the baby's nose for more concentrated moisture.

• Use of medicines: You can buy preparations containing eucalyptus oil and add them to the vapouriser( but not to the humidifier) ​​to open the airways. If they are not recommended by your doctor, they are not required for children.

• At the very least, you can build your own vaporizer by closing the bathroom door and turning on the hot shower.