The newborn’s nose is stuffy ... Of course, any mother will worry about this. And not in vain. This condition gives the baby a lot of inconvenience! He breathes with difficulty, cannot eat normally, and still does not know how to blow his nose to ease his condition. It is not surprising that the baby becomes moody and often cries. If a newborn has a stuffy nose, what should his parents do? It turns out that everything is not so difficult to fix. But first things first.
Is it a runny nose?
It often happens that a newborn has a stuffy nose. The baby grunts, breathes noisily, but there is no discharge or snot ... Is that familiar? With this phenomenon, at least a couple of times in my life, every mother meets.
Usually a similar problem is observed in the winter. It is associated with the heating season and, as a result, too dry air in the room. Correct the situation will help the purchase of a special humidifier. Or you just need to wait a bit and let the baby’s mucous membrane get used to such conditions that are still new to her.
In this case, special treatment is not necessary. Over time, everything will work out on its own.
That is why it is so important to determine in the first place: the newborn has a stuffy nose, but there are no snot, or discharge is still present. With the second option it will be a little more difficult.
Chronic nasal congestion
Usually, the period of adaptation of the mucous membranes of the baby's nose to environmental conditions takes no more than 1-2 months. If no improvement has come during this time, you can start talking about possible chronic congestion.
But do not make hasty conclusions yourself! A similar diagnosis is established only after a thorough examination by several specialists. And they, before confirming chronic nasal congestion, will have to exclude other possible causes of the problem. We will talk about them further.
Viral infection or common cold
The newborn has a stuffy nose, fever, does the baby cough? Most likely, he was sick. This means that the appearance of snot is not surprising. As soon as the body crumbs the virus, nasal congestion will disappear.
The help of parents in this case should consist in regular ventilation and humidification of the room, ensuring an adequate amount of drink. If the baby refuses food - no need to force him! This means that while the child’s body has directed all its forces to destroy the virus. A little patience, and everything will return to normal.
Allergy
A stuffy nose in a newborn baby may also be due to allergies. If it was she who caused the problem, parents can observe some other specific symptoms. For example, they include redness of the nose and eyes, frequent sneezing, swelling of the mucous membrane.
In this case, it is important to understand that any way to combat nasal congestion will bring only a temporary result. In order to completely get rid of this type of runny nose, it is necessary to identify and eliminate the allergen, as well as use antihistamines.
Foreign body in the nasal passage
A stuffy nose in a newborn baby may also be due to the ingress of a foreign object into it. Parents need to consider this option. If the guesswork is confirmed, you can try to get this item yourself. In this case, you can use one way that an experienced otolaryngologist shared.
First you need to instill a vasoconstrictor drug in the baby’s nose. After that, cover the other nostril with your finger and inhale sharply into the child's mouth. Such simple manipulations will help to “push out” an object that is deep enough and does not reach improvised means.
If this method did not help, you need to urgently consult a specialist.
Teething
Many parents note that before teething in a child, not only saliva starts to flow, but also snot. This is due to a temporary decrease in immunity.
The only thing that mothers and fathers can do in such a situation is to make sure that the baby does not pick up the virus and wash the baby’s nose.
How to help the baby? Removing snot using an aspirator
So, a newborn baby has a stuffy nose. What to do and whether to take any measures at all?
If it is difficult for the baby to breathe, but there are no snot, nothing needs to be done. The maximum that parents can help is to provide comfortable conditions for the nasal mucosa. The air should be moist and cool.
If the newborn’s nose is very stuffy and there are snot, then the above manipulations will no longer be enough. To alleviate the condition of the crumbs, it is necessary to help him get rid of the mucus accumulated in the nasal passages.
Since young children do not know how to blow their nose, you will have to use a special aspirator.
There are several types of them:
- Nasal aspirator-syringe. Instead, you can use the usual small rubber enema. All that needs to be done is to squeeze the “pear”, cover one nostril with your finger, insert the tip of the aspirator into the baby’s nose and gently squeeze the syringe.
- Mechanical nasal aspirator (tubule). In this case, everything is also very simple and convenient. Mom should simply insert the end of the duct into the baby’s nose and draw in air.
- Electronic nasal aspirator. The principle of its action is similar to the previous version. The only difference is that mom does not need to draw in air herself, just press the button on the aspirator.
- A vacuum aspirator that connects to a vacuum cleaner. In no case do you need to turn on the maximum power!
Nasal lavage
In order for the snot removal process using an aspirator to be painless and bring the desired result, it is additionally necessary to use special preparations based on sea salt. Such funds can be in the form of drops or spray. At the same time, it is important to remember that the second option is not suitable for children younger than 2 months. This is explained by the fact that in such crumbs the nasal and ear passages are too fast to each other, so the use of a spray can lead to otitis media.
There are many drugs based on sea salt that successfully fight stuffy nose in newborns. The most popular tools are:
- "Aquamaris";
- Humer;
- Otrivin;
- "Salin";
- "Marimer";
- "Aqualor".
If for some reason it is not possible to buy special preparations with sea salt, you can use the usual saline solution. As practice shows, it is no less effective. In extreme cases, you can dilute a teaspoon of edible salt in 1 liter of boiled water.
It is allowed to rinse the nose several times a day. It is best to do this before feeding and before going to bed. It is recommended that newborn babies do not rinse the nose, but simply instill 1 drop of saline into each nostril. In the first 2 days from the onset of the disease - every hour, and then - as needed.
Vasoconstrictor drugs
How to treat a stuffy nose in a newborn, if the usual washing does not bring the desired result? In this case, pediatricians usually prescribe the use of special vasoconstrictor drugs. It can be:
- "Rinazolin";
- "Nazosprey";
- "Nazol Baby";
- "Nazivin";
- "Vibrocil."
Typically, vasoconstrictors are approved for use by children over two years of age. Their use for the treatment of babies younger than this age is allowed only after prescribing by a doctor and in the dosage prescribed by him!
Before dripping vasoconstrictor drugs, it is necessary to rinse the baby's nose. Otherwise, the effect of their use will decrease by several times or be completely absent.
Sometimes pediatricians, along with vasoconstrictive drops, recommend the use of antihistamines. The latter can reduce swelling of the nasal mucosa and alleviate the condition of the baby.
What is not worth doing?
If newborns have a stuffy nose, many parents believe that "in war, all means are good." They begin to experience on a child all possible ways to deal with a runny nose. Do not do this! Let the "grandmother" advice on the type of "drip milk, onion juice" into the nose and so on remain in her times. For example, the same milk forms an excellent breeding ground for bacteria. The only thing that can be obtained with this “treatment” is the development of complications.
Also, do not get too carried away using vasoconstrictive drops. They can be used no more than once every 4-5 hours and no more than 3-5 days is unlikely. If during this time no improvement has occurred, you should consult your pediatrician about continuing treatment, adjusting the dose or changing the drug.
It is forbidden to instill antibiotics in the child’s nose!
Possible complications
If the newborn has a stuffy nose, and the parents do not take any measures or carry out the wrong treatment, this threatens the development of complications. Most often, they are coughing and inflammation of the airways. Do not forget that due to the immature immunity of the baby, these symptoms can develop into pneumonia or bronchitis in a matter of days.
Also, there are cases when a runny nose became the cause of inflammation of the middle ear.
Therefore, if parents do not know how to treat snot in a child or are not sure of the correctness of the procedures, it is necessary to seek help from a pediatrician.
Preventative measures
To prevent the onset of a cold in a baby, you need to remember simple preventative measures:
- try not to visit crowded places during the cold season;
- wash your face and hands after the street;
- after visiting public places, irrigate the nasal mucous membranes with saline;
- dress the child according to the weather, make sure that he does not freeze or sweat;
- Do not give up walks in the fresh air.
Of course, compliance with these rules will not give a 100% guarantee that the child will not have a cold. But the likelihood of its occurrence will decrease at times.