Treatment of the common cold in an infant

The body of children under 1 year of age (the chest period) is more susceptible to various diseases than older children, and very often parents are faced with the common cold in their child. The mucous membrane of the nose of babies is very sensitive, so respiratory diseases are almost inevitable. The main causes of the common cold in newborn babies are viruses, allergies, inflammatory processes. But, and at the same time, in children under 2.5 months of age, the presence of dwarfs does not indicate a child’s disease at all. Immediately after birth, at first it’s very “dry” in the inner cavity of the nose, then it becomes too “wet” - this is a normal process of adapting the body to external conditions, this is physiological runny nose. In infants, the full work of the mucous membrane begins after 10 weeks of life, so sputum in the nose is a physiological and natural process. It is not necessary to treat it. It is important to recognize it and you just need to provide comfortable air in the room of the newborn. Let's take a closer look at the types of runny nose and how to help your child breathe normally.

Types and causes of the common cold

A runny nose for a baby is very tiring, because the baby still cannot breathe through the mouth, the nasal passages are narrow, and the swollen mucous membrane of the nose makes it difficult to fully breathe. When a child’s nose is blocked, he eats poorly, sleeps poorly, and is naughty. In the early days, a runny nose is accompanied by profuse watery discharge from the nose, an increase in temperature (mainly with colds or hypothermia) and lasts up to 2 weeks. With severe runny nose around the nose and upper lip, swelling and irritation may occur.

Symptoms

The main symptoms are snot 🙂

• Profuse watery discharge from the nose.
• Deterioration of the general condition of the child, the appearance of temperature from 37ºС is possible.
• When there is a stuffy nose or a runny nose, the baby refuses the breast (from the bottle), begins to take frequent breaks when sucking.
• Shortness of breath appears and normal breathing is disturbed.
• If the runny nose has an allergic nature, in addition to watery discharge, sneezing attacks, itching in the nose, redness of the eyes appear.
• Babies involuntarily pull handles to their nose, rubbing it.
• The child has a disturbed rhythm of life (sleep, wakefulness and nutrition).

Runny nose may be:

• Physiological. At the beginning of the article they said that this is a natural process of the body.
• Infectious or viral. The causes of the disease are bacterial or viral infections. Sapelki is a protective reaction of an organism to a viral infection.
• Allergic. It is caused by various allergen substances (dust, products (if the child is on hepatitis B, then everything that the mother eats, gets the milk with the baby), for flowering plants, household chemicals, etc.). At the same time, there is not only a runny nose, but also tearing of the eyes.
• Vasomotor. It occurs due to the presence of problems with the vessels of the nasal mucous membranes (in infants is quite rare).

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How and how to treat a runny nose in infants

We treat a physiological and infectious (viral) runny nose

1. As already mentioned at the beginning of the article, a physiological runny nose in an infant does not require special treatment. Viral rhinitis is a natural reaction of the body that helps the nasopharynx cope with the virus or bacteria. The main treatment is to prevent the mucus from drying out. This requires maintaining the room optimum temperature and humidity no more than 22 degrees (you can maintain humidity using ordinary cups with water, spray from a spray bottle, use special humidifiers, put an aquarium).
2. Moisturize the nasal mucosa with normal saline (or normal saline): at the rate of 1 teaspoon of salt (preferably sea. If there is no sea, use ordinary boiling water) in 1 liter of warm boiled water. Instill 1 drop in each nostril. (READ THE ARTICLE: how to dig in the nose of a child). IMPORTANT! saline (purchased or homemade) use only as drops, as washing can not be used!
3. Calendula or Yarrow herbs: 1 teaspoon per glass of water in a water bath. Cool and instill in the baby half a pipette into each nostril.
4. If the runny nose is strong, then clean the baby’s nose from crusts and thick mucus with a special small enema to remove the snot (sold at any pharmacy.) You can use the usual “pear”. There are special nasal aspirators. Or very carefully remove the mucus with baby cotton swabs. (See article how to clean the nose of a newborn baby different ways)
5. Drop in breast milk. In the composition of breast milk there are substances that will help protect the baby’s mucosa from “harmful” microbes.
6. You can drip droplets of Aquamaris (based on sea water).
7. A decoction of chamomile helps (if the child does not have allergies to it).
8. Bathe a newborn in medicinal herbs. A bathtub with calendula, sage and yarrow. We take 25 g of herbs, brew and leave in a thermos for 2 hours. The resulting broth is poured into a bath with a water temperature of not more than 37 degrees.
9. The most common folk remedy for treating the common cold in infants is to drip freshly squeezed beet or carrot juice into the nose, half diluted with water or olive or vegetable sunflower oil.
10. Another folk remedy is to drip sea buckthorn oil into the nose.
11. You can drip aloe juice or Kalanchoe. Juice must be diluted with boiled water, 1 part juice 10 parts water. Bury 5 times a day.
12. Breathe in eucalyptus oil. Pour water into the aroma lamp and drip 5-10 drops of eucalyptus oil, heat and leave in the room for 15-20 minutes, the child will breathe in pairs.
13. Lubricate places of irritation with baby cream.

Allergic rhinitis

With an allergic rhinitis, swelling of the nasal mucosa occurs and only a doctor can prescribe treatment!

Prevention of a runny nose caused by an allergy - to exclude contact of the baby with the allergen: do wet cleaning more often, you need to abandon the use of household chemicals, for example, carpet cleaners, polishes, cleaning powders and gels, air fresheners, wash clothes only with phosphate-free baby powders or simple soap (see how to wash baby things) To ensure clean and humid air in the room, use a humidifier, a vacuum cleaner with a water filter, a salt lamp, an ionizer.

Remedies for the common cold for the smallest

• Nasal drops for babies from the first days of life: Aquamaris, Aqualor, Nazivin, Vibrocil, Dr. IOM, Salin and Pinasol.
• Warming ointments and tinctures: ointment of calendula, St. John's wort, Vitaon, pulmex baby (lubricate the feet), Dr. IOM (lubricate the feet).
• Aromatherapy: thuja oil (put 2 drops per glass of boiling water to evaporate in the room with the baby); Tea Delaw Oil (from 6 months, 1 drop per pillow at bedtime).

What a baby should not do when treating a cold

• You can not rinse the nose with enemas, pears and other pumping devices;
• Do not bury antibiotics;
• Do not suck snot from the inner areas of the nose;
• Vasoconstrictor drugs only as directed by your doctor.

In some cases, medical attention may be needed if:

• The child's breath became wheezing;
• Redness of the throat is observed with a runny nose;
• The child refuses food and begins to lose weight;
• Suspect headaches in a child;
• Bloody discharge from the nose;
• Runny nose lasts longer than a week;
• If the baby is 3-6 months old. temperature is below normal;
• If the baby has a temperature of 40 ° C does not decrease, but continues to grow.

We treat a runny nose!

• The 5 best drugs for the treatment of the common cold in children from 0 to 5 years;
• 10 effective folk remedies for the common cold in children.

Video consultation: how to treat a runny nose in an infant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fIBnajW_Fc

School of Dr. Komarovsky: Runny nose and colds

Actress Anastasia Basha asked Dr. Komarovsky about runny nose - where does it come from, how and how it is treated, how dangerous it is ... It’s obvious that it’s impossible to avoid a runny nose, but it’s possible to make childhood, snotty all the time, become childhood, snotty episodically, and these episodes will be short, easy, rare. We are listening to the doctor’s recommendations!