In newborns, the nasal passages are much narrower than in older children. In this regard, sniffling and nasal congestion is often observed. These physiological symptoms disappear as the child grows up.
The respiratory system is equipped with a natural self-cleaning mechanism. In the nasal passages there are small villi that retain the incoming particles from the outside and prevent them from penetrating further. They promote the movement of accumulated mucus outward. The outermost hairs, which are longer in structure, cause tickling sensations and a reflex reaction - sneezing.
At the slightest irritation, a newborn may develop rhinitis (inflammation of the nasal mucosa) and a runny nose (snot). The release of exudate from the nasal passages in children is a protective reaction of the body.
Mucous discharge appears when:
- an allergic reaction to an irritant (plants, fluff, dust, animal hair, medicines);
- a sharp change in temperature (moving from cold to warm), the secretion of mucus passes on its own after a certain period of time after the temperature adaptation of the nasal receptors;
- rhinitis of a cold nature (provoked by banal hypothermia after excessive wrapping);
- rhinitis of viral or bacterial origin as a secondary symptom (with weakened immunity); teething.
How to properly clean a newborn's nose
Newborn babies are not yet able to fully breathe through the mouth and blow their nose. But according to the recommendations of Olga Vasilievna Parshikova, a pediatrician, it is worth clearing a newborn's nose only if there are obvious crusts or discharge. Do not “just in case” or “just in case” clean your nose.
Excessively frequent washing of the nasal cavity unnecessarily in the absence of discharge can lead to swelling of the mucous membrane and the development of secondary rhinitis. Observe the measure!
At home, use nasal aspirators (nasal aspirators). Before using them, read the instructions in detail and carefully. The general requirements are to prevent injury to the mucous membrane. Mom's actions should be calm and confident. How often a newborn's nose should be cleaned will tell you the degree of its congestion. Repeat the procedure as needed, but do not overdo it.
You should not panic at the slightest appearance of a minor runny nose in children. Assess the health of your child soberly.
If the temperature is normal, do not rush to use antibacterial agents.
Start with a simple rinse of your nose and clear up any congestion from mucus.
The basic principles of how to properly clean a newborn's nose include several rules:
- The age of the child and the degree of congestion in the nasal passages are taken into account.
- For infants (1 - 12 months), pediatricians recommend cleaning the nose by instilling drops. Drops are presented by a number of pharmacy products: Aquamaris, Aqualor, Dolphin.
- Do not use oily liquids or sprays when cleaning newborns' nose.
You can prepare a saline solution at home, which will be quite effective. The recipe for the 0.9% solution: dissolve 1 teaspoon of kitchen (iodized) salt in 1 liter of warm or cooled boiled water, strain. A solution of room temperature or slightly warm is used.
Before mechanical cleaning to soften the crusts, instill 2-3 drops in each nostril alternately (do not drip into both at once). Turn the baby's head to the side of the instilled nostril for improved fluid outflow. Example: drip into the right nostril, turn the head to the right side.
It is not recommended for newborns to use oily solutions as a cleansing agent, even if there are crusts.
Firstly, the funds can cause an allergic reaction, and secondly, the degree of hydration by them is not high, and the blockage of the nasal canal, which is already thin, is significant. Do not use medicinal products in the form of a spray for children under 6 months of age. The spray is ideal for children one year of age and older. When using the spray for newborns, you can only wet a cotton tourniquet, but you should not inject the medicine directly ("puff) into the child's nose." This is fraught with the ingress of funds into the Eustachian tube, irritation and the development of secondary otitis media (Eustachitis). Before clearing the nose of a newborn from snot, mom needs to prepare a little.
All the means that will be used should be prepared:
- a pipette, a bottle with an obsessed, a syringe without a needle (choose a tool that is convenient for you);
- medicinal pharmacy solution or physiological solution, prepared in advance at home;
- several cotton pads, tampons - flagella and napkins.
The child can be laid on the table or held in your lap. Put a few drops in one, then in the other nostril one by one. The amount of solution is considered sufficient if mucus is excreted or the solution returns back. The procedure can be repeated several times. Gently remove the remnants of mucus or crusts with a swab - tourniquet.
In case of catarrhal - serous discharge (watery - transparent snot) should be washed 4 - 5 times a day.
With the aggravation of the inflammatory process and the transition of exudate into a serous - purulent form (yellowish - green snot), it is advisable to consult a pediatrician, even without the presence of other visible signs of the disease. If within 2 to 3 days the amount of snot does not decrease, but rather increases, the newborn has an increase in body temperature, call a doctor immediately. Do not self-medicate to avoid complications. It is necessary to prevent the spread of the inflammatory process to the lower upper respiratory tract. It is allowed and necessary to carry out the debridement of the nose and further. But the doctor will tell you how to clean the newborn's nose and what anti-microbial drugs may be needed.
What to clean
So, how to clean the nose of a newborn? Here, the pediatricians agree: exclusively with cotton swabs - tourniquets, but in no case with sticks for the nose or ears. Why? The answer is simple - the surface of the nasal passage is so delicate that even with a slight arbitrary turn of the head, the mucous membrane is injured.
Each mother, after several attempts at twisting the cotton flagella with her own hand, will be able to quickly learn how to clean the nose of a newborn from snot. You need to take a small amount of cotton or half a cotton pad and roll it up.
Correctly twisted cotton filament has a cone shape (avoid a thin and dense rope along its entire length). Insert gently with a thin tip into the child's nostril, scrolling slightly. After the introduction of rotary movements into the nasal passage, remove the thin flagellum outward along with the mucus. The procedure is carried out quickly, avoiding excessive friction of the mucous membrane (2 - 3 rotational movements) and, if necessary, repeat several times.
What determines the success of treatment
With allergic, viral, bacterial rhinitis, complex treatment is indispensable, which will include mechanical cleaning of the nose in newborns and the use of medicines (antibacterial, antiviral, immunomodulating, antiallergic and others).
Only a pediatrician can prescribe nasal drops, since most drugs have a vasoconstrictor effect, which leads to additional overdrying of the mucous membrane.
They are effective for serous - catarrhal (watery) discharge, sometimes even necessary to prevent the development of sinusitis. But their use requires regular moisturizing of the nasal cavity. To moisturize the nasal mucosa, use saline, instilling 2 - 3 drops in both nostrils every hour and a half. Not to be confused with rinsing the nose, which requires more fluid and less treatment frequency. At high room temperature and low humidity, it is difficult to get rid of a cold quickly. The optimum room temperature is from 18 ° C to 22 ° C with a relative humidity of 50 - 75%.
Dry air (23 ° C and above) is harmful to the nose, since it deprives the mucous membrane of natural moisture and dries it up, which contributes to the development of the inflammatory process.
The child has discomfort in the nose in the form of burning, dryness. The protective properties of the nasal membrane are reduced, which contributes to the penetration of pathogenic microorganisms and the occurrence of diseases.
Walking in the fresh air helps to naturally moisturize the mucous membrane and remove microorganisms from the nose with mucus. It is advisable to walk with your child several times a day, especially if it is not possible to control the temperature in the room during the heating season (with central heating). During sleep or in the absence of the child, the room should be ventilated. The only contraindication to walking in the fresh air is an acute course of the disease with an increase in body temperature.
The success of the treatment will depend on the timeliness of the eliminated cause that caused the rhinitis, the state of the immune status of the newborn child, the correctly selected method and means of treating the common cold, and the microclimate conditions of the room in which the child is located.
