Newborn stuffy nose: Causes and treatment

Babies have a stuffy nose, which makes you nervous many times. This is a common, common disease. If you do not know the cause of the disease as well as how to treat it effectively, please join aFamilyToday Health to refer to this article.

It is often difficult for parents to detect that a child younger than 3 years old has a stuffy nose because the symptoms are not always obvious. Babies and toddlers often catch colds because it is time for their bodies to begin building immunity to the common virus. Besides the virus, there are also other causes that can cause a stuffy nose.

What is a stuffy nose?

Nasal congestion is a blocked nasal cavity blocked by mucus, which narrows the flow of air, making it difficult to breathe. This often makes children uncomfortable because at this age they have not learned to breathe through their mouth. A stuffy nose does not cause a runny nose, but it has trouble sleeping and eating.

The cause of a stuffy nose

Before you or your pediatrician decide to treat your baby, you need to know what causes a stuffy nose. Nasal congestion occurs when blood vessels and tissues in the nasal cavity get filled with too much fluid. This can make it difficult for your baby to sleep and lead to problems with a sinus infection (sinusitis).

The common cold is the main cause of nasal congestion in toddlers. Besides, newborn babies with this condition can also be caused by a number of other problems such as:

The flu can sometimes be accompanied by a mild fever or anorexia

Allergies to pollen , house dust, or certain foods

Sinusitis

Changing weather or decreasing air humidity

Irritants such as dust, cigarette smoke  or perfume

Viral diseases (such as colds). Parents should be aware that children can get this disease even in hot weather. In some cases children play in air-conditioned rooms and sweat a stuffy or runny nose

Foreign object in the nose. If this situation is not promptly detected and handled, the child is very prone to suffocating, nosebleed, or even life-threatening.

Newborn nasal congestion is caused by fetal mucus that has not been removed from the child's respiratory tract. Therefore, there is a phenomenon of infants coming home with a stuffy nose

Infants have a stuffy nose and associated symptoms

When babies have a stuffy nose, they will have a few other symptoms such as:

Cough

Sneeze

Runny nose

Snore

Heavy breathing

Fever (if the child has certain respiratory infections ).

How to cure nasal congestion for babies

A stuffy nose, though not too serious, can be very uncomfortable if the baby is sick for a long time. When a baby has a stuffy nose, apply the following methods to completely cure your baby:

1. Use a nasal aspiration machine / tool

If stuffy nose makes your baby uncomfortable, consider using a nasal aspirator (Nasal Aspirator) to get rid of excess mucus. Before smoking, you use a small amount of physiological saline into the child's nose and then wait a few seconds and lay the baby on his side, then press the pump button.

The purpose of saline drops to thin the mucus in the nose, and at the same time clean the area to avoid the inflammation worse. Mother noted that they should not abuse too many times a day because it can irritate the child's nasal mucosa.

2. Saline solution for babies with stuffy nose ¹

Saline saline is an inexpensive, simple, but highly effective solution for nasal congestion. This product has the effect of removing mucus, cleaning the nasal mucosa to help children breathe easier.

Although you can make your own at home, but for the greatest peace of mind, you should choose to buy physiological saline at the pharmacy. Each time using just for the baby to lie on his back and then drip salt water into the two sockets of the child's nose. The frequency of performing this method should be 3 times / day for best results. As with the nasal suction method, you should not do too much because the salt water will dry out your child's nasal discharge.

3. Raise your head while sleeping

When an infant has a stuffy nose, use a pillow or towel to raise the baby's head during sleep. This has the effect of alleviating the above unpleasant symptoms, and also helps the baby fall asleep more easily!

4. Eliminate mucus for babies with stuffy nose

The mucus can harden into a crust around your baby's nose. You can take a cotton ball moistened with warm water and gently wipe off the mucus.

5. Sauna ²

Putting a cool spray or humidifier in the room will greatly improve the nasal congestion in young children. Not only that, this way also helps to increase the humidity of the air in the room.

Besides, you can let your baby take a sauna with you, which also has the same effect. However, you should pay attention to regularly cleaning these devices because they have the potential to cause mold that is extremely unhealthy for the health of both mother and child!

6. Pat your back

A pat on the back can help a baby with a stuffy nose to feel less tight and easier to breathe. Because, this action loosens the stagnant mucus in the baby's chest. There are 2 ways to pat your back as follows:

Method 1. Place the baby on his or her back on your knees and gently pat the back with your hand;

Method 2. Also pat the same way as method 1, but sit your child on your lap and face forward about 30 °.

When do you need to see your baby

The above measures will help improve nasal congestion in children. However, if your child has the following symptoms, you should see your doctor right away:

Frequent high fever;

The mucus in the nose is green or yellow in color;

Children have difficulty breathing or breathing very quickly. If your child is under two years of age and breathes more than 45 times a minute, see the doctor right away;

Children have discomfort in their ears, are at risk of infection;

Rash;

Nasal congestion with swelling of the forehead, eyes, nose, or cheeks;

Nasal congestion for more than 2 weeks;

Difficulty eating or drinking;

The child is fussy or painful.

Prevent stuffy nose in young children

Here are some tips to help prevent nasal congestion in young children:

1. Keep your home clean

If you are allergic to certain substances, keep your baby away from them. You should also keep your home clean in ways such as:

Do not smoke indoors

Keep the carpet clean, dust-free

Regularly clean the air conditioner

Leave the pet in another space away from the baby

Close windows if your child is allergic to pollen.

2. Add more water to babies with a stuffy nose

Regular replenishment of water will help comfort babies with a stuffy nose. In addition, drinking plenty of water also helps to reduce congestion in the nasal cavity.

Baby should drink warm water.

If you don't like drinking water, try giving your baby juice or soup.

Through the above sharing, you have more useful information about nasal congestion in young children. Although this is a common and not dangerous disease, it will make children feel uncomfortable if not treated early and thoroughly.

aFamilyToday Health does not offer medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.