Children, due to the relative weakness of their immunity, often suffer from a runny nose. Rhinitis can be called one of the most common childhood ailments. Sometimes the disease has obvious causes, but sometimes the nose “blocks up” in a child who is outwardly completely healthy, and apart from impaired nasal breathing, there are no other complaints. Be that as it may, parents want to help the baby as soon as possible. It is not always possible to see a doctor, because clinics are closed on weekends and holidays. It is not customary to call an ambulance with complaints of a runny nose.

Prescribing medications to a child on your own is unsafe and risky, especially if we are talking about a small toddler. Parents can come to the aid of folk remedies that help get rid of a runny nose quite quickly.

Why does a runny nose appear?

A runny nose (rhinitis) is difficult to consider as an independent disease; it is usually a manifestation of a variety of disorders in the body. The nose stops breathing partially or completely due to inflammation of the mucous membranes of this organ. Most often, this is a consequence of resistance to pathogens and viruses.

As you know, viruses enter the body mainly through the respiratory system. The nose is the first line of defense; most often, invading viruses manage to pass further - into the nasopharynx, into the larynx. Inflammation of the mucous membrane in this case is an attempt by the body not to let the harmful agent pass further.

The episode of Dr. Komarovsky’s program about the causes and methods of treating children’s runny nose can be seen in the following video.

But several people inhale the same influenza virus through airborne droplets. But not everyone gets sick. Whether a runny nose starts or not depends not only on the state of the baby’s immunity. The development of rhinitis is greatly facilitated by various factors, such as dusty or polluted air, hypothermia.

There is another type of runny nose - non-infectious. This includes nasal congestion due to allergies (allergic rhinitis) and vasomotor rhinitis (associated with disturbances in the processes in the autonomic nervous system). They arise somewhat differently, as a result of narrowing of the lumen of blood vessels during a reaction to an antigen or vascular nervous pathology.

Acute rhinitis - occurs as a reaction to a virus (less often to bacteria). With it, the swelling of the mucous membranes is quite strong, and it affects both halves of the nose. With it, the child may experience increased lacrimation, redness of the wings of the nose and the release of liquid mucus; people say “running nose”.

If such a runny nose is treated incorrectly or not treated at all, after 3-4 weeks the process will become chronic. With it, the nose will remain stuffy for a long time, the child’s sense of smell will noticeably decrease, the discharge from liquid turns into thick, sometimes purulent, the mucous membrane sometimes dries out, and crusts form in the nasal passages.

Nasal breathing disorders in children occur due to various diseases:

• ARVI and influenza.
• Scarlet fever.
• Measles.
• Allergy.
• Vegetovascular dystonia.
• Proliferation of the palatine tonsil (adenoids).
• Other diseases.

A runny nose in a child can be mild, or it can be accompanied by fever, loss of appetite, headaches and severe general weakness. It is impossible to predict exactly what symptoms will accompany rhinitis; everything is purely individual.

When are traditional methods not enough?

A runny nose in itself does not pose a danger to a child. But its consequences can be quite serious. These are sinusitis, sinusitis, meningitis, inflammatory processes in the inner ear, and as a result - complete or partial hearing loss, encephalitis and a number of other unpleasant diagnoses. Therefore, there are some indications for immediate consultation with a doctor if you have rhinitis:

• If your child's nasal discharge is gray-green or green in color and has a very unpleasant odor. This may indicate a severe bacterial infection. This condition requires prompt prescription of antibiotics.
• If, in addition to a runny nose, the child has pain in the frontal region, under the eyes, in the area of ​​the paranasal sinuses. This may be a symptom of sinusitis, inflammation of the hearing organs. A child in this situation does not need onion drops in the nose, but serious therapy with the use of antimicrobial agents, hormonal and anti-inflammatory drugs.
• If, after a head injury or fall, the child’s nose is stuffy and a thin, clear discharge appears, you should urgently take him to the hospital! Such symptoms may indicate a disturbance in brain activity; this condition requires prompt examination and hospitalization.
• If blood is noticeable in the mucus discharged by a child with a runny nose, ichor or clots. This may indicate the traumatic nature of rhinitis, a foreign body in the respiratory system, and the baby needs to be examined as soon as possible.

Effective folk remedies

In most cases of acute infectious rhinitis, a child can be quite effectively helped using alternative medicine.

Fresh vegetable juices

The most popular way to quickly relieve nasal congestion is to give your child onion juice. To do this, you need to grate the onion on a fine grater, squeeze out the pulp using a piece of gauze, and dilute the resulting juice in half with saline or boiled water. You can drip the onion preparation from 2 to 6 times a day.

This recipe is not suitable for children under 2 years of age, since onion juice, even diluted, acts quite aggressively and can cause burns to the delicate mucous membranes of children. For children over 5-6 years old, you can add a little honey to the onion drops, this will have an additional anti-inflammatory effect.

Children under 2 years old can use beet or carrot juice in their nose with caution. To do this, using a juicer or a fine grater and a piece of gauze, you need to squeeze out the juice, dilute it with boiled water in half and drop 1-2 drops into each nasal passage up to 5 times a day. When instilled, infants may choke; it is better for them to place small cotton wool pads soaked in beetroot juice in both nasal passages.

Oil mixtures

A good effect for a runny nose is provided by drugs that will have a gentle effect on the nasal passages. These include mixtures that include oil - sunflower, linseed, vaseline.

A popular recipe is based on mixing finely chopped 2-3 cloves of garlic with 30 ml of sunflower oil. You need to infuse the drug for at least 10-12 hours, then strain and drop 1-2 drops into the child’s nose 3 times a day. This recipe should not be used to treat rhinitis in children under 6-7 years of age.

Another effective way to relieve nasal congestion is based on sea buckthorn oil mixed with calendula juice. This recipe can be used even by small children who have not yet turned 3 years old. The ingredients are mixed in half. The resulting oil mixture does not need to be dripped into the nose; it is enough to soak cotton swabs in it, which are placed in the nasal passages for half an hour. The procedure is repeated 3 times a day.

Children over five years old can drop a mixture of two oils - thyme and olive - into their nose. Proportions -1:1. You need to drip 2 times a day, 2-3 drops in each nostril.

Plants

Among indoor plants that can quickly cope with a runny nose, the leader is aloe. The juice of this plant has an antimicrobial effect, softens the mucous membrane, and relieves swelling. To prepare the drops, you need to cut off one fleshy aloe leaf and squeeze the juice out of it. Mix the resulting liquid with a drop of honey and drop it into the child’s nose once a day, preferably before bedtime.

St. John's wort will come to the aid of a child who is overcome by a runny nose. The dry collection of this medicinal plant (1 teaspoon) should be mixed with a glass of boiled water and boiled in a water bath for a quarter of an hour. Cool, strain through several layers of gauze. Drop the liquid into the nose of a child aged two years and older no more than 4 times a day.

Warming up

Freshly cooked millet porridge should be cooled to a warm state, small balls should be formed from it, placed in a cloth and applied to the maxillary sinuses area. Some recipes use a boiled chicken egg instead of porridge. They carefully “roll out” the area of ​​the nose, sinuses, and forehead above the bridge of the nose.

Inhalations

Inhaling the vapors of medicinal herbs and essential oils allows you to quickly cope with a runny nose. The most effective procedures are based on pine and eucalyptus oils, fir oil. Sage, chamomile, and calendula are excellent raw materials for inhalation. Inhalation can be carried out over a container with a hot decoction of herbs, to which a few drops of oil are added. But it’s better if you have a special device at home for such purposes - an inhaler or nebulizer. This way there will be no fear that the child will get burns to the mucous membranes of the respiratory organs if he inhales too much.

Rinse

You can use regular salt to rinse your nose when you have a runny nose. To do this, a tablespoon of salt should be dissolved in a half-liter container of boiled water. You should rinse your nasal passages with saline solution several times a day, this will relieve swelling and restore nasal breathing.

The danger of self-medication

Parents, even very attentive ones, who are carried away by preparing nasal drops from vegetables and fruits, may not notice important clinical manifestations when the nature of the runny nose begins to change. Thus, they may not notice the transition to a new stage in time, which will then affect the timing of treatment of a runny nose in a child, because doctors will have to treat severe complications of ordinary rhinitis using completely traditional methods.

Often, a mother persistently treats her child’s runny nose, but there is no reaction to any medications.

The fact is that diagnosing allergic rhinitis at home on your own is quite difficult. And vegetable juices in the nose will only increase swelling of the respiratory system, since they also contain allergens. What can we say about drops with honey!

What not to do

• You should not carry out any heating if there is purulent discharge from the nose and suspected sinusitis. Heat in this situation can aggravate the problem, the inflammation will only intensify. Also, warming up is strictly contraindicated at elevated body temperatures.
• You cannot blindly trust all the recipes for a runny nose published on the Internet by “knowledgeable” people. Thus, mothers who advise others to wash their children’s noses from the inside with laundry soap for rhinitis are risking the health of their child. Laundry soap, coming into contact with inflamed mucous membranes, irritates them and provokes further spread of infection.
• The positive effect of the laundry soap that they write about can, with a stretch, be explained by the same irritating effect. Soap causes the baby to sneeze; during this reflex, the mucus moves away faster. However, then the congestion will certainly return, and the runny nose may become even worse.
• When placing turunda and cotton balls with medicine in the baby’s nose, you should not make them too small, so that the baby does not accidentally inhale them.

Adviсe

• Before instilling any products into the nose, you should prepare the mucous membrane, after pre-rinsing. Only then can you drip the prepared drug, both medicinal and folk.
• If a child often suffers from a runny nose, you need to pay attention to the air condition in the apartment, where he lives. Perhaps it is too dry; the mucous membrane inside the nose dries out and inflammation begins. Ventilate the house more often, do wet cleaning, and humidify the air. To do this, you can buy a humidifier or regularly hang wet towels over the radiators. The best indicators for children's health are as follows: air temperature is about 19 degrees, humidity is about 60%.
• When treating a child with a runny nose, you need to provide him with plenty of warm drinks. This is necessary so that the mucous membranes of the nose, already inflamed, dry out less.
• A child's runny nose is not a reason to refuse walks. In any weather, even in the rain (under an umbrella), you can take short walks outside, since fresh air is very important for restoring breathing through the nose.
• You should not limit your child’s movement. If he wants, let him run and jump; active movements improve blood supply to the body, including the nasal mucosa.
• When treating allergic rhinitis, folk remedies are undesirable, almost all of them can also be allergens. It is important to eliminate the main antigen; for this it is better to go to the hospital, where they will do a special test (nasal swab).
• Vasomotor rhinitis should not be treated with folk remedies, since its causes lie in vascular nervous disorders, it will be better if, with this form of runny nose, the child receives therapy under the supervision of a doctor.

Before you start treating your baby for a runny nose with folk remedies, especially if he is not yet 1 year old, consult a doctor, because even harmless, at first glance, herbal preparations that you prepare yourself can harm the child.

At the age of 3, the child communicates a lot and begins to go to kindergarten. Therefore, infectious diseases are inevitable. They are often accompanied by runny nasal discharge. How to treat a runny nose in a 3-year-old child?

Causes and symptoms

Most often, a runny nose in children 3 years old occurs as a result of a cold. Microbes, penetrating the respiratory tract, settle on the surface of the mucous membrane and their numbers increase sharply. Snot is the immune system's response to an infection. In addition to pathogens, other factors also cause a runny nose:

• Foreign object (small part of a toy, etc.).
• Pathology of the nasal septum - curvature after injury or congenital defect.
• Allergic reaction.
• Severe stress.

The disease goes through different stages from beginning to end and lasts from a week to 10 or more days. It can vary in severity and become more complicated in the absence of proper treatment.

Symptoms of a runny nose are immediately noticeable and easy to identify. First of all:

• Mucus is discharged from the nose, sometimes profusely. At the age of three years, a baby can blow his nose out on his own; if not, he needs help with a special device.
• The nose does not allow air to pass through well, as the mucous membrane becomes inflamed and swollen. Consequently, it becomes difficult to breathe, especially at night.
• The skin on and around the nose turns red. Firstly, from swelling, and secondly, with frequent use of a handkerchief or napkin, irritation of the skin occurs.
• Cough. Due to the fact that the infection enters not only the nose, but also the respiratory tract, a cough occurs. It can be dry or moist with slight mucus discharge.
• Chills, increased body temperature. As the body fights infection, the temperature increases, sometimes up to 38 degrees.
• Decreased appetite. With a cold, the child’s general well-being worsens, including appetite.

It is necessary to treat a runny nose in children 3 years of age. The baby is developing rapidly, a constantly stuffy nose affects the formation of facial bones. Frequent infections weaken the immune system and negatively affect hematopoiesis and the functioning of internal organs.

How to treat?

To make a runny nose go away faster, create the necessary conditions to improve the baby’s condition.

• In the room where the child spends most of the time, maintain the temperature between 18-23 degrees.
• Use a special humidifier to prevent the mucous membrane in your nose from drying out.
• When going to bed, place a pillow so that your head is higher and mucus does not accumulate in the nasal cavities.
• Starting from the age of 2, children should be taught to clean their nose properly. You need to blow your nose out one at a time, from each nostril. Otherwise, nasal swelling will worsen.
• Teach your child not to leave mucus in the nose or suck it in. This way the infection gets deeper into the body and affects more organs.
• Make sure that handkerchiefs or napkins are clean.
• Give more warm liquid. If the baby does not want water, then alternate tea and fruit juice, cook compote or liquid jelly.
• Try not to create a stressful environment. During this period, children are very vulnerable and react painfully to criticism or scolding. Play with them often and be patient. Then the disease will recede faster.

Success in the treatment of any disease depends on timely intervention. Don’t delay going to the doctor, it won’t go away on its own. Procrastination can result in a chronic form of the disease or serious complications.

Get rid of a runny nose with inhalation

There are many ways to combat rhinitis. One of them is inhalation. 3 years is the age when you can use various types of inhalers. They come in different types and forms. For example, a nebulizer. Easy to use:

• Place the required amount of inhalation solution or medicine in a special container; you can use mineral water.
• Put a mask on your child.
• Plug it into the network.
• The baby breathes steam for several minutes. At this time, the necessary components of the medicine enter the infected areas and eliminate microbes and the inflammatory process. The mucous membranes are moisturized and their functions are restored as soon as possible.

Such inhalations are carried out 1-2 times a day. Among the advantages: ease of use, efficiency. The disadvantages of a nebulizer include cost and noise. If the relatively high price pays off, then the noise may frighten a small child.

Drugs in drops

Most often, to cure snot in a child, special medications are used in drops. There are many types and names of them. Depending on the diagnosis, the following are used:

• Vasoconstrictor;
• Antibacterial;
• Antiseptic;
• Moisturizing.

Ask your pediatrician exactly what medications your child needs. Self-medication is strictly prohibited, since it is dangerous to use medications without a doctor’s recommendation. However, you can familiarize yourself with those that are most often used and have lasting positive results.

There are a huge number of drugs in drops that cure rhinitis in modern medicine. Of these, only a few are recommended for children over 3 years of age. For example:

• Otrivin;
• Snoop;
• Tizin for children.

Otrivin

Moisturizing, vasoconstrictor. The active element is xylometazoline. Used to treat all types of runny nose. Relieves swelling, facilitates mucus evacuation.

You can treat a runny nose in children with this drug 2 times a day. It is necessary to instill 1 or 2 drops. If Otrivin is taken uncontrolled for a long time, side effects are possible. They are expressed in the form:

• Nausea;
• Headache;
• Increased dryness in the nasal cavity;
• Redness;
• Itching;
• Deterioration of vision;
• Tachycardia;
• Allergies.

Contraindications to the use of the medicine apply only to those who are very sensitive to it, as well as to children who have undergone brain surgery. For children 3 years of age, only drops are recommended; sprays are allowed from 6 years of age.

Snoop

Vasoconstrictor medicine for the common cold for children. The active ingredient is xylometazoline hydrochloride. Quickly, within 3 minutes, eliminates swelling, inflammation, and irritation of the nasal mucosa. Used to treat runny nose from colds and allergies. Helps cope with complications after illness and other forms of diseases of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses.

You can cure a runny nose in a child by instilling Snoop 3 times a day, 1 drop, in some cases the dose is doubled. Among the side effects, you should pay attention to:

• Depression;
• Vomiting;
• Visual impairment;
• Arrhythmia;
• Increased symptoms;
• Paresthesia;
• Headache;
• Problems with the cardiovascular system.

It is contraindicated to use the drug if the child is intolerant to it. The same applies to brain surgery. For children under 6 years old, it is advisable to choose drops with a percentage of 0.05%.

Tizin for children

Adrenomimetic, that is, a vasoconstrictor. The active ingredient is tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride. Does not accumulate in the body. Effectively eliminates inflammation of the mucous membrane and swelling. Helps remove snot faster. Used in the treatment of various diseases of the nasal cavity, including complications after a runny nose.

Treatment of runny nose in three year old children with Tizin is carried out 3 times a day, a few drops. If rhinitis is complicated, the dose can be increased. The drug is contraindicated for:

• Glaucoma;
• High sensitivity to the drug;
• Taking antidepressants and tranquilizers;
• Children under 2 years old.

Side effects appear only if the doctor’s recommendations are not followed and use is prolonged. Expressed as:

• Nervous disorders;
• Disorders of the cardiovascular system;
• Burning sensation.

When using vasoconstrictor drugs, you must remember that there is no point in using them for a long time and often. This only harms the child's health. If no positive changes are visible within a week, then you need to change the drug or treatment regimen, after consulting with your pediatrician.

Getting rid of rhinitis with ointments

In addition to liquid medications, special ointments containing natural essential oils can be used to treat a runny nose. Advantages - do not accumulate in the blood, are effective, safe, and have a long-lasting effect. As an alternative to solutions, you can try the following ointments:

• Dr. MOM;
• Balm Golden Star.

Ointment Doctor MOM

Anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antimicrobial agent. The composition includes oils - eucalyptus, menthol, nutmeg. Additionally contains camphor and thymol. Relieves neuralgic pain, eliminates inflammation and swelling, fights pathogenic flora. Clears nasal cavities of mucus. It is used to treat many diseases, including being used as a remedy for the common cold.

To get rid of rhinitis, it is enough to lubricate the wings of the nose and the area above the upper lip with a small amount of the product 3-4 times a day. Side effects rarely occur in the form of a skin reaction or bronchospasms. It is contraindicated to use the ointment if you have bronchial asthma, an allergy to it, or if there are lesions on the skin.

Balm “Golden Star”

Distracting, irritating, analgesic, anti-inflammatory. The composition of the ointment is a storehouse of essential oils. Among them:

• Cinnamon;
• Clove;
• Mint;
• Eucalyptus.

Additionally contains camphor and menthol. Used to treat respiratory diseases, neuralgia, headaches. It is successfully used to treat runny nose in children 3 years and older.

To eliminate rhinitis, lubricate the nose and under it with a small amount of balm 3 times a day. The ointment is contraindicated in case of serious pathologies of the bronchi and damage to the skin areas where the product is applied. Side effects include dermatitis.

Before using any drug, consult your doctor. Use the ointment only when it is recommended for your child.

Traditional methods

Eucalyptus grass.

Perhaps in ancient times they did not think about how to cure a runny nose, but used their own methods. Some of the most effective ones have survived to this day and are successfully used at home. A 3-year-old child will not be harmed by:

• Decoction of eucalyptus leaves. For a glass of water - 50 grams of raw materials. Boil, cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and wait until it cools. Instill a few drops of warm broth 4-5 times a day. Promotes the evacuation of snot, relieves inflammation of the mucous membrane. A contraindication may be the high sensitivity of the child’s body to the drug.
• A solution of table or sea salt. For a glass of water, half a teaspoon of the main ingredient. Instill the warm mixture a few drops at a time every hour. Promotes rapid removal of mucus and fights germs. There are no contraindications.
• Natural oils, often essential (mint, eucalyptus, fir) or fatty (olive, sea buckthorn, vaseline). Esters are diluted with water in a 1:1 ratio and applied to the nose and the area above the upper lip or 2 drops are instilled into the nose several times a day. Fatty oils do not need to be diluted. Lubricate the nasal cavity if excessive dryness occurs. The use of oils is not recommended if you are allergic to them.

The treatment method that you choose for your child is guaranteed to help only with the right and reasonable approach. Without the pediatrician's approval, treatment will be useless or, worse, cause irreparable harm to the baby.

Many parents are faced with this problem - how to treat a child’s runny nose if it literally haunts the baby? We haven’t even had time to register for preschool, and I’m already overcome with a runny nose. We just had treatment and a few days later the nose began to run again. People with a sniffling nose are not allowed into the garden. So how can you get rid of this annoying disease, and why does this happen?

The disease does not lag behind, first of all, because the baby’s immune system is not yet formed (final formation occurs by the age of 10). In addition, it is necessary to take into account the fact that in a group of 20-30 children, the concentration of viruses and bacteria is very high. The emotional stress associated with a change of environment should not be discounted.

First aid

Before treating a child’s runny nose with medications or folk remedies, try to alleviate the baby’s condition using available methods:

• If the baby feels unwell and begins to sniffle, take immediate action and provide the baby with bed or semi-bed rest. It’s easier to sit at home for 1-2 days and stop the disease at an early stage than to cure a child’s runny nose, which has become protracted, accompanied by fever, cough and other “cold delights”,
• Place a pillow under the child’s shoulders and head so that the head and upper body are at an angle of 45° relative to the bed and the baby can lie comfortably. This will allow the mucus that has formed in the nose to separate more easily, which will make breathing much easier,
• give plenty of warm drinks– tea with raspberry jam or with currants, cranberries, sea buckthorn. These berries are famous for their high content of vitamin C, which successfully fights viral infections. They also have an anti-inflammatory effect and can strengthen the immune system. A child of two to four years old needs to drink up to 1 liter of liquid per day,
• You can also give heated alkaline mineral water (non-carbonated) - viruses die in an alkaline environment. To do this, it is better to buy such water at the pharmacy. Drinking plenty of fluids facilitates the passage of nasal mucus and reduces intoxication of the body caused by the activity of viruses and bacteria,
• Provide your baby with dietary nutrition - reduce the amount of meat and fat. Digesting heavy meat foods requires a lot of energy and enzymes, and the body of a sick child needs strength to fight a cold.

Moisturizing the nasal mucous membranes

It is very important to prevent mucus from drying out in your nose. Since this can completely upset nasal breathing. Therefore, it is necessary to moisturize the nasal passages with saline solution. It is quite easy to prepare such a solution at home:

• dissolve ¼ tbsp in a glass of boiled water. l table salt and one drop of iodine,
• Dissolve 1 tbsp in a liter of boiled water. l. sea ​​salt, filter through cheesecloth,
• dissolve ½ tsp in a glass of boiled water. ordinary salt and soda on the tip of a knife.

The saline solution is instilled 3-4 drops into each nostril. You can repeat the procedure every half hour or hour. The first instillation can cause discomfort in the child, as well as provoke sneezing, coughing and even the urge to vomit. But after several procedures, the mucous membranes of the nose and throat will no longer be so sensitive and such reactions will disappear.

The saline solution quickly clears the nose of dust and germs, softens dry crusts, promotes the removal of mucus and makes breathing easier. If you do not want to prepare the solution yourself, you can use pharmaceutical preparations such as Aquamaris or Salin.

These drugs have no contraindications, come in different concentrations, and are suitable even for infants. Therefore, when answering the question: “How to cure a child’s runny nose?”, pharmacists in pharmacies, first of all, recommend these particular remedies. Regular saline solution also successfully copes with the task of moisturizing and cleansing the nasal passages.

Without starting the disease, taking the necessary measures immediately, it is quite possible to get by only with the above methods and means. A runny nose will go away very quickly - in one or two days and without the use of other drugs.

Medications

If you can’t get by with improvised means alone, the runny nose gets worse, the mucous membranes swell and nasal breathing becomes very difficult - parents are faced with a dilemma: to use or not to use vasoconstrictor drugs. After all, the effect of these drugs is obvious, but there is a danger of complications.

So, a runny nose in a two to four year old child – how to treat it? And how justified is the use of decongestants (vasoconstrictor drops) to facilitate nasal breathing? It should be noted that complications arise not because of medications, but because of their illiterate use. It is unacceptable to use “adult” concentrations of the drug for children or increase the prescribed dosage, as well as more frequent and prolonged use.

However, failure to use decongestants can also lead to the development of complications such as sinusitis. The fact is that all nasal sinuses (maxillary, frontal, ethmoidal and sphenoid) open with small openings into the nasal cavity. It is through these openings that the sinuses are cleansed of germs along with nasal mucus.

In children, these openings are so small that with severe swelling of the nasal mucosa, they close completely. As a result, microbes accumulate in the sinuses, which leads to acute inflammation – sinusitis.

When choosing a medicine for a child’s runny nose, you should pay attention to the active substance and its percentage (concentration) indicated on the box or in the instructions.

Active substance - "Phenylephrine"

Medicines containing phenylephrine (mesaton) are used to facilitate nasal breathing in case of influenza, hay fever, colds, as well as allergic reactions accompanied by rhinitis or sinusitis:

• "Vibrocil" - drops. Can be used in children from infancy, but not more than seven days. Duration of action is six to eight hours. Instill three to four times a day. For children under one year old – one drop in each nasal passage. Children from one to six years old – 1-2 drops. Children over six years old – 3-4 drops. Before use, it is necessary for the baby to thoroughly blow his nose, and then rinse the nasal cavity with saline solution or Aquamaris,
• “Nazol Baby 0.125%” - drops. This drug should be used with caution, no more than three days. It is not recommended for use in children under one year of age. Duration of action is up to six hours. Dosage for children from one year to six years – 1-2 drops in each nostril, no more often than every six hours. Children over six years old – 3-4 drops. After use, the pipette on the bottle must be wiped dry.
• "Polydex with phenylephrine" - nasal spray. Can be used in children from two to fifteen years of age. The course of treatment is five to ten days. Duration of action is eight to ten hours. Dosage: one injection into the nasal passage three times a day, holding the bottle in an upright position. Cannot be used in children suffering from renal failure.

Active substance – “Imidazoline”

“Imidazoline” (“Xylometazoline”), when applied topically, reduces swelling of the nasopharyngeal mucosa and reduces the amount of secretion. Used to facilitate nasal breathing in acute, vasomotor, allergic rhinitis and inflammation of the paranasal sinuses. Nasal drops containing imidazoline:

• "Naphthyzin 0.025%" is intended for children aged two to six years. But given the too short duration of action and possible side effects, it is not recommended for use in the treatment of runny nose in children,
• “Otrivin Baby” can be used from infancy, but no more than ten days. Duration of action is ten to twelve hours. For infants and children under six years of age, instill 1-2 drops into each nostril twice a day. Children over six years old – 2-3 drops up to four times a day. Before use, clear the nasal passages of mucus and dry crusts.
• "Xymelin 0.05%" - for the treatment of runny nose in children from two to six years old. The duration of action of the drug is 12 hours. Use with caution, no more than three to five days. Children aged two to six years are instilled with 1-2 drops 1-2 times a day. For children over six years of age, Xymelin 0.1% is used to treat rhinitis - 2-3 drops in each nasal passage, no more than three times a day,
• “Nazivin 0.025%” is used in children aged from one to six years. The course of treatment is no more than three to five days. Has a long-lasting effect – 10-12 hours. Place 1-2 drops in each nostril 2-3 times a day. A solution of “Nazivin” with a percentage of 0.01% is prescribed to children up to one year old - a drop in each nostril twice a day. And “Nazivin 0.05%” is used for children over six years old, 1-2 drops 2-3 times a day.

When wondering how to cure a runny nose in a child, you should remember that vasoconstrictors do not cure a runny nose, but only provide temporary relief.

Vasoconstrictor drops are contraindicated for children suffering from heart rhythm disturbances, high blood pressure, as well as children with thyroid diseases and diabetes.

Home remedies for treating runny nose in children

Very effective methods of dealing with a runny nose at home, such as rinsing the nose and warming the feet. These methods have been known for a long time and their effectiveness has been tested by time.

Nasal rinsing can be done daily. And not only for treatment, but also for prevention. This procedure is especially useful for urban residents. It allows you to free the nasal mucosa from dust, dirt and germs.

Nasal rinsing

You can rinse your nose with warm boiled water, but sea water or an infusion of medicinal herbs (calendula, chamomile, sage, St. John's wort, eucalyptus) will have a greater effect.

The washing procedure can be very unpleasant for a child, so you need to set it up in advance and explain that this is very important. Gradually, the baby will get used to it, especially since the result will be noticeable to him immediately.

Rinsing can be done using a small syringe. It is necessary that the child lowers his head face down and tilts it slightly to the side, so that the solution can freely come out through the mouth. The liquid is poured alternately into both nostrils. For the first time, the jet pressure should not be strong so as not to scare the child.

After the first procedure, it will immediately become easier for him to breathe. And the effect of medications for the common cold will be more effective if they are applied to a clean nasal mucosa.

General warming up

Unlike the nasal rinsing procedure, warming the feet is a rather pleasant procedure for the child. Usually children happily agree to “steam their legs with mustard.” It must be remembered that this method of treatment is applicable only if the child does not have a fever.

Mustard is diluted in warm water at the rate of 2-3 tbsp. l. mustard powder in a bucket of water. The child’s feet are first placed in warm water, and then hot water is added, gradually raising the water temperature to 41 0 C. As soon as the feet turn red, you need to pour cool water over them and place them in hot water again.

This procedure should be repeated three times. After the last cold dousing, put woolen socks on the child and put him to bed. Warming with mustard cleanses the nose well, eases the general condition, and helps with coughing. You can warm your hands in the same way.

Of course, it is much easier for parents to cure uncomplicated rhinitis in a child who is already two years old than to treat a runny nose in a newborn child or infant. But even in this case, you must be careful and be sure to seek advice from a pediatrician.

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A child’s immune system is weaker than that of adults, so ordinary snot is a frequent “guest” at this age. When a child develops snot, parents begin intensive treatment by all means and means. This treatment only leads to increased symptoms of a runny nose.

Therefore, in order not to harm your baby, call a pediatrician who will determine the cause of snot and draw up a treatment plan.

Causes of snot in three-year-old children

Snot can be of infectious or non-infectious origin. Infections still dominate, and therefore a runny nose in a 3-year-old child is more often caused by viruses and bacteria.

Sometimes the cause of a runny nose can be foreign bodies that get into the nasal passages. Children love to experiment with various small objects, and such unsafe games lead to injury and blockage of the nasal passages.

Important! If you find a foreign body in your child’s nose, immediately seek help from the ENT department. Never try to remove a stuck object yourself.

A very common cause of a runny nose in children is ordinary hypothermia, especially when the child’s feet are frozen. This is explained by the interaction of reflex connections between the nose and feet. Therefore, the child’s feet should always be protected from getting wet and hypothermia.

Polluted air, flowering plants, smoke, chemicals are common causes of allergic rhinitis in children, which causes sneezing and copious mucous discharge from the nose.

Preventive measures to prevent a runny nose in a child aged 3 years

The success of treating any disease is prevention, the main thing is regular implementation of all pediatrician’s recommendations and health procedures.

What should you do to avoid snot in your child?

• The health of a child, like that of adults, depends on a healthy lifestyle. Walk more with your children in any weather. Keep your child busy with active games. TV viewing should be limited.
• The child's diet should be balanced. In the off-season, introduce more fruits and vitamin fruit drinks into your diet: cranberry, lingonberry, sea buckthorn.
• Do not allow your child to become hypothermic. Clothing must be appropriate for the weather. After walking in the cold, be sure to give your child warm tea with honey.

• If possible, assign your child to sports sections; swimming, dancing, gymnastics are good options. These sports perfectly strengthen and develop the body.
• Sport helps a child from the age of three get rid of colds, as well as acquire protection against scoliosis (curvature of the spine), which often becomes the cause of many diseases in the future.
• In the summer, visit seaside resorts where there are plantations of coniferous trees. The child will receive healing sea bathing and will saturate his respiratory tract with phytoncides, without which it will be difficult to cope with viruses and bacteria.

Treatment of snot in a child aged 3 years

At the first sign of snot, all measures should be taken to alleviate the child’s condition. If there is a fever, you should put the child to bed and call the pediatrician.

Rinse your nose with slightly salted water using a dropper full of water into each nostril. Before the doctor arrives, perform the procedure three times a day. Saline solutions are prepared very simply: a teaspoon of table salt (you can take sea salt) is dissolved in 200 ml of boiled water.

Often give your baby tea made from raspberries, linden, currants and sea buckthorn. If you are not allergic to citrus fruits, give your child oranges and tangerines. These fruits not only saturate the body with vitamin C, but also actively reduce elevated body temperature.

Drugs acceptable for the treatment of snot in children aged 3 years should be prescribed only by a pediatrician or pediatric ENT specialist. If treatment is started on your own, then it is better to resort to safer drugs. Let's look at them:

1. Salin, aquamaris - safe drops based on saline solutions. The drops moisturize and cleanse the nasal mucosa.
2. Otrivin, Snoop, Nazivin are vasoconstrictor drops. Their action is based on reducing mucus and nasal congestion.
3. Protargol, collargol - antiseptic and anti-inflammatory drops.
4. Allergodil and vibrocil have an antiallergic effect.
5. Pinosol - drops that relieve inflammation and swelling in the nasal passages, as well as reduce the viscosity of snot.

Traditional methods of treating snot at 3 years old

To get rid of snot, use frequent rinsing of the nose using folk remedies:

• sea ​​salt solution (5 grams of salt per glass of water);
• infusion of chamomile, eucalyptus, calendula, sage (take 10 grams of raw materials per 300 ml of boiling water, leave for 40 minutes).

Rinsing is done up to three times a day, pouring a full pipette into each nasal passage. This method allows you to thin the mucus in the nasopharynx. After just a few washes, the child will breathe easier. Usually the course of treatment lasts 5 days.

An effective method for a viral runny nose is rubbing your feet with Dr. Theiss's cold ointment. The ointment contains natural ingredients: pine and eucalyptus oil, as well as camphor.

These components perfectly relieve the inflammatory process and have a general stimulating effect on the entire body. The ointment can be used from the age of two. Rubbing should be done twice a day, before the child rests: during the day and at night.

Another effective way is instilling onion drops. They are prepared as follows: drop 5 drops of fresh onion juice into a teaspoon of olive oil and stir the mixture. Place two drops in each nostril three times a day.

Homeopathic approach to the treatment of runny nose in children

To restore a child’s immune system, many pediatricians recommend homeopathic remedies, but only a qualified homeopath can help you choose the right drug correctly. Homeopathy is a very delicate healing that often solves a complex of childhood problems.

Having addressed one problem, to the surprise of the parents, the child gets rid of another sore. For example, when a child comes to see a homeopath with a runny nose, after a few months the child gets rid of diathesis or dysbacteriosis. Therefore, you should not neglect homeopathy - it works!

Important! Parents should remember that if a runny nose does not go away after a week, despite performing all medical procedures, it is necessary to seek a second consultation with a pediatrician or ENT specialist. A prolonged runny nose leads to serious complications in the nasopharynx, ears and respiratory system. Take care of the health of your kids!

A prolonged runny nose in children (also known as chronic rhinitis) is an inflammation of the nasal mucosa that lasts for more than 7 days. If you do not immediately begin to eliminate it, complications may arise that can even lead to disability.

Most often, a prolonged runny nose appears in children in winter, when the weather is damp and the thaw begins. To prevent the disease from becoming chronic, it is necessary to treat it in a timely manner.

Any childhood runny nose must be treated, otherwise it can become chronic!

Types of rhinitis

A child may develop a prolonged runny nose of various types, each of which has its own symptoms. Let's look at the features of each of them:

1. Vasomotor - appears due to increased sensitivity of the nasal mucosa to various irritants (cigarette smoke, strong odors, chemicals, etc.). This type of disease can also develop as a result of foreign objects getting into the nose, due to stress or a certain pathology (for example, adenoids, deviated nasal septum) (see also:).
2. Allergic – occurs due to the contact of an irritant (dust, pollen, animal hair, etc.) on the nasal mucosa. Such a runny nose can cause a child to sneeze, clear discharge from the nasal passages, difficulty breathing, severe lacrimation, skin rashes, coughing, etc.
3. Infectious rhinitis develops as a result of pathogens (viruses, fungi, bacteria) entering the nasal mucosa. Microbes provoke its inflammation.

Causes of persistent runny nose in children

You should not begin treatment for a runny nose in a child without finding out the cause of its occurrence. It can signal the development of a dozen different diseases, many of which are quite serious. Let's consider the main causes of rhinitis in children 2-4 years old. It is provoked by:

• allergic reaction;
• sinusitis;
• injury or damage to the nasal mucosa;
• hyperplasia of adenoid tissue (we recommend reading:);
• dryness in the room;
• abuse of nasal drops.

Allergic reactions

Allergens may enter the baby's nasal mucosa, causing a runny nose. The following irritants include: pollen, cigarette smoke, dust, food (strawberries, milk, chocolate, honey, eggs), animal hair, etc.

Signs of allergic rhinitis include frequent sneezing, white clear mucus from the sinuses, itchy skin, hives, and conjunctivitis. There are also more severe cases when a runny nose provokes the development of spasms in the bronchi, and it is very difficult for the baby to exhale.

A runny nose can be of an allergic nature and occur when an allergen gets into the nasal mucosa

Sinusitis

If a child’s runny nose does not go away for a long time, this may indicate complications, one of which is sinusitis. This pathology consists of the accumulation of pus in the sinuses, resulting in an inflammatory process. Sinusitis in children requires complex treatment, during which antibiotics are necessarily used. If the disease is very advanced, the baby may need a puncture or rinsing of the nasal sinuses.

Sinusitis manifests itself as severe headache and ear pain. If a child of 2-4 years old presents such complaints, then he should be quickly shown to a doctor in order to avoid complications such as meningitis, deafness, and mental retardation.

Injury or damage to the mucous membrane

Rhinitis can occur as a result of mechanical, chemical or thermal damage, that is, as a result of injury to the nasal mucosa. Injury can occur, for example, due to some children’s “favorite” activity – picking their nose with a finger, pen, or pencil.

Depending on the degree of damage, the doctor prescribes the necessary treatment. If the mucous membrane is not severely injured, then everything can be corrected with the help of wound healing agents. In other cases, surgery is required.

Hyperplasia of adenoid tissue

Another reason why children 2-4 years old develop a prolonged runny nose is hyperplasia (pathological growth) of adenoid tissue near the base of the nasal cavity on the pharynx side.

An enlarged tonsil blocks the nasal passages, preventing the child from breathing normally. The accumulation of snot is accompanied by a constant feeling of a lump in the throat and impaired nasal breathing. The pathology is quite common in children.

Dry indoors

Due to its structure, a child’s nose, unlike an adult’s, reacts negatively to poor quality air. If the air in the room is too dry, the body may react to it with a long runny nose.

In order to rid a child of this type of rhinitis, you simply need to humidify the air. If parents do not have such an opportunity, then there is only one thing left to do - stock up on clean scarves and wait for the heating season to end.

Abuse of nasal drops

There are two reasons for the development of a runny nose from medications:

• as a side effect from the drug taken;
• rebound effect (when medications are taken in excessive doses).

The second type of rhinitis, which is also called drug-induced, can manifest itself 4-6 days after the start of treatment for a common runny nose with vasoconstrictors. If the drops are used longer than the period recommended by the doctor, the mucous membrane gets used to them, and the treatment becomes ineffective. The drug will have to be discontinued, and this threatens to increase the swelling of the nasal mucosa, that is, its congestion. That is why you should not use vasoconstrictor drops for longer than the time specified in the instructions.

One of the reasons for a prolonged runny nose may be the abuse of vasoconstrictors.

How to help your child recover faster?

Every parent wonders what to do if a child’s runny nose does not go away for a long time. How to cure it quickly? To get started:

• carry out wet cleaning in the room where the baby is;
• ventilate the room;
• install a humidifier;
• Clean the baby's nose with a damp gauze pad.

There is no need to give your child strong medications if a runny nose does not affect his well-being. A gentle regime will be the most acceptable for him in this situation. It consists of simple rules of care:

• The baby should be left at home instead of the usual trip to kindergarten or school;
• take a walk with your child - the walk should not last more than an hour.

Children who develop snot should drink a lot (for example, compote, homemade jelly, lemon tea). To cure a baby, you can give him milk with honey, but provided that he is not allergic to the product.

Drinking plenty of fluids during rhinitis will help your baby recover faster

Don't forget about clearing your nose. To do this you need to use a saline solution. Such drugs as Otrivin, Marimer, Aquamaris are suitable. Regular rinsing is the key to a quick recovery.

Therapy depending on the cause of the disease

As a rule, not all parents seek help from a doctor at the first symptoms of rhinitis in a child. They try to eliminate the disease on their own without finding out the causes of its occurrence, and this is their main mistake. All mothers and fathers should know that the effectiveness of treatment directly depends on the nature of rhinitis. Let's get acquainted with the principles of treatment of different types of runny nose in more detail.

Treatment of allergic rhinitis

If, as a result of diagnostic measures, it was found that the baby’s rhinitis is allergic in nature, then the first measure to combat it is to identify the allergen and protect the child from contact with the irritant. Next, the allergist will prescribe antihistamines or nasal drops with a vasodilating effect. Do not forget that the latter should be used no more than 3 times a day and no longer than a week.

Vasodilator drops are considered the safest option for children. They fight nasal congestion in the baby and make breathing easier.

Therapy for vasomotor rhinitis

Many methods are used to treat this type of runny nose. The simplest of them is treatment with medications. The little patient is prescribed:

• vasoconstrictor drops (decongestants);
• rinsing the nasal cavity with saline solution (we recommend reading:);
• local antihistamines (to block sensitivity to irritants);
• anticholinergics (to control and block symptoms of vasomotor rhinitis);
• corticosteroids (to eliminate signs of illness).

If conservative treatment methods do not produce results, the baby undergoes surgical therapy:

• laser photodestruction;
• radioelectrocoagulation;
• ultrasonic disintegration;
• vasotomy

Laser therapy for persistent runny nose

Elimination of diseases of infectious origin

To treat prolonged infectious runny nose in children, the following therapeutic measures are used:

1. local treatment (the nose is instilled with a saline solution and cleaned using an aspirator or bulb, warmed with warm salt);
2. taking general strengthening and immunomodulating drugs;
3. physiotherapeutic procedures.

If infectious rhinitis does not go away for more than two weeks, and yellow-green pus is discharged from the sinuses, the child is prescribed antibacterial drugs. They can be in the form of ointments, sprays and liquid medicines.

General treatments

Regardless of the reason why the baby started snot, everything must be done so that it can easily flow out of the nasal cavity. In this case, you need to ensure that the mucous membrane does not dry out. There are several methods for treating long-term rhinitis in children, each of which has its own pros and cons:

1. medicinal;
2. folk remedies;
3. with the help of physiotherapy.

Quartz heating of the nose

Use of medications

• vasoconstrictors (Naphthyzin, Nazivin, Galazolin, etc. to eliminate swelling of the nasal mucosa) - taking this group of drugs has strict time restrictions;
• antihistamines (Claritin, Suprastin, Telfast, Levocabastine, etc.) - for the treatment of the allergic form of the disease;
• antiviral (Interferon, Gerferon, Oksolin, etc.) - for the treatment of infectious rhinitis;
• antibiotics (Bioparox, Polydexa, etc. (we recommend reading: ).) – for the treatment of bacterial rhinitis;
• moisturizing drops (Aqua Maris, Aqualor, etc.) - to maintain normal functioning of the nasal mucosa.

Treatment at home

If your baby starts having snot, and there is no way to see a doctor, then you can start treatment at home, following this scheme:

• rinse the spout using water and sea salt;
• use an aspirator to remove mucus from the nasal passages;
• drip your nose with special drops;
• using an inhaler, inhale;
• lubricate the nose with warming ointment.

Do not forget that self-medication is very dangerous, so take your child to the doctor as soon as possible. Only he can prescribe effective treatment.

Physical procedures

In some cases, physiotherapy is more effective than any medications. There are many different devices for home use to treat a child. One of these is a nebulizer, which breaks down the medicine into micro particles. When inhaled, the medicine does not enter the bloodstream or digestive system. It only affects the nasal mucosa.

A device for UV irradiation of the nasal cavity will help cure a runny nose in 5-6 procedures. In addition, it is used for quartz coating of premises.

A runny nose in a child can also be eliminated using a blue lamp. It is worth considering that this method is not used for all types of disease.

Features of treatment for children aged 2-3 years

When a child is only 2-3 years old, it is very difficult to treat his runny nose. The range of drugs for this age is limited, and many traditional methods are undesirable, as they can harm him. In addition, a 2-3 year old baby hardly knows how to blow his nose correctly, which also complicates the recovery process. What to do in this case? How to treat rhinitis in a child? The answer is simple - follow the doctor's recommendations.

Treatment should be carried out as follows:

• clean the nose of mucus accumulations using a saline solution or products with sea salt (Physiomer);
• use vasoconstrictor drops to restore breathing through the nose;
• use antibacterial or antiviral drugs to treat the disease;
• ensure that the conditions in which the child lives are conducive to a rapid recovery.

In order for recovery to proceed faster, it is necessary to create favorable conditions for this: the optimal air temperature should be 20 degrees, humidity – 50-60%

In general, treatment of a runny nose in a 2-3 year old child does not differ from the treatment of children of other age categories. The main thing is to ensure that medications are appropriate for the age of the small patient.

Difficulties in treating runny nose in children

Nasal congestion brings a lot of inconvenience to children, because, compared to adults, they do not know how to get rid of snot by blowing their nose. Because of this, a large amount of secretion accumulates in their nasopharynx, which makes breathing difficult, a feeling of nausea occurs, headaches begin and appetite completely disappears.

Babies cannot understand what their mother wants from them when she is trying to clean or rinse their nose. In response to these actions of hers, they become mischievous, turn their heads, preventing her from completing the necessary procedure. In order to avoid such difficulties, parents should take an organized approach to the treatment of snot in children.

A runny nose is an inflammatory process that affects the nasal mucosa. The cause of mucous discharge from the nose at the age of three is most often infectious diseases and allergic reactions. But no matter what causes rhinitis, you need to know the basic ways to treat a runny nose in a 3-year-old child. It is known that by this age the immune system already has experience in dealing with various types of infections, however, in order to quickly get rid of an unpleasant symptom, it is necessary to select the most effective and safe treatment.

Causes of rhinitis

To find the most effective way to quickly cure a runny nose in a child, it is necessary to determine the cause that caused the disease. So, most often, rhinitis in a three-year-old child can be triggered by a number of reasons, which will be discussed below.

Exposure to viruses

It is viral infections that most often cause inflammation in the nasopharynx. Treatment of a runny nose in a child in this case will be based on combating the cause of the disease, as well as minimizing the severity of the unpleasant symptom. Under the influence of viruses, a runny nose will most often not be the only sign of the disease, and a viral infection will be accompanied by fever, redness of the throat, hoarseness and cough.

Exposure to bacteria

Bacterial infections, such as tonsillitis, most often occur without a runny nose. Whereas a bacterial runny nose appears as a complication as a result of ineffective treatment of viral infections.

Exposure to allergens

Children are more susceptible to allergic reactions than adults. The thing is that an incompletely formed immune system may not react correctly to external irritants: dusty air, strong odors, pet hair, plant pollen. At the same time, one of the most common signs of allergization of the body is a runny nose, accompanied by sneezing, lacrimation, and skin rashes. To completely cure such rhinitis, it is necessary to eliminate the cause and completely eliminate the child’s contact with the allergen.

Hypothermia

After a child has been in a draft for a long time, outside in windy weather at low air temperatures, the child may show signs of hypothermia. In this case, as a result of a strong weakening of the body’s protective functions, a runny nose and other signs of a cold may occur.

Treatment

Treatment of a runny nose in a 3-year-old child should begin at the first symptoms. For colds, therapy should first of all be based on eliminating the cause that caused the disease.

After the cause of the runny nose has been determined and an effective way to eliminate it has been chosen, it is necessary to choose a method that will help alleviate the patient’s condition by reducing swelling of the mucous membrane and normalizing nasal breathing.

• When trying to find a way to cure snot in a child, parents should pay attention to the need to constantly moisturize the nasal mucosa. To do this, during illness and to prevent rhinitis, you should regularly irrigate the nasal passages with saline solutions (Aquamaris, saline solution). The composition of such solutions includes microelements that help normalize the work and function of the nasal mucosa, remove dry crusts, and remove viscous secretions.
• After the nasal passages are cleared of snot, vasoconstrictor drops (Vibrocil, Nazivin, Nazol) should be instilled to reduce swelling and nasal congestion.

Important! Vasoconstrictor drugs must be used strictly according to the instructions, not exceeding the recommended dosages and duration (no more than five to seven days).

• Essential oils and preparations based on them are a good way to reduce a runny nose. Such medications reduce inflammation, have an antiseptic effect, reduce swelling and normalize breathing. In pediatrics, children aged 2-3 years are recommended to use Pinosol (a product based on a mixture of essential oils), Zvezdochka balm, and steam inhalations using essential oils (eucalyptus, fir).

Important! Before using essential oils and preparations based on them, you should consult your doctor.

• In order to quickly get rid of a runny nose, you need to give your child a large dose of vitamin C. To do this, you can use pharmacy vitamin complexes, as well as food products high in this vitamin (black currant, kiwi, rosehip decoction).
• Sufficient humidity in the room where the sick child is (at least 60%), as well as low air temperature (no more than 20 degrees) has a beneficial effect on the condition of the mucous membrane, preventing it from drying out.

Alternative medicine

Traditional methods of treatment also have a beneficial effect on a child with a runny nose and are a good alternative when parents are looking for an opportunity to cure snot in a child.

Important! You can steam your feet only if the child’s runny nose is not accompanied by a fever.

Remember, in order to quickly cure a runny nose in a small child, treatment should be started at the first signs of illness.

A runny nose (or rhinitis), which is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nasal passages, is rightfully considered one of the most common childhood diseases. It affects children of all age groups, and a runny nose is equally common in preschool children and high school students.

The causes of rhinitis in children are all kinds of viruses (adenovirus, rhinovirus, measles and influenza viruses), bacteria (scarlet fever, diphtheria) and allergens (pollen, animal dander, house dust mites, etc.).

How can you tell if your child has developed rhinitis?

The main complaint when rhinitis appears is copious mucous discharge from the nose and difficulty in nasal breathing. As a result, children begin to breathe through their mouth instead of their nose. If the runny nose begins to be protracted, the face of the sick child may begin to change: become puffy (doctors call this the “adenoid” type of face, since both adenoids and chronic rhinitis form improper breathing).

With colds, nasal congestion and snot are often accompanied by signs of acute respiratory infections: fever, headache, as well as pain in the throat, muscles and general weakness of the body. If a runny nose occurs as a result of an allergic reaction, then, in addition to snot, the sick baby may be bothered by excessive lacrimation, itching in the eyes and nose. All these symptoms interfere with normal breathing through the nose, so from the very first days of the illness the question is acute of how and how to cure a runny nose in a child.

What are the general rules for treating rhinitis in children?

A runny nose in a baby is a significant problem, since nasal congestion prevents the baby from eating mother's milk or an adapted formula normally. Such children sleep restlessly and cry constantly. Due to the fact that children at 1 year of age cannot blow their nose on their own, the main task of parents is to ensure that the nostrils of the infant are cleaned.

To clean the nose, an aspirator is most often used (it is also called a “nozzle suction”), which is inserted in turn into one and the other nostril. If, due to excessively viscous mucus, it was not possible to clean the nose well, be sure to rinse it with a weak saline solution. You can also use ready-made pharmacy solutions for rinsing the nose of small children, or at home, dissolve a teaspoon of sea salt in a glass of warm boiled water.

The saline solution should be instilled 2-3 drops into each nostril of the child as often as possible (at least every hour or half an hour, there will be no harm from this). When the snot becomes thinner, you can again try to suck it out with an aspirator or clean the nostrils using thin cotton wool.

Children aged 2 years and older need to be taught how to blow their nose into a handkerchief on their own to prevent stagnation and thickening of mucus.

For allergic rhinitis, antihistamines and nasal drops with a vasoconstrictor effect (most often based on phenylephrine) are required. Only a pediatrician can make the right choice of drug, since many medications are approved only for children aged 3 years and older.

In addition, vasoconstrictor drops cannot be used more than 2-3 times a day and for longer than 7 days, since the nasal mucosa will become accustomed to the active substance. A prerequisite for the treatment of allergic rhinitis is the cessation of interaction with the allergen, otherwise the treatment will turn into an endless process.

Additional practical information about treating children's runny nose at home can be found in the following video:

Thus, in order to treat a runny nose of a cold nature, it would be correct for children of all ages to take the following series of effective measures:

1. A systematic approach to the treatment of acute respiratory disease (drinking plenty of fluids, taking medications with vitamin C and antiviral drugs).
2. The room of a sick child must be constantly ventilated, in addition, it must be maintained at an optimal humidity level.
3. The baby's nasal passages should be constantly moistened with drops similar in composition to saline (it is enough to instill a few drops into both nostrils every 4-6 hours to prevent the mucus from thickening).
4. Applying oily liquids with weak disinfectant properties to the nasal mucosa, forming a thin protective layer on the surface and preventing drying out.
5. The use of oils and oil mixtures with a local irritant and disinfectant effect. Clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus and mint oils diluted in one of the base oils (jojoba, apricot, peach), as well as ready-made preparations based on the listed esters, do an excellent job of this function. The resulting oil mixture is applied to the skin of the wings of the nose or the bridge of the baby’s nose and helps reduce swelling of the nasal mucosa, which significantly reduces the manifestations of rhinitis.

Is it possible to cure a runny nose with folk remedies?

Unfortunately, frequent use of vasoconstrictor drops leads the nasal mucosa to become accustomed to the action of phenylephrine and to the development of drug-induced runny nose - a condition in which, even without the absence of allergens or viruses, the child’s nose becomes stuffy. Knowing this, many mothers initially try to treat their baby without using any medications, but only using proven folk recipes.

For a breastfed child under 1 year of age, the best remedy for a runny nose is breast milk, which should be instilled several times a day into each nostril. Despite the fact that official medicine does not confirm the effectiveness of breast milk for rhinitis, almost all babies have been treated this way for many generations, since a positive result in treatment is quickly visible and there are no side effects.

For children over two years old, drops prepared from onion juice (1 tsp), raw potatoes (1 tsp), sunflower oil (1 tbsp) and honey (1 tsp) help well. Before instillation, you need to clean the nose well, then drip a few drops 3-4 times a day. Since this folk remedy contains honey, be sure to make sure that the child is not allergic to it. To do this, a drop of honey is applied to the inner surface of the forearm and observed for half an hour. If the skin is not red, you can safely cook and use drops with honey.

In addition, freshly squeezed Kalanchoe juice has proven itself well in the fight against children's runny nose. Thanks to the biologically active substances it contains, it has a powerful disinfectant and anti-inflammatory effect. For small children, it is better to use the plant juice diluted with boiled water 1:1, so as not to burn the delicate nasal mucosa. Schoolchildren can drip undiluted Kalanchoe juice into their nose (up to 3 times a day).

Another effective way to treat a runny nose in children is acupuncture massage of specific points on the face for rhinitis. These points include symmetrical points on the bridge of the nose at the base of the eyebrows, at the base of the wings and under the wings of the nose, on the tip of the nose from the side surfaces. You should always act on acupuncture points symmetrically on both sides with smooth movements with light pressure and strictly clockwise. The hands of the person performing the massage should be clean and warm.

This massage is recommended for babies up to one year old, since mothers at such a young age are usually afraid to use any medicinal drops. Older children are able to perform acupuncture pressure independently. Thanks to the effect on these points, nasal congestion is reduced, breathing is normalized and the intensity of mucous discharge is reduced.

In what cases should you immediately consult a doctor?

Usually, uncomplicated children's runny nose does not require a visit and monitoring by a pediatrician. Parents can treat this disease at home. But the appearance of the following symptoms should alert you and become a reason for mandatory consultation with a doctor:

1. If a child’s snot does not go away for more than 10-14 days, a doctor needs to examine him to rule out a bacterial infection. Runny noses of bacterial origin require the prescription of antibiotics, which have a detrimental effect on the pathogenic flora of the upper respiratory tract.

1. If your baby begins to complain of severe pain in the head or ears, immediately show him to the doctor in order to exclude the development of otitis media and sinusitis. Also, a complication of rhinitis can be inflammation of the meninges (meningitis), which, if not treated in a timely manner, leads to disability or death.
2. If streaks of blood begin to appear in the mucus discharged from the nose, or if you notice that the child has become suspiciously lethargic (especially if the runny nose is not particularly pronounced), a doctor’s consultation is again required. In this case, it is necessary to exclude nasal diphtheria.

How to prevent a runny nose in a child?

The main preventive measures that help prevent a runny nose in children are: strengthening general and local immunity, avoiding contact with allergens, as well as children and adults with signs of acute respiratory viral infections and/or acute respiratory infections.

In addition, the use of some official or traditional medicine (such as applying ointments with antiviral activity to the nasal passages or lubricating the wings of the nose with solutions of essential oils that protect against acute respiratory infections) will also help your baby not get rhinitis.

Children, due to the relative weakness of their immunity, often suffer from a runny nose. Rhinitis can be called one of the most common childhood ailments. Sometimes the disease has obvious causes, but sometimes the nose “blocks up” in a child who is outwardly completely healthy, and apart from impaired nasal breathing, there are no other complaints. Be that as it may, parents want to help the baby as soon as possible. It is not always possible to see a doctor, because clinics are closed on weekends and holidays. It is not customary to call an ambulance with complaints of a runny nose.

Prescribing medications to a child on your own is unsafe and risky, especially if we are talking about a small toddler. Parents can come to the aid of folk remedies that help get rid of a runny nose quite quickly.

Why does a runny nose appear?

A runny nose (rhinitis) is difficult to consider as an independent disease; it is usually a manifestation of a variety of disorders in the body. The nose stops breathing partially or completely due to inflammation of the mucous membranes of this organ. Most often, this is a consequence of resistance to pathogens and viruses.

As you know, viruses enter the body mainly through the respiratory system. The nose is the first line of defense; most often, invading viruses manage to pass further - into the nasopharynx, into the larynx. Inflammation of the mucous membrane in this case is an attempt by the body not to let the harmful agent pass further.

The episode of Dr. Komarovsky’s program about the causes and methods of treating children’s runny nose can be seen in the following video.

But several people inhale the same influenza virus through airborne droplets. But not everyone gets sick. Whether a runny nose starts or not depends not only on the state of the baby’s immunity. The development of rhinitis is greatly facilitated by various factors, such as dusty or polluted air, hypothermia.

There is another type of runny nose - non-infectious. This includes nasal congestion due to allergies (allergic rhinitis) and vasomotor rhinitis (associated with disturbances in the processes in the autonomic nervous system). They arise somewhat differently, as a result of narrowing of the lumen of blood vessels during a reaction to an antigen or vascular nervous pathology.

Acute rhinitis - occurs as a reaction to a virus (less often to bacteria). With it, the swelling of the mucous membranes is quite strong, and it affects both halves of the nose. With it, the child may experience increased lacrimation, redness of the wings of the nose and the release of liquid mucus; people say “running nose”.

If such a runny nose is treated incorrectly or not treated at all, after 3-4 weeks the process will become chronic. With it, the nose will remain stuffy for a long time, the child’s sense of smell will noticeably decrease, the discharge from liquid turns into thick, sometimes purulent, the mucous membrane sometimes dries out, and crusts form in the nasal passages.

Nasal breathing disorders in children occur due to various diseases:

• ARVI and influenza.
• Scarlet fever.
• Measles.
• Allergy.
• Vegetovascular dystonia.
• Proliferation of the palatine tonsil (adenoids).
• Other diseases.

A runny nose in a child can be mild, or it can be accompanied by fever, loss of appetite, headaches and severe general weakness. It is impossible to predict exactly what symptoms will accompany rhinitis; everything is purely individual.

When are traditional methods not enough?

A runny nose in itself does not pose a danger to a child. But its consequences can be quite serious. These are sinusitis, sinusitis, meningitis, inflammatory processes in the inner ear, and as a result - complete or partial hearing loss, encephalitis and a number of other unpleasant diagnoses. Therefore, there are some indications for immediate consultation with a doctor if you have rhinitis:

• If your child's nasal discharge is gray-green or green in color and has a very unpleasant odor. This may indicate a severe bacterial infection. This condition requires prompt prescription of antibiotics.
• If, in addition to a runny nose, the child has pain in the frontal region, under the eyes, in the area of ​​the paranasal sinuses. This may be a symptom of sinusitis, inflammation of the hearing organs. A child in this situation does not need onion drops in the nose, but serious therapy with the use of antimicrobial agents, hormonal and anti-inflammatory drugs.
• If, after a head injury or fall, the child’s nose is stuffy and a thin, clear discharge appears, you should urgently take him to the hospital! Such symptoms may indicate a disturbance in brain activity; this condition requires prompt examination and hospitalization.
• If blood is noticeable in the mucus discharged by a child with a runny nose, ichor or clots. This may indicate the traumatic nature of rhinitis, a foreign body in the respiratory system, and the baby needs to be examined as soon as possible.

Effective folk remedies

In most cases of acute infectious rhinitis, a child can be quite effectively helped using alternative medicine.

Fresh vegetable juices

The most popular way to quickly relieve nasal congestion is to give your child onion juice. To do this, you need to grate the onion on a fine grater, squeeze out the pulp using a piece of gauze, and dilute the resulting juice in half with saline or boiled water. You can drip the onion preparation from 2 to 6 times a day.

This recipe is not suitable for children under 2 years of age, since onion juice, even diluted, acts quite aggressively and can cause burns to the delicate mucous membranes of children. For children over 5-6 years old, you can add a little honey to the onion drops, this will have an additional anti-inflammatory effect.

Children under 2 years old can use beet or carrot juice in their nose with caution. To do this, using a juicer or a fine grater and a piece of gauze, you need to squeeze out the juice, dilute it with boiled water in half and drop 1-2 drops into each nasal passage up to 5 times a day. When instilled, infants may choke; it is better for them to place small cotton wool pads soaked in beetroot juice in both nasal passages.

Oil mixtures

A good effect for a runny nose is provided by drugs that will have a gentle effect on the nasal passages. These include mixtures that include oil - sunflower, linseed, vaseline.

A popular recipe is based on mixing finely chopped 2-3 cloves of garlic with 30 ml of sunflower oil. You need to infuse the drug for at least 10-12 hours, then strain and drop 1-2 drops into the child’s nose 3 times a day. This recipe should not be used to treat rhinitis in children under 6-7 years of age.

Another effective way to relieve nasal congestion is based on sea buckthorn oil mixed with calendula juice. This recipe can be used even by small children who have not yet turned 3 years old. The ingredients are mixed in half. The resulting oil mixture does not need to be dripped into the nose; it is enough to soak cotton swabs in it, which are placed in the nasal passages for half an hour. The procedure is repeated 3 times a day.

Children over five years old can drop a mixture of two oils - thyme and olive - into their nose. Proportions -1:1. You need to drip 2 times a day, 2-3 drops in each nostril.

Plants

Among indoor plants that can quickly cope with a runny nose, the leader is aloe. The juice of this plant has an antimicrobial effect, softens the mucous membrane, and relieves swelling. To prepare the drops, you need to cut off one fleshy aloe leaf and squeeze the juice out of it. Mix the resulting liquid with a drop of honey and drop it into the child’s nose once a day, preferably before bedtime.

St. John's wort will come to the aid of a child who is overcome by a runny nose. The dry collection of this medicinal plant (1 teaspoon) should be mixed with a glass of boiled water and boiled in a water bath for a quarter of an hour. Cool, strain through several layers of gauze. Drop the liquid into the nose of a child aged two years and older no more than 4 times a day.

Warming up

Freshly cooked millet porridge should be cooled to a warm state, small balls should be formed from it, placed in a cloth and applied to the maxillary sinuses area. Some recipes use a boiled chicken egg instead of porridge. They carefully “roll out” the area of ​​the nose, sinuses, and forehead above the bridge of the nose.

Inhalations

Inhaling the vapors of medicinal herbs and essential oils allows you to quickly cope with a runny nose. The most effective procedures are based on pine and eucalyptus oils, fir oil. Sage, chamomile, and calendula are excellent raw materials for inhalation. Inhalation can be carried out over a container with a hot decoction of herbs, to which a few drops of oil are added. But it’s better if you have a special device at home for such purposes - an inhaler or nebulizer. This way there will be no fear that the child will get burns to the mucous membranes of the respiratory organs if he inhales too much.

Rinse

You can use regular salt to rinse your nose when you have a runny nose. To do this, a tablespoon of salt should be dissolved in a half-liter container of boiled water. You should rinse your nasal passages with saline solution several times a day, this will relieve swelling and restore nasal breathing.

The danger of self-medication

Parents, even very attentive ones, who are carried away by preparing nasal drops from vegetables and fruits, may not notice important clinical manifestations when the nature of the runny nose begins to change. Thus, they may not notice the transition to a new stage in time, which will then affect the timing of treatment of a runny nose in a child, because doctors will have to treat severe complications of ordinary rhinitis using completely traditional methods.

Often, a mother persistently treats her child’s runny nose, but there is no reaction to any medications.

The fact is that diagnosing allergic rhinitis at home on your own is quite difficult. And vegetable juices in the nose will only increase swelling of the respiratory system, since they also contain allergens. What can we say about drops with honey!

What not to do

• You should not carry out any heating if there is purulent discharge from the nose and suspected sinusitis. Heat in this situation can aggravate the problem, the inflammation will only intensify. Also, warming up is strictly contraindicated at elevated body temperatures.
• You cannot blindly trust all the recipes for a runny nose published on the Internet by “knowledgeable” people. Thus, mothers who advise others to wash their children’s noses from the inside with laundry soap for rhinitis are risking the health of their child. Laundry soap, coming into contact with inflamed mucous membranes, irritates them and provokes further spread of infection.
• The positive effect of the laundry soap that they write about can, with a stretch, be explained by the same irritating effect. Soap causes the baby to sneeze; during this reflex, the mucus moves away faster. However, then the congestion will certainly return, and the runny nose may become even worse.
• When placing turunda and cotton balls with medicine in the baby’s nose, you should not make them too small, so that the baby does not accidentally inhale them.

Adviсe

• Before instilling any products into the nose, you should prepare the mucous membrane, after pre-rinsing. Only then can you drip the prepared drug, both medicinal and folk.
• If a child often suffers from a runny nose, you need to pay attention to the air condition in the apartment, where he lives. Perhaps it is too dry; the mucous membrane inside the nose dries out and inflammation begins. Ventilate the house more often, do wet cleaning, and humidify the air. To do this, you can buy a humidifier or regularly hang wet towels over the radiators. The best indicators for children's health are as follows: air temperature is about 19 degrees, humidity is about 60%.
• When treating a child with a runny nose, you need to provide him with plenty of warm drinks. This is necessary so that the mucous membranes of the nose, already inflamed, dry out less.
• A child's runny nose is not a reason to refuse walks. In any weather, even in the rain (under an umbrella), you can take short walks outside, since fresh air is very important for restoring breathing through the nose.
• You should not limit your child’s movement. If he wants, let him run and jump; active movements improve blood supply to the body, including the nasal mucosa.
• When treating allergic rhinitis, folk remedies are undesirable, almost all of them can also be allergens. It is important to eliminate the main antigen; for this it is better to go to the hospital, where they will do a special test (nasal swab).
• Vasomotor rhinitis should not be treated with folk remedies, since its causes lie in vascular nervous disorders, it will be better if, with this form of runny nose, the child receives therapy under the supervision of a doctor.

Before you start treating your baby for a runny nose with folk remedies, especially if he is not yet 1 year old, consult a doctor, because even harmless, at first glance, herbal preparations that you prepare yourself can harm the child.

Quick ways to treat runny nose in children at home

A runny nose (or rhinitis) is an inflammatory process localized on the nasal mucosa. In this case, rhinitis can be the only symptom and occur on its own as a result of hypothermia and a sharp decrease in immunity, or manifest itself as one of the signs of an acute respiratory infection, influenza and other diseases.

• Quick ways to treat runny nose in children at home
• Reasons
• Hypothermia
• Allergy
• Foreign body
• Infections
• Treatment
• Saline solutions
• Warming up
• Inhalations
• Rinsing
• Warm baths
• Traditional methods
• Prevention
• Quickly cure a runny nose in a child
• How to quickly cure a runny nose in a child?
• How to quickly cure a runny nose in a child?
• Cure a child's runny nose in 1 day
• How to quickly cure a runny nose in children
• How to treat a runny nose quickly
• Antiviral
• Nasal rinsing
• Onions and garlic
• Antihistamines
• Warm
• Vasoconstrictors
• Inhalations
• Massage
• Carrot and beet juice
• What not to do
• When it is impossible to get rid of a runny nose quickly
• When to call a doctor
• How to quickly cure a runny nose in a child - tips for parents
• Runny nose in a child: symptoms and causes
• How to quickly cure a runny nose
• What medications to take and how
• Solutions
• Vasoconstrictor drugs
• Drops
• Antiviral drugs
• Inhalations
• Essential oils
• Treatment with folk remedies
• How to cure a runny nose in an infant
• Runny nose in a child: how and how to treat it?
• Causes and symptoms
• Treatment methods
• Runny nose in preschool children
• Folk remedies
• Complications of a runny nose
• Useful video about treating a runny nose
• Is it possible to quickly cure a runny nose in a child: a note for mothers
• When a child’s runny nose can be quickly cured
• When a child’s runny nose cannot be cured quickly, but can be stopped for a while
• Removing a foreign body from the nose
• Allergic runny nose
• Bacterial runny nose
• What is useful to do anyway?
• What is definitely not a quick way to cure a runny nose in a child?
• Video: When should you take vasoconstrictor drops?

A runny nose is the most common sign of various diseases of the nasopharynx, especially in children, so it is important for parents to know how to quickly cure a runny nose in a child at home.

Often a runny nose in a child can be cured in one day, but first you need to determine the reasons that triggered the appearance of mucous discharge from the nose.

Hypothermia

Often, hypothermia can cause a sharp decrease in immunity and cause a cold. So, if a child returns from a walk with wet feet, cold hands and nose, then there is a high probability of a runny nose. In this situation, the unpleasant symptom can be easily cured in one day. You need to quickly warm the child up, change him into dry warm clothes, give him warm tea to drink (with honey, lemon, linden, blackcurrant or raspberry jam) and make a warming compress.

Allergy

Often, a runny nose in a 2-year-old child can be caused by allergic reactions, because at this age the immune system is not yet fully formed. Allergic rhinitis is provoked by the following factors:

• dusty air;
• pungent odors;
• wool;
• pollen;
• food, etc.

If it was possible to determine that the cause of rhinitis was an allergy, in this case it is not difficult to cure a runny nose in children at home in 1 day, the main thing is to eliminate the unfavorable factors that caused such a reaction in the body.

Foreign body

If the patient is no more than two years old, then the cause of rhinitis may be a foreign object (bead, pea) stuck in the nose. Here it is better not to self-medicate and entrust the removal of a foreign body and the treatment of a runny nose in children to a specialist.

Infections

Often, a runny nose in children of different ages occurs against the background of an infectious disease. In this case, the infection can be both viral and bacterial in nature. It is necessary to direct therapy simultaneously to eliminate the infection that caused the disease, as well as treat runny nose in children and other associated symptoms. However, you should not expect quick results. With the right therapy, the first improvements usually occur no earlier than the second day of illness.

At the very beginning of the disease, it is important for parents to know how to quickly cure a runny nose at home. to prevent further development of the disease and complications. There are many ways to quickly eliminate rhinitis at home without the use of medications.

Saline solutions

The use of saline solutions is one of the most effective ways to treat a runny nose of any etiology. Special pharmaceutical preparations (Aquamaris, Solin, saline solution), as well as solutions of sea or table salt prepared at home (a teaspoon of dry matter per liter of clean boiled water) are suitable for the procedure. Using a saline solution, rinse the nasal passages one by one. However, it is often quite difficult to treat a runny nose in a 2-3 year old child by rinsing the nose, since this process can cause fear in him. It is enough to simply irrigate your nose with a spray bottle or instill a few drops of saline solution five to six times a day.

Important! Children under the age of one year are contraindicated from rinsing the nasal passages and using medications in the form of sprays to treat the nose.

Warming up

To speed up the healing process, it is advisable to use warming of the nose from the first day a runny nose appears. This method is especially effective for those who are looking for ways to cure a runny nose in a child on their own in one day, without using medications. Offer your child an interesting procedure by using a warm boiled egg wrapped in gauze to warm it up. Alternately warm up the maxillary sinuses on both sides; to achieve maximum effectiveness, repeat the procedure at least seven times a day for ten to fifteen minutes.

Inhalations

Inhalations are a good way to quickly cure rhinitis. The main advantages of such procedures include their accessibility, minimal number of contraindications and high efficiency.

Important! Steam inhalations are contraindicated at body temperatures above thirty-eight degrees, the presence of purulent inflammation and diseases of the cardiovascular system.

There are steam inhalations and inhalations using a nebulizer.

For steam inhalations, medicinal decoctions are used, prepared from various plants (sage, chamomile, eucalyptus) with the addition of essential oils (tea tree, fir). Place the warm solution in a small bowl, bend over the liquid, and, covered with a towel, inhale the healing vapors. In this case, entry and exhalation should be done through the nose.

In childhood, it is better to carry out inhalations using a nebulizer. This procedure is safe, since there is no risk of burns to the nasopharynx when inhaling a very hot solution. However, the use of herbal decoctions and essential oils is not permitted in all models of nebulizers, therefore, in such devices, for diseases of the nasopharynx organs, saline solutions or special medications are used.

Rinsing

In order to cure a runny nose as quickly as possible, it is advisable to use a set of various procedures aimed at eliminating all signs of the disease. Therefore, immediately after the first symptoms of a cold appear, especially if the inflammation of the nose is accompanied by redness and soreness in the throat, it is necessary to use one of the most effective methods of therapy - rinsing. There are a large number of different options for preparing solutions for this procedure:

1. Decoction of medicinal plants: thirty milligrams of collection (sage, chamomile, St. John's wort) per two hundred milliliters of hot water. It is necessary to infuse the decoction, then strain it and use it for rinsing three times a day.
2. Soda-salt solution: five milligrams of soda and salt are dissolved in 200 milliliters of drinking water. The procedure is repeated three times a day.

Important! If a child does not know how to gargle or is afraid of this procedure, you can lubricate the throat mucosa with the above solutions, thereby removing pathogenic microorganisms.

Warm baths

Many people use this method of treating colds, such as warming the lower and upper extremities in a bath or basin with hot water. The procedure is especially effective in the first days of the disease and helps to cope with a runny nose, eliminate swelling, and restore nasal breathing in case of nasal congestion. To enhance the therapeutic effect, you can add a few tablespoons of mustard powder to such baths, and you can also pour it into your socks before bed. It is important after the warming up procedure to stay warm for half an hour (cover yourself with a blanket, put on a terry robe and socks) and not go outside.

Traditional methods

Alternative medicine offers a large number of fairly effective procedures that help quickly alleviate a patient's condition with a cold and cure rhinitis.

• Onions are a fairly popular way to combat a runny nose. To carry out the procedure, you need to chop a medium-sized onion, put the resulting pulp in a fabric bag and bring it to your nose. You can simply inhale onion phytoncides, closing your eyes and bending over the chopped onion.
• You can prepare drops from beet and carrot juices, mixed and diluted with drinking water one to one. The product is used three times a day, instilling two drops.
• Treat your nose with fresh Kalanchoe juice. It is necessary to lubricate the mucous membrane with the juice of the plant three times a day or bury five drops of it in the nose.
• Sea buckthorn oil, which is instilled into the nose three times a day, five drops, is also considered an effective remedy.

Important! Before using various traditional medicine recipes, it is important to make sure that there is no individual intolerance to each of the components.

Prevention

It is known that preventing a disease is easier than looking for ways to treat a runny nose in a child. Therefore, as a preventative measure, it is necessary to follow the following simple rules:

• regularly carry out wet cleaning, ventilate the room, as dry, hot air dries out the nasopharyngeal mucosa, making it more vulnerable to various infections;
• avoid hypothermia by dressing your child according to the weather;
• in hot or dry windy weather, it is advisable to regularly moisturize the nasal mucosa to prevent it from drying out;
• minimize the child’s stay in crowded places (shops, markets), especially during seasonal epidemics of influenza and acute respiratory infections;
• pay attention to strengthening general and local immunity: carry out hardening procedures, eat fortified foods, use children's vitamin complexes.

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Quickly cure a runny nose in a child

A runny nose in a child is one of the most common diseases. It often drags on for more than one day, causing a lot of trouble for the baby and his parents. Many people believe that it is impossible to quickly get rid of a runny nose. And in fact, it completely goes away in only a week. However, there are ways to help get rid of this disease much faster.

How to quickly cure a runny nose in a child?

The first thing to do to quickly cure a runny nose is to rinse the nasal passages. The procedure begins with the child blowing his nose thoroughly. In addition, you will need to prepare a mixture. To do this, you need to dilute half a small spoon of regular salt and soda in a glass of warm water. Use the resulting solution to carefully rinse the nasal passages when a child has a runny nose. Such washings can be carried out several times a day.

The procedure itself is not particularly difficult. The prepared solution is poured into a small saucer. When one nostril is pinched, the liquid must be drawn inside the second nostril. Then the solution is held inside the nose for a couple of seconds, after which it is blown back out. The second nasal passage is washed in a similar way. After each intake of liquid, be sure to blow your nose well.

When treating a child with a severe runny nose, the number of washes per day can be increased to 5-6. This number directly depends on how much mucus is released during the procedure and the degree of nasal congestion. If nasal rinsing is very unpleasant for a child, and he categorically refuses such treatment, you should not force him. In this case, you can replace the homemade solution with pharmacy analogues, for example, Aquamaris. Marimer or other similar drugs.

The last stage of the procedure for rinsing the nose when a child has a runny nose, no matter what kind of homemade or store-bought remedy it is carried out, should be the instillation of vasoconstrictor drops into the baby’s nose. It is desirable that the drug be of plant origin. Delufen is well suited for these purposes. Pinosol and other medicines.

For older children, to quickly treat a runny nose, you can also warm up the area of ​​the maxillary sinuses using dry heat. However, this procedure should be carried out carefully, and only after consulting with your doctor.

Constant loud and long blowing of the nose is also harmful to the child, so it is worth teaching the baby to carefully get rid of the mucus secreted from the nose.

Quite effective for treating a runny nose in a child and inhalation. To carry them out, you need to boil a sufficient amount of water in any wide container, and then add a couple of drops of sage, pine or fir essential oil to it. In this case, it is advisable to collect the baby’s hair in a bun or ponytail and cover it with a scarf. The baby's head is tilted over the steam rising from the hot water, and covered with a terry towel on top. The baby is left in this position for some time. Parents should remember that when inhaling, be sure to check the temperature of the steam so that the child does not get burned by it. In addition, under no circumstances should you leave your baby's side, as he may spill hot water on himself.

You can make inhalation easier and safer with the help of special devices, such as a nebulizer or inhaler, which are sold at pharmacies. Inhalations help not only with a runny nose in a child, but can also cope with a long, painful cough. It is best to carry them out in the evening, before going to bed, and about an hour and a half should pass after the last meal. After finishing the inhalation, it is advisable not to open your mouth at all for some time.

Organizing a proper drinking regimen also plays an important role in the treatment of a runny nose. During illness, the child should be given as much fluid as he wants. After all, with a stuffy nose, the baby has to breathe through his mouth, and this leads to greater loss of moisture.

How to quickly cure a runny nose in a child?

You can start treating a child for a runny nose only after making sure that he has no complications of the disease. Such complications usually manifest themselves in the form of various symptoms. A specialist will be able to correctly assess the child’s condition, so before you start treating a child’s runny nose, you should consult a pediatrician.

You can quickly cure a runny nose with the help of such remedies as garlic and Golden Star balm. any vasoconstrictor drops and sea salt.

The garlic needs to be peeled and thoroughly chopped, and then hung at the head of the bed where the child sleeps. This remedy will help cope with a runny nose in the initial stages and make the baby’s breathing easier. To protect the nasal mucosa from pathogenic bacteria and moisturize it, you can use the following remedy. In a liter of clean boiled water you need to dissolve one small spoon of sea salt. This solution is instilled into the child’s nose, a few drops in each nostril. Instilling a sea salt solution may cause sneezing, which will allow the accumulated mucus to be easily expelled.

Drops with a vasoconstrictor effect should be used with extreme caution. Medicines such as Naphthyzin. Otrivin. Nazivin and others should be dripped 2-3 times every day. The course of treatment for a runny nose in a child should not exceed five days. When used correctly, such drops make breathing easier, relieve swelling of the mucous membrane, and this promotes good sleep in the child. Derinat is quite effective in the early stages of the disease. which can also be used to treat runny nose in childhood. If the runny nose is bacterial in nature, Protargol can be used to treat it. Before you start putting drops into your nose, you need to rinse your nasal passages, removing all the mucus that has accumulated there.

For the entire duration of treatment of a runny nose, the child must be provided with plenty of warm fluids. Nasal congestion often leads to mouth breathing, as a result of which a lot of moisture is lost and dry mucous membranes develop. In addition, with a lack of moisture, very little mucus is produced, which is why the infection is not removed from the body. The room in which the sick child is located must be frequently ventilated and cleaned, and conditions with sufficient humidity must be created.

If the child does not have a fever, you can give him hot baths for his feet and hands. After that, you need to put on warm socks or gloves on the steamed limbs. You can make your baby's breathing easier when he sleeps by slightly raising the top of the bed. Inhalations using Golden Star balm are quite effective. This product should be smeared on the back of the sheet so that the ointment itself does not come into contact with the child’s mucous membranes.

Cure a child's runny nose in 1 day

The sooner you start treating a runny nose in a child, the easier it is to quickly get rid of the symptoms and causes of the disease. There are methods that can help you cope with the problem of a runny nose in literally one day. Of course, before starting treatment, it is advisable to consult a doctor about the chosen methods.

Onions and garlic will help quickly cure a child’s runny nose. At the first symptoms of the disease, any of them should be thoroughly crushed and hung near the baby’s bed. You can also put crushed garlic or onion on a napkin and apply it to your nose; this compress is kept for about a quarter of an hour.

Helps with a runny nose and rinsing the nasal passages. To do this, you can use mineral water without gas. Her nasal cavity is carefully washed. This procedure should be carried out quite often, approximately once per minute. Before going to bed, you should lubricate the skin around your baby’s nose with natural honey.

Colds often begin with hypothermia; the lower extremities are considered the most vulnerable place in this regard. Therefore, in order to quickly cure a runny nose, you need, among other things, to insulate your feet. To do this, they wear thick woolen socks. Hot foot baths with the addition of mustard also have a good effect. However, we must remember that such treatment can only be carried out if the sick child does not have a fever. After a hot bath, the baby's feet should be dried and wrapped. Another remedy for treating a runny nose is dry mustard powder. It is poured into the child’s ordinary socks, put on their feet, and woolen socks are also put on top.

Rinsing the nasal passages in order to quickly cure a runny nose can be done using infusions of medicinal herbs such as sage, plantain, calendula, eucalyptus, chamomile and oregano. The selected plant is poured into a cup of boiling water and left for about two hours. During this time, the product will infuse and cool. After this, it can be instilled into the child’s nose using a pipette.

A well-known remedy for quickly treating a runny nose in a child is aloe juice. It is squeezed out from the leaves of the plant and mixed with clean water in a ratio of 1 to 10. The resulting mixture should be dripped into each nostril a few drops, the procedure is repeated several times. Aloe helps to quickly cure a runny nose in a child.

Baths for hands and feet with the addition of infusions of medicinal plants also bring recovery closer. For these purposes, it is good to use pine needles and birch leaves. Each of these components is poured into boiling water in a large spoon; this will require about two liters of water. Then the water with medicinal plants is put on the fire again and boiled for several minutes, after which it is left to infuse for another hour. The resulting infusion is poured into a bowl and mixed with plain water until the temperature reaches 40 degrees. The baby is seated near the pelvis in such a way that he can lower his legs into it. The water should reach as high as possible, it is advisable that the calves of the legs are also covered with water. Therefore, the basin can be replaced with a small bucket. After such a bath, warm socks are put on the child and he is put to bed.

• Erespal instructions
• Sinupret - complete instructions
• Runny nose in a month old baby
• Pinosol - detailed instructions
• Runny nose with blood
• Salin instructions
• Flixonase (spray)
• Baby's temperature
• Adrianol: instructions, prices, reviews
• Collargol instructions

• Onion juice, onions in the treatment of runny nose
• Mucus from the nose
• Foreign body in the nose
• LauraHEXAL: instructions, reviews, analogues
• Frequent or constant runny nose in children
• Idiopathic rhinitis
• Kromofarm (drops, spray): instructions
• Staphylococcus in the nose: symptoms, tests, treatment
• Fluimucil-antibiotic IT
• Kestin: instructions, analogues, reviews

Not really about a runny nose

Source:

How to quickly cure a runny nose in children

Inflammation of the nasal mucosa is called runny nose or rhinitis and is the most common childhood disease. How to get rid of a runny nose quickly, and whether there are emergency methods for treating children, we need to figure it out.

The most common cause of a runny nose is an acute respiratory viral infection that enters the body through contact with a sick person after hypothermia. Children begin to suffer from frequent runny noses when visiting children's groups in kindergartens and schools. Allergic rhinitis has been very common in children lately.

It is not possible to get rid of a runny nose quickly, since in most cases it is caused by a viral infection. There are no drugs against viruses (viruses cannot be killed); widely known antiviral drugs only alleviate the symptoms of the disease. Therefore, while the immune system produces protective antibodies, we can only alleviate the symptoms of a runny nose.

You can start treating a child’s runny nose only if you are sure there are no complications!

How to treat a runny nose quickly

With a cold, snot is accompanied by other signs of illness: high fever, intoxication, cough, pain in muscles and throat; with allergies, lacrimation, itchy eyes and nose, and sneezing are disturbing. The listed symptoms interfere with leading an active lifestyle, reduce the child’s appetite, and force him to refuse to attend kindergarten and school.

Therefore, treatment of the disease should be comprehensive: drink plenty of fluids, eat foods rich in vitamin C (citrus fruits, black currants, bell peppers, cranberries and rose hips), maintain the air temperature in the child’s room no higher than 22 degrees (the colder the better). Constantly moisturizing your nose with saline drops will help destroy the virus and relieve the symptoms of a runny nose.

How and how to quickly cure a runny nose in a child:

Antiviral

You can try to stop the initial signs of a runny nose with the help of antiviral drugs. Taking them from the first days of illness softens the main symptoms of a cold. The choice of drugs is wide - Viferon (allowed from the first year), Anaferon, Groprinosin, Arbidol, etc. The choice of the most suitable drug, taking into account other symptoms of the disease and the etiology of the virus, is made by your pediatrician.

However, antiviral drugs are not recommended for regular use. They are intended for frequently ill children if a runny nose begins simultaneously with fever and severe intoxication. Rarely ill children do not need to stimulate their immune system; their body itself can cope well with a viral infection.

Remember, no matter how many antiviral tablets, antibiotics and other drugs you force your child to take, his runny nose will not end faster than in 5-6 days.

Nasal rinsing

The best way to treat a runny nose is to remove snot and rinse the nose. Saline solutions are close in composition to physiological ones; they moisturize the nasal mucosa, wash away secretions, and normalize the functioning of epithelial cells. You need to drip them into the nose 4-6 times a day; if there is heavy discharge, you can do it more often; they will not harm even a baby. In babies, snot is removed with an aspirator, and children after 2 years of age should be taught to blow their nose.

For older children, you can prepare a nasal rinsing solution yourself by stirring a level teaspoon of sea salt in a liter of boiled water. The child should suck the solution into one nostril and blow it back out. If the child does not agree to rinse the nose, do not force it - buy a pharmacy saline spray and use it.

When using factory pharmacy sprays - Humer, Quicks, Dolphin, Aquamaris - the nose breathes more freely and is not bothered by copious liquid discharge. Regular irrigation of the nose with saline sprays will allow you to completely abandon vasoconstrictor and antiviral drugs, reduce the frequency of colds and relapses of chronic runny nose.

Clearing the nose of snot and rinsing with isotonic solutions is the main and, one might say, the only treatment for a runny nose in infants.

Onions and garlic

In children over 6 years old, onions and garlic will help get rid of a runny nose. You need to sniff a napkin with chopped garlic and onions, eat 2 cloves of garlic a day. To breathe in garlic vapor effectively, you need to place plates of chopped garlic around the house.

If a child attends school, you need to hang a bag of chopped garlic on his chest. It is advisable to change the garlic every 3 hours. The method really works!

Antihistamines

The first way to combat an allergic rhinitis is to eliminate contact with the allergen, and then take an antihistamine tablet. Antihistamines are not used for infectious rhinitis, as they dry out the mucous membrane, which further intensifies the runny nose and discomfort in the nose.

For children over 3 years old, hot baths for the feet and hands can quickly relieve the symptoms of a runny nose. You need to steam your limbs for no more than a minute, after which the feet are covered with turpentine and wrapped in a warm blanket.

Vasoconstrictors

Vasoconstrictor drops will not shorten the duration and severity of the disease, but they will effectively and quickly help get rid of a runny nose and congestion. They can be used only in case of severe congestion and for no more than 3 days, since addiction to them quickly develops, the risk of side effects is high, and they are not at all safe for children under one year old. First, the nose must be cleared of snot and rinsed with saline solution.

For children, we recommend using Xylometazoline, Nazol Baby or Nazol Kids drops. Children under 2 years old are allowed nasal drops - the spray can provoke an attack of suffocation. Older children only need to buy a spray - it is dosed, penetrates better into the walls of the nose, and is less likely to cause side effects.

Inhalations

Inhalations normalize nasal breathing and relieve swelling. For inhalation in young children, you can use a nebulizer. In the treatment of school-age children, inhalations over a decoction of chamomile, eucalyptus, sage or over hot water with a few drops of essential oil of coniferous trees, mint or sage oil are widely used.

For a runny nose and nasal congestion, acupuncture massage of pain points is effective. You need to massage and press two points along the edges of the bridge of the nose, at the inner corners of the eyebrows and in the pits near the nostrils. This massage is very important for children under one year of age, whose drug treatment is unsafe and undesirable.

Carrot and beet juice

The juice safely and effectively helps to overcome both thick and runny nose. The juice should be squeezed out daily, used fresh, and diluted twice with boiled water before use. Drip instead of nasal drops.

Children do not have vital situations when they need to get rid of a runny nose urgently; rather, it is a whim of worried parents. All your baby needs when he has a runny nose is to stay home for a couple of days, lie in bed and drink plenty of warm liquids.

If a runny nose is not accompanied by a temperature, or it does not exceed 37.5 degrees, then you should not skip walking outside. Cool, humid air is destructive for viruses; it will stop a runny nose, you will feel relief, and the body will receive the missing amount of oxygen.

What not to do

Procedures that may harm the child’s health:

• Avoid heating the nose and sinus areas. Heat is contraindicated at elevated temperatures and purulent processes.
• Blowing your nose loudly and for a long time can be harmful to children. In children under 5 years of age there is a risk of loss of consciousness.
• Prescribe antibiotics and antiviral agents unnecessarily.
• Use vasoconstrictor drugs for more than 3 days.
• Drip undiluted juices of medicinal plants into the nose, take medicinal tinctures orally.
• Use one scarf throughout the day. Viruses and bacteria come out with secretions, so you need to wipe your nose with disposable, preferably wet, wipes. To avoid maceration on the skin, apply dexpanthenol or a baby cream that relieves irritation under the nose.

When it is impossible to get rid of a runny nose quickly

There are cases of chronic runny nose, from which it is impossible to get rid of quickly:

• In case of chronic inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx - chronic pharyngitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, adenoids. These diseases need to be eliminated with long-term therapy.
• With polyposis and adenoiditis, with a deviated nasal septum, thickened nasal turbinates, only surgical treatment can get rid of a runny nose.

When to call a doctor

A runny nose is not a terrible disease, and most parents cope with it themselves without medical help. But there are situations when it is extremely undesirable to neglect a doctor’s examination:

1. If the snot does not go away within a week, the temperature rises again, nasal congestion, chills and weakness appear.
2. If your child begins to complain of ear pain or painless discharge from the ears. Constant colds lead to chronic otitis media and hearing loss in children. Boys are more susceptible to this.
3. If the child is very lethargic, blood-streaked discharge begins to come out of the nose.
4. A child under one year of age should be examined by a doctor if there are any signs of a cold.

When treating your child with vasoconstrictors for a long time, remember that the effects of these drops may have to be treated for much longer. After all, it takes at least 2-3 years to restore the mucous membrane after getting used to vasoconstrictors and developing medicinal rhinitis. Therefore, treat the disease, use methods of prevention and destruction of the virus, and only in this case will intoxication and snot not torment your baby.

Source:

Runny nose in a child: symptoms and causes

The appearance of a runny nose or rhinitis is an immune response to the external invasion of viruses, allergens and other “uninvited guests.” This unpleasant phenomenon is caused by a number of reasons:

1. The most common is ARVI. popularly called a cold. A runny nose is caused by the body’s protective reaction to the introduction of a virus or to a temperature imbalance: hypothermia or overheating.
2. Allergic rhinitis is triggered by exposure to an allergen. Which one is determined by an allergist.
3. The presence of a foreign body in the nasal passages: if you suspect that the baby has stuck some object into his nose, immediately contact an ENT doctor or emergency room;
4. Dry air in the apartment, which is often found during the heating season, helps dry out the nasal mucosa and leads to inflammation;
5. If your runny nose is persistent and the discharge becomes thick greenish or yellowish, consult an ENT doctor who will make an accurate diagnosis. Inflammation of the adenoids. sinusitis. sinusitis. otitis - these diseases are easier and faster to treat in the early stages, so if you suspect a chronic process, do not delay a visit to the doctor.

The features of treatment and its effect directly depend on the causes of the runny nose.

Important! Before consulting a doctor, try to determine which causes are most likely in your particular case. Share your opinion with your doctor. Find out what green snot in children means.

How to quickly cure a runny nose

If a sudden runny nose does not interfere with the child’s breathing and does not greatly reduce his well-being, at the initial stage it is better to avoid exposure to strong medications for the common cold:

1. Arrange a gentle regime for your child: do not take him to kindergarten, do not send him to school, postpone going to visit or go to the cinema. If the weather is good and the child is alert, you can take a walk, just not far and not for long, so as not to get tired.
2. Be sure to provide your child with plenty of warm liquid: compote, tea, jelly, water. If your baby tolerates honey, offer him warm milk with honey.

1. Warm your feet by putting socks on them. A good warming effect is obtained by rubbing your feet with badger fat.
2. Watch to see if you have a fever.
3. Help your child blow his nose: first, carefully clean one nostril, then the other - only alternately, and not together. Teach your baby to blow his nose correctly. For hygienic purposes, disposable paper handkerchiefs are best suited, which must be thrown away immediately after use: here viruses multiply by leaps and bounds.
4. If your nose is stuffy, rinse it with solutions that contain salt, preferably sea salt.
5. Lubricate irritated skin around the nose with baby cream containing vitamin A or panthenol, or cosmetic petroleum jelly.
6. Ventilate the apartment, achieving a comfortable temperature and humidity. Do not leave the child in a draft; when ventilated, take him to another room or to the kitchen.

When going to bed, offer your child a high pillow. With a runny nose, it is easier to sleep on your side with your head elevated.

What medications to take and how

Medications that are usually used in the treatment of rhinitis in children are solutions, vasoconstrictors, drops, etc.

Solutions

Solutions with sea salt, available in the form of drops and sprays:

They have a good moisturizing effect, cope with swelling and inflammation. These remedies are not a magic wand and do not have an instant effect, but their natural origin and the absence of side effects are undoubted advantages. Therefore, moisturizing solutions are considered the main remedy for fighting a runny nose. If these products are not at hand, regular saline solution will do.

Vasoconstrictor drugs

Vasoconstrictor drugs (Sanorin, Nazol, Rinostop) are prescribed to children with caution. They quickly and well relieve swelling and mucus, but only for a while. It is recommended to use them for no more than three days: with prolonged use they provoke swelling of the mucous membrane and cause addiction, when the effectiveness of the drug sharply decreases. The drugs have contraindications and a list of side effects; for example, Sanorin and Rinostop are not prescribed to children under two years of age.

Natural based medicines:

1. The popular Pinosol drops consist of extracts of medicinal herbs. Used for children over two years of age.
2. The no less famous Golden Star balm has the same age restrictions.

Antiviral drugs

Antiviral and immunomodulatory drugs are prescribed when a runny nose is accompanied by a cough, fever, and sore throat. The range of drugs in this group is huge:

• Grippferon drops;
• Arbidol tablets;
• "Tamiflu";
• "Kagocel";
• homeopathic spray "Irs 19";
• complexes of the Edas company.

Inhalations

Inhalation of saline solution using a nebulizer. quickly moisturize the nasal mucosa. It is enough to do two or three procedures lasting 5 minutes.

Essential oils

Essential oils are used for treatment if there is no allergy to them:

Moisten a napkin or cotton pad with the product and place it in the children's room, for example, overnight. Essential oil disinfects the air, allowing the patient to breathe easier and sleep more peacefully.

Treatment with folk remedies

• clean the nose, then drop freshly squeezed carrot or beet juice into both nostrils alternately with a pipette. Dosage - up to four drops in one nostril;
• Kalanchoe juice, squeezed from the leaves, is dripped 2 times into each nostril. The product cleanses the nose well, but has its contraindications. You can read how to use aloe for a runny nose here;

• keep tampons moistened with a solution of table salt for a couple of minutes in each nostril alternately. The solution is prepared at the rate of half a teaspoon of salt per 100 ml of warm water;
• instill sea buckthorn oil, 4 drops three times a day;
• Grate the onion into a paste, pour in 200 ml of hot vegetable oil. After 6 hours, when the onion oil has infused, strain. Lubricate each nostril with this oil in turn.

Warming the nose helps to cope with swelling. For the procedure, you will need a clean cotton bag or sock, into which coarse salt, pre-heated in a frying pan, is poured. The bag is applied to the bridge of the nose.

A hot boiled egg is also suitable for heating, which is first wrapped in a thin towel, removing layer by layer as the egg cools.

How to cure a runny nose in an infant

In infants, physiological runny nose occurs. If there is little mucous discharge and it does not cause discomfort to the baby, then it is enough to remove the sniffles with an aspirator as needed. If the baby’s health worsens or a fever appears, call the pediatrician immediately. A baby has a runny nose. when the baby has difficulty breathing and sucking, it becomes a real test for young parents.

Important! Infants suffer the disease more severely: infants have narrow nasal passages, and the swelling that appears on the nasal mucosa worries them very much. The kids cry, are capricious, sleep little, and eat poorly.

A runny nose in infants requires a more serious attitude than rhinitis in older children:

1. Infants do not know how to blow their nose, so their parents remove mucus from their nose for them. Stock up on an aspirator, a special bulb for sucking mucus out of the nose, and regularly clean your nose with this device.
2. Rinse your baby's nose only with pharmaceutical drops containing sterilized sea water. Sprays are not suitable for infants; they are recommended for use in children over one year of age.
3. Provide comfortable conditions: maintain normal humidity and cool temperature in the baby’s room. Air humidifiers, floor washing, ventilation, battery-powered wet diapers - all these means effectively combat dry air.
4. During periods of illness, it is very important for a baby to receive mother’s milk: at a tender age, it is the best and indispensable remedy for combating any disease.
5. Consult your pediatrician.

The task of parents is to learn to determine how much a runny nose is bothering their child. The set of measures taken to treat the disease depends on this. To provide adequate care for a sick child, not to “heal” and at the same time not to let the situation take its course - this is the essence of successful treatment at home.

Source:

Runny nose in a child: how and how to treat it?

How to cure a runny nose in a child is a problem known to all parents without exception. The disease, which affects children of any age, causes a lot of inconvenience to the child: breathing becomes difficult, the sense of smell is dulled. And these are just the first, mild symptoms.

The problem requires immediate resolution, since inflammation of the nasal mucosa cannot be ignored. This is fraught with all sorts of complications: from chronic diseases to those that can only be cured through surgery.

A child's body, which grows and develops rapidly, has a number of characteristics. You need to take each one into account when asking the question: how to cure a runny nose in a child in order to eliminate possible complications and not cause harm.

Causes and symptoms

Before getting rid of the problem, you need to know what causes a runny nose.

It is best to do this under the supervision of a pediatrician, because there can be many reasons for a runny nose:

1. Allergy. The manifestation of allergic rhinitis should be combated with specialized means; conventional antiviral and vasoconstrictor drugs are at best useless, at worst they will aggravate the situation. Read more about childhood allergies→
2. Dry air (both indoors and outdoors). The release of moisture from the nose in this case is a protective reaction of the mucous membrane.
3. Hypothermia or overheating.
4. Foreign objects entering the nasal passage. Any small parts from toys, sparkles from a dress, dust, particles of chalk or sand cause vasomotor rhinitis. It is accompanied by attacks of headache and severe watery discharge from the nose.

Trauma to the nasal passage. A child can damage their nose by picking at it with a finger or pencil. Virus. A cold is accompanied by sneezing, coughing, fever and general malaise. As a rule, this is a seasonal manifestation. Physiology, without other signs of a cold. A striking example of such a runny nose is the period when infants are teething.

Treatment methods

The nasal passages of infants are very narrow and it is often difficult for them to cope with the natural production of mucus, especially if parents, trying to protect the child from hypothermia, heat the air in the room to greenhouse temperatures.

When thinking about how to quickly cure a runny nose in a child, you should first of all:

• ventilate the room;
• do wet cleaning (even better - stock up on a household humidifier; if this is not possible, hang a damp towel on the headboard);
• clean the nose with a moistened gauze pad (but in no case with cotton swabs. They, unlike gauze twisted into a rope, are inelastic and can injure the mucous membrane, especially if the child turns or throws back his head while cleaning the nose).

You can quickly and effectively cure a runny nose in a one-month-old baby by rinsing. For this purpose, pharmaceutical preparations based on sea water are used (Aquamaris, Otrivin, Aqualor, Dolphin, Marimer).

Any of the solutions should be warmed to room temperature and 1-2 drops should be instilled into each nasal passage. It is advisable to place a diaper under the baby's head so that liquid can flow freely onto it.

It is also necessary to clear the nose of draining mucus using a regular rubber bulb for douching without a plastic tip (hard plastic can injure the mucous membrane, and if it slides deep, it can injure the nasal septum).

It is worth remembering that any pharmaceutical drugs can be instilled for no more than 4 days. As a rule, pediatricians prescribe the following medications to infants:

For more effective treatment of a runny nose, you should avoid bathing your baby for several days and give him 1-2 tablespoons of boiled water as an additional drink.

Runny nose in preschool children

From the age of 3, a child can already blow his nose on his own. However, you should not blow too hard to avoid damaging the blood vessels. If the nose is clogged, you can drip 2-3 drops of diluted Kalanchoe juice (provided that the baby is not allergic to it).

When choosing drops, you should carefully study the composition. Natural and herbal-based products (Protorgol, Pinosol, Rinoxyl, Vibrocil) are best suited for children.

The same drugs that are used to treat infants are suitable, you just need to increase their dose - in accordance with the age of the child. If the runny nose is persistent, Isofra or Xemelin are usually prescribed.

Should not be used:

• Sanorin. It often causes allergic swelling. This drug can only be prescribed to school-age children.
• Naphthyzin. It sharply constricts blood vessels. They can only lightly blot the nasal mucosa by applying the liquid to the turunda.

You can also lubricate your nose with Iodoglycerin to make breathing easier - twice a day (in the morning and before bed). However, only a doctor can advise what is best to use.

Warm foot baths help a lot, especially if you add sea salt to them (and to make it more interesting for a child to sit in warm water, you can tint it with a decoction of chamomile or sage).

Folk remedies

Treatment of runny nose in children with folk remedies is also effective.

To rinse the nose of infants, you can use:

• a thin decoction of pharmaceutical chamomile (a dessert spoon without a slide in a glass of water, steamed for 10 minutes, cooled, filtered);
• decoction of calendula (add an incomplete tablespoon of dry collection per liter of water. After it sits for a minute, strain);
• saline solution (9 grams of salt - less than a teaspoon per liter of boiled water). For children after a year, the saline solution is made more saturated - a teaspoon full of coarse table salt is placed per liter;
• tincture of a tablespoon of dried mint leaves (pepper mint, not lemon balm), with two glasses of boiling water. The solution must be infused for an hour and then filtered. This tincture can be drunk twice a day, adding half a teaspoon of linden liquid honey to a cup.

When treating a runny nose, you cannot do without steam inhalation:

• Add a tablespoon of raspberries and currants to a liter of boiling water and leave the broth for a few minutes.
• Pour boiling water into a small teapot, add 2 tbsp. spoons of soda, 1 tbsp. l. table salt. Stir and wait until the water cools a little. Then breathe alternately through each nostril through the spout of the kettle.
• Place a deep container of hot water by the child’s bed, into which add a few drops of essential oils. It could be eucalyptus, myrtle, fir, lavender.

It is important to control the temperature of the water in the inhalation container - it should not be too hot so that the child does not get burned.

You can prepare nasal drops yourself. For infants it is recommended:

• solution with aloe: 2 drops of aloe juice are diluted with boiled water (it is important that the plant is more than 3 years old);
• breast milk: 2 drops into each nasal passage.

For children after one year, drops made from:

• dried calendula petals and yarrow leaves (also called fish or bloodworm) - a teaspoon, pour boiling water over it. Wrap for half an hour or steam in a water bath for about 20 minutes. Cool, filter, and instill 3-4 drops into each nasal passage twice a day (2 for younger children);
• coltsfoot leaves, sage, plantain and calendula flowers. All of them should fit in a tablespoon, which is poured into a glass of boiling water. Then the broth is heated in a water bath for 5 minutes, infused for half an hour, and filtered. Instill 2-3 drops into each nostril three times a day;
• mint essential oil with liquid (preferably linden) honey. Mix 1 teaspoon of each component, slightly warming the honey. The solution must be infused for 15 minutes - during this time the oil and honey will complement each other’s healing properties. Afterwards, you need to moisten the gauze turunda and coat the nasal mucosa.
• red beet juice. Mix a dessert spoon with a teaspoon of boiled water and drop it into your nose (you can add a little linden liquid honey, but it’s not necessary). In its pure form, beet juice is very hot.

You can make a warming compress for your child: pour dry mustard into cotton socks. This warming significantly speeds up the healing process. However, if the baby has a fever, this treatment method should be excluded.

Complications of a runny nose

In the absence of timely treatment or in a chronic form, the infection of the nasal mucosa spreads to the respiratory tract. The most common complications of a runny nose include:

1. Sinusitis. Common symptoms include soreness in the eyes, cheeks, nose and forehead. In advanced forms, patients complain of bad breath and partial loss of smell. General weakness is accompanied by fever and headache. In rare cases, sinusitis can cause blurred vision, ear infections and inflammation in the membranes of the brain.
2. Laryngitis. Main symptoms: dry mouth, hoarseness, dry cough, which is subsequently accompanied by sputum production. As a rule, body temperature with laryngitis remains normal.
3. Bronchitis. Accompanied by a cough with the release of specific mucus, which can have a different shade. Body temperature rises during the most severe course of the disease. If symptoms persist for a long time, a chest x-ray should be performed.

There are other complications of a runny nose that are less common, but require more serious treatment:

• Hyposmia. As a rule, it occurs with chronic rhinitis and can lead to complete loss of smell.
• Polyps. Benign formations in the nasal cavity facilitate the penetration of allergens and bacteria.
• Dacryocystitis. Accompanied by the discharge of pus from the eyes. In advanced stages of the disease, probing is performed.

Despite the apparent mildness of the disease, rhinitis can lead to dangerous complications. To avoid serious drug treatment or surgery, treatment of the runny nose should be done at an early stage of the disease.

Inflammation of the nasal mucosa is called runny nose or rhinitis and is the most common childhood disease. How to get rid of a runny nose quickly, and whether there are emergency methods for treating children, we need to figure it out.

The most common cause of a runny nose is an acute respiratory viral infection that enters the body through contact with a sick person after hypothermia. Children begin to suffer from frequent runny noses when visiting children's groups in kindergartens and schools. Allergic rhinitis has been very common in children lately.

It is not possible to get rid of a runny nose quickly, since in most cases it is caused by a viral infection. There are no drugs against viruses (viruses cannot be killed); widely known antiviral drugs only alleviate the symptoms of the disease. Therefore, while the immune system produces protective antibodies, we can only alleviate the symptoms of a runny nose.

You can start treating a child’s runny nose only if you are sure there are no complications!

How to treat a runny nose quickly

With a cold, snot is accompanied by other signs of illness: high fever, intoxication, cough, pain in muscles and throat; with allergies, lacrimation, itchy eyes and nose, and sneezing are disturbing. The listed symptoms interfere with leading an active lifestyle, reduce the child’s appetite, and force him to refuse to attend kindergarten and school.

Therefore, treatment of the disease should be comprehensive: drink plenty of fluids, eat foods rich in vitamin C (citrus fruits, black currants, bell peppers, cranberries and rose hips), maintain the air temperature in the child’s room no higher than 22 degrees (the colder the better). Constantly moisturizing your nose with saline drops will help destroy the virus and relieve the symptoms of a runny nose.

How and how to quickly cure a runny nose in a child:

Antiviral

You can try to stop the initial signs of a runny nose with the help of antiviral drugs. Taking them from the first days of illness softens the main symptoms of a cold. The choice of drugs is wide - Viferon (allowed from the first year), Anaferon, Groprinosin, Arbidol, etc. The choice of the most suitable drug, taking into account other symptoms of the disease and the etiology of the virus, is made by your pediatrician.

However, antiviral drugs are not recommended for regular use. They are intended for frequently ill children if a runny nose begins simultaneously with fever and severe intoxication. Rarely ill children do not need to stimulate their immune system; their body itself can cope well with a viral infection.

Remember, no matter how many antiviral tablets, antibiotics and other drugs you force your child to take, his runny nose will not end faster than in 5-6 days.

Nasal rinsing

The best way to treat a runny nose is to remove snot and rinse the nose. Saline solutions are close in composition to physiological ones; they moisturize the nasal mucosa, wash away secretions, and normalize the functioning of epithelial cells. You need to drip them into the nose 4-6 times a day; if there is heavy discharge, you can do it more often; they will not harm even a baby. In babies, snot is removed with an aspirator, and children after 2 years of age should be taught to blow their nose.

For older children, you can prepare a nasal rinsing solution yourself by stirring a level teaspoon of sea salt in a liter of boiled water. The child should suck the solution into one nostril and blow it back out. If the child does not agree to rinse the nose, do not force it - buy a pharmacy saline spray and use it.

When using factory pharmacy sprays - Humer, Quicks, Dolphin, Aquamaris - the nose breathes more freely and is not bothered by copious liquid discharge. Regular irrigation of the nose with saline sprays will allow you to completely abandon vasoconstrictor and antiviral drugs, reduce the frequency of colds and relapses of chronic runny nose.

Clearing the nose of snot and rinsing with isotonic solutions is the main and, one might say, the only treatment for a runny nose in infants.

In children over 6 years old, onions and garlic will help get rid of a runny nose. You need to sniff a napkin with chopped garlic and onions, eat 2 cloves of garlic a day. To breathe in garlic vapor effectively, you need to place plates of chopped garlic around the house.

If a child attends school, you need to hang a bag of chopped garlic on his chest. It is advisable to change the garlic every 3 hours. The method really works!

Antihistamines

The first way to combat an allergic rhinitis is to eliminate contact with the allergen, and then take an antihistamine tablet. Antihistamines are not used for infectious rhinitis, as they dry out the mucous membrane, which further intensifies the runny nose and discomfort in the nose.

Warm

For children over 3 years old, hot baths for the feet and hands can quickly relieve the symptoms of a runny nose. You need to steam your limbs for no more than 10-15 minutes, after which the feet are covered with turpentine and wrapped in a warm blanket.

Vasoconstrictors

Vasoconstrictor drops will not shorten the duration and severity of the disease, but they will effectively and quickly help get rid of a runny nose and congestion. They can be used only in case of severe congestion and for no more than 3 days, since addiction to them quickly develops, the risk of side effects is high, and they are not at all safe for children under one year old. First, the nose must be cleared of snot and rinsed with saline solution.

For children, we recommend using Xylometazoline, Nazol Baby or Nazol Kids drops. Children under 2 years old are allowed nasal drops - the spray can provoke an attack of suffocation. Older children only need to buy a spray - it is dosed, penetrates better into the walls of the nose, and is less likely to cause side effects.

Inhalations

Inhalations normalize nasal breathing and relieve swelling. For inhalation in young children, you can use a nebulizer. In the treatment of school-age children, inhalations over a decoction of chamomile, eucalyptus, sage or over hot water with a few drops of essential oil of coniferous trees, mint or sage oil are widely used.

Massage

For a runny nose and nasal congestion, acupuncture massage of pain points is effective. You need to massage and press two points along the edges of the bridge of the nose, at the inner corners of the eyebrows and in the pits near the nostrils. This massage is very important for children under one year of age, whose drug treatment is unsafe and undesirable.

Carrot and beet juice

The juice safely and effectively helps to overcome both thick and runny nose. The juice should be squeezed out daily, used fresh, and diluted twice with boiled water before use. Drip instead of nasal drops.

Children do not have vital situations when they need to get rid of a runny nose urgently; rather, it is a whim of worried parents. All your baby needs when he has a runny nose is to stay home for a couple of days, lie in bed and drink plenty of warm liquids.

If a runny nose is not accompanied by a temperature, or it does not exceed 37.5 degrees, then you should not skip walking outside. Cool, humid air is destructive for viruses; it will stop a runny nose, you will feel relief, and the body will receive the missing amount of oxygen.

What not to do

Procedures that may harm the child’s health:

• Avoid heating the nose and sinus areas. Heat is contraindicated at elevated temperatures and purulent processes.
• Blowing your nose loudly and for a long time can be harmful to children. In children under 5 years of age there is a risk of loss of consciousness.
• Prescribe antibiotics and antiviral agents unnecessarily.
• Use vasoconstrictor drugs for more than 3 days.
• Drip undiluted juices of medicinal plants into the nose, take medicinal tinctures orally.
• Use one scarf throughout the day. Viruses and bacteria come out with secretions, so you need to wipe your nose with disposable, preferably wet, wipes. To avoid maceration on the skin, apply dexpanthenol or a baby cream that relieves irritation under the nose.

When it is impossible to get rid of a runny nose quickly

There are cases of chronic runny nose, from which it is impossible to get rid of quickly:

• In case of chronic inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx - chronic pharyngitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, adenoids. These diseases need to be eliminated with long-term therapy.
• With polyposis and adenoiditis, with a deviated nasal septum, thickened nasal turbinates, only surgical treatment can get rid of a runny nose.

When to call a doctor

A runny nose is not a terrible disease, and most parents cope with it themselves without medical help. But there are situations when it is extremely undesirable to neglect a doctor’s examination:

1. If the snot does not go away within a week, the temperature rises again, nasal congestion, chills and weakness appear.
2. If your child begins to complain of ear pain or painless discharge from the ears. Constant colds lead to chronic otitis media and hearing loss in children. Boys are more susceptible to this.
3. If the child is very lethargic, blood-streaked discharge begins to come out of the nose.
4. A child under one year of age should be examined by a doctor if there are any signs of a cold.

When treating your child with vasoconstrictors for a long time, remember that the effects of these drops may have to be treated for much longer. After all, it takes at least 2-3 years to restore the mucous membrane after getting used to vasoconstrictors and developing medicinal rhinitis. Therefore, treat the disease, use methods of prevention and destruction of the virus, and only in this case will intoxication and snot not torment your baby.