How to deal with cold and nasal congestion in children

Because children have low immunity, they are very susceptible to viral invasion and colds, which in turn cause symptoms such as nasal congestion and cough. Children with nasal congestion will have difficulty breathing, which will make them feel extremely uncomfortable and affect their sleep quality, thus affecting their growth. Children's nasal congestion should be treated promptly.

Treatment for nasal congestion:

1. Treatment of secretions

If the blockage is caused by nasal secretions, you can use a cotton swab to gently roll out the secretions. If it is dry secretion, you should first apply some ointment or eye ointment, or use a cotton swab dipped in water and drip it into the baby's nostrils. Be sure to use an appropriate amount to make it soft and no longer stick to the mucous membrane, then use a cotton swab to pull it out; you can also let the baby cry for a while, wait for the tears to soak the nasal crust and soften it, and then gently pull it out with your hands.

2 hot towels

Apply a warm towel to the nose. The nasal mucosa will shrink when exposed to heat, making the nasal cavity more unobstructed and the sticky mucus more easily hydrated and flowing out, thus relieving nasal congestion. Be sure to be gentle when applying heat.

3 Body Positions

Mothers can try changing their baby's position: when the left side of the nose is blocked, lie on the right; when the right side of the nose is blocked, lie on the left, which can relieve the nasal congestion.

4. Nose acupoint massage:

Let an older child sit down (infants and young children lie flat), use the thumb and index finger to massage both sides of the nose from top to bottom for 3 minutes, then rub the Yingxiang points (on both sides of the nose) for 1 minute. When the nasal cavity feels hot, the breath will be unblocked. Do this every 2 to 3 hours to effectively relieve nasal congestion.

5. Hold your baby upright

When a baby has a stuffy nose, he or she often cries non-stop. At this time, you can hold the baby upright, which can also relieve the stuffy nose and make the baby fall asleep more easily.

6. Raise your head

When nasal congestion affects your child's sleep, you can raise the head 30 degrees to relieve the symptoms.

7. Ventilation

Pay attention to indoor ventilation, try to maintain the room temperature at 24~26℃ and the humidity at 60%~70%. When the weather is cold, you can use air conditioning or heater to change the room temperature to relieve your child's symptoms of nasal congestion and runny nose.

8 Correct Ways to Blow Your Nose

Older children should be asked to blow their own noses when they have mucus. To blow your nose correctly, press one nostril tightly and gently blow out the secretions from the opposite nasal cavity. This can reduce the accumulation of nasal secretions in the nasal cavity and cause nasal congestion.

9 When infants and young children have nasal congestion , physiological seawater nasal spray can be used to reduce nasal mucosal edema. In addition to physiological seawater nasal spray, older children can also use nasal mucosal astringents such as oxymetazoline hydrochloride nasal spray. The use time should not be too long, generally not more than 5 days.