Treatment of a runny nose in children is the most effective medication and folk remedies. How to cure a runny nose in a child: methods and remedies Treating a runny nose in children with home remedies


How to treat a runny nose in a child who appeared suddenly? Precisely suddenly: in the morning he was active and lively, and closer to dinner he sniffed..

Now, in the evening, when more than one handkerchief turned out to be filled with known contents, both young, “beginners” and experienced parents need to resolve several issues that will determine how serious the situation is and how to proceed.

Often, the disease can last a month, or even more, until the parents finally pay attention to this and take urgent measures.

If you do not think, but immediately begin treatment according to a well-known scheme - vasoconstrictor drugs, then instead of a quick cure you can get, for example, “naphthyzinic” dependence, which can deprive the baby of the joy of free breathing for whole years.
So, preferably already in the first hour after the first signs of snot appear, parents should give themselves an answer (or try) to many questions, and we hope that this article will help you make the right decision and cope with the disease in a timely manner.

Terminology. What is a "runny nose" anyway?

A condition in which there is excessive secretion of nasal mucus is called "rhinitis". And the usual "snot" is scientifically called "rhinorrhea", that is, literally "nasal flow".

In medical clinical terminology, the suffix "-itis" means inflammation.

Of course, there is a big difference between appendicitis and rhinitis: no one will remove the nose. This word simply refers to inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nasal concha and the nasal passages existing between them.

Inflammation can be expressed to varying degrees: with a real inflammatory process, with the addition of a bacterial infection, the mucous membrane may look tense, edematous, even cyanotic, for example, with meningococcal nasopharyngitis.

In the case of allergic rhinitis, the mucous membrane may be of a normal color, only slightly hyperemic, but at the same time there will be a discharge of a significant amount of mucus that has a transparent appearance.

It is known that the nasal mucosa is able to respond to any irritation, infection in one - the only protective way - mucus production.

In the event that, along with the expiration from the nose, there is a sore throat, for example, when swallowing, then they speak of nasopharyngitis, that is, damage to both the nasal mucosa and the pharyngeal wall.

What can not be done with a cold in children?

Immediately you need to decide what is forbidden for parents of especially young children to do:

Apply from the very beginning without a doctor's prescription nose drops containing antibiotics. This is strictly prohibited for a number of reasons:
  • the antibiotic acts on bacteria, but does not act on viruses, which are the cause in the vast majority of cases;
  • it is recommended to prescribe antibiotics only after receiving the results of bacterial cultures of nasal discharge on nutrient media;
  • when they are instilled into the nasal passages, swallowing them is inevitable, and intestinal dysbacteriosis may develop due to the death of normal microflora, followed by the development of diarrhea, bloating and pain in the abdomen. with adult focus.
Immediately begin the treatment of a cold with vasoconstrictor drugs. Especially rude ones like Naphthyzin», « Galazolin". First of all, they dry the mucous membrane, cause vascular spasm.

And if the symptoms disappear for a few hours, then this does not mean anything: rehabilitation treatment after the abuse of such drugs can be quite long.

It must be remembered that the discharge of mucus in case of a cold is a defense, and should not be hindered.

It is possible to use vasopressor intranasal agents as the main ones only in case of allergic aseptic edema of the mucous membrane , as an element of pathogenetic therapy that affects the development of the process. Use a rubber douche to flush out the nasal passages. Especially in toddlers. The force of pressure may well cause injury to the tympanic membrane, and the ingress of fluid into the structures of the middle ear can cause reactive otitis media.

The main causes of a runny nose in children

Do not think that the only reason and source is a banal cold. The reasons may be different, but infections still lead in frequency of occurrence in all age groups.

Viral rhinitis. The most common not only in children, but also in adults. Oddly enough, viruses that have an affinity for mucous membranes cause it. It is there that they attach to cells and primary reproduction.

In the event that the protective barrier is strong, then antiviral immunity quickly copes with pathogens, and such an ailment quickly passes on its own.

It is about him that it is said that "an untreated runny nose passes in a week, and a treated one - in seven days."

By this it is understood that the laws of the development of a viral infection and methods of dealing with it in the body go through certain stages, which can be helped, but cannot be accelerated.

Most often, such an event as nasal congestion and runny nose is preceded by hypothermia: general or local (wet feet, an extra serving of ice cream).

bacterial rhinitis. In most cases, it is the result of a viral process with a weakened immune system. It occurs in weakened, often ill children, but it can also appear as a complication against the background of normal immunity, in case of a particular contagiousness of the pathogen.

As a result, bacterial inflammation develops on the weakened mucosa, which is manifested by mucopurulent discharge from the nasal passages. Common signs of intoxication often develop: fever, malaise;

allergic rhinitis. with recurring episodes, when it is clear which allergen caused it. And when such a reaction occurs for the first time, its reliable "markers" are the abundance of clear, watery discharge and other signs of an allergic reaction: conjunctivitis, Quincke's edema, urticaria, pruritus.

In more severe cases, bronchospasm can develop, in which it is difficult to exhale rather than inhale.

Finally, in some cases, laryngeal edema may progress, which may require urgent surgical intervention to avoid death from suffocation.

Finally, the most severe allergic manifestation is fulminant anaphylactic shock.

As a rule, this type of rhinitis has a pronounced relationship with both respiratory (plant pollen, fish food, house dust) and food allergens (strawberries, chocolate, shrimp, eggs, citrus fruits). Sometimes it develops when caring for animals.

Medicinal, "ricochet" runny nose. It is the result of too aggressive treatment, in which vasoconstrictor drugs were used without proper control.

It must be understood that the speed of action and effectiveness of adrenomimetics does not mean at all that these drugs should form the basis of the therapeutic arsenal of parents.

This is similar to how large-caliber heavy artillery should become the basis of an offensive operation.

A quick effect will be achieved, but at the cost of a scorched desert. This form of the disease is often transient to chronic.

Congenital defects of the facial skull and ENT organs. They appear with serious violations in the first days after birth, with moderate ones, they can manifest themselves with ordinary rhinitis. It is based on difficulty in nasal breathing.

Most often, congenital is to blame for this, and parents often take difficulty in breathing due to inexperience for a runny nose, despite the fact that there are practically no “snot”.

Vasomotor rhinitis. A type of rhinitis associated with a violation of vascular tone in the area of ​​​​the turbinates and passages. The spasm of the efferent veins results in mucosal edema and rhinorrhea.

An important factor is the recurrence of attacks without regard to both hypothermia and the action of allergens.

It's important to know

Most often, a provocation is any action or phenomenon: excitement, pressure increase, weather change. May accompany symptoms of vegetovascular dystonia.

In addition, other causes may be the culprits of the disease: adenoid proliferation, foreign objects entering the upper respiratory tract.

Sometimes the disease state may be due to the presence of a chronic congenital disease, such as cystic fibrosis or sarcoidosis. Therefore, in any case, for an accurate diagnosis, you need to consult a doctor. Source: website

What are the possible complications?

Despite the fact that it is difficult to come up with, as it seems, a more "trifle" disease, it is fraught with serious complications and dangers. We list the most common ones:

  • the gradual spread of infection into the bronchi and lungs due to the flow of infected mucus down;
  • blockage of the Eustachian (auditory) tube with thick mucus with the development of inflammation in the joint (reactive otitis media);
  • the development of sinusitis (sinusitis, frontal sinusitis, ethmotiditis) - with the involvement of the sinuses of the skull (respectively, the maxillary, frontal and ethmoidal labyrinth);
  • in infants who must feed by sucking, nasal congestion makes it impossible to breathe fully while eating. Therefore, they may be malnourished, lose weight, choke on milk or formula. and it can even go as far as aspiration pneumonia.

Rhinitis in children: the main symptoms

We will not consider here the manifestations of intoxication of the whole organism (temperature, malaise, lethargy), since they are well known to everyone and will focus only on local ones:

  • nasal congestion. It is checked very easily: one nostril is clamped and one breathes “at half strength”. It turns out without tension - there is no symptom;
  • rhinorrhea, or nasal discharge. They are serous, serous - purulent. Purely purulent discharge from the nasal passages does not happen, but when puncturing the maxillary sinus, you can sometimes get pus;
  • sneezing. It is known to everyone that its purpose is to release the airway with the help of a reflex evoked push of air. The air speed during coughing and sneezing can reach 100 km / h or more. Sneezing is usually preceded by rich and varied sensations: burning, scratching, pleasant tickling.
  • with atrophy of the mucous membrane (atrophic rhinitis), instead of rhinorrhea, scanty dry crusts form;
  • since the secretion of mucus and tears have much in common, with a coryza it can sometimes sometimes occur on one side, with sensations preceding sneezing;
  • hyposmia or anosmia - the inability to distinguish odors. This feeling is also familiar to everyone firsthand.

There are other discharges from the nasal passages: for example, with a fracture of the base of the skull and ruptures of the dura mater, in rare cases, cerebrospinal cerebrospinal fluid may leak from the nose and ears.

Sometimes there may be a runny nose in a child with blood.

Sometimes blood can drip from the nose, that is nosebleed occurs. There is even a special area from which almost all nosebleeds originate - Kisselbach zone.

You should not be afraid of this symptom, you need to put the child, throw back your head and put cold in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe nose, but not more than five minutes, so as not to catch a cold in the maxillary sinuses.

You can twist turunda from soft paper (napkins, toilet paper) and insert it into the nostril so as not to stain clothes with blood.

Sometimes nosebleeds can occur simply because a child who doesn't cut their nails just "picks" their nose.

The child starts a runny nose: what to do?

The stages of the disease, like any developing process, are clearly defined in time. They are most pronounced in a typical case, when the beginning runny nose develops due to hypothermia:

reflex stage, which is the shortest and lasts a few hours. It is at this stage that due to hypothermia, primary edema is formed, without the influence of pathogens. Light unpleasant impressions are possible: soreness (dryness and perspiration) in the nose, worsening of breathing;

Stage of viral rhinorrhea. It lasts for several days, is associated with the direct influence of viruses. It is at this time that the child can be contagious to others. Of course, it is desirable that he be in a mask;

The third stage most often marks the beginning of recovery - symptoms decrease in the reverse order of appearance. But sometimes the depleted mucosa cannot protect itself, and then microbes “land” on it, after viral inflammation first occurred.

Source: website Therefore, the answer to the question "how long does a runny nose last in a child" implies two options. The first - about a week with strong immunity and the second - for an arbitrarily long time - with a weak level of immune protection, since it passes into the chronic stage.

The frequency of the disease also affects the rate of recovery. If you are concerned about frequent snot in a child, then this may simply be the course of chronic rhinitis with long periods of relatively pronounced remission.

How to properly treat a runny nose in a child?

To do this, you need to follow a soft, physiological approach, and in no case do harm with your activities.

The dangers of prescribing coarse vasoconstrictor drugs at the very beginning of treatment and antibiotics have already been mentioned.

Therefore, it is possible to provide a general scheme, according to which it is necessary to act from the onset of the disease until the “critical point” is reached, which occurs approximately on the 4th or 5th day from the onset of the disease.

It is during this period that it will be clear whether your treatment has reached the goal, or whether you need to call a doctor and connect stronger drugs to the treatment.

Principles of correct and reasonable treatment

If you look at the instructions for children's drugs for intranasal administration (numerous sprays, metered drops), you will notice that the approach to treating an infant at the age of 8-9 months will differ in approach and dosage of drugs from the principles of treating children, say , preschool age - at 5 or 6 years.

to toilet the nasal passages at the first the appearance of rhinorrhea and shortness of breath, especially in infants before feeding. This is very important for good nutrition. For the toilet, you need to use turundas made of soft fabric or gauze, which are moistened with a solution of baking soda at the rate of 1 tsp. in a glass of warm water;

then to babies to create immune protection drip into each nostril a drop of mother's milk containing secretory immunoglobulins that protect the baby from microbes and viruses;

if there is no breast milk, you can drip drugs that enhance immunity, or just warm olive or linseed oil;

it is necessary to ensure the constant discharge of mucus, which contains many viral particles. To do this, it must be sufficiently liquid and must not dry out.

Therefore, the child should receive a sufficient amount of liquid inside: the mucous membranes should not dry out. If, however, nasal breathing is impossible due to crusts and stuffy nose, then breathing through the mouth causes a significant loss of moisture through the lungs;

instillation of saline or drops of sea water is next means of combating dryness of the nasal mucosa. You can use oil solutions of fat-soluble vitamins: A and E, even in children 1 year old and earlier.

Their harmlessness allows you to drip as often as you like, especially if there is no ionizer and air humidifier at home: this compensates for dryness, which is very high especially in city apartments in winter, when water heating radiators are very hot.

Medical treatment

The article does not aim to give a comparative overview of all available drugs, so we will limit ourselves to highlighting one or two of the most effective and popular drugs in each group that can be used:

Vasoconstrictor drops

Shown as the main remedy for allergic rhinitis, together with antihistamines:

  • "Nazol Baby" and "Nazol Kids Spray" for children from birth and from the age of 6 years;
  • "Nazivin" is a remedy that acts for about 12 hours (long-acting).

Antihistamines

  • "Fenistil", "Allergodil". These drops are indicated for admission even in babies aged 1 to 2 months;
  • "Tizin Allergy". It is used in children older than 5 - 6 years, can also be successfully used by adults;
  • "Zirtek" in the form of an intranasal spray relieves swelling and allergic rhinorrhea well, without causing side effects;

Miramistin with a cold in children

On the Internet you can find information that Miramistin can be used as a remedy for a child's cold. The thing is that this is not entirely true: if this drug can be used after unprotected intercourse, then this does not mean at all that it can be poured anywhere.


The following are arguments that refute the effectiveness of this remedy in almost all cases with children's (and adult rhinitis):

  • in a market era, the manufacturer would certainly have released Miramistin spray for intranasal use, however, the manufacturing company does not do this;
  • the drug is intended to protect the mucosa and destroy bacteria on its entire surface, therefore, with ordinary viral rhinitis, the drug useless. It is effective against hepatitis viruses, HIV, but not adenoviruses;
  • with a bacterial complication and serous-purulent discharge, Miramistin will also be ineffective, since it is first desirable to determine the pathogen.

And, although the instructions have indications for the treatment of the oral cavity, and in otolaryngology it is indicated for irrigation of the pharynx and ear, but the drug is not indicated for instillation into the nose according to the instructions.

In addition, Miramistin contributes to the formation of a dry scab in the wound, and for the nasal mucosa, this is extremely harmful, since the pathogen remains in these dried crusts.

Antibiotics for a cold in a child

The use of antibacterial drugs and the precautions associated with them have already been discussed above. Here are some of the best representatives:

Good cold remedy for kids

What to drip into the nose of a child with a cold without regard for safety? What remedy can mom give, hoping for help, but without harm and side effects?

What to do if a child does not have a runny nose for a long time?

In the event that, against the background of a decrease in immunity, a frequently ill child develops a persistent, protracted, long runny nose, then in this case, he is shown immune preparations containing antiviral protection - interferon and other active components:

In order to quickly cure rhinitis in a child at the initial stage, it is not necessary to use drugs that may have various side effects.

Numerous traditional medicines can be used, which may either prevent the disease from dragging on and becoming chronic , or even prevent the disease even before its first manifestations.

So, for example, going to the bath, warming up the whole body, and drinking tea with raspberries, honey and lime blossom can simply prevent a cold from becoming active in the body due to hypothermia.

Mustard in socks

This method belongs to reflexotherapy techniques. Its meaning is to pour dry mustard powder into a child's socks to improve blood circulation in the feet.

Since the vascular networks in the body are connected by reflexes, this causes an increase in immunity in response to the irritating effect of mustard.

This method can not be used in children under one year old, as well as with an increase in temperature. This is a preventive it can be resorted to only in case of hypothermia, which happened a few hours ago, and, according to the fear and experience of the parents, can turn into a cold.

Mustard is poured 1-2 teaspoons into children's socks at night, and woolen socks are put on top.

saline solution

Salt solution prepared at home is the same saline, provided that it has a concentration of 0.9% salt, which is equivalent to the state of blood plasma. It is very useful with the help of devices to rinse the nose with salt water, heated to 38 - 40 degrees.

In addition to mechanical and atraumatic cleaning of the mucous membrane, water has the ability to draw water out, and after the water, the swelling of the nasal mucosa also goes away.

In the case of multiple drug allergies, the use of saline along with cleansing, moisturizing, warming, can make the disease recede.

Beet juice for a speedy recovery

How to cure a runny nose in a child quickly at home with the help of vegetables? Many believe that for this you need to use raw beetroot juice, which is first settled in the refrigerator, and then instilled into each nostril.

The whole effect of this event will come down to moisturizing the nasal mucosa, and beetroot juice has no advantage over ordinary salted water. In any case, the studies carried out have not shown any acceleration of the period of rhinorrhea with the use of this remedy.

Radish and honey

Juice from black radish with honey has a great immunogenic effect: the top is cut off in the radish, a hole is made in the center. Honey is placed in the hole, again closed with a radish lid.

The whole structure is placed for several hours in a warm place. At this time, juice will stand out in the radish, which must be taken in 1 tbsp. spoon.

It can be used in children from 3-4 years of age, as it strengthens the immune system well and alleviates the course of not only the common cold, but also bronchitis, tonsillitis and other colds.

Essential oils

Preparations such as essential oils can only be used if the child does not have a pronounced allergic history.

After all, essential oils can develop severe bronchospasm. So, it is almost impossible to force a child to breathe essential oils of garlic and onions.

Therefore, a good alternative would be tea tree oil, mint, eucalyptus, lemon. Thuja oil has a good healing effect. This oil is obtained from thuja needles, and it has a pronounced immunomodulatory effect.

In addition, vapors of essential oils are able to moisturize and soften not only the mucous membrane of the nose, but also the bronchi, having a beneficial effect on the ciliary epithelium.

For more information on the use of a nebulizer in the treatment of ENT diseases, you can read the article below:

In addition to treatment:

The main purpose of this article was to make it clear to parents, that in most cases a runny nose (rhinitis) is a natural process

Treatment of a runny nose in children with folk remedies has its own difficulties - not every method will be allowed to be applied by children. Some people cannot stand the instillation of drops into the nose, in this case, heating the sinuses, massage and warming the feet or turundas in the nose will help. If turundas with grated onions seem too dangerous for some kids, then turundas with grated beets are no less effective.

Mustard in the folk treatment of the common cold in children.
Children easily agree to such treatment. This is a rather pleasant procedure that can be dressed in a game form. It is necessary to attach dry mustard plasters to the feet and secure with a cloth or bandage and put on warm socks on top. If the child does not agree to this procedure or there are no mustard plasters in the house, then you can pour dry mustard into thick cotton socks, put on warm socks on top. Walk like this for 1-2 days. If the child still does not know how to walk, then this remedy will also help him - let him lie in socks with mustard

To treat a stuffy nose in a child, there is another very pleasant remedy - warming the feet in water with mustard. Most children enjoy this procedure.
Mustard treatment cleanses the nose well, improves general well-being during colds, and also helps with coughs.

To quickly cure a runny nose in children, such a folk remedy as massage of the soles with alcohol helps. Instead of alcohol, you can use the asterisk balm. The child's feet are rubbed well, massaged, then warm socks are put on the legs. It is especially useful to do this before going to bed - do not put a sick child to bed with cold feet. The effect of this folk remedy will be even stronger and longer if you put a heating pad at your feet.

How to cure a runny nose in a child with onions.

A runny nose in a child will quickly pass - in 1-2 days. This folk remedy combines hydrotherapy and the beneficial properties of onions.
Adult and courageous children can agree to turundas soaked in onion juice and inserted into the nostrils. This procedure is not painful, but causes a slight irritation of the mucous membrane, all the mucus begins to move, sneezing begins, but nasal congestion quickly disappears. If the child does not agree to this method, you can use the onion according to another recipe: wrap the grated onion in a damp napkin, put it on the wings of the nose, cover it with a dry warm cloth from above, make it lie down with this compress for 15 minutes, after reading a fairy tale to it, repeat the procedure 3- 4 times a day.

How to treat a runny nose in children with garlic oil.

For very young and very tender children, you can use such a folk remedy for the treatment of a cold as garlic oil. Heat 50 g of vegetable oil in a water bath for 30 minutes, adding 2-3 cloves of crushed garlic. Insist for a day. Lubricate the nostrils 2-3 times a day. This oil is also good for prevention - during epidemics, before taking the child to crowded places, it is advisable to use this oil.

Beets in the folk treatment of a runny nose in a child.

Effective for the treatment of rhinitis in children beet honey drops if there is no allergy to honey. You need to take 1/3 tsp. honey, dissolve in a dessert spoon of boiled water and mix with 1 tbsp. l. beet juice. Bury 7 drops every 2 hours in a heated form. Nasal congestion in a child goes away in 1 day.
They also help raw beetroot swabs. You need to grate fresh beets, put on a piece of bandage and roll into a tube, insert into the nostrils for 1-2 hours, do several times a day. Such turundas clean the nose very well, but not every child can bear it. This remedy is for the very obedient and patient.

Aloe and Kalanchoe are often used in folk remedies for the common cold in children.

It is necessary to instill into the nose 3 times a day Kalanchoe juice or aloe 3 drops in each nostril. If in a child these drops strongly irritate the mucous membrane, you can dilute Kalanchoe juice with boiled water at 1:3-1:10. During the treatment of the common cold, sneezing may begin, this is a good sign and there is no need to be afraid of it.

How to treat a runny nose in a child by warming up.

Warming up the nose and maxillary sinuses can be used even in the treatment of infants, the main thing is to be careful not to burn the child, it is necessary that he feels pleasant warmth.
Warming up porridge. With a prolonged runny nose in a child, fill a small bag of thick cotton or linen with warm, hard boiled millet porridge and put it on the maxillary sinuses, cover with a towel on top so that it does not cool down longer. For warming up, you can use two boiled chicken eggs wrapped in cloth, a pouch with hot sand or salt. Do warm-up procedures 3 times a day.

Inhalation with a cold in a child is a popular folk remedy.

Some children like to inhale steam over boiled jacket potatoes. This remedy is very effective against a runny nose and cough in children, but you should not resort to it if the child has a fever. For greater effect, you can drop the essential oil of eucalyptus or mint into the decoction. Or at the end of boiling potatoes, throw yarrow, sage, eucalyptus, mint or calendula flowers into the broth.

How to treat children's rhinitis with honey and aloe juice.
The children had a severe runny nose and cough (girl - 6 years old, boy - 2 years old). Grandmother prepared a folk remedy for them: she mixed honey and aloe juice in a ratio of 1: 1. Dropped into spouts at night. Everyone was very surprised when in the morning the kids had no cough or nasal discharge.
A few days later, a relative came to visit them with a severe incessant cough and stuffy nose. They gave these drops to him. The next day, a call with thanks - nasal congestion and all the symptoms of a cold were gone! (HLS 2011, No. 4, p. 17)

Inflammation of the nasal mucosa, accompanied by congestion, shortness of breath, sneezing, is called a runny nose. This simple and safe (erroneous opinion of many) disease can be isolated, or it can be accompanied by other pathologies. The treatment of the common cold should be carried out correctly, especially in infants, since there is a risk of developing serious complications.

What children's drops from the common cold are the most effective, you can find out from this article.

Types of runny nose

Runny nose is a commonly diagnosed inflammation of the nasal mucosa in children. They are sick and teenagers, and children of school age, and newborns / infants. In medicine, it is customary to distinguish between the following types of rhinitis:

  1. Infectious. Occurs against the background of influenza, measles, acute respiratory viral infection.
  2. Catarrhal (chronic). It takes a long time, is characterized by nasal congestion, which worries children both day and night.
  3. Allergic. All signs of a runny nose appear periodically and are most often associated with the seasons of the year - for example, grasses bloom in spring, poplar fluff flies in summer, and ragweed blooms in autumn.
  4. Vasomotor. It is diagnosed in children with weakened immune systems, for whom even a small draft, subject to the presence of warm clothes, threatens to develop into a runny nose.

How to properly use aloe juice from a cold for children under one year old can be found in the contents of this article.

In the case of acute rhinitis (runny nose), three stages of rhinitis can be diagnosed:

  • dry;
  • wet;
  • purulent.

Runny nose in infants - features of the course


If a runny nose lasts more than 2 weeks, then you need to consult a pediatrician - perhaps a physiological runny nose has developed into an infectious one.

Newborns are characterized by the development of a physiological runny nose - a condition that is associated with the adaptation of the nasal mucosa to the outside world and independent breathing. In the womb, the child did not breathe through the mouth and nose - oxygen was supplied through the blood through the umbilical cord. After birth, the body must get used to / adapt (go through a period of adaptation) to new living conditions and the nasal mucosa simply “calculates” the right amount of mucus to be produced. It is during this period that the baby may experience nasal congestion, the presence of mucus.

What drops from a runny nose and nasal congestion are the best, you can find out from the article.

With a physiological runny nose, the child does not experience discomfort and behaves absolutely calmly, therefore, fever, whims and sleep disturbance cannot be associated with this condition.

Runny nose symptoms

For each stage of acute rhinitis (runny nose), there are symptoms:

  • at the beginning of the disease (dry stage)- dryness in the nasal passages, the patient experiences discomfort (“itching”), there is frequent sneezing, a headache of a non-intense nature develops;
  • wet stage- light-colored mucus begins to accumulate in the nasal passages, the mucous membrane swells significantly and there is complete nasal congestion;
  • purulent- discharge from the nose acquires a yellow-green tint, stretching and viscous structure.

At any stage of acute rhinitis, headache, general weakness are added to the above symptoms, children are naughty and require increased attention from adults.

Acute rhinitis responds well to treatment, and in some cases completely disappears without the intervention of doctors and the use of drugs. If the runny nose lasts more than 3 weeks, then the risk of the transition of the disease to the chronic stage increases significantly.

What to do when the nose swells without a runny nose and how to deal with this problem, what medicines and methods are indicated in the article.

Diagnostic measures

A runny nose in children under one year old is diagnosed by a pediatrician already when examining the nasal passages - there is hyperemia (redness) of the mucosa, its swelling and the presence of mucus. In some cases, instrumental methods of examining a child can be used, and narrower specialists are invited for consultation - for example, an allergist, an infectious disease specialist.

The doctor must differentiate the common cold from infectious diseases in which the symptoms may be similar - for example, diphtheria, measles.

The child has a runny nose and sneezing, but there is no temperature, what to do about it and how to help the child will help to understand the article.

Treatment of the common cold in children up to a year

The peculiarity of the common cold in children under one year old is a problem in its treatment. The fact is that the baby is not able to blow his nose and the exit of mucus is difficult - it accumulates in the nasal passages, which can lead to the rapid development of a chronic form of rhinitis. Parents can help their child with the following procedures:

  • provide the right humidity in the child's room- you can use special humidifiers or arrange containers with water, hang wet rags on the batteries;
  • regularly clear the nose of mucus with cotton swabs before 9 months of age or with an aspirator for older children.

Many parents instill mother's breast milk into the nasal passages because it is believed to have antibacterial properties - this is a mistake! It is much more effective to use a weak saline solution for instillation (5 grams of salt per half a glass of water).

What an inexpensive remedy for a cold for children is used most often, you can find out from the article.

Treatment of a runny nose in children aged 1-12 months can last both 3 and 4 days, but most often parents note the final recovery a week after the start of the procedures.

Medical treatment

If a baby has a runny nose, then the treatment should be extremely safe - in no case should you use drops and aerosols / sprays that are recommended for older children to relieve symptoms!

For babies over the age of 3 months, Nazivin drops can be used - they have a vasoconstrictive effect. If the baby is already 5 months old, then you can thin the accumulated mucus in the nasal passages with saline sodium chloride and then carry out the liquid suction procedure (aspiration). The best remedies for treatment at the age of 5-6 months include Otrivin, Xilen and Vibrocil. In the period from 7 months and older, you can safely drip Interferon - it has not only a therapeutic, but also a preventive effect. It is also possible to take homeopathic remedies agreed with the doctor.

What to do when, after a runny nose, the sense of smell is gone, the information from the article will help you figure it out.

What remedy for a cold is best for a child - the doctor decides!

Folk methods

Official medicine fully approves the use of folk methods in the treatment of the common cold in children under one year old. The most effective means include:

  • rinsing the nasal passages with saline;
  • instillation of 1 drop several times a day of aloe / Kalanchoe juice;
  • inhalations with decoctions of medicinal herbs (sage, chamomile, thyme).

Alternative methods can be used in the treatment of rhinitis in children from 8 months of age and not earlier! And inhalations - from the 10-month-old.

What to do when there is pain in the throat when swallowing, but there is no temperature, you can find out by reading the article.

What is the danger of a runny nose in children under one year old

Many parents mistakenly believe that a runny nose (rhinitis) does not pose a danger to the child and generally goes away “by itself”. But the statistics say otherwise:

  • untreated acute rhinitis quickly passes into the chronic stage, which is difficult to treat and constantly recurs;
  • at 7 months of age, a runny nose can develop into purulent sinusitis;
  • at 9-12 months of age, the risk of developing sinusitis increases.

How to cure a runny nose while breastfeeding a mother will help you find out the contents of the article.

In addition, a prolonged runny nose leads to sleep disturbance in a child, his whims and irritability. Due to the fact that the baby cannot fully breathe through the nose, the mode of breastfeeding (or artificial) is also violated - the child does not eat the right amount of milk / mixture, loses weight, and there are signs of disturbances in the digestive system.

What antibiotics for coughing and runny nose are the best and quickly help, you can understand by reading the article.

Video

Watch a video about three ways to clean the baby's nose in a quality way:

Runny nose in children under one year old is a disease that can be treated at home. Pediatricians should be contacted in case of fever, cough, or other symptoms of an infectious disease.

What is the best way to treat a runny nose for a 7-year-old child?

Answers:

Christina Ovchinnikova

Our grandmother always treats a runny nose like this: 3 packs of bay leaves are poured with water so that the leaves are covered with water and bring it to a boil. Then she lets it cool down a little, but only a little, then she soaks napkins in this water and puts it on our nose, closing it completely, leaving only small holes so that we can breathe. While one napkin is on her nose, she wets the second. When the first one cools down, it quickly replaces it with the second one. And so 3 times. Once a day. Make 9 procedures. Even chronic rhinitis is cured! Tested on myself!

Damn

protorgol-I’m treating it myself and I’ve been treating a child since six months from birth ... it’s on herbs, it helps very quickly and well ... and all these sprays are complete nonsense

seleonora

I didn’t try it myself, I managed with Nazol, but my friend praised Kalanchoe juice very much

~-=nik]=-~

B. Don't let the sputum dry out!
The easiest way is to drip a saline solution into the child's nose: In the case of a runny nose in newborns or infants, as well as a runny nose in older children, it is important not to allow sputum to dry in the nasal passages - this can completely upset nasal breathing. In order to prevent mucus from drying up in the nasal passages, it is recommended to moisten the nasal passages with a saline solution. To do this, you can use ordinary saline, or you can just use a solution of ordinary table salt in water. Saline solution is instilled 3-4 drops into each nostril. It is desirable that at this time the child lies with his head thrown back. The first entry of fluid into the nose can be very unpleasant, causing coughing, sneezing, or even the urge to vomit. However, after several instillation procedures, such sensitivity of the nasal and pharyngeal mucosa disappears. The procedure can be repeated every 30-60 minutes. It is important to ensure that the mucus in the nose does not dry out. The saline solution helps thin the sputum and make it easier to excrete from the nose of a child with a runny nose.
Instead of a saline solution, some experts recommend using oily liquids, such as vitamin A or vitamin E oil, which are available from pharmacies. Such liquids not only prevent sputum from drying out, but also moisturize the nasal mucosa, relieve irritation, and have a regenerating effect.
C. Medications to ease nasal breathing
In some sources, of course, one can read about the “danger” or “inappropriateness” of the use of decongestants (the so-called all types of drugs that, when instilled into the nose or when taken orally, facilitate nasal breathing) in the treatment of acute rhinitis (rhinitis) in newborns, infants age and older children. We must give credit to our colleagues by noting that such drugs can indeed cause some complications and that, if used incorrectly, they can aggravate the condition of the child. We note right away that the complications of the common cold do not arise because of the drugs themselves, but because of their illiterate use. It is absolutely unacceptable to treat children with decongestants intended for adults and give the child medicine when it pleases.
Below we will review a description of some of the drugs recommended for the treatment of the common cold in children, but first we note that the failure to treat modern decongestants can cause complications such as sinusitis. The fact is that all nasal sinuses (two maxillary, two frontal, ethmoid and sphenoid), open with small holes into the nasal cavity. Microbes are expelled from the sinuses through these openings. With a runny nose, children develop severe swelling of the nasal mucosa, which leads to complete closure of the holes that communicate the nasal cavity with the cavities of the paranasal sinuses. As a result, microbes accumulate in the sinuses, which eventually cause sinusitis - inflammation of the sinuses.
How do nasal medications work?
There are two large groups of drugs that facilitate nasal breathing: local (topical) and systemic decongestants. Both those and other types of cold medicine act in the same way: they constrict the vessels of the nasal mucosa. Due to the narrowing of the vessels, the swelling of the nasal mucosa decreases and nasal breathing is partially or completely restored. It also opens the communication channels between the nasal cavity and the paranasal sinuses, thereby reducing the risk of developing sinusitis.

Valentina Dylgina

Drip red beet juice into the nose - 4-6 times a day, at first it will increase a little, but it will pass quickly

Julia Bruskova

Among childhood diseases, one of the most common is the common cold. A runny nose or rhinitis occurs very often in children of different ages, and the sooner parents take measures to eliminate the causes and symptoms of the disease, the easier it will be for the child. In this article, we will tell you how to quickly and effectively eliminate the causes of a runny nose and cure it with folk remedies in one day.

Instruction

  1. At the very beginning of the illness, hang crushed garlic over the baby's bed, which will scare away germs. Prepare a sterile solution of sea salt and put two or three drops into each nostril of the child using an eyedropper. This will free the nasal passage from mucus.
  2. Washing should be done regularly - this will keep the nose clean and help eliminate the disease. If the child's nasal cavity swells, making it difficult to breathe, instill vasoconstrictor drops in him no more than twice a day - for example, Nazivin or Derinat.
  3. Use a special blower to suck the mucus out of the child's nose if he does not yet know how to blow his nose. Only after cleaning the nose, instill drops inside.
  4. The child should be in a humid room - regularly ventilate the room and do wet cleaning. Give him more warm drinks to replenish moisture in the body. It is useful to use Protargol drops, which rid the nasal passages of purulent mucus.
  5. Elevate your child's pillow at night to raise the level of his head. This will make breathing easier. Take inhalations from the asterisk balm before going to bed.
  6. To wash the nose, in addition to saline, use infusions of chamomile, calendula, plantain, sage, oregano, as well as sea buckthorn, peach and eucalyptus oils, which can be added to herbal infusions. Herbs insist on a glass of boiling water for two hours, then cool and rinse the child's nose through a pipette.
  7. Take two fresh aloe leaves, wash them in warm water and squeeze out the juice. Dilute aloe juice with boiled water in a ratio of 1:10 and instill 3-4 drops of juice in each nostril several times a day. Aloe allows you to quickly and effectively deal with the common cold.
  8. A recognized treatment for children are foot and hand baths. Do them before bed, then put woolen socks on your child and put him to bed. Prepare an infusion of birch leaves and pine needles for a foot bath. Pour a tablespoon of each herb with two liters of boiling water and boil for five minutes. Infuse the herbs for an hour, pour into a bowl and dilute to a temperature of 30-40 degrees. The child should sit next to the basin, placing his feet in it, so that the water reaches the knees. Do a bath for 20 minutes, after which the child needs to be put to bed.

How to treat a runny nose in a child aged 6 months?

A runny nose can make a baby uncomfortable or even dangerous. And if a child has a runny nose for 6 months, how to treat it in this case? After all, for the baby, many drugs are strictly prohibited.

The runny nose itself, being part of the defense system, removes dead cells from the body, including pathogens. The appearance of snot in infants may be due to the following reasons:

  • allergy;
  • viral infection;
  • bacterial infection.

For children up to a year, such a phenomenon as a physiological runny nose is characteristic. Since in newborns the nasopharyngeal mucosa is not yet fully functional, in the first months of life, the body, as it were, tests the work of the excretory system. Most often, the physiological runny nose disappears by the third month, but sometimes it lasts longer.

Sometimes parents mistakenly believe that the baby has a runny nose due to the fact that, for example, a one-month-old baby sleeps with his mouth open and sniffs while breathing at night. As a rule, this is not a cause for concern. And sniffing is connected only with the narrowness of the nasal passages of a month-old baby. That is, if a newborn breathes well with his nose during wakefulness, but opens his mouth in a dream, he should not be treated in the absence of copious discharge.

Why is it important to treat a runny nose in newborns?

The ability to blow your nose, like many other "skills", is not innate. In this regard, cleaning the nose of a newborn baby is associated with certain difficulties. Because of the inability to blow your nose, a baby with a stuffy nose may experience difficulty breathing, especially during a night's sleep. In addition, under the age of 2-3 weeks, children do not know how to breathe through their mouths, and this circumstance is fraught with additional danger.

Before thinking about how to cure a runny nose, it is necessary to ease the child's breathing by removing mucus from the nasal canals.

Ways to clean the nose in newborns

To facilitate the removal of snot, the spout must first be rinsed. For this, saline solutions are most often used, preferably based on sea salt. They soften the discharge, facilitating their subsequent removal, have an antibacterial effect, preventing the development of infection.

Clean the nose a few minutes after instillation of saline manually (with a cotton flagellum) or with a nasal aspirator. It is not recommended to use cotton swabs for this purpose in order to avoid injury to the delicate mucous membrane of the child's nasopharynx. Extremely diligent and frequent washing of the nose can have the opposite effect, leading to overdrying of the mucous membrane.

You can not use a pear or syringe to clean the baby's nose. Fluid can enter the canal between the ear and nasopharynx and lead to otitis media (inflammation of the middle ear).

Using a nasal aspirator

To suck out mucus in case of a severe runny nose, infants sometimes use special devices - nasal aspirators (popularly called “nozzle pumps”), from the simplest ones in the form of a rubber pear to electric ones. Aspirator models really help to quickly and effectively remove snot, but it is recommended to use them only in case of emergency, when it is impossible to get rid of a large amount of mucus in the child's nasal cavity in another way. With extreme caution, it is necessary to use electric aspirators, but it is better to abandon them in favor of manual devices, which are less likely to damage the nasal mucosa.

Parents suck the snot out of their mouths the old fashioned way. It should be remembered that by performing such a procedure, you yourself can catch an infection from a child. Although if the mother does this, it is rather even good, because in the end the child will receive ready-made antibodies from the mother, that is, immunity to fight the infection.

Medicines for the treatment of the common cold in infants

Depending on the cause of a runny nose, different treatments may be needed. Antibiotics are not the best cold medicine for children, they are very harmful to the child's body. Fearing possible complications, it is important to simply observe the hygiene of the spout, and not overload the baby's body with packs of medicines without urgent need. Moreover, you should not prescribe a course of treatment for a child on your own without a doctor's recommendation.

Vasoconstrictive solutions can also be instilled in infants only in case of emergency, when normal washing does not relieve breathing. It is important to remember that drugs for the common cold are addictive, that is, they deprive the nose of the ability to breathe on its own.

If, in the treatment of the common cold of a newborn, the use of medicines still cannot be avoided, first of all, you need to make sure that the prescribed drug is a special remedy for the common cold for children.

Treatment of allergic rhinitis

Often, a runny nose is caused by allergic reactions, in this case, in addition to mucus secretion, a runny nose is accompanied by scratching of the nose, bouts of sneezing and redness of the eyes. Allergies in a child can be caused by both food, if complementary foods have already been introduced by the age of 6 months, and environmental factors (dust, pollen, fungal spores). The most common food allergens are cow's milk, eggs, and wheat gluten. There are allergic reactions in response to the use of drugs, household chemicals, as well as post-vaccination allergies.

When choosing a remedy for a runny nose for children, you should be aware that if a runny nose appeared due to an allergy, it is not recommended to treat it with plant-based nasal drops. The use of other vasoconstrictors is possible, but only as prescribed by a doctor. It should be remembered that nasal drops are addictive, so the same drugs should not be used for more than 7-10 days, otherwise a runny nose can only get worse due to the appearance of rhinitis of a medicinal nature.

When treating allergic rhinitis, a doctor may also prescribe antihistamines. The course of treatment usually does not exceed a week, but only an allergist can give exact recommendations for a specific case.

Sometimes doctors prescribe glucocorticosteroid drugs and mast cell stabilizers for a runny nose associated with allergies. But glucocorticosteroids are used to treat the common cold only when absolutely necessary, as these drugs have many side effects.

Before treating allergic rhinitis, the allergen must first be identified and eliminated. Parents should do wet cleaning more often, do not use household chemicals, it is recommended to wash baby clothes with baby soap or phosphate-free washing powders. Mom should pay special attention to breast hygiene. If the baby is breastfed, the breasts should also not be washed with anything other than baby soap.

Treatment of a runny nose in a 6-month-old baby with folk methods

Due to the fact that newborn children are prone to the appearance of allergic reactions, resorting to the treatment of a cold with folk remedies, one must be extremely careful. You can never predict how a child's body will react to a drug. Therefore, before treating a runny nose in a child up to a year old with folk remedies, you need to coordinate the treatment with the pediatrician and check the child's reaction using a small amount of the remedy itself. And it is best not to use folk methods for children under 3 months old, otherwise you will not only not cure a severe runny nose, but also aggravate it by giving the baby's body other problems in the form of additional allergy symptoms.

In folk medicine for the treatment of rhinitis in infants are used:

  • balm "asterisk";
  • warming up (porridge, egg, salt, sand);
  • menthol oil;
  • sea ​​buckthorn oil;
  • juice of some vegetables and decoctions of herbs;
  • mother's milk.

It is popularly believed that foot massage using an asterisk is very effective if there is rhinitis. After such a massage, you need to put on the baby warm socks, cotton or wool, and cover with a warm blanket. It is recommended to perform this procedure before going to bed at night.

Wanting to save the child from a runny nose, he is sometimes warmed up.

Babies can do this, but with great care so as not to burn delicate skin. The temperature should be comfortable for the child. You can warm up for about 10 minutes 3 times a day. Children are warmed up with the help of warm millet porridge, heated salt or sand, boiled chicken eggs wrapped in cloth. Heating is carried out in the region of the bridge of the nose or nasal sinuses. It is better not to use this method without consulting a doctor, as it may be contraindicated in some inflammatory diseases of the nasopharynx.

Peach or sea buckthorn oils are best for treating a runny nose. To relieve nasal congestion, after clearing the nasal passages of mucus, cotton flagella moistened with oil can be inserted into each nostril in turn.

Menthol oil is also known for its ability to ease breathing difficulties. They lubricate both the nasal mucosa and the area behind the ears, the occipital region, the wings of the nose, temples and forehead. After that, a warm cap can be put on the child's head. It is necessary to do the procedure three times.

You can treat a runny nose by instilling herbal decoctions: yarrow and calendula. Method of preparation: pour one teaspoon of medicinal herbs with a glass of boiling water, heat the broth for 15-20 minutes in a water bath. Bury 2-3 drops in each nostril.

Treatment of the common cold with mother's milk

It is believed that the best remedy for a cold is mother's milk. This is due to the content of antibodies and other components in it to protect the baby from infections. It is recommended to instill 1 drop in each nostril for 3 days. However, breast milk is also an excellent breeding ground for bacteria. But this folk method of treating a runny nose is often prescribed by pediatricians themselves.

When choosing the most effective remedy for treating a runny nose in a 6-month-old baby, one should not forget that for the normal functioning of the mucosa, it is important to maintain an optimal microclimate in the baby's room. There should be no drafts in the nursery. Breastfeeding is recommended as often as possible, but not by force. A baby with a runny nose should be given to drink more often, at least if he eats mixtures or complementary foods have already been introduced. To disinfect the room, you should not use household chemicals, but it is better to spread grated onions or garlic in the room.

So, if a child has a runny nose, you will already know how to treat him. Be healthy!

How and how to treat a severe runny nose in a child

The discharge of clear mucus from the nose is a sign of the development of rhinitis. At first glance, a runny nose may seem harmless to many parents, but it worsens the child's well-being and can cause some complications. That is why it is important to know how to treat a severe runny nose in order to alleviate the baby's condition and restore normal nasal breathing.

A very severe runny nose can occur in all children - both infants and schoolchildren. Rhinitis in children is often accompanied by an increase in body temperature, which indicates the development of an inflammatory process in the child's body. If a child has a severe runny nose and fever, most likely the disease is viral or bacterial in nature.

The inflammatory process that occurs in the nasopharynx, based on the factors that caused it, can be infectious and non-infectious. In the first case, a virus entered the child's body, which provoked the development of SARS. With non-infectious rhinitis, there is usually a severe runny nose without fever, which can be caused by factors such as:

  • harmful effects of the environment;
  • allergic reactions of the child's body;
  • getting a nose injury.

Non-infectious rhinitis proceeds without an increase in temperature, since the inflammatory process does not develop in the body, only the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx is irritated. Among the causes of such a pathological process as abundant secretion of mucus from the nose, pediatricians also call a trauma to the mucous membrane. Foreign objects that have damaged the nasopharyngeal mucosa cause excessive release of moisture, as a protective reaction of the child's body.

Severe runny nose and headache in a child of one year and an infant

At the age of one year, a child with a severe runny nose may appear due to an increase in adenoid tissue. Any infection that has penetrated the nasopharynx also spreads to the site of formation of the adenoid tissue, which becomes inflamed and increases in size. With enlarged adenoids, the baby has chronic rhinitis, which is difficult to treat with traditional drugs for this disease.

In this case, in addition to a runny nose, severe headache and nasal congestion may occur. Children with adenoiditis snore at night, their sleep is restless and intermittent. You can also recognize the development of the disease by the nasal voice of the baby.

Abundant formation of mucus in the nasopharynx and nasal congestion interfere with the full functioning of the baby. During the inflammatory process, the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx swells, breathing difficulties arise, tinnitus appears, and profuse lacrimation appears. The child becomes capricious, restless, in infants due to nasal congestion, sleep is disturbed and appetite worsens. A severe runny nose in infants often causes refusal to feed, with a long course of the disease, babies lose weight.

Rhinitis in young children is often severe, due to the narrowness of the nasal passages. A copious amount of mucus and swelling of the mucosa disrupt nasal breathing and force the baby to breathe through the mouth. During feeding, this process is difficult, in connection with this, the child refuses to breastfeed.

Recognizing the beginning of the development of rhinitis in children is easy. It can be noticed even before the moment of abundant discharge of mucus from the nose. The following symptoms will help parents in this:

  • frequent sneezing;
  • nasal congestion;
  • a slight discharge of clear-colored mucus.

At the initial stage of the development of rhinitis, the mucus is liquid, thick discharge already indicates the neglect of the disease.

How to stop and cure a severe runny nose

In order to prevent the transition of rhinitis from an early stage to a later one, it is important not to allow the mucus to thicken. To do this, rinse the spout with saline. This procedure is indicated for children over the age of two years. To treat a severe runny nose in infants, you can clear the nose of mucus using an aspirator. Such regular actions on the part of parents will improve the well-being of the child. Treatment of rhinitis should be immediate, as it can cause many dangerous complications. Mucus quickly descends through the respiratory tract, causing an inflammatory process in them. Often it is a severe runny nose that causes the development of bronchitis and even pneumonia.

Another way to stop a severe runny nose in a child who still does not know how to blow his nose is to use cotton flagella. They are inserted in turn into each nasal passage of the child's nose, cotton wool will quickly absorb excess fluid and the baby will feel better for a while.

How to cure a severe runny nose, only a specialist can say, based on the diagnosis. The treatment of allergic rhinitis differs significantly from the methods of treating a disease of viral or bacterial origin.

In the absence of temperature, treatment can be carried out using local preparations intended for instillation of a child's nose. For safe treatment, it is better for babies to bury their nose than to irrigate with sprays.

In pediatrics, in the treatment of viral and bacterial rhinitis, the silver-based drug Protargol is widely used. With frequent colds that occur as a result of a decrease in immunity, immunostimulating drugs may be prescribed.

Asking specialists how to treat a severe runny nose in a child with nasal congestion, they point out the need to use vasoconstrictor drugs. Treatment should be carried out according to the prescriptions of the otolaryngologist, it is impossible to exceed the dosage and course of therapy.

How to treat a runny nose in a child 2 years old at home?

No matter how sad it may be, not a single child has yet grown up without colds and illnesses. Often a symptom of these pathologies is a runny nose. At the same time, snot can be very liquid and transparent, or have a thick consistency and a bright yellow-green tint. This article will tell you about how to treat a runny nose in a child of 2 years. Often it is at this age that kids go to preschool institutions. It is there that the greatest danger of contracting viral or bacterial infections occurs. Also, from the information provided, you will learn how to treat a runny nose in a 2-year-old child with folk remedies.

The nature of the symptom

Before treating a runny nose in a child of 2 years old, it is worth finding out what caused it to appear. Snot in a baby can be physiological. In most cases, they do not require any additional correction. Also, a runny nose sometimes appears due to environmental influences. The cause of mucus in the nose can be dry air.

Viral and bacterial snot should always be treated with the help of a specialist. However, often moms and dads try to overcome the disease on their own. Allergies are another cause of a runny nose. To determine exactly how to treat a runny nose in a 2-year-old child and find out the main cause of the symptom, contact an otorhinolaryngologist. If there is no such specialist in your clinic, then at least see a pediatrician.

Self-correction: expert opinion

Before treating a runny nose in a child of 2 years old at home, you should consult a doctor. Remember that there can be many reasons for this unpleasant symptom. Often, with improper therapy, parents themselves bring the problem to serious complications. At the same time, the baby already needs more serious and expensive treatment.

Doctors strongly do not recommend self-appointment. Often parents come to the pharmacy network and ask the pharmacist to advise them on a drug. At the same time, they do not think about the fact that the pharmacist is not a doctor. The drug dealer doesn't know your baby's true problem. Remember that any drug should be given to a child only after a doctor's prescription. Consider the main medicines that you can use at home.

Rinsing the nose

Before treating a runny nose in a child of 2 years old with drugs, it is necessary to rinse the nasal passages. Surely the baby still does not know how to blow his nose on his own. Therefore, you will need an aspirator. Now a great variety of devices for removing mucus from the nose are being sold, but the Otrivin aspirator is the most popular.

Washing can be carried out with compositions such as Aqualor, Aquamaris, Rinostop, and so on. All of them are approved for use in children after the first year of life. Many are available from birth. You can also make your own saline solution. To do this, boil a liter of water, add a teaspoon of salt to it, then cool. With each flush, inject 5-10 drops of liquid into each nostril. After that, remove the mucus with an aspirator.

Treatment of physiological rhinitis

If a child (2 years old) has a runny nose due to dry air, how to treat it? For starters, you should pay attention to the conditions in which the baby is. The air temperature in the room should be at the level of 18-22 degrees. Also, air humidity cannot be lower than 50-60 percent.

In order to eliminate dry air and thereby cure snot, humidify the room. This can be done with the help of modern devices. If you do not have the opportunity to purchase one, then just hang wet towels or diapers. Also, some moms arrange containers of water around the room. This option is less efficient, but still effective. Ventilate the room where the child with a runny nose is located more often.

Position during sleep and rest

How to treat a runny nose for a child (2 years old)? Komarovsky, a well-known pediatrician, says that it is necessary to provide the most comfortable conditions for a sick child. First of all, this is the position of the body during sleep. Put the pillow up. You can slightly raise the head of the bed with the help of improvised means.

If this is not done, then during sleep, nozzles will flow down the back of the throat. This is often accompanied by a cough. Moreover, inexperienced parents begin to treat the described symptom. However, antitussive drugs in this situation are superfluous.

Plentiful drink and good nutrition

How does a runny nose in a child 2 years old treat at home? In order for the snot to pass faster, it is necessary to properly organize the mode and place of stay of the child. With a cold, the baby needs more rest. Do not force the baby to get up at the usual time. If the baby wants to sleep longer - provide such an opportunity.

Don't force your child to eat. Especially if he doesn't want to. Prepare a delicious drink that your baby loves. During illness, a variety of fruit drinks and freshly squeezed juices are very useful. Tea with lemon, honey and raspberries will increase immunity and bring recovery time closer. Give the patient more ordinary water.

For severe nasal congestion

If a child has a runny nose (2 years), how to treat it? With severe nasal congestion, it is advisable to use vasoconstrictor medications. Without them, a runny nose can often be complicated by otitis due to existing edema. The most popular and prescribed means are drops and sprays "Nazivin", "Vibrocil", "Snoop", "Rinostop" and so on. Most of these drugs contain xylometazoline or phenylephrine.

Please note that such drugs can not be used for more than five days in a row. Some are even allowed for a period of three days. Many sprays are approved for use from two (some from 6) years. The use of vasoconstrictor drugs should be carried out strictly according to the instructions. Otherwise, addiction to the drug will occur.

Antiviral medicines

If your child is 2 years old, how to treat a severe runny nose? Most often, the symptom appears with a viral lesion. In this case, there may be an increase in body temperature and general weakness. If antiviral therapy is started on time, then recovery occurs within a few days.

Among the antiviral drugs that can be used at home, one can single out Derinat, Ingaron, IRS 19, Interferon, and so on. All of them are sold in pharmacy chains without a prescription from a doctor. Treatment with these medications is carried out for 3-10 days.

bacterial origin

How to treat a runny nose in a child of 2 years? Green snot indicates that the origin of the pathology is bacterial. This requires appropriate medications. In the absence of proper therapy, the disease can be complicated by bronchitis or pneumonia.

Most often, doctors prescribe antibacterial drugs for home use. These are drops of "Isofra", "Polydex" and "Protargol". The last type of drug is the safest. The basis of this medicine is silver. The drug has an antiseptic, drying and anti-inflammatory effect. Less commonly, you may need to take an oral antibiotic at the same time. In this case, the recommendation should be given by a doctor. Drugs based on amoxicillin or azithromycin are used.

homemade drops

How to treat a runny nose in a child 2 years old at home? Correction can be carried out with folk remedies or improvised means. Often, parents prepare drops for the baby on their own. Here are some popular and effective recipes:

  • grate the onion, add a few drops of olive oil and dilute with boiled water;
  • take vitamins A and E in the same proportion, add a teaspoon of liquid honey;
  • squeeze beetroot juice and mix it with honey in a ratio of 2 to 1.

It is permissible to bury such home-made medicines up to 5 times a day. Be sure to monitor the baby's reaction to treatment.

Folk recipes

What is the best way to treat a runny nose for a child? 2 years is an age at which one still does not want to give medicines, but it is also necessary not to delay treatment. Many parents resort to folk methods of correction. Perhaps they help someone. However, if there is no improvement within a few days, it is better to consult a doctor. Also, if the baby's health worsens, immediately go to the clinic. Here are some popular and effective activities:

  1. Warming up the legs. Often, with a cold, parents warm the child's legs. To do this, use mustard, iodine mesh, ointments based on essential oils and other means. Such treatment is permissible in the absence of temperature in the baby.
  2. Hot bath. Warming up a child in a bath or bath is another option. You can use essential oils for this. They will facilitate breathing and accelerate the regeneration of damaged mucous membranes. The condition of treatment is also the absence of fever.
  3. Inhalations. Breathe over the steam - grandmother's method of treating a runny nose. However, many experts now dispute its effectiveness. Much more useful are inhalation pencils, such as the Golden Star.
  4. thermal procedures. You can warm up the sinuses with a boiled egg or heated salt. Remember that this manipulation is only permissible if there is no purulent discharge from the nasal passages.

Medicinal herbs with anti-inflammatory, expectorant and antiseptic effects will be useful to the child. However, they must be given very carefully, because there is a possibility of developing an allergic reaction. Please consult your physician for this treatment.

Short conclusion

You have learned how and how to treat a runny nose in a 2-year-old child at home. If complications occur, hospitalization is sometimes required. In this case, the correction is already carried out within the walls of the hospital under the supervision of physicians. Remember that improper treatment and untimely access to the doctor is the first cause of complications. If your baby is worried about a runny nose, it is worth showing it to the local pediatrician. Health to the child!

Dear readers, hello! A runny nose in a child is a fairly common occurrence, as they say: "There are no children without snot." Nevertheless, a similar symptom develops as an independent disease - rhinitis, or is one of the symptoms of a viral infection. But whatever the cause of a runny nose in young children and especially in newborns, parents have to deal with this problem. But not all parents know how to quickly and effectively cure a runny nose in children. Therefore, in this article I will tell you how to do it correctly.

The nasal passages are the entrance gates of the upper respiratory tract and perform the following functions: they warm the inhaled air, and the cilia of the epithelium filter the inhaled air from impurities and protect against the penetration of bacteria and viruses into the body. In addition, there are olfactory receptors in the epithelium of the nasal passages, due to which we sense odors, and the nasal passages also perform a resonator (speech) function.

Disruption of any of these functions leads to the development of rhinitis, the causes of which can be infectious and non-infectious factors.

Infectious causes often include viral infections, the causative agents of which are rhinoviruses, adenoviruses, coronaviruses, etc. Bacterial and fungal lesions of the nasal mucosa are less common and, as a rule, they cause the transition of the inflammatory process to the chronic stage.

Non-infectious causes of a runny nose in children are -

  • dry air and not regular ventilation of the room;
  • hypothermia or a sharp change in ambient temperature, which contributes to a decrease in immunity, which allows pathogenic microorganisms to become more active and cause the onset of an inflammatory process;
  • allergens - plant pollen, dust mites in the apartment, animal hair, etc. (this is a topic for a separate article);
  • exposure to irritants - smoke, odorous chemicals, etc.;
  • side effects of certain drugs.

Quite often, a runny nose is a symptom of infectious diseases such as measles, rubella, influenza, SARS. Nasal discharge will always be one of the symptoms of sinusitis or sinusitis.

Symptoms

In the development of the pathological process, doctors note 3 stages.

Reflex. On examination, pallor of the nasal mucosa is noted due to reflex constriction of blood vessels. The epithelium ceases to produce mucus, which performs a protective function. This is accompanied by a feeling of dryness in the nose, burning, repeated sneezing. As a rule, symptoms appear in both nasal passages. Sometimes this stage is accompanied by a slight malaise, weakness, aching limbs. This stage lasts from several hours to 1-2 days.

catarrhal. In this phase, the blood vessels of the mucosa dilate, which provokes swelling of the mucosa. Hence the feeling of nasal congestion and difficulty in breathing. Through small capillaries, there is an effusion of the liquid fraction of blood plasma, provoking an increased secretion from the mucous membrane - abundant and transparent discharge from the nose (rhinorrhea) appears.

On examination, the mucosa is hyperemic, edematous, and this makes it difficult to breathe through the nose. In patients, there is a decrease in the sense of smell, congestion and tinnitus, nasality in the voice, and lacrimation appears. There is irritation and redness around the nasal passages. In this stage, it is possible to increase the temperature to subfebrile figures. The duration of this stage is up to 3 days.

Recovery or infection with the further development of the inflammatory process. Even without the use of any drugs, but with proper care, after 3 days the disease resolves itself. The function of the epithelium is restored, all symptoms of rhinitis disappear. But in the case of the attachment of pathogenic microflora, the disease, nasal discharge becomes greenish in color, becomes thicker.

If a runny nose is not treated, the inflammatory process descends down the respiratory tract, which leads to the development of pharyngitis or bronchitis. As a rule, when an infection is attached, the clinical picture becomes more complicated: the child becomes even more difficult to breathe due to severe swelling of the mucous membrane and complete blockade of the nasal passages. The child breathes through the mouth, due to congestion there is a decrease in hearing, possibly an increase in temperature. With timely treatment, the symptoms weaken and disappear after a few days.

Complications of the common cold

When the microflora is attached, the runny nose disappears after 2-3 weeks, but in the absence of proper treatment, the process can become chronic. And the constant exacerbation of the common cold can later be expressed in the form of complications that develop due to insufficient oxygen supply to the cells of the brain and other organs and systems.

  • The development of adenoids is a pathological hyperplasia (growth) of the lymphoid tissue of the tonsils, which leads to a constant difficulty in nasal breathing. Lack of oxygen in a child leads to rapid fatigue, sleep disturbance, memory loss and, accordingly, to a decrease in academic performance;
  • Lag in the physical development of the child, deformation of the facial skeleton and bones of the chest;
  • Violation of metabolic processes in the body;
  • Violation of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems;
  • Development of allergic bronchitis.

How to treat a runny nose in a child

As you can see, an untreated runny nose can cause a number of rather serious complications. Therefore, parents should not close their eyes if the child begins to flow from the nose. The children's body has a number of features, therefore, the treatment is completely different from that of adults. The main goal of treatment is not to harm the growing child's body and prevent the development of complications. It is important to identify the cause in a timely manner, then the treatment of the common cold will be quick and effective.

First of all, in the room where the child is located, it is necessary to carry out regular ventilation. Avoid drafts. If you open the window in the room, be sure to close the door.

Keep the temperature in the room no more than 21º. Do wet cleaning. The presence of indoor plants also contributes to normal humidity and comfort.

It is important to clear the nasal passages of mucus in a timely manner. Teach your child to use handkerchiefs. With a runny nose, it is recommended to use disposable handkerchiefs, which must be immediately thrown into the trash after use. Why disposable? When blowing the nose, microbes and viruses remain on the handkerchief, which can be a source of further development of the disease.

Usually, with a runny nose, the child experiences some malaise and lack of appetite; you should not force-feed the child. Lack of appetite is a defensive reaction of the body. After recovery, your child will eat well again.

If the process has passed into the second (catarrhal) stage and there is a significant swelling of the mucosa and difficulty breathing, then you can not do without vasodilating drops. Instillation of drops into the nose, such as Otrivin, Naphthyzin, Vibrocil, Dlyanos, Brizolin, Aqua-Maris, etc., will help the child breathe better and improve the condition.

However, pediatricians do not recommend using drops for more than a week, otherwise addiction to drugs will occur, and with prolonged use, atrophic rhinitis may develop, which is much less treatable. And generally speaking, never resort to instillation of drops unless absolutely necessary!

With a runny nose, inhalations with the help of a. In this case, when inhaled, the drug will reach the directly inflamed area of ​​​​the nasal passages. If inhaled correctly, then it is quite possible to do without antibiotics. Perform inhalations with sage, pine, eucalyptus oil, 30% propolis oil, 10% propolis tincture, garlic or onion juice.

If there is no such device at home, then it is quite possible to use the spout of the kettle for these purposes, it is better to do such inhalations for older children with mandatory observance of safety precautions. It is important for parents to teach the child to breathe correctly during inhalation: inhale through the nose, and exit through the mouth.

Treatment of the common cold with folk remedies

To quickly and effectively cure a runny nose without drops at home, there are many folk methods of treatment. Here is some of them.

Plentiful drink - the main rule in the treatment of the common cold. For this purpose, cranberry or lingonberry juice is suitable.

Phytotherapy , which will help reduce the inflammatory process in the nasopharynx. Herbal teas or infusions of linden blossom, raspberry leaf, red clover, pharmacy chamomile, St. John's wort, coltsfoot, calendula, licorice, pine buds are recommended. You can brew these plants individually, you can mix several of them. And in the article "" I have a recipe for making "cold tea", read it, I recommend it - it was this collection that repeatedly helped me with a cold.

Aromatherapy. Essential oils and phytoncides kill many microbes and viruses. This does not mean that garlic or onions should be stuffed into the child's nose - this is absolutely impossible to do! But beads with garlic cloves or putting a saucer with chopped garlic or onions next to the bed is quite acceptable.

Reflexology. Hot mustard foot baths are the most effective (add 1-2 tablespoons of dry mustard to a bucket of water t = 45º). You can stick a mustard plaster on your feet for 5-10 minutes or pour dry mustard powder into socks and leave overnight.

Walks in the forest - a great way to get rid of a cold. It is better, of course, to take a walk through a coniferous forest, but if there is none nearby, then walking in a birch grove will bring no less benefit. In addition, while walking on foot with the active work of the muscles of the legs, blood “drains” from the head and abundantly irrigates the working muscles, thereby removing nasal congestion. In addition, during physical exertion, active substances are released into the blood, which increase the overall resistance. This is especially useful for children suffering from chronic rhinitis.

Nasal lavage. This method is suitable for older children. It can be done in several ways:

  1. Washing the nose with a weak hypertonic solution, sea water or a solution of sea salt (1 teaspoon of sea salt per 0.5 l of water), perform the procedure 5-6 times a day. How to rinse the nose in children,.
  2. Baking soda solution (a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of warm water). The alkaline environment is not favorable for reproduction of microorganisms.
  3. Honey water (a teaspoon of natural honey is diluted in a glass of water, mixed thoroughly). Honey has anti-inflammatory and bactericidal action. Contraindicated in case of individual intolerance and allergy to honey.
  4. Lemon juice - dilute 2 parts of freshly squeezed lemon juice and 3 parts of warm water. Strengthens the walls of blood vessels, and vitamin C increases local immunity.

For congestion and swelling in the nose, use these methods:

  • Beet or carrot juice. Dilute freshly prepared juice with warm water in a ratio of 1: 1 and instill in the nose drop by drop no more than 3-4 times a day. The course of treatment is 7 days.
  • Lubricate the nasal mucosa with fresh juice from the leaves of the collanchoe 1-2 times a day. This is usually followed by sneezing, but this allows you to get rid of excess mucus in the nose.
  • Squeeze fresh juice of coltsfoot leaves. Bury in the nose 2-3 drops three times a day.
  • Add honey to beetroot juice to make a 30% solution. Bury 4-6 drops several times a day.

Dear readers, a runny nose in newborns and children under one year old has its own causes and features in treatment, but let's talk about it. Don't miss it and subscribe to receive new articles by mail. And today you learned how to properly and quickly cure a runny nose in older children. I hope you find these tips helpful. And it’s better, after all, that your children are healthy and that treatment tips never come in handy for you.

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

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

It will not be 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), well-known antiviral drugs only alleviate the symptoms of the disease. Therefore, while the immune system produces protective antibodies, we can only relieve the symptoms of the common cold.

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

How to treat a runny nose quickly

With a cold, snot is accompanied by other signs of the disease: high fever, intoxication, cough, pain in the muscles and throat, with allergies, lacrimation, itching of the eyes and nose, and sneezing are disturbing. These symptoms interfere with an active lifestyle, reduce the child's appetite, and force them to refuse to attend kindergarten and school.

Therefore, the 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), keep the air temperature in the child's room no higher than 22 degrees (the colder, the better). Constantly moistening the 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

The initial symptoms of a runny nose can be tried to stop with the help of antiviral drugs. Their intake from the first days of the disease alleviates 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 remedy, taking into account other symptoms of the disease and the etiology of the virus, is carried out by your pediatrician.

However, antiviral drugs are not recommended for regular use. They are intended for frequently ill children, if a runny nose begins at the same time as fever and severe intoxication. Rarely ill children do not need to stimulate the immune system, their body itself will cope with a viral infection perfectly.

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

Nasal lavage

The surest thing in the treatment of a runny nose is the removal of snot and washing the nose. Saline solutions are close in composition to physiological ones, they moisturize the nasal mucosa, wash out secretions, and normalize the functioning of epithelial cells. You need to drip them into your nose 4-6 times a day, with heavy secretions you can do it more often, they will not bring harm even to a baby. In babies, snot is removed with an aspirator, and children after 2 years should be taught to blow their nose.

For older children, a solution for washing the nose can be prepared independently by stirring a teaspoon of sea salt without a slide in a liter of boiled water. The child should draw in the solution from 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, abundant liquid discharge does not disturb. 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 rhinitis.

Cleansing the nose of snot and washing 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. It is necessary to sniff a napkin with chopped garlic, onions, eat 2 cloves of garlic a day. To breathe garlic vapors effectively - you need to place plates with chopped garlic around the house.

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

Antihistamines

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

Warm

For children over 3 years old, hot foot and hand baths will help to quickly relieve the symptoms of a runny nose. You need to soar the limbs for no more than 10-15 minutes, after which the legs are covered with turpentine and wrapped in a warm blanket.

Vasoconstrictor

Vasoconstrictor drops will not reduce 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 with severe congestion and no more than 3 days, because addiction quickly develops to them, the risk of side effects is high, and for children under one year old they are completely unsafe. First, the nose must be cleaned of snot and rinsed with saline.

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 need to buy only a spray - it is dosed, it penetrates the walls of the nose better, and less often causes side effects.

Inhalations

Inhalations normalize nasal breathing, relieve swelling. For inhalation in young children, you can use a nebulizer. In the treatment of school-age children, inhalations are widely used 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.

Massage

With a runny nose and nasal congestion, acupuncture massage of pain points effectively manifests itself. 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. Such a massage is very important for children under one year of age, whose drug treatment is unsafe and undesirable.

Carrot and beet juice

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

Children do not have vital situations when they need to get rid of a cold urgently, rather, it is a whim of worried parents. All a baby needs with a runny nose is to stay at home for a couple of days, lie down 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 walks on the street. Cool moist air is detrimental to viruses, it will stop the runny nose, you will feel relief, the body will receive the missing amount of oxygen.

What not to do

Procedures that can harm the health of the child:

  • Do not heat the area of ​​the nose and sinuses. Heat is contraindicated at elevated temperature, purulent processes.
  • Children can be harmed by blowing their nose loudly and for a long time. In children under 5 years of age, there is a risk of loss of consciousness.
  • Unnecessarily prescribe antibiotics, antiviral agents.
  • Use vasoconstrictor drugs for more than 3 days.
  • Drip undiluted juices of medicinal plants into the nose, take medicinal tinctures orally.
  • Use one handkerchief 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, smear under the nose with dexpanthenol or an anti-irritant baby cream.

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

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

  • In chronic inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx - chronic pharyngitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, adenoids. These diseases need to be eliminated by long-term therapy.
  • With polyposis and adenoiditis, with a deviated nasal septum, thickened nasal conchas, only surgical treatment allows getting 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 the examination of a doctor:

  1. If the snot does not pass within a week, the temperature rises again, nasal congestion, chills and weakness appear.
  2. If the child began to complain of pain in the ears 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, discharge with streaks of blood began to come out of the nose.
  4. A child under one year old should be examined by a doctor for any signs of a cold.

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