Allergies, dry weather, and viral infections like colds can cause stuffy nose in babies. Children are more vulnerable to bacterial infections due to their low immune system. So this problem is more common in winter.
Symptoms of Stuffy nose of baby
Usually, stuffy nose is not a serious problem in all children. Babies younger than two months breathe only through their noses. It takes 60-80 days for newborns to learn to breathe through their mouth. During this time, if the nose is blocked due to cold, the child has trouble eating and sleeping. Nasal congestion is accompanied by other symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, cough, rash or itching, watery eyes, headache and earache. Fever can also occur if there is a respiratory infection.
Causes of Stuffy nose of kids
A blocked nose can cause breathing problems in children due to various reasons. Causes include colds, flu, allergies or sinus infections, allergic rhinitis or nasal allergies, swelling of the tissues lining the nose. In addition, exposure to dry air dust, smoke, airborne pollen particles and even pet dander can cause nasal congestion.
What to do to clear stuffy nose of baby
- Clean the nose before every meal for babies below six months. Gently instill saline (Norsol, Solo) into the nose twice. First a few drops of saline in the nose will thin the mucus. After 10 minutes, use a bulb syringe to remove the loose mucus.
- Dry winter air is one of the causes of nasal congestion. Using a vaporizer or humidifier at home thins the mucus in the baby’s nose. After that, the mucus comes out on the sneeze wall with a bulb syringe. However, the room humidity should not be increased too much. You can also humidify the house by keeping boiling water.
- Elevate the baby’s head with a high pillow while sleeping. If the head is parallel to the heart, the nose is more closed.
- For babies older than six months, give liquid hot food like soup, hot water, fruit juice, lemon-honey drinks etc. frequently. Care should be taken that liquid foods must be sugar-free.
- If the child has a problem of nasal congestion due to allergies, the allergy should be treated first and the things that cause allergies should be avoided.
- Keep baby away from dust, pollen or fur. Smoking should be avoided around the baby.
- Usually in 7-14 days the baby’s nasal congestion clears up on its own. If the child does not recover during this period or if the problem of nasal congestion or cold occurs repeatedly, the doctor must be consulted.
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