A saline solution for washing a newborn's nose should be in every mother's first aid kit, especially if it is hot and stuffy at home. It will help moisturize the mucous crumbs, which is necessary to protect against infectious diseases. If the child gets sick, it is useful for parents to know how to properly rinse the nose with saline for a baby. Wrong actions can lead to complications, and the baby's breathing will not only not recover, but, for example, otitis media of the middle ear will arise.
Baby
Why saline is suitable for washes
The physiological solution differs from ordinary water in that it does not affect the cells of the mucous membranes, does not damage the membrane. It is widely used in medicine to dilute various drugs. It is also administered intravenously to maintain the water-salt balance, which is necessary for dehydration. It has antimicrobial properties, which makes it possible to use it to cleanse wounds; they turn to it for ARVI and runny nose.
Physiological solution refers to isotonic, the concentration of salt in it and in human blood plasma is almost the same. That is why it can be used for medicinal purposes. The sodium chloride solution cannot cause harm.
The benefits of rinsing your nose with saline
The saline solution used to rinse the baby's nose has beneficial effects:
- Moisturizes the nasal mucosa, which is important not only during illness, but also during the heating season, when the apartments are hot and dry;
- Cleans the nasal passages from dust particles, as well as from dangerous microorganisms, viruses and bacteria;
- Thinns mucous secretions, making them not so thick and viscous, which allows them to drain down the throat. As a result, the child swallows them, which does not harm his health, but breathing is restored;
- The swelling of the mucous membrane decreases, the inflammation becomes less severe. As a result, breathing through the nose becomes easier and freer.
Council. In addition to taking care of the mucous membrane, you need to remember about humidifying the room. This brings the moment of recovery closer. Being in a room with dry, stale air has a bad effect on the well-being of not only children, but also adults.
How to cook and breed
For the treatment of infants, especially newborns, it is recommended to purchase a saline solution at a pharmacy. It is sterile, therefore it only benefits the body. The main thing is to preserve it when using the product. If the saline solution is needed urgently, and there is no way to go to the store, it can be made at home.
Homemade recipe
To get a solution for rinsing the nose, you need to take boiled water and salt. You will need 1 teaspoon of salt per liter of liquid. If you add more, the concentration will be too high, which will irritate the mucous membrane.
Preparing the solution at home
Note! The solution must be carefully placed or shaken so that the product is homogeneous, without sediment. If necessary, it can be filtered, this will get rid of any remaining crystals.
It is recommended to store the prepared solution for no more than a day, so it is better to take a smaller amount of water, observing the proportion. If you keep the product in the refrigerator and do not violate the created sterility, then you can use it for several days. Before rinsing your child's nose, you need to pour it into a separate container. It is not necessary to collect from a common bottle with a pipette, with the help of which a hygienic procedure is carried out.
Washing the nose for a child under one year old
Before rinsing the nose with saline for a child up to one year old, you need to calm the baby. Any procedure is advised to begin when the baby is in a good mood and relaxed. Otherwise, if he tries to pull out, twitch, there is a risk of injury to him. The washing procedure looks simple enough, but there are several nuances that need to be taken into account in order to avoid unpleasant consequences.
What is needed for the procedure
It is convenient to drip saline into the nose of the crumbs with a pipette. 3-4 drops are enough in each nostril. After the procedure, the instrument must be rinsed under running water and not immersed in a common container where the medicine is stored.
How often to rinse
You can wash your child's nose at least every half hour. The main thing is that the baby does not strongly oppose this and does not cry. If any burial is accompanied by hysteria, then the effectiveness is reduced, because breathing again becomes difficult due to the snot that appears during crying. It is not recommended to remove nasal discharge after rinsing more than three times a day, otherwise you can injure the mucous membrane, which will increase the swelling and worsen the baby's well-being.
Nasal flushing technique
Step-by-step instructions on how to rinse a baby's nose with saline:
- Prepare the child by laying him on his back;
- Wipe your nose with a damp swab, removing visible dirt, crusts located on the surface;
- Turn the baby's head so that the nostril you plan to flush first is at the top;
- Pour 3-4 drops of the solution, 1-2 is enough for the newborn. The pipette does not need to be pushed inside - if the baby twitches, it can be injured. To make it more convenient, the crumbs throw their head back a little;
- Turn the child over and repeat the procedure from the second nostril;
- After a few minutes, the crusts will soften, the mucous membrane will be moistened, then you can remove the secretions with an aspirator. It is convenient to use a mechanical nozzle suction, the strength of which is regulated by the parents. One end of the device is inserted into the child's nostril, the other is in the mouth of mom or dad. They breathe in air and the snot is sucked into a special container. The filter does not allow them to enter the tube and mouth of adults, which must be cleaned after the procedure and changed periodically.
Removal of snot with an aspirator
Note! If a child is observed by a doctor, and medicinal drops are prescribed to him, then they should be used after cleansing the nose. Even vasoconstrictors are used after flushing. Often it is impossible to drip them, it is allowed to contact them only in extreme cases, if the child cannot breathe, which is why he cannot eat and sleep normally.
It is necessary to try to teach the child to blow his nose on his own. This will greatly simplify the procedure and will be an excellent prevention of nasal congestion. If, during washing in the morning and in the evening, the toddler can remove snot by himself, they will not accumulate, which means that there will be nothing to dry out, even if the apartment has low humidity.
Features of the procedure for a newborn
Babies, especially newborns, need to be buried in the nose, you can not use sprays. They can lead to complications, in particular, otitis media. When applied, the pressure in the middle ear is disturbed, which often leads to damage to the eardrum. In addition, along with the stream of the medicinal solution, mucous discharge from the nose can enter the ear canal, as well as penetrate an infection, which will lead to inflammation.
Mom drips into the baby's nose
It is also best not to drip into the nose with a syringe. It is not always possible to adjust the force of pressing, and the liquid will enter the nose of the crumbs under great pressure, then there is a risk of harm to it. A syringe, naturally with a pre-removed needle, is able to replace the aspirator if you want to remove liquid secretions that are not very deep.
To soften the crusts accumulated in the nose of an infant, you can twist a turunda from a cotton pad. For a newborn, it is divided into at least 4 parts and rolled up in a cone. Then it is moistened in boiled water or saline solution and gently screwed into the spout a few millimeters. You need to cleanse your nostrils in turn. After 5-10 seconds, they take out the cotton wool, also unscrewing it.
Komarovsky's advice
Children's doctor Komarovsky, although he voices a recipe for preparing a saline solution at home, encourages buying a sterile product at a pharmacy, because parents often violate the conditions for storing and using the prepared medicinal product.
Komarovsky emphasizes that it is always necessary to moisturize the nasal passages, even if the baby is not sick. This is only required if comfortable conditions are not maintained at home. When the temperature in the child's room is not higher than 20 degrees, the humidity is not lower than 50 percent, and it is constantly ventilated, there is no need for saline solutions. Then the mucous membranes will be moisturized, and additional procedures are not needed. Saline will be needed if the child really gets sick. In this case, the task of the parents is to ensure that the mucous discharge remains transparent and liquid. Periodic washing will help in this.
Note! The doctor believes that the aspirator is an excellent invention, which should not be neglected until the child has learned to blow his nose. The main thing is that if the parents suck the snot on their own, it is to blow it out, pull the air towards themselves, and not back, otherwise there is a possibility of developing otitis media.
If a child's runny nose does not go away for more than a month, meanwhile, it is comfortable at home, and the actions of the parents are not successful, then you need to visit a doctor. Also, do not postpone a visit to the doctor if the nasal discharge becomes thick, stringy or changes color, has acquired a yellow or green tint.
Child at the doctor
Rinsing the nose with saline is allowed from birth if all recommendations and precautions are followed. The baby's health depends on the correct manipulations of the parents. You should not bury herbal decoctions or medicinal drops bought without a doctor's recommendation in the child's nose, no matter how many useful reviews they receive from friends. Self-medication can be dangerous for a child. Moreover, you cannot use breast milk - it will serve as an excellent breeding ground for bacteria and will not have any healing effect.
