Nasal lavage is a safe medical procedure that helps to overcome a runny nose and other diseases of the nasopharynx. It is effective both on its own and in combination with instillation drugs.

When washing, the sputum in the upper respiratory tract is saturated with moisture and washed out, the number of pathogens in the nasal cavity decreases, dry crusts disappear, and breathing is facilitated.

If you first rinse before instilling drops, the effectiveness of the treatment will increase significantly, since the medicinal substances will penetrate the epithelial cells of the mucous membrane faster and in greater quantities.

Provided that it is carried out correctly, the procedure for washing the nasopharynx is absolutely safe, and it is prescribed even for infants. In this case, it should be carried out only according to the testimony of a pediatrician. It is important that parents know how to properly rinse their baby's nose. You can only use rinsing solutions that are suitable for babies, for example, saline, special saline nasal drops.

In this article, we will tell you how and with what to rinse a baby's nose in order to achieve the best result and not harm the baby's health.

Who needs a nasal lavage?

Washing can be used for prophylactic and therapeutic purposes (in particular, for a cold).

Nasal breathing is very important for a child. Mucus interferes not only with breathing, but also with sucking breast milk, sleep.

Crusts in the nose can also form in healthy children if the air in the room is dry (especially important during the heating season). To get rid of them painlessly, it is recommended to rinse the nose and then remove them with a tissue or cotton swab. Flushing also helps to clear the nasopharynx of dust, pollen and other suspended matter in polluted air.

With a runny nose infant Saline flushing is one of the few treatments approved by pediatricians.

This procedure helps to reduce the viscosity of the mucus and remove it, making nasal breathing easier.

• when the mucous membrane dries up, crusts form;
• during a cold, in particular with rhinitis (ARVI);
• with allergic rhinitis;
• if dust, pollen, etc. gets into the nose (for example, after walking on a dry hot day).

What are the contraindications to the procedure? There are few of them:

• otitis;
• nose bleed;
• obstruction of the nasal passages;
• complete nasal congestion.

What is needed for the procedure?

Before rinsing, you should prepare everything you need. You will need:

1. Washing solution. The main requirements for it are sterility, neutral pH, isotonicity (the correspondence of their osmotic pressure to the blood plasma pressure). Due to these properties, solutions will not only reduce the viscosity of mucus, but also activate the work of the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract. Next, we will look at industrial and self-prepared solutions that can be used in infancy.
2. Pipette for instilling the nasal passages. Some pharmacy solutions have a bottle for injecting liquid into the nose, however, such devices are recommended to be used when the child reaches 2-3 years old (follow the manufacturer's recommendations).
3. Pear - used to suck mucus from the nasal passages after the procedure. Choose a small pear with a soft, thin tip. The pear must be clean. Before and after the procedure, it should be washed in warm water and soap.

It is not recommended to use a pear to inject the solution into the nose of a baby - it creates too much pressure.

1. Napkins, a towel, gauze tampons - with their help, the child's face is cleaned after the procedure from the remnants of mucus, crusts, etc.

We wash the baby's nose correctly

Let's talk about how to rinse a baby's nose and infant up to a year. At this age, you cannot rinse your nose "like an adult" using a syringe. It is best to use an eyedropper. Follow this algorithm:

1. Put your baby to bed.
2. Using a pipette, inject a few drops of the solution into one nostril.
3. After a couple of minutes, take a small pear and draw mucus (if any) from your nostril. Part of the sputum during this time will drain down the pharynx into the esophagus - this will not harm the child.
4. Repeat the procedure for the other nostril.
5. Wipe the baby's face with a napkin, clean the nasal passages with a gauze swab.

Rinsing can be replaced by regular instillation of saline or saline nasal drops. To do this, a drop of solution is injected into each nostril every 1-2 hours.

Washing solutions

How to rinse a baby's nose? For this purpose, both pharmacy and home remedies can be used.

List better means for washing:

When using a syringe when rinsing the nose in children, the liquid should be injected into the nasal passages drop by drop, avoiding the injection under pressure.

1. Aqua Maris is a preparation designed specifically for rinsing the nasopharynx. It is sterile seawater with a 0.9% salt content. In addition to sodium chloride, it contains magnesium, selenium, iodine and other trace elements that have a mild antibacterial and thinning effect. Aqua Maris is available in the form of drops, nasal spray and rinsing solution. For infants, it is preferable to use drops. Deep rinsing with a special system in such early age it is not recommended, because the child does not know how to blow his nose, clearing his throat and may choke.

It is undesirable to use sprays due to the anatomical features of the baby - his nasopharynx is relatively short and wide, and spray drops injected into the nose can get into the Eustachian tube, which ultimately leads to eustachitis and otitis media.

1. Decoctions of herbs. Among herbs, chamomile has the least allergenic activity. This plant has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. To prepare the broth, pour dry chamomile flowers with boiling water (half a liter of water - half a teaspoon of dried flowers). The mixture is covered with a lid and infused for 20 minutes. For instillation, use a liquid cooled to room temperature. Do not use chamomile decoction too often - it dries out the mucous membrane; it is enough to bury their nose 2 times a day, then sucking mucus with a pear.

There are many other rinsing solutions out there, but most are not suitable for babies.

All parents are faced with such a problem as a stuffy nose in a child. With a runny nose, the baby becomes restless, refuses to eat and does not sleep well. The pediatrician in this situation prescribes treatment and recommends rinsing the baby's nose with saline.

Rinsing with saline sodium chloride solution is performed in several cases.

1. For medicinal purposes with a cold or for prophylaxis. The procedure allows you to cleanse the mucous membrane of allergens, mucus and bacteria accumulated there.
2. To moisturize the mucous membrane. When it dries up, it immediately loses its ability to protect the nose from viral infections.

How to prepare a solution for the procedure

A small child still does not know how to blow his nose on his own, so parents need to learn how to rinse the nose with saline on their own.

What is saline solution? It is a sodium chloride solution diluted in water. It is not difficult to prepare it, the main thing is to know the correct percentage of salt.

The most physiological salt concentration for the body is 0.9%. To get this result, you can take a 250 ml glass, pour water into it and slowly add 2.5 grams of table salt.

If the solution is made to a baby, then a little less salt can be used.

Devices for the procedure

There are several tools you can use to rinse your baby's nose with sodium chloride.

1. A special device for such a procedure is sold in pharmacies. It looks like a small teapot with a handle and a rather narrow spout, which makes it easier to infuse the saline solution.
2. A syringe, or a small rubber bulb.
3. Often, babies have to drip saline into the nose with a pipette.
4. One of the most convenient ways is to use a nebulizer for inhalation.

What is needed for the procedure

Before proceeding with the procedure for washing the mucous membrane with sodium chloride, parents need to check whether they have everything for this.

You should have the following on hand:

• cotton buds;
• rinsing tool;
• prepared saline;
• oil (you can take peach or apricot);
• drops prescribed by a doctor.

Apricot or peach oil is necessary in order to lubricate the child's mucous membrane after the procedure. This will relieve him of discomfort.

Stages of the procedure

Sodium chloride lavage of the child's mucous membrane consists of several main stages.

1. A small rubber bulb is used to remove mucus from the baby's nose. This is necessary so that the saline solution easily penetrates inside and does not flow back out.
2. If the procedure is performed with a syringe, then the needle is separated, and a diluted solution (5 ml) is drawn into the syringe. The child is laid on its side, his head is turned in the opposite direction. This is necessary so that the baby does not choke. If washing is done for a newborn, it is recommended to carry out it with a pipette, drip a few drops of saline into each nostril.
3. With the help of a pear, excess fluid and mucus residues are carefully removed. Next, take cotton swabs and clean the mucous membrane again. After interaction with saline solution, the crusts in the nose will soften and will easily move away.
4. After the steps listed above are completed, it is necessary to treat the nasal passage with oil.
5. When the baby's mucous membrane is completely cleared, the medicine prescribed by the doctor is injected. You need to drip drops no more often than once every 6 hours. The duration of treatment is 2-3 days.

If the runny nose persists, you should consult your doctor. He will already determine if the medicine can be continued to drip into the child's nose.

1. Improper child care: the mother does not monitor his hygiene, does not regularly clean his nose with cotton flagella.
2. In the room where the baby is, the air is dry and warm.
3. The child often spits up, especially through the nose, milk crusts form in his nose, making it difficult to breathe; in addition, the development of edema of the nasal mucosa is possible upon contact with milk that has been in the stomach and contains enzymes and gastric juice.
4. Viral, bacterial infections of the upper respiratory tract. Infection of the baby occurs from a sick mother or relatives and friends who come to visit.

How does it manifest?

If nasal breathing is disturbed, the baby is restless, sniffles with his nose, can hardly suck milk, during feeding he has to pause for inhalation, and sometimes refuses to eat at all. In this case, air inhaled through the mouth often enters the stomach, causing belching and regurgitation during or shortly after feeding. The baby's sleep is restless. With rhinitis, sniffing with a nose first appears, "squelching" sounds when breathing, and only then - transparent mucous discharge and difficulty in nasal breathing. With abundant mucous discharge from the nose, the crumbs may have a cough due to the flow of mucus along the back of the pharynx, since most of the time the child is in a horizontal position (sleeping on his back).

What to do?

Only use mucus suction if there is a heavy discharge that makes it difficult for your baby to breathe. Mucus should not be sucked out frequently, as this will dry out the nasal mucosa.

The procedure for rinsing the spout should be carried out to the baby before each feeding. Even if there is no abundant nasal discharge, regular washing will moisturize the mucous membrane and remove multiplied microbes from it.

1. Ventilate and humidify the room. To do this, you can hang several wet diapers in the room, put containers with water. The most convenient way is to use a special air humidifier.
2. Free your baby's nasal cavity of thick secretions and crusts. To do this, drip a few drops of saline into each nasal passage, which can be purchased at a pharmacy or prepared a similar one at home by dissolving 1 teaspoon of salt (about 9 g) in a liter of boiled water. And it is better to use for these purposes a specially designed sterile solution of natural seawater in the form of a spray or drops. It can be solutions AQUAMARIS, PHYSIOMER. After a few minutes, sneezing, the baby himself will remove the liquefied discharge from the nose.
3. If breathing is still difficult after rinsing the nose, you can use vasoconstrictor drops. But it should be noted that such drops (NAZIVIN, VIBRATION, OTRIVIN) do not treat rhinitis - they only reduce swelling of the nasal mucosa, making breathing easier. Burying them will help the baby to calm down, eat, fall asleep, and improve the outflow of accumulated secretions from the nose. You can use them as needed and no more than 2-3 times a day. When purulent discharge appears (attachment of a bacterial infection), drops can be used PROTARGOL.

To apply drops, swaddle your toddler with handles. The drops should be administered to the child in a supine position with the head slightly thrown back, alternately dripping 1-2 drops into each nasal passage. When instilling drops into the right nostril, slightly tilt the baby's head to the right, when instilling into the left nostril - to the left. The baby should have his own pipette.

It is better to wipe the nose of a baby suffering from rhinitis with soft paper or cloth handkerchiefs, which after use must be thrown away or replaced with clean ones. This will help prevent further spread of the infection.

Attention!

You should not pump liquid into the baby's nose with a pear or enema. Fluid from the nasal cavity can easily enter the Eustachian tube that connects the nose and ear, leading to the development of otitis media (inflammation in the middle ear).

You can not bury breast milk in the baby's nose, as it is an excellent breeding ground for the growth of microbes and can only delay recovery.

Nasal drops should not be instilled for more than 3-4 days. If during this time there is no effect, then you should think about re-consulting a doctor who will prescribe another treatment.

Do not put oils in your baby's nose, as they can get into the lungs and lead to the development of severe lipoid (fatty) pneumonia.

V Everyday life Infants have to deal with the factors that cause nasal congestion on a regular basis. For this reason, young mothers often have the question of what funds can be dripped for him and whether it is permissible to rinse the nasal passages at such an early age.

Each child is a special case and the decision on the appropriate treatment should be made only by a doctor, taking into account the individual characteristics of the baby and the presence of additional factors. Despite the protests of some pediatricians, most experts agree that there are times when it is possible to achieve the desired therapeutic result only with the help of rinsing the nose.

Features of the use of manipulation in infancy

In its structure, the nose of a small child is very different from the organ of smell of an adult. The nasal passages are so narrow and short that even a small amount of mucus can pose a significant health hazard to children. Babies are not able to get enough air through the mouth, and during feeding this path is blocked, provoking the development of hypoxia.

If the medicine is not dripped on time or the nasal passages are not rinsed, the newborn will get worse every day. He will lose weight, become restless and moody, and there will be signs of a weakened immune system. If bacteria join the dense mucus, then the most common rhinitis will develop into an infectious or purulent disease.

Advice: If there is an urgent situation that does not tolerate delay, you still need to call your doctor or call " ambulance"To get advice from a qualified specialist. He will explain how to manipulate an infant with minimal risks and maximum effect, determine which type of drug will be optimal in a particular case.

Although nasal lavage in children has traditionally been used for many years, and older generations still insist on this approach, some pediatricians strongly oppose it. They believe that cleaning the passages with aquamaris is no less dangerous than using saline.

The main argument is the high risk of ear and throat infection if the technique for performing manipulations is violated. In some cases, it is even fraught with inflammation of the lining of the brain. Representatives of this group insist that for children who are under four years old, traditional instillation of an age-appropriate product is more suitable.

Conditions in which rinsing of the nasal passages is indicated or absolutely prohibited

With some diseases and physiological phenomena, the doctor specifically prescribes for the newborn a long-term cleaning of the nose using specialized means. The main indicators for manipulation are:

1. Allergic rhinitis. The baby's nose is often clogged with mucus under the influence of dust, pollen or other allergens. The condition can be determined by its seasonality and the transparency of the outgoing mucus. The phenomenon can last for weeks and you cannot do without regular washing of the passages.
2. Contact with the mucous pathogenic microflora. Against the background of a physiological or pathological decrease in immunity, the aggressiveness of microorganisms familiar to the nasopharynx increases. This leads to the development of serious diseases, for the treatment of which, without timely cleaning of the nose, you will have to resort to the use of antibiotics.
3. Adenoids. The proliferation of the nasopharyngeal tonsils is often accompanied by a lingering and persistent rhinitis. In this case, only the doctor will correctly establish whether it will be enough to bury the profile means into the spout or whether the child will have to rinse the clogged passages.
4. Rhinitis on the background of influenza or ARVI. Inflammation of the mucous membrane gives the newborn a lot of discomfort. A saline solution prepared according to the correct recipe will quickly reduce the severity of discomfort and prevent complications.
5. Features of the microclimate. Practice shows that if a baby rinses his nose after being in in public places with a very dirty atmosphere, it is possible to prevent the formation of crusts, pustules and inflammation in the nasopharynx. To do this, use the most common saline solution, sea salt or herbal decoctions.
6. The period after the operation. The noses of children who have undergone surgery in this area just need to be thoroughly rinsed for some time in order to speed up the process of tissue repair and prevent the addition of a secondary infection.
7. Prevention of diseases of the nasopharynx in children prone to the development of ARVI.

Although the nasal rinse procedure is considered beneficial, it should not be performed if the following conditions or additional factors are present:

• You can not use any funds for water based two hours before walking in frosty weather. This can lead to hypothermia.
• The liquid that has got into the spout remains in the cavity for about half an hour. It can leak into the airways, provoking coughing and even choking. Therefore, it is forbidden to clean the nasal passages of children before bedtime.
• Obstruction of the passages, curvature of the septum, tumors and polyps can interfere with the passage of fluid and lead to serious problems.
• Severe swelling also creates problems with the patency of the nasal passages, medicines or the saline just won't go where it needs to be.
• Allergy to the components of the drug can even more block the nose of a sick child or lead to other negative consequences.

The procedure will have to be postponed if there are symptoms of otitis media or a tendency of the baby's mucous membrane to bleed.

Recommendations from specialists for the procedure at home

In order to rinse the baby's nose without causing him unnecessary discomfort and without causing any complications, the following recommendations must be strictly observed:

1. Temperature medication should be comfortable for children, it is better if it is close to body temperature.
2. The devices with which the manipulation will be carried out must first be sterilized.
3. The correct position for the procedure is on the side. So one nasal passage will be higher than the other. At the same time, saline or a drug should be injected into a less clogged passage, which should be on top.
4. Do not bother with trays for collecting liquid, you can use an absorbent diaper folded several times for this purpose.
5. Immediately before the administration of the medicine, the baby's nose must be cleaned of crusts, most of the mucus. Seals are first softened with special drops and removed, mucus is collected with an aspirator.
6. Using the spout of the selected device, we begin to inject liquid into the upper nostril of the newborn, making sure that it pours out of the lower passage along with mucus, dirt, and remnants of crusts. One approach should account for about 70 ml of the composition.
7. The frequency of manipulations must be agreed with the doctor. On average, it is carried out from 2 to 5 times a day, depending on the diagnosis.

After the end of the procedure, children should not be immediately disturbed, they should be at rest for half an hour, all also lying on their side. Then it is allowed to administer medications, if necessary according to the treatment plan. Thanks to this treatment, the active components of the medication are better absorbed and give a more pronounced therapeutic effect.

A runny nose in a baby always causes a lot of trouble for both the baby and his parents. The baby cannot eat and sleep normally, he becomes irritable and whiny. If the runny nose has been going on for a long time, weight loss is possible. In case of a cold in an infant, you should immediately contact a pediatrician. Only a doctor can select a safe and at the same time effective treatment... Before using medications, you need to rinse the nose of an infant, but not all parents know how to do this correctly.

What solutions can be used

The nose of a newborn child is washed with both ordinary boiled water and various medicinal solutions. At the pharmacy, you can buy medicines that are ready for direct rinsing of the nose. All these formulations are based on purified sea water, they help to cleanse the nasal passages of mucus, reduce swelling and inflammation. Most often, they resort to such drugs of this drug group:

In addition, drugs such as Aqualor and Otrivin may be prescribed. All these medicines contain sea water and other natural ingredients.

In the treatment of rhinitis of different etiology in infants, you can use other solutions, both purchased in the pharmacy network, and made independently.

1. You can use saline to rinse your baby's nose. Such a composition is quite inexpensive, but the effect of it is not lower than that of expensive nasal drops and sprays. With the help of saline, you can rinse the nose of the crumbs not only from mucus, but also from allergens that have accumulated on the mucous membrane.
2. A weak decoction of medicinal herbs helps well. For the treatment of rhinitis in infants, chamomile or calendula is most often used. Take a teaspoon of medicinal herb, put it in a thermos, pour a glass of boiling water, leave for an hour, filter it and use it to rinse the nasal passages. A decoction of the herb has an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory effect.
3. You can prepare a mild saline solution to rinse your baby's nose. To do this, take 0.5 teaspoon of table or sea salt and dissolve in a glass of boiled water cooled to a warm state. This solution moisturizes and disinfects the mucous membrane well.

You can rinse the baby's nose from the very first days of life, if necessary. The most convenient way for this purpose is to use an ordinary pipette, which can be bought very cheaply at a pharmacy.

Before proceeding with the instillation of the baby's nose, the medicinal composition must be warmed up to a comfortable temperature.

Preparing for the procedure

Before rinsing the baby's nose, it is necessary to prepare him for this procedure. To do this, the baby's nose is cleaned of dried crusts and mucus. This can be done using cotton filaments dipped in petroleum jelly and using a small rubber syringe.

After the nasal passages are cleaned, you can start rinsing the nose, but first you need to prepare everything you need for this procedure. You will need the following things:

The syringe must be clean. Even if it is new, it should be pre-rinsed with a weak solution. baby soap and boil.

To clean the baby's nose, you can use a special aspirator designed to suck mucus out of the nose.

Procedure instructions

You can rinse your baby's nose over the bathtub or basin. It is advisable to carry out the procedure together, one person should hold the crumbs, and the second should be engaged in washing his nose. If the mother is at home alone, and you need to rinse the nose, then the procedure is performed in the woman's sitting position, and the baby rests on her chest.

All medical manipulations are carried out in several sequential stages:

• A heated solution is poured into a syringe or a special aspirator.
• The baby is held vertically over a basin or bathtub, you need to make sure that the mouth of the baby is open.
• The solution is poured into one nostril under slight pressure. At the same time, the baby is tilted forward a little so that water flows out of the other nostril at will.

The stream of supplied water must be weak at first, and then gradually its strength is increased. After one nostril is flushed, the same manipulation is carried out with the other nasal passage.

If during the manipulation the child cries a lot, you need to try to distract him with a rattle or other toy.

How to rinse a nose for a baby who does not hold a head

Children of the first months of life still do not hold their heads normally, so it will be difficult for them to rinse the nasal passages, holding them over the basin. In this case, correctly rinse the nose according to the following algorithm:

• The baby is placed on the back, after having spread the diaper folded in half.
• A warm decoction of herbs or salted water is collected in a pipette.
• Instill in each nasal passage no more than 4 drops of the solution.
• After that, using a syringe, clean the nose from the remnants of the solution and mucus.
• Next, the nostrils are dried using dry cotton flagella.

After the procedure for cleansing the nose is over, the mucous membrane needs to be moistened. To do this, take a flagellum from sterile cotton wool, moisten it in sterile oil and gently process the nasal passages.

What to look for

Children up to two months old may have a slight runny nose. If there are no other symptoms, then this phenomenon can be considered physiological. In this case, the child's nose just needs to be cleaned of mucus several times a day using a cotton flag. It is not necessary to use cotton swabs to cleanse the nasal passages of a small child, since the mucous membrane can be easily damaged.

If dry crusts are constantly forming in the child's nose, then you should pay attention to the air humidity in the home and drinking regimen child. There should be a hygrometer in the baby's room, by which humidity should be determined. The optimal figure should be close to 55%.

The children's room should not be too warm. The normal temperature is not higher than 21 degrees. Otherwise, the nasal mucosa will dry out all the time.

It is actually quite easy to clean the nose of a nursing baby if you know how to carry out this procedure. For children older than 3 months, the nasal cavity is washed over the basin, for infants younger age the spout is washed in position and lying down. All movements must be as careful as possible.