Cleaning the nose in newborns. Removing excess using a pear. Ways to clean a newborn's nose from boogers

A newborn baby needs constant care for health and comfort, including serious attention to the hygiene of the nasal mucous membranes - snot or crusts that have formed interfere with free breathing. If a child has a stuffy nose, he eats poorly, is capricious and cannot sleep due to discomfort. It is important to know how to clean a newborn's nose in order to effectively remove excess and not cause harm to him.

Causes of the problem

It is necessary to check the baby's breathing and examine the nose several times a day - during the morning hygiene procedures and before each feeding. If your nose is blocked or crusts (boogers) have formed in it, find the cause of the problem and try to eliminate it.

The causes of drying out of the nasal mucosa with the formation of crusts include:

• low air humidity in the room where the child spends most of his time;
• a large amount of dust in the air and on interior items (primarily on high cabinets, carpets, curtains);
• cigarette smoke;
• the presence of chemical suspensions in the air - from perfume that is sprayed, cleaning products, etc.;
• viral disease.

For the same reasons, the baby may experience nasal congestion associated with increased mucus production or swelling of the nasopharynx.

Drying of the mucous membranes reduces the body's resistance to infections - due to microcracks, the risk of penetration of bacteria and viruses increases. The child’s room must be kept clean and wet cleaned daily. It is important to take care of air humidification - for healthy baby The optimal level of humidity in the room is 50%, during illness - up to 70%.

Keeping your nose moist

Sneezing is a natural reflex that allows a baby to clear Airways. However, the child cannot get rid of an excess of mucus and firmly adhered crusts on his own.

It is not recommended to resort to medicines without special need - even drugs approved for infants can dry out the mucous membranes, cause addiction, and provoke swelling. Substances included in medications can cause allergies or disrupt digestion.

Washing is used as a regular measure:

• saline solution (for more information on how to prepare and rinse your nose with a solution, read the article);
• self-prepared saline solution (per 1 liter of warm boiled water - 1 teaspoon of salt);
• pharmaceutical preparation for rinsing based on sea salt.

Among the classic tips for caring for a newborn, a popular opinion is: Milk itself is sterile, but upon contact with mucous membranes, bacteria quickly begin to multiply in it, which increases the risk of disease.

Methods for cleaning the spout

How to clean a newborn baby’s nose and what products to use? There are four main methods using:

• cotton flagella (turunda);
• cotton swabs;
• syringes or bulbs;
• aspirator.

When considering how to properly clean your nose, we must not forget that crusts and mucus must first be softened with any of the rinsing agents. A couple of drops are placed in each nostril.

To instill the solution, the child’s head is securely fixed - for this, the baby is held in one arm, pressed against his body, or the child is laid on a flat surface on his back and his head is slightly thrown back, covering it with rolled towels.

After dropping the saline solution, wait a few minutes, and then begin to clean the baby’s nose of snot and softened crusts.

Cotton flagella

Turundas (cotton wool flagella) are sold in pharmacies, but with some skill you can make them yourself from ordinary cotton wool. Also for homemade turunds use cotton swabs, stratifying and tearing them into pieces - the resulting ¼ part of the tampon is twisted into a cone.

The tip of the cone is inserted into the baby's nostril and gently scrolled clockwise, trying to wrap the softened crusts onto the flagellum. A separate turunda is used for each nostril.

Cotton swabs are completely safe for babies, but their effectiveness is considered average. They help clear the nose of boogers, but do not cope with liquefied mucus.

Cotton buds

This option is not recommended for use to cleanse the nasal passages of a newborn baby. The danger is the rigidity of the cotton swabs and the relatively large volume of cotton wool on them - if done incorrectly, it is easy to push the boogers deeper or even injure the baby.

If you choose cotton swabs, make sure that they are made from a hollow, easily bendable tube, and not from a wooden splinter. Carefully remove excess cotton before use - the working part of the instrument should not fill the baby’s entire nostril. Cleaning is carried out in the same way as with turunda. A separate side of the stick is used for each nostril.

When purchasing, you should give preference not to ordinary ear sticks, but to cotton swabs for newborns - they can be found in the pharmacy. Some manufacturers offer cotton swabs with a sticky surface, which makes scabs easier to remove.

Pear (syringe)

To remove snot and softened crusts, you can use a blower with a soft rubber tip. Before using the instrument, wash it thoroughly in hot water with baby soap.

To remove mucus from the nasal passages, squeeze out the air from the bulb and insert its tip into the baby's nostril. After releasing the pear ball, wait until it fills with air - during this process it will draw in some of the mucus. Before cleaning the second nostril, the pear must be thoroughly rinsed again. The pear helps to cope with liquid snot, but its effectiveness is not very high.

Aspirator

How to clean a newborn's nose using an aspirator? First of all, you should know that there are three types of aspirators, each of which has its own characteristics of use:

1. Mechanical. A hollow tube that is equipped with a tube through which an adult sucks out mucus. To protect against bacteria, a foam pad is provided.
2. Electronic. In appearance and principle of operation it is similar to a syringe (but exceeds it in volume) and runs on batteries.
3. Vacuum. According to the principle of the device, it is designed as a mechanical version, but is designed for connection to a vacuum cleaner with adjustable suction power.

Before using a vacuum or electronic model, be sure to check and adjust the suction strength - apply the tip of the aspirator to back side hands.

Before use and after use, the operating parts of the device are washed in hot water and baby soap.

The aspirator effectively clears the nasal passages of secretions, including severe congestion nose There is no risk of injuring the baby. The disadvantages include the relatively high cost of the devices.

Conclusion

Knowing how to clean a newborn's nose, you can choose the most convenient option removing mucus and crusts. If the procedure is part of a set of measures to treat a sick baby, the pediatrician may prescribe a vasoconstrictor drug - it is instilled immediately after cleaning the child’s nasal passages.

A runny nose or crusts in the nose can cause poor sleep, appetite, whims, and crying of a newborn. The baby cannot yet cope with this problem on his own. Therefore, it is so important for a mother to know when and how to properly clean her child’s nose.

How often should you clean your baby's nose?

Doctors do not recommend once again intruding into the respiratory system of a newborn. Despite the fact that the nasal passages in infants are very narrow, they have a well-established self-cleaning system. Microvilli, which cover the nasal mucosa, effectively move mucus and foreign particles to the exit. In addition, the mucous membranes of the nasal passages produce the protective protein interferon. He is involved in education local immunity and protection child's body from pathogenic viruses and bacteria. If you clean your baby's nose too often, the interferon is washed away and the body's immune defenses are weakened.

During a runny nose, too much mucus forms and it dries out, forming dense crusts. They block the baby’s narrow nasal passages, and the baby still does not know how to breathe through the mouth like adults. Therefore, crying, whims, anxiety, bad dream, snoring during sleep, lack of appetite may be an indicator that the child needs to clear his nose.

What to use?

To clean a newborn's nose, you can use flagella from cotton pads, bulb or aspirator.

Flagella from cotton pads softer and do not spread as much as ready-made cotton wool bundles. To make flagella you need to use a fourth part cotton pad, divided in half. Before the procedure, the tourniquet should be moistened with warm boiled water, saline or breast milk.

pear Before use, rinse thoroughly. After this, squeeze tightly in your hand so that all the air comes out. Then slowly and carefully insert it into the baby’s nostril and slowly open your hand. After removal, the pear should be washed immediately.

Aspirator designed specifically for cleaning the nose, and it allows the procedure to be carried out effectively and painlessly. To do this, you need to place a small plastic tube, which is connected to a container, to the child’s nostril. And through the second tube make a suction movement. This way, all the contents of the nose end up in the container.

When cleaning a newborn's nose, it is not recommended to use dry cotton wool, as small villi settle on the walls of the passages and irritate the mucous membrane, stimulating it to produce secretions. And with inhalation, they can penetrate deep into the respiratory tract and cause the development of infectious or inflammatory processes.

The hard crust must be softened before removal. Best suited for this saline or sea water. You only need to clean visible part nasal passages.

The formation of dry crusts in the nose can prevent the maintenance of optimal microclimatic conditions in the room in which the child is located. The temperature should not exceed 20 °C. The room must be ventilated regularly. You should also, if necessary, additionally humidify the air (especially during the heating season). Don't forget about the benefits of walking in the fresh air.

When the baby cannot fully rest at night, and also does not eat well, whims begin, the reason may be that the baby simply has boogers in his nose or an unpleasant runny nose. These problems interfere with your child's ability to learn the world and enjoy new discoveries.

Some new mothers are very concerned about the question: “How to clean a baby’s nose?” This can sometimes be difficult to do, and young parents often make mistakes. It should be noted that the most common mistake is to clean the spout using regular cotton swabs. This is completely unsafe, because infants have too small nose and undeveloped airways. There is also a possibility of pushing the stick very deeply and giving the baby completely unpleasant sensations. Among other things, dry sticks are uncomfortable to use. However, there are other solutions, read about them below.

It’s easy enough to make homemade flagella from cotton pads. High-quality discs never fall apart and are convenient to use. To help your little one, take one disk, then tear it directly into two parts, you will get two disks with the cotton side. One disk can be used later, you can put it aside. You tear the other into four parts. Take one and carefully twist the flagellum. Before use, moisten it with purified water or breast milk so as not to cause any harm to your baby. discomfort. You should try to clean your baby's nose using slow rotational movements.

How often should you clean your baby's nose?

The airways of newborn children, like those of adults, work without interruption. The nose produces mucus, to which various bacteria and dust particles stick. The child, by virtue of his early age cannot free his nose from mucus and dust, so his parents must help him with this. It is advisable to do this every day or at least once every two days. To moisturize the flagellum, it is advisable to use apricot oil, breast milk. Now you know how often to clean your baby's nose.

How to clean snot from a baby's nose?

Every young mother should know and understand how to clean snot from her baby’s nose. You can use a special pear for this, which can be purchased at a pharmacy if necessary. This item is necessary in every first aid kit. You first need to drop a little into your nose breast milk, saline solution. You can use moisturizing drops for newborns.

This must be done to soften the crusts and make the snot more liquid. Before use, the pear must be thoroughly and thoroughly washed to avoid any problems with the ingress of harmful microorganisms. Then simply squeeze the bulb to pump the air out of it. Next, insert the tip into the nostril and gently open it. Everything needs to be done very slowly and carefully so as not to cause pain or discomfort to the baby. After this, thoroughly rinse the pear of its contents.

How to clean a baby's nose with an aspirator?

It's very easy to do. Such a small device can also be purchased at a pharmacy; it is not very expensive. With its help, there is no chance that bacteria will get into the baby's nose. The effect is comparable to using a regular pear. And children often react to the aspirator with interest, perceiving it as a toy. To begin, place a small tube on the baby's nose, then take another tube directly into the mouth and take several suction breaths. That's all! The snot, as well as softened boogers, will end up in a special container, which can then be easily rinsed. However, before use, it is advisable to lubricate the nostrils with baby oil or drip a little breast milk.

How to clean a baby's nose from boogers?

You need to clean your nose of boogers very carefully so as not to damage the mucous membrane. It's very simple: first, lubricate the inside of the spout with a small amount of breast milk. You can simply drop it directly into each nostril. Then proceed as in the first method. Use flagella from purchased cotton pads. Now you know how to clean your baby’s nose of boogers.

Conclusion

When you were pregnant, you probably heard your mother or grandmother’s instructions on how to properly clean your baby’s nose. And thanks to this article, you can do this without any problems. Of course, at the very beginning it can be scary, since the baby’s nose is very small. However, some skill is required. If you are afraid to do this yourself, you can ask a relative or friend who already has children to help you. And then you can carry out this procedure yourself.

And so that the baby does not constantly suffer from crusts and snot, make sure that the air in the room where the baby is is clean and humid. Do not install a large number of heaters, which dry out the air too much. Constantly do wet cleaning and use high-quality air humidifiers. Even adults suffer from poor air quality, let alone small children.