Each loving mother always takes care of her child and tries to protect him from all troubles and misfortunes. However, it is not always possible to protect the child from viruses, infections and allergens. Often a child has snot. The first thought that occurs in young mothers: "What to do?". In this article, we will just try to figure out how to treat snot in a month-old baby, and whether it should be done at all.
Snot in a baby
The condition of newborns can change very often. However, do not regard each change as a threat to their life and health. There are certain physiological changes that help the little man adapt in this complex world. One of these conditions is snot.
Snot in a month old baby is not always an indicator of the disease. During the first month of life, many systems and organs of the baby continue to develop. This applies to the mucous membrane of the child. After all, she now needs to adapt to the new changing conditions of existence. In the womb, the mucous membranes did not bother anything, and now she needs to constantly contact with dust, germs and all kinds of allergens. Sometimes the most appropriate response to a stimulus is snot. The mucosa thus tries to get rid of the irritant, preventing it from getting further and entail unpleasant consequences.
In this case, an increase in mucus production is called a physiological runny nose.
Causes of the common cold
We found out that the snot of a month-old baby is absolutely normal. But do not forget that there are many more reasons that can cause a runny nose. In this case, you need to contact a specialist. These reasons include:
- infections
- allergens (pollen, animal hair, hygiene products);
- dry, dusty air (contributes to the overdrying of the mucosa and the greater likelihood of injury);
- low temperature (threatens the occurrence of colds and nasal passages);
- anatomical features of the nasal passages (can lead to a violation of air patency and, as a result, stagnation of mucus and swelling of the mucosa);
- mucosal injury (as a result of improper care);
- overheating (a decrease in the protective function of the mucosa due to increased sweating and drying out of the mucosa against the background of dehydration).
Manifestations of the common cold
Before deciding what to do with snot in a month-old baby, it is necessary to consider the symptoms of rhinitis. The most important thing that depends on the parents is to identify the onset of the disease in time. Usually, the snot is watery during the first 3-4 days and has a transparent color. After this, the snot becomes thicker and acquires a yellow tint. Usually 10 days is enough to get rid of the symptoms of a runny nose.
You should pay attention to the fact that if rhinitis is caused by allergens, then the snot remains watery throughout the runny nose.
Usually snot in a month old baby is accompanied by the following conditions:
- the appearance of breathing through the mouth due to nasal congestion (sniffling);
- dry mouth
- behavioral changes (harmfulness, moods, irritability, anxiety);
- sleep disturbances;
- difficulty breastfeeding (the child refuses to take breasts);
- manifestations of dyspepsia (due to swallowing a large amount of air during feeding).
When should I contact a pediatrician?
How to understand that the snot of a month-old baby is a symptom of a disease, which means it can cause complications? You need to carefully monitor your baby, because no one knows him better than yourself. So, if you notice that the baby began to be capricious, became restless, breastfeeding becomes problematic, because the baby constantly throws breasts, and you also hear wheezing, you need to visit a pediatrician.
Young children have a peculiarity - their salivary glands work very actively. As a result of this, a child can blow bubbles from his mouth and nose. Some parents take this for snot, but they are wrong. But when a month-old baby has snot and cough, then most likely in this case we will focus on the disease, and not on the physiological rhinitis.
The most important indicator is the overall well-being of the child. If the baby is active, striving for knowledge of the world and gaining weight well, then there is no particular reason for concern.
Why should not delay the treatment of the common cold?
Since immunity is still not stable in young children, snot treatment should not be delayed. In addition, due to the anatomical features in children, often the complications of a running runny nose spread to the ears, causing otitis media.
Respiratory organs are also often affected. Therefore, the infection in the nose should be removed as soon as possible, preventing it from spreading to other organs. Frequent diseases, which provokes a runny nose and a weakened immune system, can even lead to a delay in development.
If a child has green snot, this is the first bell in order to see a doctor. This may mean the development of a bacterial environment in the nasopharynx. But when an admixture of blood is observed in the discharge from the nose, this indicates the presence of an inflammatory process and damage to the capillaries of the mucous membrane.
Baby snot in 2 months: treatment
Starting to fight snot in a 2-month-old baby, it is necessary to accurately determine the cause of their occurrence. The correct diagnosis can be made by a qualified specialist and only after passing the necessary tests. Often, doctors prescribe a baby preventive measures.
You need to start by washing the nose. To do this, use special preparations based on sea water ("Aquamaris", "Aqualor", "Salin") or ordinary saline, 2 drops in each nasal passage. After these manipulations, the nasal passages are cleaned with aspirator from mucus.
You can also brew chamomile and sage. This decoction will not only help get rid of the accumulated mucus, it will relieve inflammation and have a wound healing effect.
In case of nasal congestion, pediatricians prescribe vasoconstrictive drops such as "Nazivin" or "Nazol Baby." However, these drugs have a number of side effects. They are addictive, dry the mucous membrane, itching may appear, so you should not use them longer than the prescribed time.
3 months cold treatment
Snot in a 3-month-old baby can be mucopurulent or purulent in nature. In this case, pediatricians can prescribe antiseptics. The most popular drug is Protargol. It is based on silver, which is safe for infants.
Also used is "Albucid". Although it is eye drops, they are effective in dealing with purulent runny nose.
You should pay attention to the fact that antiseptics can greatly dry out the mucous membrane and even lead to its burn. Therefore, you need to take them very carefully and clearly follow the doctor's recommendations. Pediatricians themselves are in no hurry to appoint them, if there is an opportunity to do without them.
Causes of the common cold in 5 months
Snot in a 5-month-old baby is a fairly common occurrence. At this time, the body loses the immune defense received from the mother, and "switches" to its own immunity. This gap in his immunity entails frequent diseases, accompanied by a runny nose.
In addition, at 4-5 months in children, the first teeth begin to erupt. This process can lead to a decrease in immune defense and the occurrence of an allergic rhinitis.
At the age of five months, diseases accompanied by a runny nose first have an abundant clear secret. An inflammatory process and nasal congestion are observed. In addition, a runny nose can lead to a lack of oxygen, insomnia or a refusal of a breast or bottle.
The treatment process begins with the care of the nasal passages. They need to be constantly cleaned, try to prevent stagnation of mucus and drying out of the mucosa. It is the mucosa in this case that is the protective barrier of the body.
At this age, warming up of the nasal passages is allowed. To do this, use bags of heated salt. They are applied to each sinus for 10 minutes. This increases blood flow, relieves intoxication and enhances the body's defenses.
However, not every runny nose can be warmed up. With a viral disease, this procedure will benefit, but with a bacterial disease, on the contrary, it will aggravate the situation. After all, elevated temperature and humid atmosphere accelerates the reproduction of microbes.
Therapy at 6 months of age
The treatment of snot in a 6-month-old baby is practically no different from previous age periods. However, there is one controversial treatment method. This is instillation of breast milk in the nose. The older generation actively advises to treat the common cold in this way, arguing that breast milk contains numerous immune cells of the mother.
Pediatricians have a different opinion on this matter. They are categorically against this therapeutic method. This can only aggravate the situation and cause the development of other pathologies. Since milk is a product that can lose its freshness, its instillation in the nasal passages can cause fungal infection. After all, an acidic, moist environment is a paradise for fungi and bacteria.
Therefore, breast milk is only suitable for oral use. Only in this case will it benefit the baby by helping its immunity.