Runny nose in a baby for 3 months: how to treat a child?

2023 Author: Alfred Shackley | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 13:14

By 3 months of age, the baby's body has not yet fully revealed its capabilities, and its immune barrier is just beginning to form. Therefore, a runny nose in a baby at 3 months is a common phenomenon. It is impossible to ignore a runny nose in such a small crumbs, a baby at this age suffers greatly from a stuffy nose.

He cannot blow his nose at all on his own, rhinitis prevents the baby from breathing and eating fully, the baby becomes capricious, sleeps and eats poorly. This state of affairs is very exhausting and tiresome for both the baby and his mother.

Among other things, a runny nose that is not treated often leads to complications that are undesirable at this age.

What are the causes of a cold in a three-month-old baby

Rhinitis in infancy has a variety of origins. It is necessary to distinguish between the physiological and infectious appearance of snot in a baby. The physiological variant of the appearance of a common cold is called by pediatricians a common occurrence in a newborn, which does not require treatment.

Such a runny nose can be called a test for the work of the mucous membrane of a child's nose. The baby's nose fully begins its work after about 10 weeks from the moment of birth, and before that, the baby's nasal mucosa is only adapting to new living conditions.

Other, more serious causes of rhinitis are viruses or bacteria, as well as insufficient humidity, dust and high uncomfortable temperature in the room where the baby is.

Allergic rhinitis in babies at 3 months is extremely rare. 80% of all cases of the appearance of children's snot occurs due to respiratory infections and viruses, the main ones of which are:

• influenza and parainfluenza virus;
• rino- and adenoviruses.

The release of snot can be regarded in babies as a protective barrier of the nasal mucosa against the penetration of harmful infections.

Symptoms of an infectious and cold rhinitis in a baby at 3 months

Typical symptoms of rhinitis in infants are as follows:

• Thick and copious discharge from the nose. Unlike physiological rhinitis, in which the discharge is not very strong and colorless, infectious rhinitis has a color and strong intensity;
• The body temperature rises, the baby refuses to breast or bottle;
• The child's breathing is difficult, sometimes the baby has shortness of breath - he often breathes through his mouth. Swelling of the mucous membrane does not allow him to eat normally. The child begins to greedily suckle a breast or a bottle, but all the time gives up this activity to catch his breath;
• The baby often pulls the arms to the face and nose, rubs and scratches the face;
• The child's daily routine is completely lost - sleep is short and restless, the child does not fall asleep well, bends over and cries.

If a baby develops the above and other symptoms, and with them a cough or ear pains, adults should immediately contact a pediatric specialist in order to start treatment for the common cold.

A runny nose in a baby for 3 months - how to treat it at this age?

If rhinitis is not physiological and is accompanied by a cough and fever, daily bathing and walking in the fresh air should be abandoned, especially if snot started in the cold season. These procedures can always be resumed with the recovery of the crumbs after the permission of the doctor.

A very important point is to provide the baby with a plentiful warm drink, because snot from the nose helps to remove fluid from the body, which in turn disrupts the child's water-salt balance. The baby should be fed with boiled or purified water, weak fruit drinks or dried fruit compote.

The optimal temperature regime for the baby is an integral part of his normal well-being. It is necessary to wear socks on the baby's legs, light or woolen, depending on the season.

If the mucus from the nose has acquired a greenish or yellowish tint, this means that the process of suppuration has begun. In the nasal sinuses, non-living bacteria and microbes accumulated, which were successfully destroyed by children's immunity.

This period most strongly worries and tires the baby, because the lack of breathing through the nose and poor sleep by this time often cause a headache and other ailments of the baby. After some time, the ailment subsides, and the amount of mucus secreted from the nose decreases.

To alleviate the condition of the crumbs, pediatricians recommend instilling in the child's nose decoctions of chamomile pharmacy or preparations with a salt composition, for example, "Salin", "Aquamaris" or "Aqualor". These liquids help soften thick snot and accumulated crusts from the baby's nose. Then each nasal passage should be carefully cleaned with cotton swabs.

Movements should be soft, rotational, so as not to accidentally damage the baby's delicate nasal mucosa. Also, to clean the passages from accumulated secretions, you can use a children's aspirator or a pharmacy pear. Drops should be instilled no more than 4-5 times during the day, 1-2 drops in each nostril.

After removing the snot, you should again moisturize the freed sinuses with the same means.

In severe forms of rhinitis, pediatricians recommend treating babies with drops with immunoglobulin, for example, "Interferon". Drops with interferon are safe and effective for children from the first days of life.

Also, with a complex viral infection, pediatricians can prescribe drops with an antiseptic, such as Miramistin, Protargol. In addition, some types of ointments for the common cold have a healing effect. They should be applied to the skin near the baby's nose. For children of 3 months of age, you can use Vibrocil ointment or oxolinic ointment.

Vasoconstrictor drugs, for example, children's "Nazol" or "Nazivin", can be used only with the permission of a specialist and no more than 3 days. These drugs quickly and effectively relieve swelling in the nose and greatly facilitate the baby's breathing. The effect of the use of vasoconstrictor drugs lasts for several hours and allows the child to eat and sleep in peace. Independent use of drugs with a vasoconstrictor effect without specialist control can cause unwanted complications.

Non-drug treatment of the common cold in infants

During rhinitis in a baby, chopped onions or garlic can be laid out in his room, which will actively release phytoncides into the air, which have antiviral and antibacterial properties.

Aromatherapy has also proven itself well in the fight against the common cold. But not every remedy is approved for use in the case of a cold in a small child. Some of the oils can cause even more swelling of the mucous membranes. Among the permitted, thuja oil shows a good effect.

One drop of the product is dripped into a plate of boiling water and placed away from the crib with the baby.

One of the proven and effective ways to treat rhinitis in babies is to moisturize the nose with fresh beetroot or carrot juice diluted with water in a 1: 1 ratio.

To moisturize the nasal mucosa, you can independently prepare a solution with sea salt. To do this, dissolve half a teaspoon of sea salt in 100 ml of boiled warm water and drip 1-2 drops every 2 hours throughout the day. Sea salt relieves swelling of the nasal mucosa and helps to liquefy thick mucus. As a result, the sinuses open up and breathing through the nose is improved.

Also, a three-month-old baby can lubricate the feet with a small amount of “Zvezdochka” balm, massage the baby's feet well and put on warm socks.

Prevention of rhinitis in babies

The appearance of a runny nose can be avoided, if you do not forget to observe personal hygiene measures, visit less crowded places, especially during the season of colds and viral diseases. You should also temper the baby, dress him for the weather and feed the baby correctly.