How to clean a newborn's nose well. How to clean a newborn's nose with a cotton swab. Why you shouldn't clean your nose with cotton swabs

Caring for a newborn requires special attention from mom's side. It is during this period that the baby is most defenseless, because he is just beginning to adapt to the new environment.

Let's talk about how to properly clean a newborn baby's nose, but first you need to understand the purpose of this procedure.

Just after being born, the child does not know what he needs. When inconvenience arises, all he can do is scream. A clogged nose is one of the most common problems. Naturally clearing the nose from congestion occurs through sneezing, but sneezing does not always bring relief, since crusts form in the nose that stick to the mucosa, which is why mechanical intervention is often necessary.

How to clean a newborn baby's nose?

When carrying out daily cleaning of the nose of a newborn baby, use cotton buds, soaked in baby oil. To form such a flagellum, take a small piece of sterile cotton wool, moisten it with oil and roll it into a small tight rope using your thumb and index finger. Then place the flagellum in the baby's nostril and gently twist. Twist a new flagellum and repeat the same with the second nostril.

The purpose of the manipulations described above is to remove dried crusts from the nose, which make it difficult for the newborn to breathe. If there are a lot of crusts, then you need them pre-soften by dropping special baby drops (for example, Aquamaris), boiled water or mother's breast milk into the nose.

If a newborn has a runny nose, then flagella alone are not enough. To clean the nose, you need to suck out the mucus from it. For these purposes, there are special devices - a syringe ( small size) or baby aspirator(nasal cleanser), which can be bought at any pharmacy. After placing drops or boiled water into the child’s nose, press the pump syringe or aspirator and carefully insert the device into the baby’s nostril, but no more than 3-4 mm. After insertion, quickly release your finger. If you did everything correctly, the pump should remove the contents of the nose. If necessary, the procedure can be repeated, but no more than 2-3 times. The same is done with the second nostril.

Precautionary measures

In order not to harm the baby, when cleaning the nasal mucosa of a newborn, it is important to follow certain rules:

• During any procedure for caring for a newborn (not just during nose cleaning), it is important to wash your hands thoroughly.
• All tools used must also be clean and dry. A syringe or children's nasal cleaner should be washed with soap and water after each use.
• Never insert the device deep into the nasal passage, as this can damage the mucous membrane and cause irritation.
• Carefully read the instructions for use of a particular device for cleaning a newborn’s nose.
• The nasal cleansing procedure should take place in a favorable environment with good mood baby.
• Do not try to remove dried crusts; before removing, you need to wet the nose. This way, the crusts will come out easily and painlessly. Breast milk or plain boiled water will help soften the crusts in the nose.
• Always use only proven children's cosmetics, including oil. If you notice any suspicious redness or irritation, stop using the oil immediately and contact your pediatrician.

Preventing the formation of crusts in the nose

There are only two reasons for the formation of crusts in the nose of newborns. The first one is disease(flu, ARVI), accompanied by inflammatory processes of the nasal mucosa. Second - insufficient air humidity in the room where the baby is.

Of course, it will not be possible to get rid of crusts completely, but it is quite possible to significantly reduce their number if you pay attention monitor air humidity levels. You can determine the level of air humidity in an apartment using a household hygrometer, which costs several hundred rubles. And if it turns out that the air in the room where the child is is dry (and when the central heating is on, this is what most often happens), then you need to take measures to humidify it or purchase a special device - an air humidifier.

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A small miracle has been born to you. In the maternity hospital, a nurse helped you care for the baby, but at home you are alone with him. Young parents are often interested in how to do everything right and, most importantly, not harm the baby. Among hygiene procedures, the most difficult question for young mothers is how to clean their baby’s nose.

It is necessary to clean your baby's nose. prevents him from breathing, sleeping, and even sucking from his mother’s breast or drinking from a bottle. To the little man He is unable to cope with this problem on his own; he needs the help of his parents. Therefore, you need to overcome your fear and get down to business.

What NOT to do

Getting ready for the procedure

Prepare in advance everything you need for the procedure:

• cotton pads (can be replaced with sterile cotton wool);
• baby oil (vaseline or boiled sunflower oil);
• saline solution or pharmaceutical sea water (such as aquamaris);
• napkins;
• pipette.

Let's start cleaning your nose

It is best to clean the baby's nose with cotton wool or cotton swabs. This method often causes difficulties for young mothers. Twisting these same flagella is not an easy task. Creative parents have come up with an easier way to make them from cotton pads.

So, take a cotton pad and cut it in half. Set aside one half for next time. Cut the remaining half into four equal parts. It turned out 4 blanks. They make ideal turunds.

Cleaning the nose of a baby a few days old is not the easiest or most pleasant procedure. The child will turn his head and look away. It’s good if at first you have someone to help you hold the baby’s head.

To begin with, it is better to soften the crusts, this will make them easier to remove. To do this, drop a few drops of saline solution into each baby's nostril. After this, moisten the prepared turunda and very carefully insert it literally a few millimeters into each nostril of the child. Using light rotating movements, remove mucus and crusts from the nose.

If the crusts cannot be removed immediately, try taking more clean flagella and repeating the process. For each nostril you need to take a separate clean flagellum. Now you know what to do to make your baby’s nose breathe freely.

How to clear mucus from your nose?

To rid your newborn's nose of snot, your best bet is. Experienced moms It is recommended to use mechanical aspirators, of which many are now produced. They consist of a container and a tube, one end of which you insert into the baby's nostril in turn, the other nostril should be tightly closed. You insert the other end of the tube into your mouth and suck up the nozzles that remain in the container. Such aspirators have huge advantages over those that are similar to syringes. You yourself regulate the suction strength so as not to cause harm to the child. discomfort, and the nozzles are sucked out much better this way.

The old-fashioned method of washing a baby's nose is a syringe or, in common parlance, an enema. For these purposes, it is necessary to have a separate, smallest syringe. And always with a soft tip. The principle of using both a syringe and an aspirator is almost the same. Don't forget to put saline solution in your nose. Wait a couple of minutes and gently suck out the snot. Be extremely careful not to push the syringe too far into your nose. Pre-lubricate the tip with Vaseline or baby oil.

Prevention: humidify the air in the nursery

Diseases and troubles are easier to prevent than to treat. In order for your baby's nose to breathe well, you need to clean it every day. And if the baby has a runny nose, then this procedure needs to be repeated several times a day, as needed. To reduce the formation of crusts, monitor the air humidity in the room. It is good to use humidifiers or air washes. As an alternative, hang wet diapers on radiators in your baby's room. And, of course, do wet cleaning every day. Now you have learned all the details of what and how to rinse your child’s nose. The main thing is not to be afraid, and everything will work out.

Video tutorial on cleaning a newborn's nose:

Newborns and infants often experience wheezing, difficulty breathing through their nose, and prolonged congestion due to colds and viral infections, especially in the first months of life. This is due to the need to quickly adapt to new living conditions, the peculiarities of the anatomical structure of the nasal cavity and the protracted course of rhinitis in children. Therefore, if normal breathing through the nose is disrupted, parents need to be able to properly clean and rinse the baby’s nose from accumulation of mucus and crusts, so as not to cause discomfort to the baby and not damage the nasal mucosa.

To prevent the baby from having frequent and severe regurgitation after feeding and milk crusts, it is necessary to use special pillows when feeding the baby.

Why and how often should you clean your baby’s nose?

In newborn babies, the nasal cavity has certain features of structure and functioning:
tender and sensitive mucous membrane;
penchant for rapid development swelling due to active blood supply and superficial location of blood vessels;
narrow nasal passages;
a well-functioning microvilli system aimed at self-cleaning the nose from particles of dust, mucus and crusts;
lack of ability to breathe through the nose;
high activity of local immunity (own interferon), which decreases with frequent rinsing of the nose.
All these factors contribute to the accumulation of mucus and crusts, which significantly complicate breathing through the nose, causing discomfort for the baby.
The frequency of nose cleansing is most often done once a day, but depends on the degree of difficulty in nasal breathing in the baby.
Additionally, nasal toilet should be carried out:
with the appearance of moodiness, refusal to breastfeed, the appearance of active snoring or “grunting”, sleep disturbances;
when visible dry crusts, mucus appear, sneezing, scratching the nose with a pen;
with excessive regurgitation and frequent entry of milk into the nose;
if the baby has it, due to a viral infection.

How to clean your nose correctly

It is important to remember that dry cotton wool cannot be used - its villi settle on the microvilli intended for self-cleaning and irritate the mucous membrane, so you need to moisten the wick or flagellum in saline solution or Vaseline oil.

The baby's head must be securely and gently secured behind the forehead. Then, using gentle twisting movements, insert the flagellum (no more than 2 cm) into the nasal passage and gently pull it out. This removes softened crusts, particles of dust and mucus. Use a new flagellum to cleanse the second nasal passage.
If the dry crusts are located far away and it is not possible to immediately clean the baby’s nose, before the procedure you need to drop a saline solution into the nose or a light chamomile decoction (1-2 drops), wait 5 minutes and clean the nasal cavity with a flagellum.

Cleaning a baby's nose with a rubber bulb or aspirator

If mucus actively accumulates in the baby's nasal cavity, which is typical for rhinitis - inflammation of the mucous membrane as a result of, or a viral respiratory disease.
It is better to use special devices - children's aspirators. They have different principles of operation, but it is noted effective removal mucus from the most separated areas of the nasal passages, and are distinguished by the ability to regulate the suction force.
During the procedure, the baby is in an upright position: one tip of the device is inserted into the child’s nasal passage towards back wall pharynx, and through the other end the mucus is sucked out and ends up in a special container.
Before using the aspirator, be sure to read the instructions.
If the mucus is thick, before aspiration, you can drop special salt drops (Aquamoris, Aqualor, Salin, Physiomer, Quix) or saline solution into the baby’s nose.
Take special care to clean your baby's nose using a small bulb (syringe) with a rubber tip. It is important to remember that the suction forces cannot be controlled and the procedure must be carried out extremely carefully.
It is important to remember that you cannot use matches with cotton wool or ear sticks to clean the nose of a newborn and infant - this can injure the mucous membrane or push dry mucus deeper.

pediatrician Sazonova Olga Ivanovna

The baby is sleeping in his crib, and he sniffles sweetly, sweetly... Agree, it’s a touching picture, but for many mothers it causes some concern.

Especially a lot of worries arise if, in addition to sniffling, the child’s whims appear during feeding, when the sniffles in the nose prevent him from sucking the breast for a long time. Well, how can you not worry and think about how to clean a newborn’s nose or instill medicine?

Is it worth doing this? There is usually no need to be so overzealous. It is better not to touch the baby’s nose again, and if necessary, use only gentle methods.

No need to clean your nose: nature has provided everything

In my motherhood, I was of the opinion that there is no need to clean a newborn’s nose every day. The only time when you need to clean your nose is severe runny nose, which prevents the child from sucking normally, sleeping and causes a lot of inconvenience.

Nature has taken care of ensuring a smooth transition for the newborn from the existence of an embryo to “adult” life. Therefore, his nasal passages are abundantly moistened and the presence of mucus in them is absolutely natural.

• Many mothers note that no matter how hard they try to clean their newborn’s nose of the bugs, there are no fewer of them until everything goes away on its own.
• Besides this, there are other points. During the newborn period, the nasal sinuses in children are quite narrow, and the wings of the nose are dense. They cannot be lifted to the side to facilitate access inside.

Thanks to these features, an obstacle is created for large particles to enter the respiratory tract, as well as objects that the mother will try to push inside to clean the nose. This can be regarded as a signal from nature: it’s better not to interfere, no additional cleansing is needed, the body will cope on its own.

• Your baby has a perfectly established self-cleaning system inside the spout. Its mucous membranes are constantly moisturized and covered with many microvilli. They push mucus or foreign particles towards the exit. And then, due to such natural processes as sneezing or scratching the nose, these piglets are easily removed. And again, it turns out that you shouldn’t worry too much about how to clean a newborn’s nose from boogers.

How not to hurt your nose

And now briefly about why frequent cleaning of a newborn’s nose can harm him. I will give only two facts.

1. The cells of the mucous membrane produce a certain amount of interferon, which prevents the penetration of viruses and bacteria. By constantly cleaning the nose, we can destroy this protective layer and weaken the local immunity of the newborn;
2. Passion for this hygienic procedure can lead to drying out the inner lining of the nasal passages and cause the opposite effect: the more often we wipe the inside of the nose, the more mucus the body will produce.

So it turns out that no outside intervention is needed to clean a newborn’s nose. The child can cope with this problem on his own.

Mom needs help

However, there are also times when mom’s help in cleaning the nose is simply necessary.

If the baby’s sniffles become thicker, it won’t be possible to cope without the mother. Before cleaning the nose of a newborn baby, they need to be thinned out. In this case, you should track the cause of this baby’s health condition and act according to the circumstances:

• The problem may be that the air in the room where the newborn is constantly present is too dry. This leads to overdrying of the mucous membranes of the nose and its congestion. It is necessary to change the microclimate in the room and install a humidifier. Related article: temperature in the room for a newborn >>>
• If you have dry bumps or a stuffy nose, using appropriate medications can help. Preparations based on sea water are quite popular, but regular saline solution is also suitable, which reduces the viscosity of mucus.
• If your baby’s excessive sniffles are accompanied by other symptoms of respiratory diseases, then you shouldn’t wait until they go away on their own and help is needed. It may be recommended to periodically remove mucus using special devices. This could be a children's medical bulb with a thin soft tip or an aspirator for newborns.

Important! You should definitely remember: you can use medications to clean a newborn’s nose only after consulting a doctor.

The best ways to clean your nose

Now let’s look at how to remove boogers from a newborn if they still cannot be removed on their own. You just need to soften the dry crusts and remove the goats from the spout.

The best means to clean your baby's nose are a cotton swab and Vaseline oil(can be replaced with another product, but in any case you must first conduct an allergy test):

1. From a small piece of cotton wool you need to twist a thin but dense “sausage” and lubricate one end with Vaseline;
2. This part of the flagellum should be inserted into the newborn’s nostril and turned several times;
3. If necessary, you can repeat this procedure again using another flagellum;
4. The movements must be precise and fast, otherwise the child will begin to act up and cover himself with his hands.

You can also clean a newborn’s nose using cotton pads. To do this, one circle should be cut into 4 – 6 parts. From each piece you need to roll up a narrow bag, then insert its sharp tip into the spout and pry off the bag.

Know! It is important to remember that no other means (finger, cotton swab, match or toothpick) should be used to clean a newborn’s nose!

Some mothers put a drop of breast milk into their nose (I have never done this). The flies will soften and you can easily remove them with a cotton swab.

The child does not like having his nose manipulated, so be prepared to do everything quickly. Enlist your grandmother or husband to help. They can ring a rattle, make funny faces at the child, and while he calms down, looking at them, you can take snot or snot out of his nose.

But on the Internet there are absolutely unreasonable and cruel methods that are apparently used by inexperienced mothers. The essence of one of them is that during bathing you need to immerse the baby under water. Moreover, they further explain that there will be no danger to the child from such actions (during this period, newborns can hold their breath under water), but after that he will sneeze or cough.

This way, excess mucus and boogers are easily removed. Never do this! This will cause extreme stress in the child and may develop a fear of water. The child will be afraid to swim, and you will not lure him into the water in any way.

For other hygiene procedures for a baby, as well as how to bathe him, rock him to sleep correctly and everything about the psychology of a newborn from 0 to 3 months, see the online course

After birth, the child develops various problems, one of them is nasal congestion. The inability to breathe fully affects the general condition of the baby. U infant the nasal passages are narrow, the accumulation of mucus prevents the passage of air. After determining the cause of congestion, it is necessary to properly clean the newborn’s nose.

Preparation and Precautions

When starting the cleansing process, read the rules.

1. Prepare sterile cotton wool, 0.9% saline solution, flagella from cotton pads, a bulb, silicone tubes or an aspirator.
2. Secure the baby's head. Place the baby's head on a soft towel to prevent him from rolling over. It's better if someone helps.

What not to do

Do not use the medicine in spray form, as the pressure may harm the mucous membrane. Many parents think effective method nasal cleansing breast milk. This is misleading because it serves as a breeding ground for microorganisms.

Don't try to clean your nose with cotton swabs when your child is restless. You can damage the mucous membrane and cause nosebleeds.

Causes of snot in newborns and infants

Congestion occurs due to swelling and excess mucus production. During the first days after birth, the baby may snore as it learns to breathe on its own. When a child sneezes, his nose is cleared of excess fluid. After birth, breathing should normalize within the first week.

If the baby continues to have shortness of breath, this is:

• Dry indoor air.
• Irritating factors (allergens) – tobacco smoke, perfume, dust, animal hair, household chemicals and etc.
• Viral disease.

When the nasal mucosa becomes dry, crusts form and the child becomes defenseless. He stops eating, worries, and may bleed. It is urgent to remove mucus from the nasal passages so that it does not interfere with full breathing and does not cause discomfort.

It is also possible foreign body, caught in the nasal passages. If you can’t remove it, you can drip it vasoconstrictor drops and try again. If this does not help, you should definitely consult a doctor.

Instructions for cleaning boogers with different products

Saline

Soften the crusts with saline solution. It is necessary to place the child on his back so that his head is slightly thrown back. Next, drop 3 drops into each nostril. A warm bath before cleaning your nose in the evening may help. In this case, removing the crusts and mucus will not be difficult.

Cotton flagella

You can make them yourself.

1. Take a cotton pad and tear it into two halves. Leave one and tear the second into four equal parts.
2. Twist a flagellum from four parts.
3. Moisten the flagellum in warm water.
4. Introduce with rotating movements one by one into each nasal passage and extract the contents (a separate flagellum for each nostril).

Pear syringe

You can buy a medicinal bulb at a pharmacy. The procedure is done as follows:

1. Place saline solution in your nose.
2. Boil and cool the pear before using.
3. Squeeze the air out by squeezing the bulb.
4. Carefully insert into the nostril and gradually release your hand.
5. Don’t make any sudden movements, but you shouldn’t hesitate either.
6. After the procedure, process the pear.

Aspirator

Buy a device at the pharmacy to suck out unwanted fluids. The process of cleansing the nose with an aspirator at home has some similarities with the procedure using a pear. The child will not feel discomfort, but will experience a slight tickling sensation.

1. Apply saline drops or apply baby oil to your nose.
2. Insert the tube into the nostril connected to the container. Take the second one into your mouth and remove the formations with one suction.
3. Remove the contents from the container.

Video story

Cotton buds

Cleaning with cotton swabs is prohibited. The danger is that inexperienced parents can insert the stick too deeply and injure the mucous membrane. The rod is larger than a baby's nasal passages.

Silicone tube

Place one end of the tube into your nasal passage, take the other end into your mouth and draw in air. This will extract the contents of the nose.

Other methods

In addition to aspirators, bulbs, tubes, flagella and other methods, there are special drops. The products will easily help soften crusts and moisturize the nasal mucosa. But it is worth remembering that sprays for newborns are prohibited; it is better to use drops.

Small children do not know how to blow their nose. They need help with this. Dr. Komarovsky recommends using an aspirator. Instilling a saline solution (a teaspoon of salt per 1 liter of water) or physiological solution into the nose helps move mucus from the anterior section to the distant areas, where the child swallows it. There is no need to be afraid of this, it is not dangerous.

Features of physiological runny nose in infants

If a baby's runny nose lasts for several weeks, the child sneezes, coughs, elevated temperature body, these are the first signals to see a doctor. The main task is to establish the cause.

In newborns, there are two main forms of runny nose:

• Spicy.
• Chronic.

The acute form occurs due to infection. At the beginning of the disease, the nasal mucosa swells. Accumulated mucus causes discomfort to the baby, interferes with full breathing, and sucking is impaired. To find out the cause and help your child recover, immediately contact your pediatrician at the first signs of illness.

As preventive measures To prevent the formation of crusts and mucus in the nose, it is recommended to monitor the microclimate (air temperature 20-22 degrees, humidity 60%) in the room where the newborn is located. Wet clean and ventilate daily. Do not use heaters as they dry out the air. Walk in any weather.

Parents need to know how to properly care for their child. Newborns are defenseless and require constant attention and care. If parents do not want to risk cleaning their nose themselves, it is better to consult a doctor. You should not self-medicate. If there are problems with the baby's health, call an ambulance.