A runny nose in a baby is indeed a troublesome thing. Some babies have a blocked nose and may even have trouble feeding. But do you know? Snot is constantly produced, and an adult has about the same amount of 2 mineral water bottles every day, and most of it is eaten by ourselves. Yes, you read that right, eat! Lose! Got it! Vomit~~~ Although nasal discharge is disgusting, it is beneficial. Don’t believe it, let’s take a look. The production and function of nasal mucus. Normally, our nasal cavity secretes a large amount of fluid every day, most of which evaporates in the nasal cavity to moisten the air entering the nasal cavity; the other small amount is on the mucosal surface of the nasal cavity, acting as It protects mucous membranes, prevents nasal cavity from drying out, binds bacteria and dust, and finally dries into boogers. Since the nasal cavity and esophagus are connected to each other, the liquid that has not been evaporated (snot) is invisibly eaten by us~ But don’t worry, most of the nasal mucus is water, and it may also be mixed with the liquid “swept” from the nasal cavity. Dust, microorganisms, etc., but our stomach acid will break it down, so it is harmless even if you swallow snot into your stomach. What does a serious runny nose look like? A runny nose may occur when a baby cries, is irritated by cold air, sneezes due to allergies, etc. These nasal discharges are generally transparent. They originally stay quietly in the nasal cavity, but flow out after being irritated. They will stop flowing after being wiped off. This is normal nasal discharge, and parents do not need to worry. What does abnormal nasal discharge look like (1) Watery, clear nasal discharge. Watery, clear nasal discharge is more common in the early stages of upper respiratory tract infection. The body is fighting against viral/bacterial infection, and a lot of clear nasal discharge will continue to be produced during this period. While having a runny nose, the baby has no fever and is in good mental state, eating, drinking, and playing. Just pay attention to the baby to drink more water (over 6 months old) and get more rest. Clear nasal mucus is easier to deal with than other nasal mucus, but please note that frequent wiping may scratch the skin around the nasal cavity. Parents should try to use soft paper to dry the nasal mucus instead of wiping hard. After cleaning up the snot, don’t forget to apply a moisturizer around your nose. (2) Porridge-like white nasal discharge. When the upper respiratory tract infection intensifies, it will aggravate the inflammation of the nasal mucosa, leading to swelling of the nasal mucosa, nasal congestion, thick nasal discharge, and non-flowing nasal discharge. At this time, porridge-like white nasal discharge will occur. White nasal discharge contains a large number of white blood cells. In order to resist inflammation, white blood cell \”warriors\” fight against pathogens. Therefore, although white nasal discharge is disgusting and can cause nasal congestion, it is beneficial to the human body. Tips: When the baby has uncomfortable nasal congestion and difficulty breathing during sleep, parents can use saline nasal drops (do not buy any drops with medicinal ingredients) to help clear the nasal cavity. Before feeding/eating complementary foods or before going to bed, you can put 2 drops of saline nasal drops into your baby\’s nose. (3) Thick yellow or green nasal discharge develops as the upper respiratory tract infection progresses. When the white blood cells in the porridge-like white nasal discharge fight with the pathogens, the pathogenic injuries and white blood cells support each other and flow out of the nasal cavity, resulting in thick nasal discharge. Same yellow and green nasal discharge. Thick yellow or green nasal discharge is the result of the natural progression of the disease and does not mean that the cold is getting worse, but parents still need to observe whether the baby isWhether it is accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, headache, fever, etc., so as not to cause other diseases. (4) Bloody pink or red nasal mucus. When the air is dry or trauma damages the nasal mucosa, bloody pink or red nasal mucus may appear in the baby\’s nasal cavity. Parents should pay attention to adjusting the indoor air humidity to 40% to 50%. An air humidifier can also be placed indoors. The humidifier should be cleaned every day (do not add any other liquids other than water, such as: anti-flu xxx, anti-cold essential oils, various Vinegar…), babies over 6 months old should drink more water. (5) Jam-like brown and black snot. Jam-like brown and black snot means that there is dirt, dust and other dirt in the snot. Parents should be careful not to smoke around their babies, and do not take their babies to dusty environments. You can use a saline nasal rinser to clean your baby\’s nose. Pay attention to trimming your baby\’s nails and do not let them pick or scratch the nasal cavity with your hands to avoid damaging the nasal mucosa and causing infection. Do I need to take medicine for a cold? Colds are mostly caused by viruses. Contrary to what most people imagine, there is currently no good medical treatment for the most common cold, and there is no specific medicine against the common cold. Antibiotics are used to fight bacterial infections and are completely ineffective against viruses. Common cold symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, and cough will heal on their own without taking any medicine. Unless the doctor thinks that the baby has a secondary bacterial infection due to the cold, a full course of antibiotics needs to be used under the guidance of the doctor. If a child has a fever, it is generally recommended to take a single-ingredient antipyretic medicine if the temperature is over 38.5 degrees Celsius. The American Academy of Pediatrics believes that cold and cough medicines are not effective for children under 6 years old, but may cause serious side effects. If your baby has cold symptoms and is younger than 3 months old, you should seek medical attention immediately regardless of whether you think it is serious or not! Because in such a large baby, the symptoms are very confusing and may quickly develop into other more serious diseases. Babies over 3 months old also need to seek medical attention immediately if the following conditions occur: baby has shortness of breath or difficulty breathing; blue lips or fingers; cold symptoms that have not recovered after 2 weeks; cough for more than 7 days; earache or constant crying ; Excessive lethargy or poor mental state; Fever and body temperature >39°C.
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