Transparent snot in babies: causes and methods of treatment

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Bad he alth of a child is always a concern for parents. Snot in infants is no exception. A runny nose can occur quite often and gives the baby considerable discomfort.

To determine what exactly provoked such a condition, you need to seek help from a doctor and conduct a diagnosis. The doctor will tell you how to properly treat the child and what actions to take to make the baby feel better.

Causes of occurrence

There are many factors that can trigger rhinitis in infants. These include the following:

• Viral infections.
• Hot and dry air.
• Teething.
• Allergy.

If clear snot appears in a baby, the causes may be related to viral infections. This is the most common symptom of the initial stage of a cold. Initially, there is perspiration and dryness in the nose and nasopharynx, the child often begins to sneeze. After a while, nasal congestion appears and only the next day a runny nose occurs. This symptom may be due to infectionmononucleosis, whooping cough, viral infections. In this case, the risk of complications increases.

Transparent snot in babies can be when teething. In addition, there is profuse salivation. This is due to the active blood supply to the gums and nasopharynx. Quite often, snot flows in babies due to allergies. In this case, you need to eliminate allergens and watch the baby.

If the air in the room is dry and hot, then self-defense methods work in the mucosa and liquid mucus begins to be released from the passages, which resembles water in consistency.

Main symptoms

According to the classification, there are several types of nasal discharge. Depending on the type of mucus, there may be various symptoms of the course of the disease. There are snot in babies:

• transparent;
• white and thick;
• yellow or yellow-green;
• small streaked with blood.

Transparent snot in infants are physiological in nature and are considered a symptom that an active restructuring is taking place in the body. At the end of the period of adaptation to new conditions, the snot passes on its own. After a couple of months, the baby's well-being returns to normal without the use of medications.

Transparent snot in a baby may indicate a viral infection. In this case, you need to consult a doctor who can determine the cause of the discharge, as well as choose the best course of treatment.

If the snot is viscous, then this may indicate an incipient respiratory illness. After somewhile the child has a fever, swelling of the nasal mucosa and difficulty breathing.

Yellow-green or green discharge appears during the course of the pathological process. According to Dr. Komarovsky, a runny nose in a baby with green snot is considered the final phase of rhinitis. Together with the mucus, dead bacteria and viruses come out.

Inflammation does not stop over time and the risk of complications increases. After a while, sinusitis or sinusitis will begin to develop. They definitely require specialized medical treatment. Swelling of the nasal mucosa in a baby leads to a deterioration in appetite, anxiety, difficulty breathing, anxiety, poor sleep.

Discharge with streaks of blood indicates a serious inflammatory process that occurs due to the fragility of the walls of blood vessels. Also, such a violation can be provoked by such factors as:

• lack of vitamin C in the body;
• mechanical injury to the nasal mucosa;
• pressure surge;
• overuse of vasoconstrictor drugs.

To determine the main symptoms and causes of a runny nose in a baby, you need to visit a doctor for diagnosis and treatment.

Diagnostics

If the doctor has doubts that the transparent snot in the baby appeared for natural physiological reasons, then a laboratory test is required. To do this, a swab is taken from the nose and studied undermicroscope.

Depending on which cells are found more, the cause of the common cold is determined. If lymphocytes predominate, then it is a viral infection, and if neurophiles predominate, then it is bacterial. In the case of a large number of eosinophils in the smear, the diagnosis is allergy.

Features of a runny nose in infants

If the baby's nose is stuffy, what to do - this question worries so many parents, because babies still do not know how to blow their nose and this is the main difficulty. The baby cannot complain or say that his nose is not breathing.

The baby is mostly in a supine position, making it even more difficult to breathe with a stuffy nose. The baby cannot independently remove the dried crusts. In addition, he is unable to call for help, even if he cannot breathe at all. As a result, the onset of sudden death syndrome is possible.

That's why parents should definitely know how to help a child if he has a runny nose. It is important to be especially attentive to a sick baby.

Providing treatment

Transparent snot in a baby without fever should be treated immediately after they appear, until a complication begins to develop. Liquid secretions that flow from the baby's nose do not make it difficult to breathe and contain substances that fight the virus. It is important not to let the snot dry up.

It is necessary to provide cool and humid air in the room. This contributes to a faster recovery. Humidity should be measured withhygrometer. It is advisable to purchase an ultrasonic humidifier.

The consistency of mucus is largely influenced by the amount of fluid in the body. Therefore, if the baby is breastfed, you need to offer him the breast as often as possible. If the child is artificial, then during the period of the acute course of the disease, the concentration of the mixture should be reduced. In addition, the baby should drink plenty of water.

To keep the mucus liquid, you need to instill saline into the spout. Special solutions are also suitable for this, for example, such as Aqualor, Aquamaris. For instillation of the nose, you need to use a pipette or syringe without a needle. Do not use a spray, as it can damage the auditory tube. You need to instill saline every 3-4 hours.

Even with all these activities, quite a lot of mucus is formed in the nose, especially after the baby sleeps. It is noticeable that the child is difficult to breathe and he grunts his nose. It is very important to know how to clean a newborn's nose to remove excess mucus. For this, nasal aspirators are used. They can be mechanical or electronic. The simplest ones are completely ineffective, since it is difficult to remove thick mucus with their help. Therefore, it is better to choose more modern models, but they should be silent.

To facilitate the process of removing thick snot, you need to drip saline into the spout and suck the discharge along with this liquid.

Drug therapy

If the baby's nose is stuffy, what should the doctor do? Pediatricians recommend using as much as possiblesparing methods aimed at eliminating the symptoms and causes of the pathological process. The doctor may prescribe:

• vasoconstrictor;
• antiviral;
• antihistamines;
• antipyretic drugs;
• seawater nasal wash.

Treatment of viral rhinitis should be started immediately after its appearance. In this case, the snot passes pretty quickly. In addition to creating a favorable environment, you need to use nasal drops, which are selected depending on the manifestation of rhinitis. Cold medicines are divided into several types, namely:

• moisturizers;
• antiseptics;
• drops with antibiotics.

You can't use these drugs at the same time. Usually, pediatricians prescribe moisturizing drops along with vasoconstrictors and antiseptics. Antibacterial agents are used only in case of bacterial origin of the common cold, which is confirmed after mucus bakposev.

Vasoconstrictive drops will help reduce swelling of the nasal mucosa, remove congestion and make breathing easier. Their use is fully justified at the stage of formation of a large amount of transparent mucus. In the treatment of a runny nose in infants, you can use "Nazol Baby", "Nazivin", "Snoop", "Otrivin Baby". It is important to know how to bury the baby's nose with vasoconstrictors. You can apply them up to 3 times a day during the first 5 days of the course of the disease. Prolonged nasal instillationlead to addiction.

The use of drops with antiviral components is justified in the first three days of infectious rhinitis. These remedies prevent further reproduction of viruses, which helps to reduce unpleasant symptoms and speeds up the healing process. In the treatment of infants, you can use such means as "Derinat", "Grippferon", "Genferon". All these tools help to increase immunity and the overall resistance of the body. That is why they are used as a prevention of the common cold during colds.

Drops with antiseptic ingredients have anti-inflammatory properties. They are recommended to be used if green or yellow discharge appears. Babies are prescribed drugs such as Protargol, Pinosol, Miramistin.

Pinosol is an oily solution made on a plant basis. These drops help soften the nasal mucosa, soften dried crusts and eliminate pathogens. Babies need to drip funds 2-3 times a day, 1 drop.

Protargol contains silver ions, which have an antiseptic effect. You can buy them only in those pharmacies that prepare medicines to order.

Miramistin is considered a good antiseptic. It destroys the membranes of viruses, bacteria and other pathogens that cause rhinitis. You can bury these drops at any stage of the disease, 1-2 drops in each nasal passage.

Many doctors prescribe"Ectericide" in the nose of babies. This drug belongs to antibacterial agents. Thanks to natural ingredients, it is completely non-toxic, and also has a mild effect. Drops "Ekteritsid" in the nose are instilled in children 2-3 drops daily.

In the treatment of allergic rhinitis, you need to limit contact with the allergen. Of the drugs, antihistamines are used, in particular, such as Parlazin or Fenistil. The latter is suitable for use from the first month of a child's life. The dosage depends on the weight of the baby.

Nose rinse

The baby cannot blow his nose on his own, which is why he needs the help of his parents. To facilitate the discharge of mucus, it is recommended to wash the nasal cavity with solutions made on the basis of sea water. It helps to make breathing easier.

You can use ready-made saline solutions or prepared yourself. The procedure is performed using a pipette. Initially, you need to lay the baby on his back, turn his head to the side and rinse the nasal passage. The mucus is removed by an aspirator.

Folk remedies

Many parents are interested in how to treat transparent snot in babies with folk remedies, as they believe that they are the safest. Dr. Komarovsky does not recommend the use of such techniques, as they can cause serious damage to the nasal mucosa. Some plants also trigger allergies.

However, in the absence of contraindications, it is possible to wash the nasal cavity with chamomile infusion. Take 1 tbsp. l.plants and pour 1 tbsp. boiling water. You can bury already filtered infusion 2 drops up to 4 times a day.

What can not be dripped into the nose of a baby

Some mothers instill breast milk into the nose of a newborn, as they believe that it contains useful substances that help to cope with the disease much faster. However, this is completely wrong. Breast milk is an ideal breeding ground for viruses and bacteria. These activities will not only not help, but may even harm.

It is forbidden to instill fruit juices, onion infusion into the nose, as they can provoke a burn of the baby's delicate mucous membrane. Oxolinic ointment is not used because it has insufficient effectiveness and does not have a pronounced therapeutic effect.

Inhalation with a cold is carried out using a nebulizer. Steam inhalation can cause mucosal burns. With a viral or physiological rhinitis, the use of vasoconstrictor drops can lead to the opposite effect and cause severe swelling of the mucous membrane, respectively, the nose will block up. You can not drip antibiotics to a child without a prescription from the attending physician.

Possible Complications

If you do not treat the snot in a child, then the risk of complications increases dramatically. The baby is gaining weight very slowly, hypoxia is noted, which leads to anxiety and lethargy. The baby does not sleep well, the intensity of the immune system decreases. If you do not treat the snot in a child, then the risk of diseases such as:

• pneumonia;
• otitis media;
• tracheitis;
• laryngitis;
• bronchitis;
• bacterial conjunctivitis.

Difficulty breathing can provoke hypoxia, which adversely affects the state of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. As a result, memory is disturbed, the intensity of perception of the surrounding world decreases, and the reaction slows down.

Prophylaxis

To avoid the occurrence of mucous secretions and difficulty in breathing, it is necessary to carry out comprehensive prevention, namely:

• carry out regular wet cleaning;
• ventilate the room to maintain the optimum temperature;
• moisturize the air.

After being in crowded places during an outbreak of respiratory infections, you need to rinse your baby's nose with a pipette. Walking in the fresh air will help strengthen immunity.