Saline solution for washing the nose helps to quickly and easily clean the mucous membrane of various microbes, as well as dust, help soften the formed crust and, therefore, facilitates breathing. You should not immediately run into a pharmacy and buy medications when a cold occurs in a child, in many cases it can be dealt with using alternative methods without using chemical agents.
Here is a list of initial actions that will help greatly ease the course of a cold in a child:
- it is necessary that the child, lying on the bed, be inclined, while the head should be at a height. Thus, it will be easier for him to breathe, and the resulting sputum will be easier to stand out;
- it is possible to carry out suction using a pear formed in the nose of mucus, this method is used for young children who alone can not get rid of it. The tip must be inserted very carefully to prevent injury to the mucous membrane;
- the main thing is to prevent sputum drying in the nasal passages, for this it is necessary to use a saline solution for washing the nose.
The use of such a solution can significantly reduce painful symptoms and helps a faster recovery. Saline solution for washing the nose is recommended to be used not only at the beginning of the inflammatory process, but also during the onset of seasonal colds and flu. In this case, it is used as a prophylactic.
Saline solution for washing the nose - preparation and use
The specified solution is able to be prepared independently for any mom at home. To do this, you need to dilute 9 grams of table salt with a liter of water, thus, you get a 0.9% saline solution. If you need to prepare a glass of solution, then a quarter of a teaspoon of salt is taken in a glass of boiled water. If salt is used, you can add a few drops of iodine.
The saline solution for washing the nose for adults is made more concentrated, so a tablespoon of salt is added per liter of water. Rinse the nose with the resulting solution is recommended several times a day, but not less than two. The procedure should be carried out for 3-4 days.
When washing, you can use a syringe without a needle or containers from used medicines, for example, Salinoma or Aquamaris.
If you do not know how to properly rinse your nose with saline, you should remember that saline is used to instill the nose, they do not rinse the nasopharynx. If you are afraid to carry out rinsing with saline, you can simply instill a few drops in the child’s nose, which will also be effective. At the beginning of the procedure, sneezing and coughing may occur, vomiting may also appear, but over time, such symptoms will disappear and the nasopharynx will become less sensitive. The frequency of repetitions of this procedure can vary from 2-3 times a day to once every 40-60 minutes.
You can not wash your nose with an enema, as in children this can cause otitis media due to the penetration of fluid into the Eustachian tube.
Also, in the presence of an ordinary cold, one can not get carried away by the use of vasoconstrictive drops, such as galazolin, naphthyzine, and sanorin. Their use is allowed only at bedtime, and only on the recommendation of a specialist - pediatrician.
There are practically no contraindications for carrying out this procedure, the only contraindication is the patient's predisposition to ear diseases.