A runny nose is one of the most unpleasant symptoms of various diseases. As a rule, these are either colds or viral diseases. Especially unpleasant when it appears in children.
There are several ways to get rid of a cold. However, the safest is inhalation. This procedure is the inhalation of steam mixed with various medicinal herbs or special medications, and in some cases it is simply necessary and appropriate. Refusing to carry out an inhalation from a cold for children is not worth it, since this will allow you to suspend the inflammatory process that occurs in the nasal cavity, as well as speed up the healing process.
Is it possible to take inhalations with a cold?
A person during an illness simply drops drops in his nose, which solves the problem almost instantly. But for the treatment of children from a cold, these drugs are not recommended for use, since they bring relative health benefits. Before you start treatment with inhalation, you need to realize that one procedure will not be enough. Removing the discharge from the baby’s nose will not work at one time, unlike other means. Inhalation from the common cold for children is a more gentle way with which you can help the nasal mucosa recover faster after the disease, and also neutralize all the microbes that are there.
The result of inhalation is that the discharge from the nose becomes more fluid, which means it is easier to remove from the cavity. That is why with the disease of children, inhalation with a cold is simply necessary. They can be carried out using special medicines, essential oils, a nebulizer or a Mahold inhaler.
General rules for inhalation
In order for the procedure to bring the desired effect and not harm the child, it must be carried out correctly, while the type of inhaler and the composition of the solution do not matter. The general rules of the procedure are:
- inhalation from the common cold for children must be done one hour before a meal or an hour after it;
- it is impossible to carry out the procedure if the child has a fever, in particular, it is higher than 37.5 degrees;
- after inhalation, it is not recommended to go outside for about three hours, especially if the child is sick in the winter season;
- you should not allow the child to breathe hot steam, there will be no positive effect from this, and the risk of burns of the respiratory tract increases many times, the ideal temperature for inhalation from the common cold is about 40 degrees;
- during the procedure, you only need to breathe through your nose, which should be carefully explained to your baby.
When should inhalation be given?
You can use any device for inhalation only on the upper respiratory tract. Therefore, it can be used only if the disease has a short-term and uncomplicated nature, for example, with rhinitis or pharyngitis. In the event that a severe diagnosis is made, for example, asthma or bronchitis, inhalation can only be carried out according to the doctor’s prescription and under his supervision, since it is necessary to carefully select the type of inhaler, the medicine that will be added to the aerosol, you also need to monitor the time of the procedure, for mode and temperature of the solution. What kind of inhalation to do with a runny nose for a child, a doctor should choose. With a disease of the lower respiratory tract, self-medication is unacceptable.
Features of carrying out inhalation from the common cold for young children
Steam inhalation in no case can be used to treat newborns, infants and children up to a year. Only by the doctor’s prescription can children under 6 years of age be treated in this way if there are no contraindications. This is due to the fact that the steam inhaler acts in much the same way as an expectorant. If a child older than 6 years old can expectorate, cough up and blow his nose on his own, making it easier to breathe, then the baby becomes more difficult to breathe because of the underdeveloped respiratory muscles.
Features of inhalation with essential oils
Many people ask the question: what should inhalations be with a runny nose for a child? The safest is the use of essential oils. Despite their relative safety, children over 3 years old can carry out a similar procedure. However, this procedure is prohibited if the child suffers from allergies or asthma. Most often used to eliminate the common cold oil of fir, pine and eucalyptus, lavender and other similar oils. It is enough to pour a few drops of oil into a pan with water, cover with a child a towel and breathe in a healthy healing steam. It will favorably affect the upper respiratory tract, which will lead to recovery. Such inhalation for children from cough and runny nose will save.
Performance Terms
A positive effect of steam inhalation is possible only if:
- the procedure is carried out at an early stage of acute respiratory disease, that is, the amount of mucus in the upper respiratory tract is insignificant;
- in addition to inhalation, an optimal climate for the child is organized, in particular, it should be sufficiently moist and cool;
- the child drinks plentifully.
In winter, when the central heating is turned on in the apartment and at the same time the room is practically not ventilated or humidified, regardless of the number of procedures, steam inhalation will not give any result.
Nebulizer
This is the most modern way to carry out inhalation during a cold in a child. This device is an ultrasonic, in some cases compressor inhaler, which forms particles of a treatment solution. These drops penetrate as deep as possible into the bronchi, as a result of which the effectiveness of the procedure increases many times. The advantage of using this type of inhaler is that you can independently configure the nebulizer to spray drugs in large drops. In this case, they will settle in the nasal passages of the child, so with a runny nose they will contribute to the elimination of sputum.
For very young patients, there are special inhalers, the design of which includes masks. Their advantage is that the procedure can be carried out in any position, lying and sitting. The duration of the procedure is reduced to 10 minutes.
Inhalation with a cold with a nebulizer: recipes for children
The following compounds can serve as a solution for a nebulizer :
- 100 grams of pine buds, 2 tbsp. l eucalyptus leaves, 4 tbsp. l mixtures of calendula and hypericum flowers. Pour the mixture with two liters of boiling water, simmer for about 10 minutes and let it brew for half an hour. Before the procedure, warm up the medium and pour it into the nebulizer. Duration of storage - no more than two days.
- Inhalation with Kalanchoe juice. The healing properties of this plant have long been known. Almost everyone used it at least once in his life to fight viruses. It is with the help of Kalanchoe that the condition of the child can be normalized. For inhalation, you need to dilute two tablespoons with water and pour into the tank.
- The Rotokan drug has proven itself well. It can be freely bought at the pharmacy. It is made on the basis of natural ingredients, in particular, it contains marigold, chamomile and yarrow extract. To prepare a solution for inhalation in half a liter of water, you need to dilute two tablespoons of Rotokan and pour into a nebulizer.
- For children, you can use the Borjomi alkaline solution. This liquid is able to thin the mucus in the nose, as a result of which it is removed much faster. Inhalations with saline with a runny nose for children have the same effect.

The effectiveness of this procedure has been proven by many doctors. Inhalation with a runny nose by a nebulizer for children has a positive effect on the general condition of the child, eliminates a runny nose in the shortest possible time. The only drawback that may be is that the child may be afraid to use this unit. But there is always a way. There are special inhalers that visually attract children. If there is no such opportunity, then you can use the usual one. It is necessary to show the child on himself how the procedure will go, and then his fear will disappear.
Types of inhalers
The most effective and effective inhalations are carried out using special devices and devices. There is an explanation for this: the device allows the pair to penetrate deep into the bronchi.
All devices for inhalation therapy are divided:
- On aerosol with drugs, which is a spray can filled with a special tool. For the procedure, it is enough to spray the contents from the can into the nasal cavity.
- Pocket inhalers can be powder or liquid. The first one is a small spray can, which is sold in combination with containers. It contains capsules of medicinal powder. This allows small particles of powder to seem to shoot into the nose. Pocket liquid inhalers have a similar effect.
- Steam inhalers are devices in which there is a reservoir. Medicinal fluid is poured into it, it, in turn, with the help of a heater turns into steam. It is with this steam that you need to breathe through your nose.
- A compression inhaler is an aerosol that is created using a stream of air.
- Ultrasonic inhaler allows the formation of volatile particles under the influence of ultrasound.
- A mesh nebulizer is a modern nebulizer that helps create the smallest particles. This allows you to deliver drugs to the most remote corners of the respiratory tract.
Most often, steam inhalers are used in case of a runny nose, because they create coarse particles that settle in the sinuses of the nose.
Contraindications
In some diseases, inhalation is strictly prohibited, as this can be dangerous to the health of the child. Such pathologies are:
- Angina. This is a bacterial disease, which means a moist, warm environment will cause microbes to rapidly multiply.
- Otitis. This disease is associated with the accumulation of mucus in the narrow space of the Eustachian tube. As a result, a person begins to feel severe pain. Inhalation will cause the mucus to swell and increase in size, which will lead to an increase in pressure, and the pain will intensify.
There are other contraindications for inhalation:
- the age of the child is less than 1 year, children from one to 6 years of age are inhaled strictly according to the doctor's prescription;
- fever;
- the presence of bacterial infections;
- earache;
- the presence of blood in sputum.
Treating a runny nose with inhalation, in particular when using a nebulizer, is quite easy, convenient, fast and safe. But before deciding to perform this procedure at home, it is necessary to undergo a medical examination. Only a specialist should choose what to do inhalation with a cold with a nebulizer for a child. This also applies to other methods of treatment.