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How old is the child?
Pharmacist

How you would go about taking care of a 10 month old baby with a runny nose will not be the same way you would with a 6-year old.

 


 

You said less than 2 years old.
Pharmacist

The goal is to blow the nose for the child since the child cannot blow his or her nose well enough to breath comfortably.

Mother carrying child

You will have to do the following to accomplish that.

 

Saline nasal spray

At this age, the child cannot blow the nose well enough to breathe comfortably. Mother giving baby saline nasal spray You will have to do this for the child.

To do this, you will need a saline nasal spray to thin the mucus and let it flow or wash out.

We strongly recommend combining a saline nasal spray with a good nasal aspirator to suck out the mucus leaving less work for the child. Breathing is hard enough right now.

Spray the saline nasal spray, let stand for a few minutes and use the nasal aspirator to suck out the thinned mucous.

Invest in a good nasal aspirator.    ​Mother using a nasal bulb

Stay away from the rounded bulb types at the pharmacy. They are hard to clean, opaque (you don't know what is inside. If it is clean or not) and tips are pointed enough to damage the child's nasal passages if not done carefully or if the child is fussy and won't stay in one place.

Two good ones are NoseFrida®  and  Graco NasalClear®.

How often should you do this?    

Well, how often do you have to blow your nose if you have a runny nose? Same thing with the baby.

Do this as often as you can. No less than 5 times a day. Remember, you are helping the child blow the nose.

 

Worth doing

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Last updated by pharmacist on : 02/14/2016

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You said 2 to 6 years old.
Pharmacist

You will need to combine a good way to thin the mucus and use an antihistamine medication to stop the runny nose if need be.

 

Saline nasal spray

You will want to use this to thin the mucous

Mother using nasal spray for child

 and make it easier to blow out or drain. The goal is to wash out the mucous, prevent caking and any possible sinus infection.

 

Antihistamine

Due to Allergy?    

Go with the antihistamines loratadine, cetirizine or fexofenadine. These are non-drowsy or less drowsy forms of antihistamines which make them useful in a runny nose due to allergy symptoms.

Be sure to compare antihistamines using the comparison feature of this app to find which will work best for your child.

Due to a cold?

Stick with saline nasal spray. 

 

Worth doing

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Last updated by pharmacist on : 02/14/2016

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Let's see the best way to take care of this runny nose.
Pharmacist

What is causing the runny nose will influence what to use over the counter to take care of it.

If it is due to a cold for instance, using non-drowsy or so called second generation antihistamines like loratadine or fexofenadine will not work. These are made for allergy situations.

Take a look at what is recommended  for runny nose available over the counter below.

Girl with runny nose


Saline nasal spray

Start with this to thin the mucus, moisturize the nasal linings, Boy using a saline sprayprevent caking of the mucus and get things moving in the nasal passages.

Get a sinus rinse with saline packets to mix if available. Skip a neti-pot for this age group. Uncomfortable.

 

Antihistamine

Due to a cold?

Go with diphenhydramine, chlorpheniramine or combination  cold products in Pediacare®, Triaminic®, Dimetapp®. The antihistamine in these is first generation antihistamines which work better for a runny nose due to a cold.

Due to Allergy?    

Go with the antihistamines loratadine, cetirizine or fexofenadine. These are non-drowsy or less drowsy forms of antihistamines which make them useful in a runny nose due to allergy symptoms.

Be sure to compare antihistamines using the comparison feature of this app to find which will work best for your child.

 

Nasal steroid spray

You will invest in these if your child has a runny nose due to seasonal allergy. Boy using steroidal nasal spraySkip if the runny nose is due to cold symptoms or anything other than season allergy due to pollens or allergens.

If you are thinking of using this for a runny nose due to pollens or allergens, know that you will have to use it daily to be effective. Expect useful effect to start after about 5 days of use. Best time to use is before the child leaves the house in the morning. See it as a preventive measure rather than a cure.

Take a look at the comparison feature of this app to see which will work best for your child.

 

Multi-symptoms

These contain antihistamines with other ingredients for cold, allergy, and flu symptoms. 

We strongly recommend you use the comparison feature of this app to see which will work best for your child's runny nose.

 

Worth doing

1. Invest in humidifier

 

Last updated by pharmacist on : 02/14/2016

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Know this about the safe and effective use of this recommendation.
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Our disclaimer

  • Recommendation is the opinion of a registered US Pharmacist currently practicing as a community pharmacist.
  • Recommendation is not an attempt to discuss all possible self care or treatment approach to this health challenge.
  • The responsibility of the recommending pharmacist is limited to this question:
    "If a patient presents with these symptoms, what will you recommend and why?"
    It is not an attempt to publish an article on the treatment of any condition. Just what would you tell a patient who present with so and so in the usual course of your practice.
  • The pharmacist image presented in this article may or may not be the actual image of the authoring pharmacist.
    Because we insist on using articles written by currently practicing community pharmacists, these pharmacists may choose to remain anonymous especially if they are employed by an employer to avoid being pressured to recommend a particular product to drive sales.
  • Please read the policies and terms of use for self-care OTC, selfcarepharmacist.com and it's affiliates by clicking on the button below.

 

 

 

 

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Pharmacist


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