Kids & Colds: Congestion Relief

To aid in your child's congestion relief, it is best to use a nasal decongestant spray, or non-medicated saline nasal drops to remove the mucus.

Congestion is an unfortunate and usually unavoidable part of being a baby. So what are the best congestion relief methods? A hands on approach. In this video, Dr. Preeti Parikh explains the steps necessary to aid in children's congestion relief using only non-medicated nasal decongestant spray or saline nasal drops, a suction bulb, a tissue and a cup. While your child certainly won’t like this process, it is important to get their stuffy noses cleared up so they can get the sleep they need. The suction bulb should be placed just inside the nose to prevent discomfort. After the saline is inserted into your child's nostrils, you can use the suction bulb to remove any mucus and then deposit it into a cup or a tissue.

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This video features Preeti Parikh, MD. Dr. Parikh, a board-certified pediatrician affiliated with The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, is HealthiNation's chief medical editor.

Duration: 2:21. Last Updated On: Nov. 8, 2017, 6:14 p.m.

Reviewed by: Holly Atkinson, MD, Dr Mera Goodman . Review date: Jan. 28, 2017

00:00 [MUSIC]
00:07 So your child is sick and has a stuffy nose.
00:09 Well, what can you do to help?
00:11 The best way to clear up congestion is with a hands-on solution,
00:14 using saline nasal drops and a good old-fashioned suction bulb.
00:18 Now, I know using these on your baby can seem tricky at first, and
00:21 the little ones never seem to enjoy it but,
00:24 it is the best way to clear up the stuffy nose and help them get some rest.
00:28 So, how do we use these?
00:30 Well first, have everything you need within reach.
00:33 Your child is likely to be a bit cranky, and
00:35 doing this as efficiently as possible will help you both.
00:38 You'll need non-medicated saline nasal drops, a suction bulb,
00:42 a small wipe or tissue and a small cup to dispose of the mucus.
00:48 Now you can do this on the changing table or
00:50 sitting in a chair, whichever is most comfortable for you and your baby.
00:54 Now, be sure to hold the baby's head like you would if you were feeding.
00:58 Put your hand behind the head to help stabilize them.
01:01 Then, gently place the tip of the saline drop dispenser just inside the nostril.
01:06 Now, you do one to two drops in each nostril.
01:09 Now, you may see it start running out.
01:12 But you should hold the child for
01:14 around two minutes to allow the secretions to thin out.
01:17 It's gonna be runny, so you can also use a tissue to help wipe it.
01:21 Now, you may not last the whole two minutes, but that's okay.
01:24 The nose drops will loosen things up enough to let you extract the mucus with
01:28 the suction bulb.
01:29 Next, compress the bulb to remove the air.
01:32 Keep it held like this while you place the tip of the syringe gently into your
01:36 baby's nostril.
01:37 Remember, don't go all the way in, just at the tip and release.
01:42 This will extract the mucus.
01:44 You'll likely need to do this a few times in each nostril and
01:47 you can deposit the mucus into a cup or into a tissue.
01:51 Now remember, you may not get everything out, but that's okay.
01:54 Whatever you do get out will give them some relief.
01:57 You don't wanna do this more than three to four times a day because it
02:00 may cause irritation and trauma to the nasal passages.
02:04 So the best time to suction is before a child feeds or
02:06 sleeps and, of course, if they're having difficulty breathing.
02:10 And finally, be sure to rinse out the bulb with clean water between treatments.
02:14 [MUSIC]

Kids and Colds Review

Reviewed 6/28-6/29, reference documents downloaded July 19-23. by Mera Goodman

Video 1: Children’s Medicines

Video 2: Call the Doctor?

Common cold is the number one reason children visit the doctor and miss school
1. Uptdate 2014: The common cold in children: Clinical features and diagnosis
Kids get an average of 3-10 colds per year
1. (8-10 colds in first two years of life - healthy children 2013)
2. 6-8 colds per year up to 1 / mo in season for kids < 6 years old; the common cold patient information; uptodate May 2013
Last up to 10-14 days
1. Uptodate: the common cold in children: June 2014
2. Uptodate: the common cold patient information; uptodate May 2013
Call <3 months, other reasons when to call physician
1. Healthy children 2013 – call if 1 week of congestion, <3 months of age
Use cold mist vaporizer - The common cold in children: Treatment and prevention. April, 2014
Antibiotics do not cure a cold
1. CDC, 2014
Buckwheat/honey more effective than cough medicine for young children
1. Uptodate: the common cold in children: June 2014
Otc cold medications work less effectively for child <6, do not give <6 unless under doctor’s discretion
1. Healthy children 2013
2. Do not give for < 4 years old, CDC 2014
No aspirin if <18
1. Lexicomp says children < 12 yo
2. American Family Physician says <18 yo - Aspirin Use in Children for Fever or Viral Syndromes, 2009 for viral illness

Video 3: Clearing their noses

How to use a bulb syringe: Uptodate: Patient information: The common cold in children (Beyond the Basics).

References:

Pappas DE, Hendley JO. Uptodate: The common cold in children: Treatment and prevention. April, 2014. Downloaded July 19, 2014.
Pappas DE, Hendley JO. Uptodate: Patient information: The common cold in children (Beyond the Basics). May 2013. Downloaded July 23, 2014.
Pappas DE, Hendley JO. Uptodate: The common cold in children: Clinical features and diagnosis. January, 2013. Dpwnloaded on July 19, 2014.
“Symptom Relief” CDC, Atlanta, 2014. http://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/antibiotic-use/symptom-relief.html Downloaded July 22, 2014
“Cold and Cough Medicines: Information for Parents” CDC, Atlanta, 2014. http://www.cdc.gov/Features/PediatricColdMeds/. Downloaded July 23, 2014
“Children and Colds” Healthychildren.org, July 9, 2013, AAP, DC. http://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/ear-nose-throat/Pages/Children-and-Colds.aspx downloaded July 19, 2014
Aspirin drug profile: pediatric population, Lexicomp, downloaded July 19, 2014.
Beutler AI, Chestnut GT, Mattingly JC, Jamieson B. Aspirin Use in Children for Fever or Viral Symptoms. Am Fam Physician. 2009 Dec 15;80(12):1472-1474

Note: These are all the sources used for every video in this series, not every source listed was used in this specific video.