Nasal spray and nasal drops for babies and children

Children over the age of six years may be given a decongestant if prescribed by a doctor. Follow these steps in order to deliver a nasal spray or drops to your child:

• While purchasing the nasal drops makes sure that the bottle is sealed and the bulb syringe is sterile and packed.
• Hold your child upright or you can also slightly recline them while resting their head back on one of your arms.
• Shake the bottle and pour one or two drops of decongestant in one of the nostrils of your child. 
• Let the child stay in the same position for a minute and then wipe off the extra drop that comes out of the nose.

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You can follow the steps below to deliver saline nasal drops and spray to infants and children:

• Hold your child upright or you can also slightly recline them while resting their head back on one of your arms. While delivering the saline to infants, you can wrap your child in a blanket to secure their arms and legs.
• Shake the bottle and pour two or three drops of saline in one of the nostrils of your child.
• Wait for a few seconds, so that the saline gets deep in your child’s nose. After that take the bulb syringe and push the air out of it by squeezing the bulb.
• While keeping the bulb squeezed, insert the small tip of the bulb syringe in that nostril of your child that had the saline drops in it.
• Once the tip reaches in, release the bulb. This would create suction as the air rushes back into the bulb syringe. The suction sucks out the mucus and extra saline from your child’s nose.
• Expel all the mucus and saline into the sink by squeezing the bulb syringe again.
• Calm your child for a minute before you put saline in the other nostril.
• You can do this up to two or three times a day.

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The following are the benefits of nasal spray and drops for children: 

• Relieves stuffed mucus from the nose
• Moistens the nose, thus relieving irritation
• Helps in improving the breathing from the nose

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Nasal drops and sprays containing decongestants and steroids can lead to various side-effects, especially in children under the age of six. Some of these side-effects are:

• Dizziness
• Blurred vision
• Nausea
• Headache
• Unable to sleep
• High blood pressure (in severe cases)
• Increased heart rate (in severe cases)

Other than saline nasal drops, you can use the following measures to provide relief to your child:

• Humidifier: You can use a cool-mist humidifier to help shrink the nasal passages thus allowing better breathing.
• Drinking water: Make sure that your child is well hydrated as it will help relieve cold sooner.
• Antipyretics: Check with your doctor if you can baby paracetamol and ibuprofen to the child for relieving the fever and body pain that usually accompanies cold.

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