Daughter is not sick but she gets coughing fits in the middle of the night due to a combination of allergies and reflux... and may even have a component of asthma in there... poor child. I have to say this used to happen much more frequently when she was younger. We seemed to have things pretty well controlled with an air filter in her room and combination of allergy and reflux meds. So it has been a while... but prompted me to put together this post on nosebleeds.
Nosebleeds are very common in children but can can seem alarming.
Common Causes of Nosebleeds Include:
- nose picking
- dry air
- allergies / sinusitis / colds
- aspirin use / blood thinners / cocaine use
- side effect of nasal sprays
- trauma to nose / foreign body in nose
- deviated septum
- stay calm and reassure the child
- keep child upright and tilt head slightly forward
- pinch soft part of nose with tissue or washcloth
- keep pressure for 10 minutes (try not to check too often)
- sometimes can add ice to bridge of nose
- avoid rough play or nose picking/rubbing/blowing immediately following
When to Call a Doctor
- not stopping after 30 minutes of direct pressure
- losing more blood than expected
- any difficulty breathing
- occurs after direct trauma / car accident
- has frequent nose bleeds
- bleeds from other places like the gums or bleeds heavily with minor cuts
- has something in the nose
- has recently started new medication
- use vaporizer (warm mist) in the room
- moisturize with saline mist nasal spray
- apply vaseline or lanolin ointment to tip of nose twice a day
- apply antibiotic ointment to red sore areas twice a day
- may need to see ENT to get exposed vessels cauterized
