Blowing your nose to relieve the congestion is unavoidable, but there are a few things you can do to prevent and treat the irritation and chapping. Take these four steps to fend off that telltale red nose:
1. Ease your child’s congestion. To keep your child from blowing constantly, administer an over-the-counter saline spray to lubricate his nasal passageways. Is he still stuffed up? A Neti Pot can help break down blockages of thick mucus and wash away irritants. Make sure that you sterilize the water by boiling it first (in very rare cases, tap water can harbor a type of amoeba that passes through the sinuses and causes a dangerous infection).
2. Teach your child the proper nose-blowing protocol. Mucus can strip the skin of its natural oils and cause nose irritation, so show him how to blot the mucus instead of rubbing a tissue around his face. Also stock up on soft tissues, since they’re gentler on the skin than napkins.
3. Lock in the moisture. Apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly, vitamin E oil or mentholated oils to your child’s nose regularly to seal in the moisture and heal those tiny cracks in the skin. A bonus of using a mentholated product: Breathing in the cool scent can improve nasal airflow, according to a study in The Journal of Laryngology & Otology.
4. Run a humidifier. It can prevent dryness and nose irritation and add much-needed moisture back into the skin. Look for a cool-mist version, which is safer for children’s rooms, and run it throughout the night.
