Nosebleeds - or epistaxis - are often more disturbing than truly worrying. Little guide to know what to do when our child has a nosebleed.
Possible causes
Of course, being hit on the nose can cause bleeding, but in children, the main causes of spontaneous bleeding remain:
- the act of scratching in the nose;
- dryness caused by heat in homes;
- the act of blowing your nose too hard.
Also, injuries, allergies and colds can increase the risk of bleeding by weakening the nasal walls. In addition, sustained exertion, strong emotion, powerful anger, or a situation that raises blood pressure can also trigger a nosebleed.
Nosebleeds: What to do?
When Son appears to us, devastated, his nose full of blood, it's easy to succumb to a little panic. The sight of blood – sometimes a lot or with small blood clots – accentuates the nervousness of the children and… ours. Tilt your head forward or back? Do we pinch or not? Here are the right things to do while keeping calm.
- First, we make the child sit down. The sight of blood might annoy him so much that he might feel his legs going limp…
- He is asked to tilt his head slightly forward so that the blood flows out of his nose and not into his throat. If this happens, he is asked to spit it out so as not to cause nausea or vomiting.
- The child is asked to blow his nose very gently to get the clots out.
- We pinch the top of the nostrils (directly under the bone of your nose) for about ten minutes. Check to see if the bleeding has stopped. If he continues, we start applying pressure again in the same place for 20 minutes.
- A little ice can be applied to the nose or the back of the neck to slow the bleeding by constricting the blood vessels.
- The child is asked to remain calm for half an hour after the bleeding has stopped. We watch so that he does not touch or rub his nose. We also don't try to clean it too much, we risk triggering the bleeding again.
Prevent: is it possible?
- Humidify the house by using a humidifier as needed, airing often, and not using too much heat unnecessarily.
- Watch out for little fingers in your nose! Also, check that your child is not blowing his nose too vigorously, as he may blow blood.
- If your child has very dry or irritated nasal walls, apply a little jelly ofpetroleum (vaseline).
- If your child is congested, use a saline water preparation (hydraSense, Salinex or Ocean) just before blowing their nose. To make a homemade solution, dissolve ¼ teaspoon of s alt in a cup of water.
- Sneezing with your mouth open would reduce the risk of bleeding.
- Carefully trim children's nails…
My child has nosebleeds at night
Is it serious?
At night, the air in your home may be too dry, which promotes bleeding. Air that is not humid enough ends up creating tickles in the nose… which children fight by rubbing or scratching. It is then that the "catastrophe" occurs and you find in the early morning a bed and a pillow stained with blood. Very often, it is believed that the bleeding has been super abundant, but rest assured: falling on the sheets, the blood spreads and gives the impression of being in large quantities. Reassure your child. Clean his nose gently and especially moisten his room well during the next few days. Because small scars are fragile and could trigger bleeding again if your child scratches again the following night.
No humidifier?
“Before buying a humidifier, I used to hang a wet, but still twisted towel on a rack or hook in my daughter’s room. Sometimes, too, I put a big bowl of water near the heating source. Thus, the air was humidified in his room withoutworry! »Trick from Marie-Hélène, mother of 4-year-old Noémie
When to consult?
We consult if the bleeding…
- is strong and lasts beyond 15 minutes without stopping.
- is caused by an injury (blow, fall, etc.)
- is chronic; if the child has frequent nosebleeds or suffers from frequent nosebleeds.
