DRP for nasopharyngeal clearing: under this somewhat complicated term simply hides the washing of the baby’s nose. An essential gesture during this period of bronchiolitis epidemic because it is what makes it possible to facilitate breathing and eating. It also helps prevent bacterial superinfection in the nose, throat and ears. Different methods exist.
Blowing
Always wash your hands first. Wrap a cotton ball moistened with physiological serum and insert it into baby’s nostril. One cotton per nostril of course! It is a gentle method for daily blowing but not very effective in case of important secretions.
The nose wash by instillation
Baby on the back, we instill in the nostril a few drops of physiological serum or a spray based on sea water at the time of inspiration, then we straighten it in order to recover the secretions. The method is minimally invasive and quite effective in case of cold but often insufficient in case of bronchiolitis.
Other method : Lay your baby down and place him on his right or left side. place the saline pod at the entrance of the upper nostril (i.e. the nostril closest to you) and press firmly on the pipette, emptying at least half of the pipette. The secretions are then collected through the other nostril. Then turn the child to the other side and repeat the gesture in the other nostril after taking a short break.
A little invasive and unpleasant, but effective. However, this technique is not unanimous among health professionals: some consider that it leads to persistence of secretions in the aerodigestive junction.
The baby nose aspirator
The gesture consists in placing in one nostril, then in the other, a pear or an electric baby nose device, after having thinned the secretions with serum. Invasive and unpleasant, this gesture is however extremely effective in facilitating the elimination of secretions. But be careful to choose a flexible mouthpiece so as not to hurt baby’s nostrils.
Remember to ventilate your room
- In addition to regular cleaning of the nasal passages, the baby’s room is ventilated daily, which must not be overheated: 19 ° C is the right temperature.
- If the air is dry, install a humidifier or place a damp cloth on the radiator.
- Finally, no tobacco: it is recognized that the severity of bronchiolitis is correlated with the presence of a smoker at home, a fortiori if it is the mother.
Read also :
- Bronchiolitis epidemic 2021: why it could be more severe?
- Why does the bronchiolitis virus only affect infants?