Two Year Old with Nose Bleeds

Hi L.! It can be a bit nerve-racking to see our little one's nose start bleeding for no apparent reason, can't it?! Out of my 3 boys, two of them get nose bleeds. My middle child who is 3 1/2 started having them about a year ago after a nasty battle with recurrent sinus infections. We treated them with a steroid nasal spray, vaseline and topical antibiotics to get them to stop. My pediatrician said that some nose bleeds can actually be caused by a bacteria, hence the antibiotic ointment. Now, my youngest who turns two next week, got his first nose bleed a few months ago after a severe cold. We didn't treat him with anything but a little vaseline up the nose and he's only had one other since, which was treated the same. SOOOOO...to make a long story even longer...nose bleeds can be cause by many different things, ie dry air, bacteria, sinus conditions or illnesses. In my opinion, the best route to go is to leave a message with your ped's nurse and talk to her/him about it and see if it warrants a visit with the doctor. Most likely not, but it's always best to be safe than sorry when it comes to our babies. Good luck with everything L.!

Hello LisaJ, my daughter also went through this.our doctor said it is usually caused by dryness in the house.she could just be playing then all of a sudden her nose would just start bleeding,so he recommended using a cool humidifier. so we have done that and what a big difference it has made and the rest of our family has also noticed a difference now as well we don't feel like our noses are so dry. we run the humidfier every day. try that to see if that helps.like we put it in the hall why we are all sleeping and out in the living room when we are awake. now we bought 2 and now we just leave them where they are needed. if for some reason it does not work call your son's doctor to see his recomendation. good luck I know it can be scary.~lisaB~

L.,

My 3 year old son had recurring nosebleeds a few days each month for a long time. My doctor made the same recommendation you've seen others respond with about the Vaseline. Apparently the capillaries in our little one's noses are closer to the skin than in adults so it's easy for them to rupture from dryness, scratching, picking, etc.

If you are with him when it bleeds, it may seem hard but you'll find the quickest relief by pinching his nostrils and holding an ice pack on the back of his neck (I learned that through First Aid/CPR Training). The head tilting back thing is not good because it will make the blood go down into the stomach which will probably cause him to vomit.

Something that I've noticed--which may be coincidental--is that when I started taking my son to a chiropractor last September his nose bleeds stopped (with the exception of one time when he bonked it while playing). That's eight months with no nosebleeds when he got them 3-4 times a month before with the only change being going to the chiropractor.

I never thought kids needed chiropractic care before but they do get out of alignment just through the birthing process, so why not get them adjusted to normal early on and help them to be the healthiest they can be. I certainly wouldn't have suspected decreased nosebleeds to be an additional benefit but it seems to have happened!

Good luck!!
M.

My son has had some major nose bleeds. Just so you know if it continues, they say now to not have them hold their head back, this can cause clotting. We have always figured it to be sinus. They usually happen when there are alot of colds going around,dry air, sinus congestion or at alergy time. If it continues often, ask the doctor. I believe there may be a procedure that can stop it from happening so much.

L.,
Our 9 yr old daughter starting having nose bleeds at 6 mos old. It was the scariest thing in the world to hear your baby cry in the middle of the night ... turn on the night light to check her and see all this blood. The first time it happened, there seemed to be so much (picture the little fists rubbing her face). We were told the same as all the other moms who responded. She got to where she could "tell" and immediately run to get a tissue. Once, on the bus ride home from school, she didn't have a tissue and was teased unmercifully after that. That's when enough was enough for me. I had our home checked. We totally converted our home to an eco-friendly or "green" house and her nose bleeds STOPPED!! Check out www.checnet.org. It's the same and many times cheaper to switch to these products. If you have any more questions, you can email me directly at:
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L., My daughter had the same problem when she was much younger. Her Dr suggested that I put a little vaseline on the end of a q-tip and whip it gently inside each nostrils. It moistened it right up and no more nose bleeds. The wood stove was causing her nose to dry out to much even though we do keep a kettle of water on it all the time. We still have both our kids do it in the winter months and in the heat of the summer. Actually, my 13 year old does it on her own now. My 9 year old still lets mom do it. Try it out. Good luck.