Nosebleeds are a common frustration during childhood. Although finger-nose-picking is a common cause, other climate changes (dry), medication use (nasal sprays), and other medical problems (rarely) can be the cause. The best advice? Don’t panic. And do your best to help prevent nosebleeds: stop the picking (GOOD LUCK), use humidifiers in children’s rooms, nasal saline spray, or Vaseline. And, keep a towel handy. One of the best ways to calm down when the blood is gushing is to sop it all up.
My quick tips:
Don’t Panic.
Don’t stick anything up your child’s nose to stop the bleeding.
Don’t have your child lean back, rather apply pressure to the nose for 10 complete minutes while your child is tipped slightly forwards.
Healthy Children’s Tips on Stopping nosebleeds
Nosebleeds, See A Doctor If:
- Bleeding does not stop in 20 minutes, after you’ve applied pressure.
- If you think your child may have put something in their nose or something is stuck there (like a bead).
- Your child has more than 3 nosebleeds in 24 hours
- Your child gets frequent (weekly or even monthly), heavy or hard-to-stop nosebleeds
- The nosebleed is a result of a blow to the head or serious fall
- If your child is dizzy or is weak with the nosebleed
middleground says
I learned this trick from a very compassionate nurse at Swedish when I was 10 – I was being admitted to the hospital for a staph infection in my bone marrow… nasty. It turned out some variant bug was in my system and caused a massive nose bleed that no one could get to stop. This nurse stepped in with a small wad of tissue and placed it under my upper lip, up against my nose. It stopped the bleeding. I’ve used this trick with every nose bleed I’ve encountered with my self and my loved ones ever since, and it’s worked every time. Usually it stops the bleed within 10-30 seconds. I usually keep the wad in for several minutes after the bleeding has stopped. I don’t know why it works, but it has never failed me, it’s only downfall is that it looks like you have a fat upper lip while that wad is stuck under it.
Amanda says
Thanks! Nose bled is one of those things that doesnt happen that often to my daughter so I may not remember what to do if it happens. This video is a good reminder!
Amanda says
Just want to write to let you know how this post/video came in in time! My daughter had a nose bled one day this week while I was driving and I had to pull over. We did exactly what you taught and it stopped bleeding after 10 minutes. It was hard not “peeking” during that 10 min and it was hard for my daughter to stay put. As soon as she sees that the “trick” worked she now swears that she would know what to do next time. Thanks for revisiting the “how-to.”