What should I do if my baby loves to pick his nose? What are the dangers?

Some young children like to pick their noses, which seems to be impolite. Sometimes babies pick their noses because they are bored or curious, and sometimes it is because of nasal allergies. So what should we do if babies like to pick their noses? What are the dangers?

Reasons why babies love to pick their noses

Curiosity: Your baby will start picking his nose as he practices hand-to-face movements, usually in early childhood. He will become fascinated by the crevices of his nose as he explores his face, and this is also the time when your baby will insert small objects into his mouth or nostrils.

Because of nasal allergies: Nasal allergies produce a lot of mucus, which makes babies want to pick their noses. Having something stuck in the nose can make babies angry and uncomfortable, as it may cause breathing difficulties, such as nasal congestion.

Itching or discomfort: Dry air from air conditioning or overheating can cause crusting in your baby's nasal cavity. A humidifier can be used to relieve these uncomfortable symptoms.

Boredom relieves stress: Children aged 3 to 7 often have some unconscious habits, such as biting nails, grinding teeth, twisting hair, picking nose, etc. This is a defense mechanism caused by social pressure or to reduce monotonous activities (such as waiting in line).

Attracting parents’ attention: For older children, they understand that picking their nose is a bad thing, so they often use it to attract their parents’ attention (5-9 years old) or as a means of revenge against their parents (7-10 years old).

What to do if your baby loves to pick his nose

Solving baby allergies: If your baby picks his nose due to nasal allergies, forcing him not to do so will only make him painful, so the best way is to alleviate his allergy symptoms, such as keeping the environment clean and reducing allergens.

Keep the air moist: If your baby's nose itches and he picks his nose because the air is too dry, you can consider buying a humidifier to maintain the humidity of the indoor air in your home.

Keep little hands busy: If your baby picks his nose for fun because he is too bored, provide him with other interesting things to do to keep his little hands busy, whether it is helping with housework, drawing, or stacking blocks, all are good choices.

Encourage washing hands: If your baby just can't give up the bad habit of picking his nose, encourage him to wash his hands after picking his nose to avoid spreading bacteria everywhere and causing illness.

Teach him to blow his nose: If your baby's nose has too much mucus, which makes him uncomfortable and want to pick his nose, you can teach him how to blow his nose with toilet paper, which can slightly alleviate the child's discomfort.

The dangers of babies picking their noses

It may damage the nasal mucosa, destroy the function of nasal secretions to adhere to dust in the air and the function of nasal hair to block foreign matter;

There are many tiny blood vessels inside the nasal cavity, which are intertwined in a network. These blood vessels are located superficially and the mucous membrane that protects them is very thin. When you pick your nose, the blood vessels are prone to rupture, causing bleeding;

Fingers may also bring bacteria into the nasal cavity, causing respiratory tract infection; if the bacteria are brought into the blood vessels, it may cause sepsis and be life-threatening;

Frequent nose picking causes repeated injuries to the nose entrance and nasal vestibule. When the scab forms and the nose is stained with mucus, people will pick their noses uncontrollably, forming a vicious cycle. Over time, the nose entrance and nasal vestibule will become ulcerated.

Picking the nose is also a very uncivilized behavior. If the baby keeps this habit into adulthood, it will not be beneficial for social interaction and job hunting when he grows up.