Although it can be frightening to witness a sudden gush of blood from your toddler's nose, the event is usually harmless. According to MayoClinic.com, nosebleeds in toddlers are quite common, and are rarely a cause for concern. In the vast majority of cases, a toddler's bloody nose--no matter how gory-looking--subsides on its own, and rarely requires medical intervention. However, if your toddler's bloody nose continues unabated for 20 minutes, MayoClinic.com advises calling a doctor.
Causes
Common causes of nosebleeds in toddlers include colds, viruses, allergies and nose-picking. Robert W. Steele, M.D., a board certified pediatrician at St. John's Regional Health Center in Springfield, Missouri states that low humidity--which causes dry nasal passages--is another culprit. Kids Health notes that a blow to the nose while roughhousing with another child can also trigger a bleed.
Treatments
Remain calm and offer reassurance, while encouraging your toddler to spit out any blood from his mouth. Hold him on your lap while he leans slightly forward, and use a tissue to gently pinch his nose shut. Steele advises pinching half way up the nose, where the bone and cartilage meet. Apply mild but constant pressure for at least 10 minutes, while reminding your toddler, in a cheerful, matter-of-fact voice, to keep breathing through his mouth. Check your toddler's nose after 10 minutes. If it is still bleeding, apply a cool compress to the bridge of your toddler's nose, and continue to apply gentle pressure for another 10 minutes. If the bleeding hasn't stopped after 20 minutes, call your toddler's doctor. After a toddler's bloody nose has subsided, encourage him to rest, and discourage him from blowing or picking his nose.
Preventing Toddler Nosebleeds
Kids Health advises increasing humidity levels by using a cool mist vaporizer or humidifier in the child's room. Discouraging nose-picking and excessive nose-blowing, dabbing petroleum jelly around the opening of your toddler's nostrils and keeping his fingernails short to prevent nose-picking injuries can also help reduce the frequency of your toddler's nosebleeds.
When to Call the Doctor
Aside from a toddler's bloody nose that takes more than 20 minutes to stop bleeding, there are other situations which require a call to the doctor. If the bleeding is very heavy and persistent, or follows a fall or a blow to the head, Kids Health advises calling a doctor or seeking emergency care. In addition, if your toddler has frequent nosebleeds, tends to bruise easily, bleeds heavily from minor wounds or from his gums, has recently started taking a new medication or if you believe he may have inserted something into his nose, you should call the doctor.
Medical Treatments and Tests
If your child has very frequent nosebleeds, the doctor may decide to cauterize an area of particularly fragile blood vessels in his nose to reduce the frequency of the bleeds. According to MayoClinic.com, electric current, silver nitrate or a laser may be used. For a nosebleed that won't stop, a doctor may insert an inflatable latex balloon that stops the bleeding by putting pressure on a blood vessel. Steele says that if a child has very frequent nosebleeds, the doctor may decide to test for hemophilia.
