Home Treatments for a Sinus Infection in a 3 Year Old

Updated on December 27, 2010
L.M. asks from Concord, CA
13 answers

My son is 3 years old and rarely sick. For the past week he has been feeling kinda yucky but nothing too bad, he's been good at staying hydrated and his mucus has been clear. Two nights ago he started getting dark swelling under his eyes so I thought it might be a sinus infection but he still doesn't have colored mucus. This morning he woke up and it looks like he has a black eye. I have a sinus irrigator for grown-ups can I use it on him, I doubt he'd like it. I've been trying cold paks, he hated it, we're about to try a warm compress. Anybody have any other suggestions? Thanks!

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D.B.

answers from Charlotte on

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4 moms found this helpful

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

At this point... he seems to have a BAD Sinus infection. You 'think.' You do not know that, for sure.

An 'infection'... is not just something to ignore.
Sinus infections... can be.... VERY difficult to get rid of.
My Husband... has those and he is prone to sinus infections/problems.
AND.... you can't just use 'stuff' you buy at the store.
Your son needs ANTIBIOTICS.
He has an infection... or something... or maybe worse.
You NEED TO TAKE HIM to the Doctor.
Now.

My Husband, uses the Neti Pot Nasal flush... EVERYDAY... as "maintenance" for his sinuses. It helps... but since your Son has an active and worsening infection NOW.... you can't just rinse it and expect it to go away. It won't.

In fact, you do NOT even know... what your son has. You are 'guessing' that it is a sinus infection.
So... you NEED to take him to the Doctor, right away.
What if... is it something else.
You cannot just go by the color of his mucous... because, you do not even know what to look for, nor do you even know IF he has a sinus infection.
Just take him to the Doctor or ER.

To have such dark swelling under his eyes... and NOW it is worsening and looks 'black' under his eyes... that to me, is worsening symptoms....
just take him to the ER or Doctor. Already.
Don't guess.
Ice packs may even make it worse, whatever it is.

My Husband as I said gets sinus infections... and not ONCE, has he ever... gotten dark black eyes.... nor any dark swelling.
You MUST take your child to the Doctor... Don't wait....

3 moms found this helpful
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S.B.

answers from Redding on

I think you need to take him to the doctor right away.
It's my opinion that true infections, either sinus or otherwise, do not go away on their own. Antibiotics are necessary to clear the bacterial infection.
Sinus infections are extremely painful and for me, when I get one, I am so clogged up but no matter how I try, nothing blows out my nose. The only way I can get anything out is to try to snort it out the back and spit it out that way. I don't know how you'd explain to a 3 year old to try it. And it hurts to do that. Also, sinus infections can affect the ears as well.
Colored mucus isn't always an idication in little kids because nose mucus is different from sinus mucus.
Give him some ibuprofen for pain, try warm compresses, they might feel nice, but get him to the doctor as soon as possible.

Best wishes.

3 moms found this helpful
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C.W.

answers from Santa Barbara on

Time for kiddo to see his doctor. This sounds pretty bad. Good Luck.

2 moms found this helpful
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D.W.

answers from Gainesville on

If you think that he has a sinus infection that is causing swollen "black eye" you really need to take him in to his pediatrician. That is going beyond just the standard little sinus infection that will pass quickly.

I had a minor sinus infection last year, woke up one morning and my eye was practically swollen shut. My husband (who is a specialty dentist) had a fit and called an end to my home treatments of the sinus infection. As soon as I started on the antibiotics it cleared up quickly.

Cold, heat and sinus washes are great but they aren't going to cure it if he has an infection. I try to avoid antibiotics too but if it's been going on over a week he's going to need some help to kick it. There are a lot of pharmacies that offer free basic antibiotics with a script now.

2 moms found this helpful
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T.B.

answers from Miami on

You need to take your child to a doctor A.S.A.P. I get sinus infections all the time. You cannot treat a bacterial infection that requires antibiotics with "home treatments." He is only 3 years old. He is a baby and needs to see a doctor. If you don't take him to the doctor, is it worth the risk of the infection spreading to his brain?

1 mom found this helpful
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G.M.

answers from Stockton on

I recently heard a radio program from the Seventhday Adventest that had a lot of information on this. I can't remember exactly what he said, but it is a place to start. There is a radio station from somewhere in the mid-west that it came from. http://streema.com/radios/3ABN_KSTG_LP is the link to the web page.

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S.F.

answers from Madison on

I find very warm packs to be the most helpful when I have a lot of sinus issues. Do the warm packs for 15 minutes several times each day. That should help. Also see if he would drink very warm water mixed with honey and lemon juice. That is suppose to help as well.

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C.B.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi,

If you want to avoid the doctor and antibiotics next time, I would recommend using the saline solution early and often or you could use colloidal silver. I use colloidal silver on myself and my children. If you use it at the first sign of illness, you may be able to avoid antibiotics. There are several ways to use it. One is to add about a teaspoon or 1/2 a teaspoon to a glass of juice or milk. They won't be able to taste it. If they have an ear infection, put one or two drops in the ear. If they have a sinus infection, put one or two drops in the nose. If they have an eye infection, put one or two drops in the eye. Here is the colloidal silver I use.

http://www.naturessunshine.com/us/product/silver-shield-w...

Good luck!

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J.C.

answers from San Francisco on

I've definitely heard of dark circles under the eyes due to a sinus infection but an actual black eye?!?! I would take him to the doctor.

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B.R.

answers from Sacramento on

For something to hydrate his sinuses I recommend Simply Saline that comes in a sprayer bottle. He won't like it, but it will help loosen the mucus so it will drain. With your description of the darkness and swelling under his eyes, though, I would definitely have him seen by a doctor.

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S.G.

answers from San Francisco on

PLEASE TAKE HIM TO THE DOCTOR! The last sinus infection I had ended up taking two rounds of antibiotics because I kept trying home remedies. The pain was literally unbearable there wasn't any strength of OTC pain reliever that even touched the pain. Once I started on the antibiotics I started feeling better within a couple of days. Oh and i did not have any sort of mucus.

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H.M.

answers from Redding on

Stay hydrated, hot compresses, vicks. If you can keep him semi-comfortable, I see no reason for antibiotics. If it persists for over a week or so you may want to take him in. Hope he feels better soon!

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