To treat the stye in the baby or child, a warm compress should be placed over the eye, 3 to 4 times a day, to relieve pain and swelling.
Generally, the sty in the child heals itself after about 8 days, so it is not necessary to use antibiotic ointments to treat the problem. However, if the symptoms do not improve after 1 week, it is recommended to consult the pediatrician to start a more specific treatment, which may include antibiotic ointments, for example.
In the case of styes in babies under 3 months of age, it is always advisable to go to the pediatrician before starting any type of treatment at home.
How to speed up stye recovery
During the treatment of the stye in the baby, it is necessary to take some precautions, such as:
- Do not squeeze or pop the stye, as it may worsen the infection; Use a new gauze every time you make the warm compress, as the bacteria remain in the gauze, worsening the infection; Use a new gauze for each eye, if there is a sty in the two eyes, to prevent the bacteria from spreading; wash the hands after making the baby warm compress, to avoid catching the bacteria; wash the baby's hands several times a day, as he can touch the sty and catch the other person; Clean the eye with a warm gauze when the stye pus starts to come out to remove all the pus and clean the baby's eye.
The baby with a sty can go to day care or, in the case of the child, to school, as there is no risk of passing the inflammation on to other children. However, it is recommended to make a warm compress before he leaves the house and when he returns, to relieve discomfort.
In addition, whenever possible, the teacher, or another responsible adult, should be asked to pay attention to prevent the child from playing in sandboxes or playgrounds with dirt, as they may end up putting their hands over their eyes and making it worse inflammation.
How to make warm compresses
To make the warm compresses, simply fill a bowl with filtered warm water, check the temperature with the wrist so that it is not too hot so as not to burn the baby's eye, dip a sterile gauze and put it in the eye with the stye for 5 to 10 minutes.
Warm compresses should be placed in the eye of the baby or child about 3 to 4 times a day, being a great tip to place them when the baby is sleeping or nursing.
See another way to make compresses with medicinal plants to speed recovery.
When to go to the pediatrician
Although the sty can be treated at home in most cases, it is recommended to go to the pediatrician when:
- The baby is less than 4 months old; Fever rises above 38 ° C; the stye takes more than 8 days to disappear.
In addition, if the stye reappears shortly after it has disappeared, it is also advisable to consult the doctor, as it may indicate the presence of a microorganism that needs to be eliminated with a specific remedy.
