A 2 month old baby is crying with tears. When newborns have tears: features of physiology. Protective functions of tears

The process of adaptation of the child's body to life in a dry air environment takes time. Tears in newborns will begin to flow a few weeks after birth.

Most babies, having gone through the necessary cycle of intrauterine development, are born without knowing how to do a number of things - for example, crying tears. This feature has not been needed before. amniotic fluid did a great job of moisturizing and cleansing the eyes.

Many organs of the child during the first years of life are forced to go through a process of development and improvement - the eyes of the baby will learn to focus on the subject and examine the world in colour. A person perceives most of the information about the world with his eyes; for their normal functioning, the proper functioning of the lacrimal canal is necessary.

Cry without tears

Young parents are very often interested in why newborns cry without tears and at what age they should appear. The reason for the phenomenon is in the features of the development of the baby's organs of vision.

The body of a newborn after birth is covered with a thin coating. This lubricant protects the baby from bacterial attack and minor injuries. But plaque is not only on the skin, it is present on the conjunctiva of the baby's eyes and clogs the lacrimal canal with a jelly-like plug. During the development of the embryo, this plug closes the lacrimal duct, preventing it from entering the amniotic fluid.

In order for it to open, it takes time - usually tearing should begin before 45 days, although there are unique ones who can shed tears from the moment of birth.

The main reasons for the later opening of the tear ducts are:

  1. immaturity, it takes time to start functioning, each baby will need an individual period;
  2. the ducts have a peculiarity of development - they are too narrow;
  3. the plug that clogs the duct is too thick;
  4. congenital weak channel functionality;
  5. congenital pathology;
  6. acquired inflammatory eye disease.

The development of each baby is individual, and each in different time the lacrimal canal opens and the lacrimal glands begin to function. Until that time, the child cries without tears.

Eye Care

After birth, the child is in an unusual air environment, most of the time he sleeps. During wakefulness, the baby's eyes are dry - moisturizing the eyes is insufficient. The baby needs additional eye care for greater comfort. Sometimes the need for such care is indicated by redness of the eyes and eyelids, purulent discharge may appear in the corners of the eyes. This phenomenon does not go away on its own, so parents should clean the baby's eyes in the morning.

When washing the baby, with a clean cotton pad moistened with warm water, you need to thoroughly, but carefully, rinse the eyes moving from ear to nose, using a separate disk for each eye. This procedure is carried out in the evening with daily bathing. ethnoscience recommends using breast milk for this procedure.

If symptoms of redness or suppuration of the eyes are noted, the child should be shown to the doctor. Washing helps a lot (the solution must be very weak) or. Potassium permanganate must be diluted, carefully making sure that all the grains of the substance are dissolved.

To prepare a decoction of chamomile, you should use chamomile packaged in bags, which is steamed in a cup. For one bag you need 100 grams of hot water. For washing, the infusion must be cooled to room temperature.

If there is a pharmacy grass, then for brewing take a teaspoon of grass per 100 grams of boiling water. After the infusion has cooled slightly, it should be drained through several layers of gauze and used for washing.

First tears

The lacrimal glands begin to work in the baby after 45-60 days from the moment of his birth, until this time the newborn cries without tears. After their appearance, the cork sealing the tear duct begins to dissolve more actively. Until the free flow of fluid through the ducts is fully restored, moisture will not be released freely.

According to Dr. Komarovsky, with normally developed channels, tears flow into the nasopharynx, the process is painless, children and mothers do not notice how moisture arises and flows.

These babies will be able to cry normally by the age of three months. When tears appear in a crying baby, they go in different ways - for someone they are large, like peas, for someone they will be small single droplets.

If there is no free outflow, then accumulating in the ducts, the tears of the newborn will provoke irritation of the nasal mucosa, causing inexplicable snot. Stagnation of moisture and a runny nose makes the child capricious, the whites of the eyes may turn red, with pressure on the nose and forehead, the child will cringe and cry.

If a similar situation persists, the child should be shown to the doctor. The diagnosis will be, to correct the situation, the baby needs help.

Help doctor

After the baby is one month old, the baby needs to be shown to the doctor. Such routine examinations should be carried out after the child reaches the age of three months, six months and a year.

The purpose of the examination by a specialist:

  • the condition of the baby's eyes;
  • determination of the correct structure of the eye;
  • determination of the approximate date of opening of the nasolacrimal canal;
  • eyesight check;
  • providing advice to parents on caring for their child's eyes;
  • the appointment of the necessary therapeutic measures.

At the age of six months, the doctor will be interested in the coordination of visual and grasping reflexes, the child's ability to clearly perceive objects and his visual acuity. By this age, the tear duct should work normally, the baby is able to cry with large quantity tears.

To determine the quality of the functioning of the tear duct, the oculist conducts a special color test. For this:

  1. A colored solution is instilled into the baby's eyes (it may be a yellow solution of furacilin);
  2. Cotton swabs are inserted into the nostrils;
  3. After 10 minutes, the amount of colored liquid in the eyes and the appearance of paint on swabs are assessed.

If staining does not occur, obstruction of the nasolacrimal canal is determined.

To restore the patency of the nasolacrimal canals, the doctor may prescribe a massage for the child. His mother performs the child at home on her own.

If the doctor decides that it is necessary to restore the patency of the ducts, the ophthalmologist performs a small intervention using local anesthesia.

The child's eyes are instilled with a special composition, then a probe is used to expand the lacrimal canal. After the procedure, it is cleared of the cork and becomes free for the outflow of moisture, a tear appears in the baby's eyes.

Tear duct massage

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The cause is a violation in the opening of the lacrimal canal or the appearance of strands (adhesions) in it that prevent the outflow of tears. The fluid accumulating in the lacrimal sac causes discomfort, and pus appears when the infection joins. Sometimes antibiotics are prescribed in such cases, but most effective way treatment is massage, which will restore the outflow and relieve inflammation.

Massage helps to open the second duct, push out the plug that was in it. For a massage you need:

  1. wash hands thoroughly with unscented soap and warm water;
  2. prepare a clean cotton pad;
  3. gently press with your fingertips on the skin under the eye tubercle;
  4. massage first under one, then under the second eye for one to two minutes;
  5. gently remove the contents of their lacrimal canal with a cotton pad.

Massage is carried out 5-6 times a day for a minute. The procedure is painless, if it is carried out correctly, the child should not cry. The opening of the channel and the exit of the birth plug occurs 2-3 days after the start of the massage.

Additionally, the child's eyes should be washed with chamomile, potassium permanganate, furatsilina solution. What kind of solution to use and what its concentration should be told by the doctor! After tears have appeared in the second eye, you need to show the child again to the doctor to make sure that the disease has passed.

Parents should carefully monitor the baby and immediately consult a doctor if there is a delay in the appearance of tears - visual acuity and the development of the baby in the future depend on this.

At a time when children have tears, parents begin to worry about the causes of their occurrence. But what if the baby is crying, but there are no tears?

The development of each child depends on his personal characteristics. Most children can develop "like everyone else", and some in a different way. And there is nothing wrong with that, if the test results do not go beyond the norm and the general state of health is good.

The organs of vision are one of the main "guides" for the knowledge of the world around us, and especially for children, whose journey is just beginning. From the very beginning, the areas of the brain responsible for information about what is happening around are formed in the baby. The eyes get used to the synchronous movement, and more and more images are deposited in the memory.

After birth, the baby perceives only shadow and light images., and the objects in front of it will look blurry and incomprehensible over time. The eyes of the newborn will try to catch the outlines of the object, therefore, the vision will train and grow stronger.

The appearance of tears: the first emotions and feelings

A child is a small person. He reacts to every small detail, reflects emotions and experiences vivid feelings. Some actions of newborns may be similar to the symptoms of diseases of various systems, which may confuse his parents.

Children often copy the emotions and habits of the people around them.

The expression of feelings is different and varied. When a child has tears, he involuntarily wants to convey his emotions to others. Toddlers twitch, cry, scream, smile, play with undeveloped facial expressions, just to attract the desired attention of their family.

Many parents ask themselves the question “what time do children have tears, is this a sign of the first feelings and emotions?”. The answer is simple - the first tears in newborns, like everything else, appear purely individually. But this does not negate the medical norm, which will help to understand this issue more carefully.

Real tears appear at the age of 1.5-2 months. There have been cases when babies have tears by 4 months. In this case, the fourth month plays a threshold role.

First vision problems

Symptoms of eye diseases appear immediately after birth. In the first days, the newborn has a large amount of discharge from the eyes. Tears in newborns are often absent.

After the baby began to cry, you can see that the tears do not come from both eyes, but from one. In such cases, do not worry. It takes time to carefully monitor the behavior of the newborn when crying. If tears continue to flow from one eye, it is necessary to resort to the help of doctors.

Other children's mucous membranes are also exposed to diseases and abnormalities. Often, babies are found to have a short frenulum, which does not allow him to use the oral cavity “to the maximum”. The nasolacrimal duct of newborns in some cases is closed with a mucous membrane., which does not allow secretions to break through.

Twitching (tremor) can signal a number of reasons. In newborns, it is accompanied by trembling of the limbs, muscle contractions. In case of serious shocks, the baby may react to the situation with trembling and slight twitching. It is necessary to visit a pediatrician or a neurologist if the reaction to external stimuli is strong.

If a baby sticks out his tongue, it can be both an expression of his emotions and a symptom of neurological problems.

In some cases, the tongue becomes a cause for concern. for various reasons and for many kids this is considered the norm. But is it really so?

There are both harmless and dangerous reasons why an infant has this symptom. One of the reasons is the knowledge of the world around us and our own sense of self.

If family members respond positively to the baby's emotions, he tries to repeat their actions. In this case, showing the tongue is not something bad, but on the contrary, it demonstrates the health and joy of the child.

Other signs depend on the condition of the newborn. When teeth begin to cut for the first time, the baby experiences not the most pleasant sensations. Itching interferes with healthy sleep, because of this, at the first teeth, you can notice how the newborn often cries and sleeps poorly.

When a newborn starts to cry, other health problems may show up. Negative features are deviations and diseases, which should be consulted with a specialist.

Signs and causes of eye problems

The protective film in the nasolacrimal ducts should disappear immediately after birth, but in some children it remains. Because of this, a disease occurs dacryocystitis, which signals the obstruction of the nasolacrimal duct.

The most common symptoms of poor tear duct function are:

  • wet eyes . Humidity on the eyes (eye) appears almost after returning from the maternity hospital. This option is the norm, but in some cases indicates the presence of dacryocystitis.
  • Discharge from the eyes . This is the first thing that immediately catches your eye. The structure of secretions is mucous, sticky. The color may be closer to brown, but most often the shade is yellowish. The secretions must be cleaned regularly, as they irritate the eyes and cause crusts on the eyelids.

Prevention of vision problems

In the baby's room, it is necessary to maintain the correct temperature and humidity.

Tips for caring for children's vision are the same as for adults, but with a number of caveats for age and thoroughness and frequency.

Children's room should be clean, spacious and well lit.. Best suited for a sunny location Sun rays will benefit the baby. Although light is necessary, the rules of darkness must also be observed. During sleep, the child is not recommended to turn on the night light, the room should be dark.

Young children love bright objects. Brain stimulation is a key moment in the formation of the organs of vision.

It is best to choose the most diverse toys: large, small, soft, hard, dark and light, bright. But remember that too small details are harmful and should not be used.

Plush toys store a lot of dust, and hard objects can hurt or stab. Tell your relatives about this, because. we have a strong tradition in our country to give for discharge and memorable dates such gifts for the baby.

Take a closer look at the orthopedic mat, it is advised to purchase it so that the development of the baby occurs faster. Injuries must be ruled out. The child's nails should be cut short (read in a separate section on how to care for the nails of a newborn). These requirements also apply to family members who care for the child.

alarm bells

Parents should show their children to an ophthalmologist at the age of three months, then they practice trips to the eye doctor at 1 year and at 6 years. The specialist at the reception looks at the signs of dacryocystitis and the general condition of the eyes.

Signs to see a doctor:

  • Redness. Occur due to allergic reactions and inflammatory processes.
  • Allocations. This symptom indicates infection and physical abnormalities.
  • Dropped eyelids. Swelling and similar abnormalities signal the presence of eye diseases.
  • Strabismus. Disordered eye focus causes problems of strabismus, characterized by "floating" pupils.
  • Turbidity. "Worm" on the eye signals clouding of the cornea.
  • White pupil. The color of the pupil changes with congenital cataract, it is distinguished by a white tint.
  • Eye size. Shouldn't be more than normal. In such cases, this sign indicates congenital high blood pressure intraocular pressure.

At a time when children have tears when crying, they may be accompanied by unpleasant signs that indicate the symptoms of diseases.

Conjunctivitis is a big problem among children under one year old.

1 Conjunctivitis . The causes of conjunctivitis are different: from low immunity to non-compliance with hygiene standards. Symptoms of the disease are characterized by tearing, pain symptoms, purulent discharge and multiple reddening of the eyes.

2 Dacryocystitis. The disease is common among young children. The bottom line is that the nasolacrimal duct is closed by a film of embryonic tissue that did not have time to disappear in time. Dacryocystitis refers to pathologies and can spread to both one and both eyes.

3 Cataract. With cataracts, the lenses in children are different from the norm. In this disease, the lens is not transparent, but white and cloudy, which does not allow vision to function normally. Light does not pass through the retina and the child is unable to see like other people.

4 Glaucoma. The disease consists in increased intraocular pressure due to heredity and congenital abnormalities. Congenital glaucoma is a disease in which intraocular pressure rises due to hereditary or congenital disorders in the structures of the eye, and the intraocular fluid flows more than normal.

The norm involves the outflow of intraocular fluid, which helps metabolic processes and maintains the necessary pressure inside the eyeball. During glaucoma, these processes are disrupted.

5 Astigmatism. According to statistics, it is a hereditary disease in which there is a violation of the sphericity of the lens and cornea.

6 Farsightedness (hypermetropia). The presence of hypermetropia in young children may be a variant of the norm. At an older age, vision usually normalizes. Otherwise, vision is corrected.

7 Myopia (myopia). With myopia, a person is born with an abnormal eyeball, due to which light rays cannot reach the retina. The danger of this lies in the incorrect formation of the development of the child's body.

8 Strabismus (strabismus). A common disease that children often get sick, but are subsequently cured. This can be explained by the smooth development of vision, because of which vision can "swim" before it has fully formed.

Feedback from a mom who personal experience faced with obstruction of the lacrimal canals in children, and how these problems were solved:

Separately about tearing eyes

The presence of tearing occurs for the following reasons:

  1. Anomalies of the nasolacrimal ducts;
  2. Violation of the outflow of fluid, foreign bodies;
  3. Malignant and benign cysts and tumors;
  4. Injuries;
  5. Conjunctivitis;
  6. allergic reactions;
  7. Malignant formations of the pituitary gland;
  8. Pathologies of the nervous system.

Actions for blockage of the nasolacrimal duct

Sick children with eye diseases at the reception are prescribed a comprehensive treatment, which includes massage and reception medicines. They use the massage technique, use a solution of furacilin and chloramphenicol ointment. The treatment lasts about two weeks and gives positive results immediately after application. In some cases prescribe probing of the lacrimal canal, which is the last resort. The probing procedure takes 5 minutes in a medical institution. For moms, this procedure may seem complicated and nervous, because. the child should be held tightly and from this he screams loudly. Watch a video review from a mother whose baby had this operation, and your fears will go away:

Therapeutic massage technique

To start the massage, you need to carefully prepare. Hygiene required own hands and the face of a child. Nails should be short and clean.

  1. Feel for the tubercle near the eyes and bridge of the nose, with gentle but firm movements to hold it.
  2. Using pressure, slide your fingers down from the eye sac.
  3. Remove purulent discharge with a cotton pad soaked in a solution of furacilin.

The technique itself is simple, but requires training from a specialist. Massage is recommended to be carried out with sterile gloves or use one of the antiseptic solutions. It is best to apply the technique before feeding, 2-4 times a day. Obligatory point is observance of rules of hygiene.

No need to be too soft, as this may not help. It is necessary to apply the force adjustment and follow it throughout the session. Practical Tips for massage of the lacrimal canal from Dr. Komarovsky:

  1. After the procedure, treat the eyes with a new cotton pad moistened with a solution of chlorhexidine or furacilin.
  2. Drip one drop into the eye with the same medicinal solutions.

With increased secretion of pus, it is worth using drops. Doctors recommend Albucid, Tobrex and Floksal. Apply them three times a day and do not forget to visit a specialist ophthalmologist.

Other treatments

When a newborn has tearing, some doctors try not to resort to drugs right away. During excessive tearing and discharge from the eyes, ophthalmologists advise not only drops and medicinal solutions, but also herbal decoctions from:

  • Cornflower flowers;
  • Valerian root;
  • marigolds;
  • Chamomile;
  • Red clover;
  • Green tea;
  • Geranium meadow;
  • Yarrow.

findings

Caring for the eyes of a newborn and baby is simple and does not require much time. The most important thing is hygiene procedures, which must be carried out regularly.. The use of decoctions and solutions, medicines and doctor's recommendations is the key to success.

Do not forget about taking a bath with medicinal herbs, for example, with. When bathing, maintain the correct water temperature, more about this -. It is recommended to introduce complex children's eye gymnastics for older children into a daily habit.

The health of a child is in the hands of his family. Medications and procedures will help in the treatment and prevention of diseases, but without proper care and sincere care is indispensable to anyone. Watch practical lessons about the processing of the eyes of a newborn by specialists.

With the advent of a baby in the family, young parents try to surround him with all kinds of care and pay maximum attention to every moment of his development. A newborn, not yet having the skills to communicate with the outside world, is able to express his emotions and demands in the only way available to him so far - crying.

If the baby cries reasons there can be many things for this: the child is hungry, cold or, on the contrary, he is hot, asks to change the diaper, maybe something is bothering the baby. Sometimes it’s not easy to understand the reason, and every crying raises a lot of questions from the parents of the crumbs, especially if the child is the first and mom and dad still don’t have enough experience.

"Tearful" question

One of the reasons parents are most excited is the crying of a newborn baby without tears. What to do in this case? Many mothers, even in the maternity hospital, begin to sound the alarm when they see that their child has not shed a single tear.

But in this case it is too early to run to the doctor. This process in the first 1-2 months of the life of a small person is the norm. The fact is that when the baby is still in the womb, there is no need for tears, and amniotic fluid performs their functions. The baby's eyes are tightly closed, and the tear ducts are a mucous film that protects the tear ducts from fluid getting inside.

When a child is born, he begins to live in a completely different, unusual, small organism environment. This affects the eyes of the child as well. So, when does a newborn have tears and why are they needed?

Tears perform 3 main functions:

By the third month of a child's life, the mucous plug that closes the lacrimal canals dissolves or leaves under the pressure of the tears accumulated in the canals, and the baby already sheds truly "crocodile" tears. And up to this point, for a newly born baby, the function of tears is performed by the mother: she rinses the eyes of the child twice a day boiled water.

However, tears, even when mom does not see them, all the same produced lacrimal glands, but in very small quantities. And if by the third month of life the baby still has not “cryed”, the lacrimal fluid that has accumulated under the mucous membrane can begin to irritate the child’s eyes: the eyes “turn sour”, turn red, swelling appears.

In this case, it is already worth consulting with a pediatrician or contacting an ophthalmologist. The only thing that should not be done in any case is to try to diagnose and treat the baby yourself!

Diagnosis and treatment

Doctors will examine the newborn, determine reason problems and prescribe the necessary treatment. Perhaps it will be enough to conduct a course of massage of the nasopharyngeal canal. It is quite easy to execute it. Near the inner corner of the eye there is a small tubercle. Massage is carried out with clean hands! In circular motions, gently massage under this tubercle without pressing.

Quite often, the mucous film from the lacrimal canal departs after several procedures massage. If this does not happen, the doctor prescribes special eye drops that help soften and dissolve the mucous plug.

But if time passes, but there are still no tears, and the previous procedures did not give a result, then you should start worrying and contact an ophthalmologist. The cause may be a blockage of the tear ducts. In this case, most likely, he will prescribe a canal piercing in stationary conditions. This operation is simple: the doctor quickly and painlessly pierces nasopharyngeal canal with a special probe. After the operation, it is also recommended to wipe the baby's eyes with a weak solution of furacilin at room temperature until the tears become completely transparent, and massage the lacrimal canal in order to avoid relapse.

Dacryocystitis: scary or not

In more complex cases, the baby is diagnosed with dacryocystitis. What is it?

Dacryocystitis is an inflammation of the nasopharynx caused by narrowing or blockage of the lacrimal gland and is usually chronic. The main symptoms of the disease are as follows:

  • the baby's eyes are watery, but there are no tears when crying;
  • liquid or yellow-green discharge accumulates in the corners of the eyes;
  • every day the number of allocations increases.

It is important, in the diagnosis, not to confuse the symptoms of dacryocystitis with conjunctivitis. The latter in a newborn may appear as a result of infection in the eye area during the passage of the birth canal and affects both organs of vision at once. As a result, the eyes turn red, the eyelids swell.

If the diagnosis of "dacryocystitis" is nevertheless made, then you should not panic either. Now the solution to the question of when the child will have tears will depend on the correct treatment of the crumbs. Initially, the doctor will prescribe washing eyes with a weak infusion of tea or a decoction of chamomile. When preparing a disinfectant, you need to be extremely careful: the decoction must be carefully filtered to avoid getting solid particles into the baby's eyes. In addition, it is necessary to massage the lacrimal canal at least 5 times a day.

In some cases, a specialist may prescribe special antibiotic-based drops to fight the infection.

If there is no result, then an operational intervention under local anesthesia using a special probe. But the doctor will do this only as a last resort, although the procedure is not dangerous.

Prevention and care of the eyes of the baby

The eyes of a newborn require special care and careful care from the very first days. In the morning and in the evening it is necessary to wash the eyes with boiled water, and during the day carefully examine the child for redness of the eyes and the appearance of discharge. If a pediatrician recommended using decoctions of herbs or a solution of potassium permanganate for washing, then preparation should be taken with extreme caution: it is good to filter the funds through fine gauze several times. A solution of potassium permanganate should be prepared almost transparent and make sure that there are no undissolved particles left: getting even one granule into the eye or on the skin of a child can cause a severe chemical burn!

In most cases avoid problems with the eyes of a newborn, it is possible by paying sufficient attention to prevention. Every month, starting from birth, the baby is examined by a pediatrician, and three times during the first year of life by an ophthalmologist. These visits are not to be missed!

In the first month, the doctor checks the general condition of the child's eyes, the condition of the fundus and tear ducts. By six months, when visiting an optometrist, special attention is paid to coordination between the movements of the eyes and the baby's motor apparatus. But by the age of one, the child is already being examined as an adult: the baby’s eyesight is checked using tables with pictures or letters.

The first tears of a newborn, like theirs absence It's always a storm of emotions for parents. It is important to carefully monitor the crumbs every day and, if necessary, do not delay and consult a doctor. The specialist will be able to competently and clearly answer all existing questions.

When do newborns start to cry? Each baby is individual and the time for the appearance of tears is also different for each: from the first minutes of birth, someone already “drowns” their mother in a stream of tears, while for someone this process takes a longer time. In any case, by the third month of life, all babies are already crying with tears, and many parents remember this moment all their lives.

The first days of life, the baby is almost all the time in a state of sleep, and opens its eyes for a short period of time. When a child cries, then without the manifestation of tears. This is the norm at this age. The fact is that during pregnancy, the eyes were protected amniotic fluid. The production of tears was not required at that time. Therefore, the glands were clogged with mucous plugs to protect the tear ducts from the penetration of fluid into the interior.

Over the course of several weeks, the blockages resolve, and by one and a half to three months, tears enter the eyes. Mothers remember the day of their appearance with trepidation. In some children, they flow in streams, in other newborns, a few droplets appear, which is considered sufficient for the first time.

When there are no tears

Mucus plugs disappear naturally after birth or a little later. If this does not happen, tears accumulate in the canal. The specialist diagnoses the obstruction of the lacrimal gland in a child. He screams without bodily fluid. Because of this, the eyelids become inflamed in the baby, swelling occurs, the children feel bad, they become capricious and restless. Help is needed here.

It happens that tears flow from one eye, but not from the other. This indicates that one passage has opened, and the other is clogged with a cork, or suppuration has occurred.

If your baby is experiencing these problems, you should immediately seek the advice of a pediatrician. The specialist will find out the cause, prescribe therapeutic procedures: washing, massage of the lacrimal glands, drops or other means.

Medical measures

To soften blockages, the doctor prescribes special drops. Weak tea leaves or a decoction of chamomile can treat the eyes on their own.

The specialist shows the tactics of performing a massage of the lacrimal glands. This procedure appoint from 3 to 10 sessions a day lasting about two minutes. Massage is done with circular movements in the inner corners of the eyes with the little fingers. Hands must be clean. Massage gently without pressure. It does not cause difficulties for the mother and painful sensations for the child. Doing a massage of the tear ducts, the collected droplets are affected, they put pressure on the cork, squeezing it out. For 3 or 4 days, the glands open, the flow of tears is observed.

If during regular massage activities tears do not appear, then an operable intervention will be required. It may be necessary to pierce the tear duct in infants.

Protective abilities of the biological fluid

The main characteristic of the release of tears is protection from infectious diseases and moisturizing the organs of vision. If they gleam in the eyes when crying, then the baby is easier.

In newly born infants, the mucous membranes are dry, thin, since the lacrimal canaliculi produce little fluid. Protection of the organs of vision does not occur to the full extent, because the eyes periodically become inflamed, redden.

Hygiene and care

As long as the protective tearing of the crumbs has not improved, this function should be provided by the parents. In the morning and evening every day, performing hygiene measures, carefully examine the baby, including the eyes.

Use potassium permanganate to prepare the solution very carefully, defend and filter it. Just pouring one smallest particle of the product can harm the baby's eye.

Wipe the organs of vision of the crumbs with boiled warm water. With a cotton pad, carry out the procedure from the temporal region to the bridge of the nose.

On the advice of a pediatrician, you can use herbal decoctions, for example, chamomile. One small spoonful of the crushed product is poured into a glass of boiled water, insisted for 30 minutes. Wait for the solution to cool down to room temperature. It is necessary to strain the infusion well.

Prevention

It is necessary to visit an ophthalmologist to assess the condition of the child's eyes:

  • As soon as the baby is one year old, the structure of the organ and the ability to see are checked. During the same session, the doctor checks the lacrimal glands. You can contact the doctor with a request to show how to massage the tubules in order to avoid subsequent problems.
  • When examining a baby at 0.5 years old, a specialist checks the speed of movement of the eyeballs, the sharpness and clarity of vision, and coordination. The doctor examines the fundus, establishes normal values ​​and deviations.
  • In a year, important attention is paid to the relationship between a child's vision and body mobility. During this period, the eye is developed, the baby is active. Parents are closely watching to ensure that no injuries happen to the crumbs.
During the period of intrauterine development of the fetus, the mucous plug blocks the path from the conjunctival cavity of his eyes to the nasal cavity. By the time of birth, this plug should resolve, but this is not always the case. Some continue to remain closed, and a kind of film creates obstacles to the flow of tears from the conjunctival cavity.
On examination month old baby the pediatrician should assess the condition of his eyes. The correct formation of the eyelids, the mobility of the eyeballs, the absence of suppuration in the corners are important indicators of the health of the baby.

Crying without tears as a means of communication of the newborn with others

The crying of a child during the neonatal period can be called a kind of communication with outside world, because in another way he still cannot declare himself. When the baby is not worried about anything, and a caring mother is nearby, he behaves calmly, because he cannot express his emotions due to the lack of a smile.

If it seems to the parents of a newborn that their baby is smiling or discontent is expressed on his face, this is due to the usual change in the facial expressions of the baby's face. Emotions as such cannot yet be shown by a child who has not reached at least a month of age. This is due to the fact that the facial muscles in the first weeks of a small person's life are not controlled by the subcortex of the brain, so facial expressions cannot be changed consciously.

Until the age of two months, the eyes of a newborn are not able to distinguish colors. However, by six months, the baby already easily distinguishes all the primary colors - red, blue, green, yellow.

The baby is growing, but there are still no tears ...

If tears do not appear by the third month of life, then the child has a clogged tear duct. A baby crying without tears must be shown to an ophthalmologist who will prescribe special eye drops with a softening effect. In addition to instillation of the eyes, the baby needs a massage of the lacrimal canals. Perform it up to five times a day, making with the little fingers circular motions in the inner corner of the eye.

In case of suppuration, you should again contact a specialist. Now he himself will carry out a painless bougienage procedure, which is performed using a thin probe that expands the lacrimal canal. At home, to solve the problem of suppuration, parents can use a solution of furacilin.