Some children have runny noses all winter long it seems and that’s because they catch a virus from friends at school, the runny nose lingers for a week or two. It goes away and the next day they get sick again. And it seems to go on and on. So parents often ask me is this normal, when do I have to worry about the runny nose? For most clear runny nose is just part of a virus and if you give it time it will go away on its own. It is important to know that some viral infections will even start of green, so green runny noses does not mean you need an antibiotic and does not mean there is a bacterial infection. Now, if your child has a runny nose that lasts for weeks and weeks and they start complaining of head pain, they are uncomfortable, they are having ear pain or fever, than that’s something that needs to be checked out, because sometimes they can get a secondary infection such as an ear infection or sinus infection. But in general, a clear runny nose is nothing you need to worry about. So, what can you do to help relieve your child’s symptoms? Well, nasal sailing sprays work great even for babies. You can put a drop or two in each nostril and if they let you gently suction the snot out. Also steam up your bathroom take them in their play for about twenty minutes and that will help relieve some of the congestion and mucus. I like running a cool-mist humidifier while room at night while they are sleeping, because that also helps moisten the mucous in their nose so it can drain on its own.