It’s a common problem for children, but health experts say some kids are more prone to having nosebleeds than other.

Dr. Pierre Loredo, a pediatrician with Lee Memorial Health System, says nose bleeds are common for children between the ages of 3 and 10. “About 50 percent of kids will have their first episode by 5 years of age, and close to everyone has had a least one episode by the time they are adults.”

He says the causes for a nose bleed can vary. “You could have mucosal irritation, dryness within your nose, or even be in a low humidity environment.” But the most common cause for children is nose picking. “If you have a child who’s a nose picker you want to put a little Vaseline or any petroleum based product and just put that in their nose.”

If a child has a nose bleed you want to make sure they are leaning forward and not leaning backward. Also, make sure to pinch the soft part of their nose shut.

“Inside your nose you have a lot of blood vessels and these are close to the surface so if you have dryness within the nose you could have those blood vessels get very dry and knick,” said Dr. Loredo.

But if a child has frequent nose bleeds or nose bleeds that last longer than five minutes, it’s a good idea to check with your pediatrician. “You could have blood disorders that prevent the coagulation process. Normally if you have yourself bleeding you have platelets and the platelets adhere to each other to stop the bleeding,” said Dr. Loredo.

He says certain diseases could prevent the platelets from adhering to one another, so it’s important to have the problem checked. Fortunately, in most cases children will either grow out of nose bleeds or learn how to manage them.



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Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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