5 Home Remedies For Treating Stye In Your Baby’s Eye

5 Home Remedies For Treating Stye In Your Baby’s Eye

Parents like to be extra careful when it comes to their child’s health and well-being. At any stage, a scary red bump on the child’s eye is the last thing you as a parent would want to see. While the thought itself is scary, you will be a little relaxed to know that the formation of a stye is completely normal and temporary. It generally vanishes away on its own within a week’s time. Treating stye in your baby’s eye is quite easy. Take a look at these simple home remedies.

Still, it is good to have an understanding about the causes and symptoms of a stye so that you can prevent it from happening in the first place.

Also read: Breast milk is best home remedy for infant diseases (& common infections)

What causes Stye in your baby’s eye?

A Stye is a general eye infection that develops at the base of eyelashes due to the bacteria Staphylococcus Aureus. It usually looks like a tender red bump filled with yellowish pus and forms on the inner or outer side of either the upper or lower eyelid. Stye can range from extremely painful to mildly painful.

Stye is caused on baby’s eyes when the bacteria comes into contact with the eye in following ways:

  • Use of dirty towels for cleaning the baby’s eye
  • Scratching and rubbing the eyes with dirty hands
  • Contact with dirty water

Symptoms of Stye in your baby’s eye

Many times, a stye is confused with a chalazion. In reality, a stye differs from chalazion. Chalazions are caused by the obstruction of small eyelid gland ducts located near the eye. These ducts carry an oily substance that is essential for lubrication of the eye. While stye looks like a tender red bump, a chalazion is usually a painless, firm bump located at some distance away from the edge of the eyelid.

Here are the symptoms of a stye:

  • Red, tender bump on the edge of the eyelid
  • Pain in the area around the stye
  • Irritation due to the presence of a bump on the eyelid
  • Heaviness in the eye affected by stye
  • Yellow or white discharge from the bump

Also read: 7 Useful Homemade Solutions For Treating Gum Infections

5 Home Remedies for treating Stye in your baby’s eye 

Generally, styes are self-healing and disappear within a week. However, you can practice the following steps to speed up the healing process.

#1. Soak with warm water

Dip a small cotton ball in clean lukewarm water. Make sure that the water is neither too cold nor too hot. Never try to pop or squeeze the stye when soaking, as this would only make things worse.

How to give warm water soak: Drain out the excess water from the cotton and place it on your baby’s affected eye. Follow this process for 2 to 3 times a day. Your baby will show some resistance, but you can try to hold the cotton swab in place for 5 to 10 minutes. This will help the bump to break and squeeze out the excess oil, and cure the stye.

#2. Keep Your Baby’s Eyes Clean

When it comes to eyes, it is essential to maintain proper hygiene. You can clean your baby’s eyes with fresh water or rose water drops for eyes. Repeat this process at least twice a day. Make sure to consult your pediatrician before using any over the counter drops in your baby’s eyes.

#3. Warm Tea Bag

Black tea works wonders in reducing swelling and its antibacterial properties help to reduce the infection. This home remedy can be used for babies above 3 months of age.

How to use warm tea bag: Just boil water and add it to a cup along with a black tea bag. Allow it to steep for a minute and remove the tea bag. Once it becomes slightly cool, keep it on the baby’s eye. Make sure the tea bag isn’t hot for the baby. A separate tea bag should be used for each eye to prevent cross infection.

#4. Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is known for its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. It has a very cooling effect and can help to decrease the swelling, redness, and inflammation in the eye. You can do this for babies above 3 months of age.

How to Use Aloe Vera Gel: Take a small leaf from the aloe vera plant and cut it open. Extract the gel and rub it on the affected area. Allow it to stay for 10-20 minutes and wash off with lukewarm water.

Also read: Throat Infection in Kids: Symptoms, causes and home remedies to cure throat infection

#5. Apply castor oil

Castor oil helps to hydrate the skin, cure infections and reduce swelling since it contains antibacterial properties. Take a cotton swab and dip it in castor oil. Dab the swab on the infected eyelid and allow it to stay for 10-15 minutes. Take care not to apply pressure as it may puncture.

When to Consult The Doctor?

Although stye is generally not harmful, you must consult a doctor in the following cases:

  • If the child is three months old or younger
  • If the red bump doesn’t vanish away after a week
  • If the stye spreads on both upper and lower eyelids
  • If a new stye pops out immediately after the first one has healed
  • If the baby develops another stye simultaneously

If your child has stye in only one eye, you can prevent the infection from spreading by using different washcloths for both the eyes. Also, keep your baby’s hands clean and prevent him from touching or fidgeting with the affected eye. Seeing your child in any kind of pain causes more stress to the parents, but don’t worry too much as stye is generally harmless. To avoid this you should ensure proper eye care by regularly washing baby’s eye. This will help to prevent the occurrence of stye in baby’s eyes.

Also read: 9 Home Remedies For Eye Allergies That Are Simple Yet Effective for kids

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