Excerpted from Perfect Health for Kids: Ten Ayurvedic Health Secrets Every Parent Should Know by Dr. John Douillard

Mucus is something we don’t usually discuss in polite conversation. But as a parent, it is part of your daily life, because kids make a lot of mucus. It seems like kids always need to wipe or blow their noses. Though it can seem like a nuisance, especially since kids and babies frequently have the symptoms of stuffy nose, runny noses and coughs, mucus production is an extremely important part of being a kid. In fact, it’s an important part of being a person.
Mucus production is an important part of the body’s lubrication and immunity. For kids, this lubrication is extremely significant because is supports their elastic growth – up to a foot each year. The amount of lubrication in a kid’s body is one reason why a baby or 7-year-old child can slide down a set of stairs laughing with each bump whereas an 80-year-old would simply break.
Sometimes the body produces excessive amounts of mucus as a result of drying out. When our sinuses get dry, they get irritated, and we react by making more mucus in an attempt to increase lubrication. This reactive mucus can overshoot the body’s requirements and become too much of a good thing as it clogs up sinuses and mucous membranes, leading to congestion and providing a breeding ground for infectious bacteria and other microorganisms.

Editor’s Note: Thank you Dr. Douillard for letting us use this important information on causes of children’s and baby stuffy noses.  Please see our other posts on treatment for runny nose.