I took my son to the Shanghai Flower Festival over the weekend. On the way home, he kept rubbing his nose. His hands turned red. This was the third nosebleed in a month.
I looked into it and realized it doesn't have much to do with "internal heat." The nasal mucosa is thin, densely packed with capillaries. Spring is a nasty combination β dry air, pollen, willow catkins. A child's nasal mucosa is even thinner.
What I got wrong: tilting his head back (blood flows into the throat, can cause choking) and stuffing tissue up the nostrils (rough fibers pull the scab off, causing a second bleed).
Correct approach: lean forward slightly, pinch the soft part of the nose for 5-10 minutes, apply a cold towel to the neck.
The nosebleed is the effect β allergy is the cause. Daily prevention: saline spray morning and evening, change clothes after being outside, teach the child to ask for help instead of rubbing.
If bleeding doesn't stop after 20 minutes, or there's very heavy bleeding, see a doctor.
That said, we'll still go to the flower festival next time. Too beautiful to miss.