Nosebleeds in Kids: Why They Happen and How to Stop Them Properly

Every January, as of this writing in January 2026, the same scene plays out in family kitchens across the northern half of the country: a child wanders in from bed with a red smear on one cheek, a parent reaches for the paper towels, and someone says, “Tip your head back.” This year the scene has gone viral. A short clip of a parent doing exactly that, and getting a vomiting child for their trouble, has been shared millions of times, with a comment thread insisting that nosebleeds in kids are a sign of a vitamin deficiency, a hidden blood disorder, or something worse.

Searches for nosebleeds in kids climb every winter when furnaces switch on and the air inside homes drops to desert-level humidity. The viral clip simply added fuel. What is missing from most of the commentary is the boring, reassuring truth about where the blood comes from, why children bleed more than adults, and the one technique that stops almost every episode in a quarter of an hour.

Here is what the evidence supports, what it does not, and which handful of situations genuinely deserve a call to your child’s clinician.

What is actually bleeding when a child gets a nosebleed?

The medical word for a nosebleed is epistaxis, and almost every childhood episode comes from the same postage-stamp-sized patch of tissue. Just inside each nostril, on the wall that divides the nose (the septum), five small arteries meet in a dense web called Kiesselbach’s plexus, also known as Little’s area. The lining over it is thin, moist and barely a millimeter from the surface. According to Cleveland Clinic, roughly 90 percent of all nosebleeds begin here, at the front of the nose, which is why they are called anterior nosebleeds.

Children are especially prone to anterior bleeds for three plain reasons. Their nasal lining is more delicate than an adult’s. Their noses are small, so a fingertip reaches the vulnerable patch easily. And they catch more colds, which inflame the lining and loosen the surface vessels.

Posterior nosebleeds, which start deeper in the nose from larger vessels, are a different matter. They produce heavier flow that runs down the throat and are harder to stop with pressure. These are mostly a problem of older adults with high blood pressure or blood-thinning medicines, and they are uncommon in children.

One more fact helps parents keep perspective: blood looks like far more than it is. A single tablespoon spread across a pillowcase or a white T-shirt can look alarming. A typical anterior nosebleed in a child loses a teaspoon or two, well below anything that affects circulation. The peak age for nosebleeds in kids is between 2 and 10 years, and most children simply grow out of them as the nasal lining thickens and the habit of picking fades.

What are the common causes of nosebleeds in kids?

Ask any pediatric emergency nurse and you will get the same two answers first: dry air and fingers. Beyond those, a short list covers nearly every case. The table below sorts the causes by how often clinicians see them and the clues that point toward each.

Cause	How common	Typical clue
Dry indoor air, heated rooms	Very common	Winter episodes, crusting inside the nose, often on waking
Nose picking or rubbing	Very common	Same nostril each time, a visible scab or raw spot inside
Colds and sinus infections	Common	Bleeding during or just after a runny nose, frequent blowing
Allergic rhinitis	Common	Sneezing, itchy nose, seasonal pattern, dark under-eye circles
Minor bumps and falls	Common	Clear history of a knock to the face
Foreign object in the nose	Less common, mostly toddlers	One-sided bleeding with foul-smelling discharge
Medicated nasal sprays	Less common	Started after regular use of steroid or decongestant sprays
Bleeding disorders, for example von Willebrand disease	Uncommon	Easy bruising, bleeding gums, heavy periods in teens, family history
Structural issues such as a deviated septum	Uncommon	Persistent one-sided blockage, snoring

Allergic rhinitis, meaning inflammation of the nasal lining triggered by pollen, dust mites or pets, deserves a special mention because it quietly drives both of the top causes. An itchy nose gets rubbed; a congested nose gets blown hard. Medicated sprays are a double-edged tool here: they can calm the allergy, but aimed at the septum rather than toward the outer wall of the nostril they can dry and thin the very patch that bleeds. If a spray seems to be the trigger, the answer is a conversation with the prescribing clinician about technique, not quietly stopping it.

Why does my child get nosebleeds at night and in winter?

A child nosebleed at night frightens parents more than a daytime one, partly because of the way it is discovered: dried blood on a pillow, a crust in a nostril, no memory of how it started. The timing is not a mystery, though, and it is rarely a warning sign.

Indoor humidity in a heated home can fall below 20 percent on a cold night, drier than many deserts. Over several hours that air moves across the nasal lining with every breath, and a child who sleeps with an open mouth or a stuffy nose dries out faster still. The mucus layer that normally protects Kiesselbach’s plexus thins, tiny cracks form, and the vessels beneath are exposed.

Sleep adds the second ingredient. Children rub, scratch and pick in their sleep without any awareness of doing it. A scab that formed after yesterday’s small bleed gets knocked off at 3 a.m., and the same vessel opens again. This is why night bleeds so often come in clusters of a few days, each one restarting the last.

Colds pile on. Winter is viral season, and a child with a runny nose has a swollen, fragile lining and a habit of wiping it on a sleeve. Mayo Clinic lists dry air and colds as the two leading triggers for exactly this reason.

What night bleeds are not, in the overwhelming majority of cases, is a sign of something internal. The things that make a nosebleed worth investigating, which we cover below, have to do with duration, frequency, injury and bleeding elsewhere in the body, not the hour on the clock.

How to stop a nosebleed in a child, step by step

The technique that works is simple, and the reason it fails in real homes is almost always impatience. Here is the sequence that MedlinePlus, the NHS and Mayo Clinic agree on.

• Stay calm and say so. A frightened child cries, and crying raises pressure in the head and prolongs bleeding.
• Sit the child upright, on your lap if they are small, and lean them slightly forward from the hips so blood runs out of the nostril rather than down the throat.
• Ask the child to blow gently once to clear any loose clot, or skip this with a very young child.
• Using thumb and finger, pinch the soft, fleshy part of the nose just below the hard bridge. Pressing the bony part does nothing; the bleeding point is lower.
• Hold firm, continuous pressure for 10 to 15 minutes by a clock, not by feel. Do not release to check. Every peek lets the forming clot wash away and restarts the timer.
• Let the child breathe through the mouth and spit out any blood that drips back.
• A cold pack wrapped in a cloth on the bridge of the nose or the back of the neck may help a little and does no harm, but it is an extra, not a substitute for pressure.

When the time is up, release slowly. If bleeding continues, repeat the full 10 to 15 minutes once more. Two complete rounds that fail to stop the flow, 20 to 30 minutes in total, is the point at which guidance from MedlinePlus and the NHS says to seek care.

For the rest of the day, ask the child not to blow, pick or rub the nose, to skip rough play and heavy lifting, and to sneeze with the mouth open. The new clot is fragile for about 24 hours.

Why tilting the head back and stuffing tissues make it worse

The two most common instincts, tipping the head back and packing the nostril with tissue, both feel logical and both backfire.

Tilting backward does not stop bleeding; it hides it. Blood that would have dripped out the front now runs down the back of the throat. Swallowed blood irritates the stomach, and a child who swallows a few tablespoons will often vomit it back up, which looks dramatic and can frighten everyone into an unnecessary emergency visit. Blood in the airway is also a choking and coughing risk, especially in a small child who is already crying. The NHS and Mayo Clinic are explicit: lean forward, not back.

Lying down has the same problem for the same reason, plus it raises blood flow to the head.

Stuffing tissue, cotton or a tampon into the nostril is the second mistake. The material soaks up blood but applies no meaningful pressure to the bleeding vessel. When it is pulled out, the clot that formed around the fibers comes out with it, and the bleed restarts. Tissue fragments can also be left behind. Clinicians do use nasal packing, but with purpose-made material placed under direct vision, usually only when pressure and cautery have failed.

Pressing on the bridge of the nose is the quieter third error. The bridge is bone. Squeezing it compresses nothing. The pinch has to be on the soft part, where the walls of the nostrils can be pressed against the septum and the bleeding patch.

Finally, resist checking. Lifting your fingers at minute three to see whether it has stopped is the single most common reason a routine nosebleed drags on for half an hour.

What changed recently in nosebleed guidance

The honest answer is that the first-aid advice has not changed in years; what has changed is how loudly it is being contradicted online. The most significant formal update remains the clinical practice guideline on nosebleeds published in January 2020 by the American Academy of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, indexed on PubMed. It was the first multidisciplinary US guideline devoted to epistaxis and it applies to patients aged 3 and older, so it covers most children who bleed.

Its key statements are worth knowing because they shape what a clinician will do. The panel recommended firm, sustained compression of the lower third of the nose for at least five minutes as the first step for any active bleed, with longer pressure reasonable when needed. It advised that cautery, meaning sealing the bleeding vessel with a chemical or heat, should only be performed when a specific bleeding site can actually be seen, and on one side of the septum at a time to protect the cartilage. It also asked clinicians to screen patients with frequent nosebleeds for a family history of bleeding and for a rare inherited vessel disorder called hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT).

Consumer guidance from the NHS and Mayo Clinic, both updated within the last few years, continues to recommend 10 to 15 minutes of pressure, a slightly longer window that reflects real-world homes rather than clinic rooms with trained hands.

Nothing in the 2020 guideline, the current NHS page or the Mayo Clinic first-aid page supports head tilting, tissue packing or routine vitamin testing for a child with typical nosebleeds. Those ideas are circulating despite the guidance, not because of it.

What the evidence actually says, and how strong it is

Nosebleed care is an area where a few things are well established and much of the rest rests on small trials or expert judgment. Grading it candidly:

Direct pressure. Supported by physiology, decades of clinical consensus and every major guideline. No one has run a randomized trial of pressure versus no pressure, and no one needs to. Strength: expert consensus with strong mechanistic backing.

Cautery for a visible bleeding point. Small randomized trials in children have compared silver nitrate cautery with antiseptic or moisturizing creams and found both reduce recurrence over the following weeks, with modest differences between them. Strength: low to moderate quality trial evidence.

Antiseptic or petroleum-based ointments. A Cochrane review of treatments for recurrent nosebleeds in children, published in 2012, found the trials too small and too varied to say confidently whether creams beat doing nothing. One randomized trial of plain petroleum jelly in children found no difference from no treatment. Strength: weak and inconsistent.

Tranexamic acid, a medicine that slows clot breakdown, has been tested mainly in adults. A large 2021 emergency-department trial in adults found topical application no better than placebo for stopping active bleeding. Pediatric data are sparse. Strength: mixed, and any use in a child is a clinician’s decision.

Humidifiers and saline. Logical, widely recommended by NHS and Mayo Clinic, and supported by observational data, but not by randomized trials. Strength: expert opinion.

Cold packs. Small studies show cold on the face slightly reduces nasal blood flow. Clinical benefit is unproven. Strength: weak.

The pattern is clear. The cheapest, oldest intervention is the one everyone agrees on. The rest is reasonable, low-risk, and worth discussing with a clinician rather than assuming.

Frequent nosebleeds in children: when is a pattern worth checking?

Parents searching for frequent nosebleeds in children are usually asking a sharper question: how many is too many? There is no magic number, but clinicians think in terms of pattern rather than count.

A child who bleeds several times a week every February, always from the same nostril, with a visible crust inside, has a textbook anterior bleed from dry air and picking. Even a dozen episodes in a winter, each stopping within ten minutes of pressure, fits this picture. It is tiresome, not dangerous, and the fix is moisture, nail trimming and, if needed, a clinician sealing the stubborn vessel.

A different pattern changes the calculus. Bleeds that last beyond 20 minutes despite correct pressure. Bleeds from both nostrils or that alternate sides, which argues against a single raw patch. Bleeds that began after a new medicine. Bleeds that come with other bleeding: gums that ooze when brushing, large or unexplained bruises on the trunk or back rather than the shins, prolonged bleeding after a tooth loss or a minor cut, or heavy periods in a teenage girl.

Von Willebrand disease, the most common inherited bleeding disorder, affects roughly one percent of the population, and frequent nosebleeds are one of its most typical first signs. Mild cases can go unrecognized for years. A simple set of blood tests ordered by a pediatrician can assess clotting, and results are far more useful than online checklists.

Family history matters too. If a parent or sibling bruises easily, bled heavily after surgery or dental work, or has needed treatment for nosebleeds, mention it. The 2020 guideline specifically asks clinicians to collect this history for anyone with recurrent episodes.

What causes a bloody nose in infants and toddlers?

Nosebleeds in toddlers aged 2 and up are everyday events, for the same reasons as older children: small noses, exploring fingers, frequent colds, and the discovery that a small object fits in a nostril. A toddler with a one-sided bleed and foul-smelling discharge from that side has very probably put something up there, and the object needs removal by a clinician, not a parent with tweezers.

Babies under 2 are a different story, and this is one of the few places where the guidance is deliberately cautious. The NHS lists a nosebleed in a child under 2 years old among its reasons to seek urgent care, not because the bleed itself is dangerous but because it is unusual enough to warrant a look.

Infants do not pick their noses with any force, and their nasal lining is protected by the same high humidity most families keep around a baby. When a baby’s nose bleeds, the likely explanations include an overly vigorous suction bulb, a scratch from an untrimmed fingernail, very dry air, or a cold with hard rubbing. Each is benign. But a newborn or young infant can also bleed because of a problem with clotting, including vitamin K deficiency in a baby who did not receive the vitamin K injection recommended at birth, or an inherited bleeding disorder showing itself for the first time.

Clinicians will also want to know how any injury happened, because an explanation that does not fit the baby’s developmental stage needs careful follow-up. Parents should not read anything into being asked; it is standard practice for every young child.

The practical rule: a bloody nose in a baby under 2 means a same-day call to the pediatrician, even if it stopped quickly.

What vitamin deficiency causes nosebleeds?

This question is driving much of the current online chatter, so it deserves a straight answer: in a healthy, normally fed child, vitamin deficiency is almost never the cause of nosebleeds, and taking a supplement will not change a dry, picked nose.

Two deficiencies can genuinely cause bleeding, including from the nose. Vitamin K is needed to make several clotting factors; without it, blood clots poorly. Newborns are born with very low stores, which is why the CDC and pediatric bodies have recommended a vitamin K injection at birth since the 1960s. According to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, deficiency beyond infancy is rare and usually tied to conditions that block fat absorption or to certain medicines, not to an ordinary diet.

Vitamin C deficiency, known as scurvy, weakens the walls of small blood vessels. It produces bleeding gums, bruising, and sometimes nosebleeds, but it requires months of a diet almost empty of fruit and vegetables. It does occur in children with very restricted eating, including some children with autism or severe food aversions, and it is treatable once recognized. It remains uncommon.

Neither deficiency produces nosebleeds as its only sign. Both come with bleeding elsewhere and, in scurvy, with fatigue, sore limbs and swollen gums.

What to do with this information: if your child has a varied diet and the nosebleeds fit the dry-air-and-fingers pattern, there is no evidence that testing or supplementing helps. If the diet is extremely narrow, or nosebleeds come with gum bleeding and bruising, raise it with the pediatrician, who can decide whether blood tests are worthwhile. Starting a supplement on the strength of a social media post is not a substitute for that conversation.

What will the doctor do about my child's nosebleeds?

A visit for recurrent nosebleeds is usually short and undramatic. It helps to know what to expect so neither you nor your child dreads it.

The clinician will ask about pattern: how often, how long, which side, what time of day, what stops it, and whether there is bleeding anywhere else. They will ask about medicines, including over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen and aspirin, which can mildly increase bleeding tendency, and about any nasal sprays and how they are used. Family bleeding history comes up here too.

Next comes a look inside the nose with a light and, for older children, sometimes a thin flexible camera called a nasal endoscope. In most cases the clinician sees exactly what they expect: a prominent, slightly raw vessel on the front of the septum.

If a specific bleeding point is visible and episodes are frequent, the clinician may offer cautery, which seals the vessel. In children this is usually done with a silver nitrate applicator after a numbing spray or gel. It stings briefly and takes about a minute. The 2020 guideline advises treating one side of the septum at a time, so a child who bleeds from both sides may need two visits.

An antiseptic or moisturizing ointment may be prescribed for a few weeks to help the lining heal; its benefit is modest and the evidence, as noted above, is thin, so follow the clinician’s instructions rather than a general recipe.

Blood tests are ordered when the history suggests a clotting problem: a complete blood count, clotting times and sometimes specific tests for von Willebrand disease. If allergies are driving the problem, managing them becomes part of the plan. Every one of these decisions sits with the treating clinician.

Common myths about nosebleeds in kids

The viral thread that sparked this winter’s surge in questions contained most of the classic misconceptions in one place. Taking them in turn:

“Tip the head back.” Wrong, for the reasons covered above. Blood goes down the throat, the child vomits, and the bleed is no closer to stopping. Lean forward.

“Lie the child down.” Same problem, with extra blood flow to the head. Sit upright.

“Put a cold key or coin on the back of the neck.” A piece of folklore with no trial support. Cold on the face may slightly narrow nasal vessels; a key on the neck does nothing measurable. It is harmless but it is not treatment.

“Nosebleeds mean a vitamin deficiency.” Rarely, and never without other signs of bleeding. See the section above.

“Frequent nosebleeds are a sign of leukemia.” Leukemia can cause bleeding, but a child with leukemia is almost never well apart from nosebleeds. There is persistent fatigue, pallor, fever, bone pain and widespread bruising. Isolated anterior nosebleeds in a thriving child are not a leukemia warning sign, and treating them as one causes real distress for no benefit.

“Nosebleeds come from high blood pressure.” In older adults, sometimes. In children, essentially never.

“If it stopped, it did not matter.” Mostly true, with exceptions: any bleed in a baby under 2, any bleed after a head injury, and bleeds accompanied by bruising or gum bleeding deserve a call even if they stopped quickly.

“Nosebleeds are from too much screen time or too much sun.” No evidence for either. Dry air is the environmental culprit, and a hot sunny day is far more humid than a heated bedroom in January.

When to see a doctor: red flags for nosebleeds in kids

Most nosebleeds in kids never need a clinician. These are the situations, drawn from MedlinePlus, NHS and Mayo Clinic guidance, that do.

Seek emergency care now if:

• Bleeding has not stopped after two full rounds of correct pressure, about 20 to 30 minutes in total.
• The bleed follows a fall, a blow to the head or a facial injury, or the nose looks misshapen.
• Blood is pouring rather than dripping, or the child is swallowing large amounts and vomiting blood.
• The child has trouble breathing, looks pale and sweaty, feels faint, or is unusually drowsy or confused.
• The child is under 2 years old.
• The child has a known bleeding disorder or takes a blood-thinning medicine and the bleed is not stopping.

Book a routine appointment if:

• Nosebleeds happen often, for example several times a week over several weeks, despite moisture and nail trimming.
• Bleeding comes with easy or unexplained bruising, bleeding gums, prolonged bleeding from small cuts, or heavy periods in a teenager.
• Bleeding is from one nostril with foul discharge, suggesting a foreign object.
• Nosebleeds started after a new medicine or nasal spray.
• There is a family history of bleeding problems or of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.
• You are simply worried. A short examination is reassuring and costs nothing in anxiety spent.

Never stop or change a prescribed medicine, including a nasal spray, because you suspect it is causing nosebleeds. Raise it with the prescribing clinician, who can weigh the benefit against the bleeding and adjust technique or treatment if needed. The decision about tests, cautery or any medicine belongs to that clinician.

How to prevent nosebleeds in kids at home

Prevention is about moisture and hands, in that order. None of this is high-tech, and none of it is guaranteed, but it addresses the two causes behind the vast majority of childhood bleeds.

Moisture first. A cool-mist humidifier in the bedroom during the heating season raises air humidity around the sleeping child; aim to keep it clean, because a neglected humidifier grows mold. A saline nasal spray or gel, which is simply salt water at the body’s natural concentration, moistens the lining and softens crusts so they are less tempting to pick. Both the NHS and Mayo Clinic recommend these measures, and although randomized trials are lacking, the mechanism is sound and the downside is nil.

Hands second. Keep fingernails short and smooth so that nighttime picking does less damage. Teach older children to blow gently, one nostril at a time, and to sneeze with the mouth open. If a child picks when bored or anxious, address the habit kindly rather than with shame; it is nearly universal and fades with age.

Allergies third. A child whose nose is itchy and congested for weeks at a time will rub and blow more. Managing the allergy, with whatever approach the pediatrician recommends, removes a quiet driver of repeat bleeds. If the clinician prescribes a nasal spray, ask them to show your child how to aim it toward the outer wall of the nostril rather than the septum.

Finally, a note on expectations. Even with every measure in place, a child aged 2 to 10 will probably have a few nosebleeds each winter. The goal is fewer, shorter episodes that stop with calm pressure, not zero. For most families, that is exactly what happens, and the nosebleeds quietly disappear somewhere around the start of middle school.

Frequently asked questions

How do I stop a nosebleed in a child quickly?

Sit the child upright, lean them slightly forward, and pinch the soft part of the nose just below the bony bridge for 10 to 15 minutes without releasing to check. Keep the child calm and breathing through the mouth, and have them spit out any blood that drips back. If it has not stopped, repeat once. Two failed rounds means it is time to seek medical care.

What are the common causes of nosebleeds in children?

Dry indoor air and nose picking account for most childhood nosebleeds, followed by colds, allergies and minor bumps. Less often, a foreign object in one nostril, regular use of medicated nasal sprays, or a bleeding disorder such as von Willebrand disease is responsible. The pattern usually gives the cause away: winter timing and crusting point to dryness, while bruising and bleeding gums point toward a clotting problem.

What vitamin deficiency causes nosebleeds?

Vitamin K deficiency, which impairs clotting, and severe vitamin C deficiency (scurvy), which weakens blood vessel walls, can both cause bleeding including from the nose. Both are rare in children who eat a varied diet, and neither produces nosebleeds without other signs such as bruising or bleeding gums. For a child with typical dry-air nosebleeds, there is no evidence that testing or supplements help; discuss any concern with the pediatrician.

What causes a bloody nose in infants?

In babies, the usual causes are a vigorous suction bulb, a scratch from a fingernail, very dry air or hard rubbing during a cold. Nosebleeds under age 2 are uncommon, though, so the NHS advises urgent assessment to rule out a clotting problem, including vitamin K deficiency in a baby who did not receive the vitamin K injection at birth, or an injury. Call the pediatrician the same day, even if it stopped.

What are red flags for nosebleeds in kids?

Seek emergency care if bleeding continues after 20 to 30 minutes of correct pressure, follows a head or facial injury, is heavy enough to cause vomiting, comes with breathlessness, faintness or pallor, or occurs in a child under 2. Arrange a routine visit for frequent bleeds, bleeding alongside easy bruising or bleeding gums, one-sided foul discharge, bleeds after a new medicine, or a family history of bleeding disorders.

Why does my child get nosebleeds at night?

Heated bedroom air can fall below 20 percent humidity overnight, drying and cracking the delicate lining at the front of the nose, and children rub and pick in their sleep without knowing it. A scab from a previous bleed is easily knocked off, which is why night bleeds often come in clusters. The timing itself is not a warning sign; duration, frequency and bleeding elsewhere are what matter.

Are frequent nosebleeds in children a sign of something serious?

Usually not. A child who bleeds often from the same nostril in winter, with each episode stopping within minutes of pressure, almost always has a raw patch from dry air and picking. A clinician should evaluate frequent bleeds that last more than 20 minutes, affect both nostrils, started after a new medicine, or come with bruising, bleeding gums or a family history of bleeding, since these can point to a clotting disorder.

Should I put tissue or cotton in my child's nose to stop a nosebleed?

No. Tissue or cotton soaks up blood but applies no real pressure to the bleeding vessel, and when it is removed the clot comes with it, restarting the bleed. Fibers can also be left behind. Direct pinching of the soft part of the nose is what works. Clinicians sometimes use purpose-made nasal packing, but only under direct vision when pressure and cautery have not worked.

Are nosebleeds in toddlers normal?

Yes, from about age 2 onward nosebleeds are very common because toddlers have small noses, exploring fingers and frequent colds. One pattern deserves a prompt visit: bleeding from a single nostril with foul-smelling discharge, which usually means a small object has been pushed inside and needs removal by a clinician. Bleeds in babies younger than 2 are less typical and should be assessed the same day.

What does a doctor do for a child with recurrent nosebleeds?

The clinician takes a history of pattern, medicines, nasal sprays and family bleeding, then looks inside the nose with a light or a thin camera. If a visible vessel is bleeding repeatedly, they may seal it with silver nitrate cautery after numbing, treating one side of the septum at a time. Blood tests for clotting are ordered when the history suggests a bleeding disorder. Any ointment or medicine is prescribed and explained by that clinician.

References

• Nosebleed (Epistaxis), MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
• Nosebleed, NHS
• Nosebleed (Epistaxis), Cleveland Clinic

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.