Objective To explore the application effect of early nursing intervention on skin edema caused by phlebitis in neonates with hypoglycemia. Methods A total of 30 neonates with hypoglycemia admitted to our hospital from June to December 2022 were selected as the research objects and randomly divided into control group and analysis group, with 30 neonates in each group. The control group was given routine nursing, and the analysis group was given early nursing. The quality of life, blood glucose level, family satisfaction, adverse reactions, duration of hypoglycemia and skin quality were compared between the two groups. Results The quality of life score after nursing in the analysis group was higher than that in the control group ( P <0.05). The blood glucose levels at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 24 h after birth in the analysis group were higher than those in the control group ( P <0.05). The satisfaction of family members in the analysis group was higher than that in the control group ( P <0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions in the analysis group was lower than that in the control group ( P <0.05). The duration of hypoglycemia in the analysis group was shorter than that in the control group ( P <0.05). The skin quality score of the analysis group after nursing was higher than that of the control group ( P <0.05). Conclusion Early nursing for neonatal hypoglycemia can effectively help children improve their quality of life, improve their blood glucose level, reduce the risk of adverse events, shorten the duration of hypoglycemia. Meanwhile, it can effectively prevent skin edema caused by phlebitis in children, and is worthy of clinical application.