Tips for baby's runny noses
Your baby’s little nose is probably one of the things you most love about him! But when that little nose is blocked or runny from a cold or congestion, you can see his misery in his face. Clearing your baby's runny nose isn’t a question of getting him to blow into a hankie, however, because babies don’t really learn to blow their own noses until they are between two and four years old.
Most parents will talk at one time or another about their baby’s snotty nose and the dried-up ‘bogeys’ that make life difficult! all the gunk in the nose that can block the nasal passages and make baby feel - and look - all stuffed up. The nasal mucus is actually there for a purpose - to moisten the air entering the lungs so that the lungs don’t dry out. But of course not only does it not look nice, it makes baby feel rotten.
But there is something you can do to ease your little one’s discomfort. Research has shown that the most effective treatment to clear baby's runny nose is suction, with a nasal aspirator. Babies often struggle to breathe well and feed easily when their nose is blocked and this can be very stressful for everyone in the family, not just the baby. And although you should not use drugs with newborn babies unless prescribed by your doctor, there are a number of other natural solutions that will help you during this difficult time.
If you can, get your baby to sneeze to help clear a snotty nose. Try tickling the end of your baby’s blocked nose, or gently blowing on it. A few verses of ‘Ring-a-ring-a-rosies’ might do the trick too, with a big ATISHOOOO to finish off with.
For real relief, though, your must-have in the nursery is a baby nasal aspirator. This allows you to easily remove the runny congestion from your baby’s blocked nose, allowing him to breathe better almost immediately and helping to prevent other complications. This is particularly helpful before meals and at bedtime. The most common style of aspirator is the bulb syringe but a far more effective device is the award-winning Baby nose-clear Infant Nasal Aspirator which allows you to use controlled continuous and gentle suction. It is quick and easy to use and clean and has a long-lasting filter which means you can re-use it as many times as you need to.
When mucus in the baby’s nose seems dry and hard to shift, you can soften it with saline drops before suction. Saline drops or spray can be prescribed or bought at your pharmacy. Saline can also be made at home and the simple recipe for baby nasal saline is to dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in one cup of warm pre-boiled water. This can then be suctioned out with a nasal aspirator.
To protect your baby's little nose and reduce irritation, wipe with a warm damp cloth and use a little petroleum jelly on the outside of your baby's nostrils, taking care not to block the nostril.
An Inhaler Dummy allows you to place a medically approved decongestant near to your baby's nose. This is really great when you are out and about and are not able to use a home vaporiser.
