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Baby Wonโt Let Me Sucยญtion Nose: How To Make This EasierBabies are pure joy. From the moment theyโre born to that first smile through all the years that folยญlow, their adorable facial expresยญsions give parยญents unalยญloyed delight. Whether you have one baby or five, nothยญing matchยญes the hapยญpiยญness you expeยญriยญence carยญing for them every wakยญing moment.So when someยญthing makes the baby uncomยญfortยญable or disยญtressed, every parยญent tries desยญperยญateยญly to solve the probยญlem quickยญly so the baby starts gurยญgling hapยญpiยญly once again.One uncomยญfortยญable issue that occurs while carยญing for an infant is a clogged, stuffy nose. Unlike adults, babies canโt deal with the probยญlem by simยญply blowยญing their noses themยญselves. Itโs a parยญenยญtโs job to get that nose funcยญtionยญing easยญiยญly again. But most babies get cranky when parยญents try to interยญvene and help with a runยญny, stuffed or conยญgestยญed nose.How can you make this betยญter? How can you help make your baby more comยญfortยญable durยญing those few minยญutes youโre unclogยญging their nose? Why do so many babies resist getยญting their noses suctioned?We decidยญed to research how the experts advise parยญents to hanยญdle this tricky (and kind of yucky!) task. If your baby wonโt let you sucยญtion their nose, conยญtinยญue readยญing for tips on accomยญplishยญing this necยญesยญsary procedure.Ridยญding your babyโs nose of mucus and boogers isnโt one of your more pleasยญant responยญsiยญbilยญiยญties, but nonetheยญless, itโs a job youโve got to tackยญle. Babies become irriยญtaยญble when they canโt breathe easยญiยญly, so the soonยญer you get rid of that stuffy nose and conยญgesยญtion, the better!Here are some of the most comยญmon causยญes of a babyโs stuffy nose and effecยญtive ways of dealยญing with it so your baby breathes easยญiยญly as fast as possible.
What Causes Stuffy Noses?
Virusยญes and colds
Dry air, parยญticยญuยญlarยญly in winยญter when the furยญnace is on
Poor air cirยญcuยญlaยญtion and quality
Tiny nasal passages
That last one is key. Please think of how simยญple it is to clean your nose. Then imagยญine what a litยญtle bit of mucus can do to a nasal pass one-tenth the size of yours!It doesยญnโt take much to stuff up your babyโs nose, so cleanยญing it regยญuยญlarยญly is imporยญtant โ before it gets too clogged.
Tools For Easing Your Babyโs Stuffed Nose:
There are a numยญber of ways you can clean and sucยญtion your babyโs nasal passages:
- Use a Bulb Syringe
This device has been around for ages and is still a popยญuยญlar choice for many parยญents. It is an easy-to-use, inexยญpenยญsive option, too. Once the tip is genยญtly insertยญed into your babyโs nose, you squeeze the air out of the bulb. Be sure the tip isnโt in too far or pressยญing too much against your babyโs nostril.Keep the bulb steady while the air is released into the nosยญtril. This is an effecยญtive way to get mucus out and get your baby breathยญing easยญiยญly once again. Bulb syringes come in a variยญety of sizes, so be sure to check to see that youโve choยญsen the right size for your babyโs physiology.
- Consider a Nasal Aspirator
This unit puts you in the driยญverโs seat, as your mouth is the mucus-suckยญing machine rather than a bulb syringe. Some parยญents find this method easยญiยญer to use because of that and say that it works more efficiently.The resยญpiยญraยญtor comes with tubยญing and a mouthยญpiece. The tube is slim, with an openยญing at one end. These units often come with filยญters you toss away after each use. A filยญter preยญvents you from suckยญing so hard you get a mouthยญful of mucus โ someยญthing no parยญent wants, right? You donโt want your adorable babyโs snot endยญing up in your mouth, thatโs for sure.Thatโs why some new parยญents are relucยญtant to try this method, but after a few tries, most relax and become suckยญing pros! You can use this device with or withยญout nasal spray.
- Nasal Spray
You should use the spray if your babyโs mucus from a cold or resยญpiยญraยญtoยญry infecยญtion is thick or if the boogers are hard and crusty. Howยญevยญer, nevยญer choose a nasal spray with medยญicaยญtion in it โ those are for oldยญer chilยญdren and adults and must not be used on babies.You can make your own drops, if you preยญfer, by simยญply comยญbinยญing salt and warm water. (There are numerยญous recipes online for this DIY solution.)Lay your baby on their back, and put three or four drops into each nosยญtril. Wait a few minยญutes before sucยญtionยญing, and donโt let the baby sit upright โ the drops need to stay in their nose to work most effiยญcientยญly. Then use a bulb syringe or a nasal aspiยญraยญtor to sucยญtion out mucus and boogers.
- Other Methods For Treating Stuffy Noses
You canโt avoid cleanยญing your babyโs nose, but you can make the whole process easยญiยญer on them (and you!) by tryยญing these methods:
Give Them a Warm Bath So The Steam Loosens The Stuff In Their Nose
There is nothยญing like warm steam to ease a babyโs breathยญing by lessยญenยญing congestion.
Check Your Homeโs Air Quality
Conยญsidยญer purยญchasยญing a humidยญiยญfiยญer so the air doesยญnโt conยญtribute to your babyโs conยญgesยญtion, parยญticยญuยญlarยญly in winter.
Plug In a Steamer In The Nursery
Or you can plug a portable steamยญer into the babyโs room. The moist air will go a long way toward easยญing dry nasal pasยญsages and help preยญvent mucus buildup and dry, crusty boogers.
Keep Your Baby Upright As Much As You Can
Of course, at bedยญtime and nap time, your baby lays down. Howยญevยญer, it would help if you tried to keep their head eleยญvatยญed at least a litยญtle durยญing othยญer times of the day. This helps mucus drain, preยญventยญing it from buildยญing up in the babyโs nasal pasยญsages. And keepยญing the baby well-hydratยญed helps with this, too.
When Should You Clean The Babyโs Nose?
Choosยญing the right time to use a nasal syringe (or othยญer techยญnique) to clean the babyโs nose makes all the difยญferยญence to the outยญcome. This is not the most comยญfortยญable proยญceยญdure for them, so doing it when theyโre well-restยญed and hapยญpy is your best bet. If your baby is overยญtired already or hunยญgry and cranky, tryยญing to clean their nose wonโt work. Theyโll make an even bigยญger fuss about it!And rememยญber, your baby picks up on your subยญtle, nonยญverยญbal cues. If youโre anxยญious about doing this, you can bet your baby will sense it. Try to relax, and donโt act like this is an ordeal that youโre dreadยญing. If you treat cleanยญing their nose like itโs simยญply part of the daiยญly rouยญtine, they will calm down and get used to it. If you have to do it sevยญerยญal times a day because your baby has a cold, resign yourยญself and get it done as effiยญcientยญly as posยญsiยญble. Smile! Act like itโs a bit of play.Be easyยญgoยญing. And rememยญber: pracยญtice makes perยญfect. Once you become a pro at cleanยญing your babyโs nose, theyโll adjust and stay relยญaยญtiveยญly calm durยญing the procedure.
In Summary
Being a parยญent is incredยญiยญbly rewardยญing, but it isnโt always fun, easy or pleasยญant. There are tasks you must cope with for the sake of the babyโs health and well-being, like getยญting up in the midยญdle of the night for feedยญings for the first year or two.Cleanยญing out their nose, ridยญding it of mucus and crusty, hard boogers, is one of the less pleasยญant duties you have to get used to. The soonยญer you become adept at this, with whatยญevยญer impleยญment you decide is best suitยญed to your babyโs nose, the soonยญer both of you will relax, so you can get on with it and get the job done.Keep in mind that you are cleanยญing the babyโs nose because they need to breathe easยญiยญly. Holdยญing on to that posยญiยญtive outยญcome โ that your baby will be hapยญpiยญer and healthยญiยญer once their nose is clean and their resยญpiยญraยญtoยญry pasยญsages are clear โ is an excelยญlent way to get through the process. And once you become an expert nose cleanยญer, the two of you will sail through this, and you will start to realยญize itโs not such a big deal.Itโs simยญply a necยญesยญsary part of good parยญentยญing, and we know that you, as someยญone with a tiny baby, are dedยญiยญcatยญed to accomยญplishยญing everyยญthing that conยญtributes to that. Good luck!
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