Nasal congestion from a cold or flu is very common and an inevitable part of childhood.

One of the greatest milestones of babyhood is when little ones learn to blow their noses.

Here are some tips for relieving nasal congestion in all age groups.

Babies only breath through their noses, so nasal congestion can interfere with nursing or bottle-feeding. We recommend that you help clear the baby’s nose approximately 15-20 minutes before feedings. This can be accomplished by using a saline nasal spray and a nasal aspirator.

Sit baby semi-upright or upright (based on the baby’s age) in carrier, car seat or high chair.

Place saline nasal spray just at the nostril opening and spray 1-2 good squirts up the baby’s nose. It should mist into the nostril. We do not recommend laying baby down on her back as the spray will stream into the nostril.

Squeeze the bulb end of the nasal aspirator first and then insert the open end just inside the nostril. Gently release the bulb and suction out the nostril.

Clean aspirator with a tissue between suctioning.

Repeat procedure for 2nd nostril.

Do not aspirate the nose too often. The suctioning can cause the sensitive nasal membranes to bleed or swell making breathing even more difficult.

Children who can blow their noses (from approx. 2 years of age and up) certainly should whenever it runs.

It does not hurt to run a cool mist vaporizer for all age groups to relieve nasal congestion. The moist air helps keep the mucous flowing (hopefully right out of the nose.)

Also, a warm bath or steam from the shower can help relieve nasal congestion. (Turn the shower on and let the bathroom fill with warm mist. Sit with the child on your lap for up to 15 minutes in the misty room. Do NOT get into the shower with your child. Just sit on the counter, floor or toilet seat and let the child breathe in the warm steam.)

Do not give children under 6 months of age, over-the-counter cold remedies without consulting a pediatrician. It is not always necessary to give antihistamines to children with nasal congestion.

Check with your pediatrician if:

Nasal congestion turns bright yellow or dark green in color. This could be a sign of secondary infection.

The child appears to be afflicted with a constant runny nose, especially those children with a history of skin or food allergies may not have a cold. They may be experiencing respiratory allergies.

Nasal congestion leads to an ear infection. The fluid accumulates in the sinuses and drains into the under-developed Eustachian tube (the tube that connects the throat to the ear.) As the fluid sits, it causes an ear infection.

Your child runs a fever or is acting very sick.

So it’s time for you to leave the hospital with your newborn baby. This is your first child, and you may feel a bit anxious about many things. One of these things that new parents may feel apprehensive about is using that ever so popular baby nasal suction. Step 1 With suction in hand, be sure the tip is facing away from you and the ball of the suction is grasped between all five fingers of your hand. This is important as you need to do this for a great squeeze. Step 2 Next, use your thumb to press the very bottom flat part of the suction inward. Do this away from the baby. This pushes the air completely out of the suction first. You do not want to push air up the baby’s nose! Step 3 After pushing the bottom of the suction in, do not release. Hold it steady just like this. With your other hand, very gently hold your baby’s head in place while inserting the tip of the suction into the nostril. Do not shove the suction inside the baby’s nose! Only the tip is necessary. Step 4 Once the tip is in proper position in the baby’s nostril, release the bottom of the suction. The suction will then pull the phlegm from the baby’s nose. Remember, if you need to do this again, DO NOT push air into the baby’s nose. Always push the bottom of the suction inward and hold it there to get the air pushed out prior to nostril insertion.

Nasal congestion is common in an baby under six months of age. Although rarely serious, it can cause problems by interfering with feeding and sleeping. It is common for a newborn to be congested for the first four to six weeks of life. After that, congestion is often caused by irritants, such as dust or smoke. Congestion can also be caused by a cold or allergies. Here are some things that you can do to help relieve your baby’s nasal congestion.

Saline Drops

Saline drops can be used as needed before feeding or sleeping. Just spray a few drops into each nostril. The drops will help flush out irritants and loosen the mucus so that it can be swallowed.

Bulb Syringe

You can use a bulb syringe to suction out the nose, but this is not necessary. In fact, using a bulb syringe too often or too vigorously can cause more irritation and actually increase the congestion.

Elevating the Head

Elevating your baby’s head will help the mucus drain better and offer a better night’s sleep. To elevate your baby’s head, place a pillow under the mattress so that one side is higher than the other. Do not put the pillow directly under your baby’s head, because a pillow in the crib can lead to SIDS and suffocation.

Vaporizer

A cool mist vaporizer or a humidifier can be helpful in treating baby nasal congestion by loosening the mucus. Both of these machines add humidity to dry air. The vaporizer may have a place to put medicine, but this is not necessary.

Warnings

Do not give over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to an baby. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not recommend them for any child under the age of six. Also, never stick a cotton swab into your baby’s nose to try to clear out the mucus.

Nasal congestion in babies and small children can be a difficult thing to deal with. While it is a common symptom and is not a sign of sickness or disease, it can still be inconvenient and cause the baby discomfort. The good news about nasal congestion is that it is common and can many times be easily cured.

Step 1

Put the baby somewhere with moist air. Baby’s noses are small, so they’re sensitive to dry air. Put the baby in a room with a humidifier or vaporizer.

Step 2

Use a nasal decongestant or nasal drops, but consult a doctor before you do just to confirm how much you should use. Typically a physician recommends a drop or two every few hours to stop nasal congestion in babies.

Step 3

Try chest rubs or medicine for your baby. Make sure to consult a doctor before doing so. Rub a decongestant chest rub jelly or cream on your baby’s chest in the morning and at night before your child goes to sleep. Using a chest rub on your baby at night helps your baby breathe more effectively during the nighttime hours.

Step 4

Keep the baby elevated when lying down. Congestion is worse when you lie down, especially on your back or stomach. Keeping the baby elevated allows the nasal passages to clear more thoroughly.

Step 5

Encourage the child to blow his nose often. This helps to clear the nasal passages and allows excess mucus to come out. When an baby’s nose is running, dab the mucus under the nose with a tissue. Don’t wipe as that can cause irritation.

So it’s time for you to leave the hospital with your newborn baby. This is your first child, and you may feel a bit anxious about many things. One of these things that new parents may feel apprehensive about is using that ever so popular baby nasal suction.

Step 1

With suction in hand, be sure the tip is facing away from you and the ball of the suction is grasped between all five fingers of your hand. This is important as you need to do this for a great squeeze.

Step 2

Next, use your thumb to press the very bottom flat part of the suction inward. Do this away from the baby. This pushes the air completely out of the suction first. You do not want to push air up the baby’s nose!

Step 3

After pushing the bottom of the suction in, do not release. Hold it steady just like this. With your other hand, very gently hold your baby’s head in place while inserting the tip of the suction into the nostril. Do not shove the suction inside the baby’s nose! Only the tip is necessary.

Step 4

Once the tip is in proper position in the baby’s nostril, release the bottom of the suction. The suction will then pull the phlegm from the baby’s nose. Remember, if you need to do this again, DO NOT push air into the baby’s nose. Always push the bottom of the suction inward and hold it there to get the air pushed out prior to nostril insertion.

It’s hard to watch your baby when he’s finding it hard to breathe through his nose because of nasal congestion. If congestion ever appears life threatening, call 911 immediately, and for chronic and severe cases of congestion we recommend consulting your child’s pediatrician. The ideas in this article are meant for milder cases of nasal congestion. These 4 suggestions are non-invasive and may in fact effectively ease your baby’s nasal congestion.

Step 1

Suction their Nose-Congestion in your baby’s nose is the result of mucus collecting in nasal passages because of a cold, the body’s reaction to asthma or allergy irritants, or even a sinus infection. Suctioning the mucus out of the nose using a nasal bulb syringe and saline solution, both of which can be bought cheaply at your local drug store, will temporarily help decrease congestion by removing the excess mucus. You may need to repeat the process if the congestion returns. If the mucus has any color to it, consult your pediatrician at once as color is usually an indication of infection.

Step 2

Use Organic Bedding and Clothes-Sometimes congestion is caused by a reaction to chemicals or man-made fibers in clothes, bedding, carpeting and rugs that are in the nursery, and that your baby is exposed to constantly. This irritation may present as a runny nose, and sometimes congestion. Using an organic mattress, as well as organic sheets, and clothes may provide an easy fix to the problem.

Step 3

Remove Carpet–If your baby seems to become more congested when playing on a carpeted floor, he could possibly be sensitive to mold and mildew spores or other chemicals used in the carpet manufacturing process. Carpet is notorious for providing a great home for mold and mildew spores as well as other contaminants that can easily be sent airborne (dust, dust mites to name a few), and removing carpet and opting for wood or laminate flooring may go a long way toward helping ease a stuffy nose.

Step 4

Use an Air Purifier to Filter the Air-Regardless of how much you clean, and how many precautions you take, there are always going to be pollutants that come into your home. The only way to effectively minimize them, and reduce the mucus that may be produced as a reaction to them, is to use a high efficiency particle arresting (HEPA) air purifier to remove them as constantly as they are generated. Household dust, dust mites, mold and mildew spores, pet dander, bacteria and viruses are contaminants that your baby’s immune system is not yet mature enough to handle. Removing them by cleaning the air is proactive yet non-invasive way to help your baby breathe, not just easier, but healthier.

This is a good way to give your baby comfort when sick and congested and you don’t have a nasal aspirator. My mom did it on us and taught me to do it for my children.

Step 1

prepare tissue and trash bag.

Step 2

Hold your baby in a cradled position. Tuck one arm under yours like you might do if nursing. Hold the other arm with your hand. This is so the baby can’t fight it. Most babies don’t like it but they feel better in the end.

Step 3

Next you watch your baby’s breathing. You wait till he is inhaling and you put your mouth over there’s as you would if you were giving cpr, and gently blow. This does not work when there exhaling because there pushing air out and your air wouldn’t get in. Just watch there breathing and do it when there taking air in.

Step 4

Wipe with tissue and discard. It can be messy and get on your face but if you want your baby to feel better then you gotta take one for the team! If one side is more congested then the other then just close one side when you blow.

Step 5

Continue till you get most of it out but give your baby a break in between. It can be very tiring for them, especially if there crying and trying to fight it.

A nasal aspirator is commonly used by parents, caretakers and health care professionals to clear a baby or young child’s nasal passages. Babies and youngsters often get a stuffy nose when they have a cold or other common childhood illnesses or if they suffer allergies. Babies especially can have a hard time when the nasal passages are congested because they are born only knowing how to breathe through their noses. Additionally, nasal decongestants and other cold medicines are not safe for young children and babies.

How To Use It

First, lay your baby on his back. You can lay him on a solid surface such as a changing table or on your lap with his head on your knees. Next, squeeze the bulb on the nasal aspirator to let all the air out and place it in the nostril. Then slowly release your grip on the bulb, allowing it to fill with the mucus that was in the nose. Remove the nasal aspirator from the nose and squeeze it again into a tissue to empty out the contents. Once it is emptied, repeat the process in the other nostril.

When To Use It

With newborns and babies, it’s best to use the nasal aspirator immediately before a feeding. Because it can be an unpleasant feeling for her, she may gag or vomit, causing her to spit up what she just ate. And because babies will sometimes struggle or resist when the aspirator is used, it’s best not to do it immediately before nap time or bedtime, when they may already be cranky from being tired. Also, avoid using the nasal aspirator more than two or three times each day because it can irritate the lining of the nasal passages.

Tips

It can be helpful to use saline drops along with the nasal aspirator. The drops help lubricate the nasal passages and make it easier to remove the mucus. Simply put one or two saline drops in each nostril and try to keep his head still for 10 to 15 seconds before using the nasal aspirator. However, avoid using saline drops for more than 4 days because long-term use can actually dry out the nose. Also, it can be helpful to allow the baby’s head to tip back slightly when using the nasal aspirator because it will be easier to properly place it in the nostril. To do this, place the baby in your lap with his neck on your knees, allowing his head to tip back slightly.

Many new parents are unsure of how to clear snot and mucus out a baby’s nasal passages. A baby’s nasal passages can become blocked for many reasons; they may have caught a virus or the flu or their nasal passages may be irritated by allergens in your household. Whichever way a baby’s nasal passages get clogged, it is sometimes necessary to unclog them as it can interfere with their ability to feed and in some very young newborns interfere with their ability to breathe properly or the congestion may simply be bothering baby. However, baby’s do not know how to “blow their nose,” so here are some painless techniques to clear out those nostrils and have baby breathing easy in no time.

• Step 1

The first step to clearing out baby’s nostrils is to drip a drop of saline solution into each nostril. Saline solution is simply salt water and can be purchased at nearly any grocery store in convenient bottles that come with a dripper. Even if baby inhales and ingests as you drip in the saline solution they will not be harmed as it is only a drop of salt water. This can be hard to do on a squirming baby though so it will most likely take a few tries and you will most likely get some saline solution on their face; so have a wash cloth handy and be careful not to get any saline solution in their eyes as that could cause a burning sensation.

Sometimes this is all it takes to clear out baby’s nostrils and have them breathing much better. However, if baby is still stuffed up you will need to move on to step two:

• Step 2

You will now need your nasal aspirator to try and suction out the snot. Always use saline drops before using the nasal aspirator because even if the saline solution does not solve the problem the drops will greatly loosen up the mucous and make the use of the nasal aspirator a lot more effective.

Place baby under good lighting and actually look up their nostrils to try and spot the largest clumps of snot. Gently insert the nasal aspirator into their nostril with the air expelled from it and angle it toward the large clump of not and suction. This may take a few tries to get out the mucous, just remain patient and be very gentle so as not to scrape or harm the membranes in baby’s nostrils. If the other nostril appears to have mucous in it as well after you visually check it, repeat this step with the other nostril.

• Step 3

The above steps in combination together are the most effective way to clear baby’s nose. However, if you do not have saline drops or a nasal aspirator on hand or if your baby greatly protests to either of the above steps you can try using steam from a hot shower or a humidifier. Simply take baby into a steamed bathroom and sit with baby for a few minutes or sit with baby near a humidifier. This will loosen the mucous in baby’s nostrils so hopefully it will soon come out on its own.