No one enjoys seeing their baby suffer from an illness. Unfortunately, things like colds and the flu are a normal and unavoidable part of what it means to be a child. In terms of your baby, a stuffy nose is one of the more difficult and often frustrating events, both for her and for you.
This is in part because when a baby is born he only knows how to breathe through his nose. It is especially important for your tiny one to have clear nasal passages. Unfortunately, babies cannot take the same medications that are so effective in adults and in older children. This means you need to find other ways to go about clearing up baby’s stuffed nose.
One of the best ways to help your baby with her nasal congestion is through the use of baby-safe nasal sprays and aspirators. Of course, you should check with your doctor before using any of these products, but there are many designed specifically for infant safety in mind.
Here are the steps involved in using an aspirator and nasal spray to help clear up baby’s stuffed nose:
- Sit the baby so she is in an upright or a semi-upright position. You can use her high chair, car seat, baby carrier, or a spouse to accomplish this.
- Insert the nasal spray bottle just in the nasal opening. Spray 1 or two squirts into your baby’s nose. If your baby is laying down, most nasal sprays will stream instead of mist, and this can irritate your baby.
- After a little while, you can use the nasal aspirator. Squeeze the bulb of the aspirator, and then insert the open end of the aspirator just into the nasal opening.
- Release the bulb on the aspirator slowly. This will cause the mucus to be sucked into the aspirator.
- Wipe off the nasal aspirator.
- Repeat the procedure for the other nostril.
You should know that using an aspirator too much can cause some serious irritation to your baby’s nasal passages. You might supplement the use of the aspirator with steam, such as can come from sitting in the bathroom while the shower is running, or using a cool mist vaporizer.