There is nothing fun about Cold and Flu season when it strikes your home, and if you have infants and toddlers who come down with the symptoms, it can lead to days of frustration trying to get a leaky nose under control! A runny nose is a nuisance, and I NEVER want to be the Mommy who lets her babies go around with runny noses or dried up snot on their upper lip. The problem is, until they learn how to blow their nose, there’s not much they can do to help themselves other than wipe it all over their face! Ugh!! And, since you really can’t give them “cold medicine” until they get older, you just have to go through the motions and wait it out. Mind you, a runny nose can also be a symptom of teething that can strike at any time. However, there are some aides beyond chasing them with tissue, that can help to get you corral a runny nose. I’ve tried many of them, so check my list to see my thoughts!
Saline Drops – I keep this on hand to help loosen up any dried up mucous in the nose. The spray doesn’t hurt them and it’s safe for babies, but of course they’re not too happy about having something shoved up their nose. A downside is that it doesn’t help to get out the congestion you can hear when they breathe.
Boogey Wipes – The great thing about these wipes is that they are designed to target the “boogeys,” we are fighting and have saline in them. The wipes are soft and smell nice, they have a selection of scents, but they really can only help with snot on the surface.
NoseFrieda – We learned about the NoseFrieda from our pediatrician. When you first see it and start to comprehend how it works, it may not be appealing, but let me tell you, this thing WORKS! Hands down this is the best tool for removing the mucous that is stuck in baby’s nose. It’s like blowing their nose for them. Sure, sucking the snot out of their nostril with the force of your own mouth’s suction sounds gross – I guess it is if you really think about it, but there is a filter to stop any of the nastiness from entering your mouth, and it’s super easy to clean. The downside (for us), is that the kids HATE it and when we have to do it, I feel like it’s some twisted type of torture! With my older son he is well-aware of it and he will twist, turn, scream and fight to keep it off him..even pulling it apart as we go in for the “suck.” *sigh* If he only could understand we are trying to make him feel better by sucking all the yucky stuff out!
Vapor Bath – I love using Johnson’s “soothing vapor” baby bath. Just pour some in the tub at bath time and let the nose run. You can smell the vapors in the bath and it’s so nice to hear baby breathe deeply after a long, congested day. Keep a wash cloth handy to wipe the snot as it comes out.
Aspirator – This is the traditional nasal aspirator that you more than likely brought home with you when you delivered the baby. This is probably the one your Mom used on you, I know it was for me. These do work and I keep one on hand for emergency situations, but it doesn’t get nearly as much out as the NoseFrieda, adn it’s not as easy to clean. Here’s a tip if you do use it…close off the nostril you are not removing the mucous from, it helps to “maximize” the suction.
Humidifier – A Cool-Mist Humidifier is your best bet. They keep the room cool while helping baby to breathe and get the airways flowing through the night. We chose one that doesn’t require a filter to be changed, and the noise it makes is minimal. You can also find humidifiers with “Vicks” in them.
Vicks – Vicks Baby Rub is another aide you can use to help baby breathe when they are all stuffed up! Just put some on their chest and let the vapors take over. I’ve also heard (and we do this) by rubbing Vicks on the bottom of baby’s feet, it helps to stop coughing at night. I’m not convinced it works, but it sure doesn’t hurt!