Baby with a stuffy nose is a common situation that brings a lot of discomfort, both for parents and for the little ones. It interferes with feeding, sleep time, breathing, and especially breastfeeding, which is very concerning.
Many parents have difficulty dealing with this, and although the situation is not dangerous, most of the time it is a major inconvenience in the baby’s daily routine. There are some measures that can be taken to prevent and relieve the baby’s stuffy nose, many of which are natural and do not require medication, such as nasal irrigation.
What Causes a Stuffy Nose in Babies?
Many things can cause a baby’s nose to get stuffy, such as dry and cold weather. During these times, the chances of a baby having a stuffy nose increase significantly.
Remember that after a bath, it’s always good to dry and change the baby quickly, avoiding leaving them without clothes for too long, especially in places with drafts and different temperatures. These temperature changes should be avoided, as they can cause colds and the flu1.
Closed and dusty places can also end up causing a stuffy nose, so it is always important to keep the places your baby stays clean and sanitized. It’s also good to avoid closed places with air conditioning or heaters, as they dry out the air and can make the baby’s nose get stuffy.
How to Relieve the Baby’s Stuffy Nose?
It’s important to clean the baby’s nose before putting them down to sleep or breastfeed, in order to relieve the sensation of a stuffy nose. And be careful: to perform a nasal rinse, water should not be used, as it may irritate the baby’s nasal cavity.
The ideal is to use saline solution2, applied inside the nose with a dropper or a syringe, always using the saline generously. Put it in little by little with the baby’s head slightly tilted back. The excess will automatically come out through the other nostril.
How to Use a Nasal Aspirator?
Before using the nasal aspirator for the baby’s stuffy nose, you need to make sure to remove all the air from it by squeezing the bulb. Once the air is out, just carefully position it inside the nostril and release the bulb, creating a vacuum that will suck out the fluids from the nose. Electric aspirators can also be used, which serve the same purpose as the bulb-shaped ones, but tend to be more expensive.
Do Warm Baths Work?
Giving the baby a warm bath and making sure the bathroom is steamy is one of the most used ways to unclog and relieve a stuffy nose in babies. The steam helps to loosen nasal secretions and also soothes them. It’s like a steam inhalation, just with vapor.
Letting the baby sleep slightly elevated
Another way to help relieve the baby’s stuffy nose is to have them sleep slightly elevated. This can be done by placing a pillow under the crib mattress, for example, which helps prevent the buildup of nasal secretions and allows the baby to sleep better.
What NOT to Do to Try to Relieve Baby’s Stuffy Nose
Some things that work for adults and children do not have the same effect on babies. In fact, they can often even be harmful to the child’s health. So it’s important to be careful not to do anything that could make the situation worse.
Giving medicine to the baby
A stuffy nose may make a mother think the baby has a cold, but you should never give cold medicine to a baby.
Many of these medicines can be harmful to babies under 2 years old. If you think your baby’s stuffy nose is due to a cold, take them to the pediatrician and only give medicine prescribed by the doctor, to avoid any problems3.
Trying to get the baby to blow their nose
As normal as it is for adults and children, babies aren’t able to blow their noses yet. So, it’s not recommended because it could hurt the baby. The best way is really to do a nasal rinse with plenty of saline solution.
Many parents believe that nasal rinsing is only necessary when the baby has a stuffy nose, but that’s not true. To really relieve a baby’s stuffy nose, the rinsing should be done every day and several times a day, with some special care.
When the baby isn’t sick, the cleaning can be done during bathing because the fluids are softer and easier to clean. Then, to help remove the secretions, it’s good to use cotton balls.
See Also: Inhalation – Everything You Need to Know
Photo: robertofoto
