10 Month Old with a Constant Runny Nose

I had the same problem and my son hated nasal aspirators. Then I found the Nosefrida, a Swedish aspirator, mentioned in a blog. I ordered it (even paid overnight shipping - I was desperate!) and I love it! The link is http://www.nosefrida.com/.

I have to warn you - the concept seems really gross, but it works so well. I've told several of my mom friends about it, and they now sing its praises, too. My son still flinches a bit (probably a gut reaction from being poked with the aspirator for so many months!) but it's much easier on both of us and gets so much more mucus out. It gives him such relief. Definitely do saline drops as others suggested and then use the Nosefrida if his mucus is more on the thick side.

Good luck! I really hope the Nosefrida works out for you! :)

What about taking him in the shower with you? I let the bathroom get really steamy and then would take my son in with me. I'd give him tub toys to play with while he sat in the shower with the water barely spraying on him and scrub him up, it helped loosen all that junk up and a lot of it runs down the drain. Be ready to grab tissues when you get out to dry off and wipe away. I still stick him in the shower when he's really bad or at least in a steamy bathroom while he plays in the bath tub that way he usually sneezes a lot of it out and I swipe it with a wash cloth. The steam will really help no matter what.

I use the Bebesounds NasalClear Nasal Aspirator. It's soooooooooo wonderful. My two year old is so used to it now that she hums along with the aspirator. It is at Babies R Us for only $19.99. Here's the write up about it: "Able to play 12 tunes to help distract your child while in use, the NasalClear Nasal Aspirator from BebeSounds quickly, easily, and safely clears your baby's stuffy nose and helps her or him to breath more freely. The aspirator also provides you with suction that is stronger than that of a traditional manual aspirator, yet gentle enough to use safely and comfortably on your newborn."

I find that using a cool mist humidifier at night and during his naps helps. Just Nebulziers (http://justnebulizers.com/humidifiers.html) has some cute ones at pretty reasonable prices. My 22 month old son loves to turn on his before he sleeps. Even though he is obviously still uncomfortable, I find that he also sleeps better with the humidifier...probably because of the soft white noise.

Just try putting a saline solution in his nostrils and let it drain naturally and wipe dry with a tissue. Saline can really loosen up the airways and allow them to drain more thoroughly. GOod luck.

As the other Mom said, sometimes you just have to pin them down and get the job done. You can also try a saline nasal "spray". It basically just helps thin the mucous so it will clear the nose better. It is just a salt water solution so it is safe to use on any age, and if he wiggles and you "squirt" it in his eyes or mouth it's ok. The brand name product has the name Ocean in it, but I have brought the store brands and they work fine too. You can find it anywhere from Walgreens to Target. I hope your little guy feels better soon.

This is such a hard thing to do. Both my children hated that bulb syringe too, but it is a necessary evil. My pediatrician was adamant that I do it and hold them down while doing it. I had two with asthma - the oldest grew out of it, but the youngest we still have problems.

Run a steamy shower and sit in the bathroom while its steamy for about 10 minutes. That will help loosen everything in the nose. Without hesitation I laid mine on the bed and used my knees to hold their arms down (I was often without my husband at home) and suck it out. I didn't sit on them or anything I just immobilized their body. They couldn't fight me while I held them down and it cleared out their nose. Sometimes you just have to do the things they don't like because its best for them.

Good luck!

My 6-month-old has outdoor allergies that cause considerable congestion in her nose after she's been outside. Our pediatrician said that this congestion bothers me more than it bothers her but using a saline nasal spray (the one I used is called Little Noses, I think) will help to loosen the blockage, which hopefully will get her nose to run so you can just gently wipe away the mucus. We also had good luck taking our baby into the warm shower with us and letting the steam loosen her congestion (then wiping is just part of drying off after getting wet).

Sorry to hear about your baby! I have a healthy 12 year old now who had the same issues. I can't help much with the syringe thing but I used 100mg chewable Shaklee vitamine C's. They taste like sweet tarts (candy) and are a natural antihistamine. When she had been outside she would come back in and her nose would run constantly. I could give her one to suck and it would stop! You have to know if your child is able to handle it without choking, they do dissolve rather quickly and she would chew them too. You can't overdose on Vitamin C. Anything the body doesn't need is sluffed off. My mom always gave me 1000mg. pills when I had a cold as a bigger kid and it always helped.

My daughter was the same way when she was a baby. She always had a runny nose and it was clear. By the time she was three she had asthma due to allergies. She is now 8 yrs old and gets allergy shots twice a month. She is much better and the runny nose is gone. You might want to take him to the doctor to find out if he has allergies. I am not sure if they will be able to pin point allergies at this point but it sure does sound like it. I don't know if he is too young for a daily dose of claritin but I know benedryl is just as affective and safe. Good luck!

As long as it is clear and not causing more than a little discomfort, you don't really need to worry about it. What many people don't realize is that 1) when your child is fighting you and crying you are causing more inflammation that narrows his nasal cavities as well as produces more mucous and 2) frequent suctioning by introducing foreign objects into the nasal cavity produces similar effects. Baically the more you suction and the more you upset him, the worse it is going to get. If he cannot breathe, then yes, you should suction him. By fighting, he is probably trying to tell you that his body can handle it and leave him alone. If you absolutley must suction him try to use saline drops so you get as much as possible out. He will let you know when he can't fight it anymore. I know it's hard, but trust him. You will both get thru this!

My advice is to take him to the doctor all that mucus in his sinus cavities can cause a serious sinus infection.

I have a 14mo old and after 8 days of a runny nose took him to see the DR. She said it was common during this time of season and could last up to 14 days. There is no safe medicine to give them at this age. You just have to let it run its course. The cold is contagious so keep him away from other kids, watch to make sure he does not get an ear ache.
My son fights me on the nasal spray and the suction as well, so i usually do not do it, sometimes when he is in his highchair i can sneak it in. I just keep a box of tissue close by. The DR. said i could also use a cold mist humidifier. I give him warm baths using the Johnson and Johnson Vapor bath at night as well. I asked about the Vapor rub and the DR. said it really does not do much. That is it.

This is a hard one...especially when they don't understand how to blow their little noses...I have a two year old and a 9 month old and as much as I hate doing it I have to pin them down on the ground with one leg across them to suction the mucus out. It sounds mean but at the end of the day it's worst when that mucus stays clogged in them and it keeps building. When the 1-2 minutes of crying ends after a good suction I know they feel better and I give them extra hugs and kisses. Good luck, it's hard!

G.,

Have you tried Benadryl or any other antihistamine?. This will dry up all of his secretions and you won't have to fight him at all with the bulb serynge. But, if you don't want to do benadryl, you can also try to treat him to his favorite snack. I know that bribing with food is not the best option, but when all else fails, that's what works for us.

A. H.

It sounds like allergies. I have 6 children and 1 one year old grandson who will be 2 in December. My grandson kept a runny nose. I kept him a lot because my son and his wife were Seniors in college with a newborn baby. Here is how I was able to suction out his nose without me fighting him or him fighting back. I would sit on my bed, put him in between my legs and put my legs on top of his arms(the only thing that is free and that he can move is his legs) You have pretty much pinned him down(he is going to be MAD!!!) but in this position you have total control and it can be over quick with the results you are going in for :). This way you can suction his nose with 2 steady hands and don't have to worry about going in too far and hurting him. Make sure you hold one side of his nostril while suctioning the other this way is more comfortable for him. Using Saline drops a few minutes before will help loosen it before you suction. I assure you this is easier and quicker for the both of you. Let me know how this works out for you

Is the mucous actually interfering with his breathing? If is is draining on its own, I would not bother trying to clear it out. The mucous is there for a purpose - to protect his irritated nasal passages and get the virus out of his body. So unless he is so stopped up that he can't breathe, I would leave well enough alone and just wipe what comes out with a tissue.

If you decide it's necessary to use an aspirator (and I think the electronic ones sound terrific!), I would wrap your little guy in a blanket before you even touch his nose. My daughter was on a feeding tube (which ran through her nose and into her tummy) as an infant, and I had to learn to put those back in whenever she would pull them out (at least every other day!). Let me tell you ... that girl could FIGHT! But we laid her in the center of a receiving blanket, with her head pointed toward one corner. Then, with her arms next to her sides, I'd take one corner and wrap it across her front and tuck it under her body as tightly as I thought she could stand (that's pretty tight). Then I'd wrap the other corner across and tuck it under her, too. Of course, I'd sing and giggle with her while doing this, to keep the focus OFF of the wrapping. Then I'd straddle her feet to hold them still (with my legs) while I did my thing using one hand to hold her head. She still got mad, but she was "contained" enough that I could usually get done quickly. Then I'd unwrap her and tell her what a good girl she was. We'd sing together or have her favorite snack. (and I'd try not to let her see me cry ... it's so hard to have to "pick on" your baby)

My two have noses that run like a fountain. We use Zyrtex about 9 months out of the year. I love that it is 24 hour and it makes a big difference. They say the runny nose bothers you more than the kid, but I can't see letting a baby run around with snot to their upper lip. Have your pedi give you the dosage for your little one. Mine is different than the label. I think they write it low to protect themselves.
My pedi has the most amazing trick to "blow" an infant nose. He wait until they are crying really hard (doesn't take long on that exam table - how do they know?) and then waits for them to take a deep breath in. He then clamps their mouth shut as they are about to wail. All that energy and air goes straight through their nose, and the snot comes flying out. It's unbelievable how much is in there, and the baby has always seemed to notice the relief of pressure! I've never tried it, but have loved having it done at the office. No drips for hours!

Try some saline spray in his nose, you'll have to be quick. There are many brands, we like Little Noses, but any brand will do.

Also, you may want to buy a cool mist humidifier. My kids always do better with a humidifier when they are stuffy.

Good luck! I hope he feels better soon!

I agree with the cool mist humidifier, and the pinning them down. I have to pin my 11 1/2 month old sometimes, but if you have fun with it and say, "I'm gonna get your boogies" sounding silly, he might forget that it's not fun. They sell suction things that are electronic at babies r us for $20. I have yet to get one, but it sounds easier and more effective.
Also, my older daughter had constant runny nose when she was a baby and it turned out that she had infant-asthma. They put on a nebulizer, and that really helped. She outgrew it at the age of two, but if it continues, you may want to talk with your pedi.
Good luck and I hope your little one feels better soon!