Son Has a Very Congested Nose - How Can I Clear It Out?

I went through this a few times, this was my best solution: sit in the bathroom with him with the door closed and the shower running as hot as possible. Stay there and let him breathe in the steam for 10 minutes or so, then take him out and use the green bulb again. The steam will loosen things up in his sinuses, and you'll get more out with the bulb. Good luck!

Get a saline spray like "Ocean Nasal Spray". he'll hate it but it will help get stuff moist and moving in there.

Try "Little Noses" saline drops. I have to be honest and say i don't know how they are different than the saline drops for everyone else, but they do seem to work. If you son is anything like mine, he will hate them, but they will help unclog him.
Good luck!
-Sarah

We too use saline nose spray (little noses) for our daughter and then suck the yuckies out with a battery powered nasal aspirator. It works wonders and is a lot easier than trying to use the one from the hospital. I got ours at Babies R Us for $20. It's by BeBe Sounds. I believe they have some at Longs, Rite Aid and Walgreens as well. I hope your son feels better soon.

Yes, as most people have already mentioned...a few saline drops will help clear his congestion. You should also invest in a warm mist humidifier. This was recommended by my son's pediatrician and we turn it on in his room and also move it into the living room where he plays during the day. The humidity from it has really helped relieve his congestion.

Hi L.,
A humidifier in his room will help his congestion. Also, there is a baby Vicks that you can put on him at night to help open up his airways.
He could be showing early signs of allergies...
good luck,
-M. R.

Hi L.,

Steamy shower, plug ins, humidifier (if his room is small enough for the humidifier to work - it should feel moist when you walk into his room - keep the door closed and run it constantly, not just while he's in bed).

My dad's trick, which ALWAYS worked with my kids - splash water up his nose either at the sink or in the bathtub, it makes them sneeze and expel the gunk. My daughter is five and will ask for saline spray to get the stuff out of her nose.

Good luck. It's so frustrating to not be able to "fix" every problem for our little ones.

My Dr suggested (which worked for us) to get some Saline (Little Noses, we used) and spray that on a Q-tip and start swipe that around in his nose. She did in on one nostril in the office and our daughter didn't seem to mind too much. And by the 3rd time or so, she didn't mind at all - and she was MUCH clearer.. That little bobber thing is horrible.. You can also spray some of the saline up his nose, it helps clear more out (just have him sit up!) and the swab around some more with the Q-tip (who knew that's what those were for!).

Good Luck.

Use Saline spray and flush his nose out before you use the bulb syringe. you can get saline spray for babies at the local drug store.

Early morning air or night air clears the nasal passages. Recently my daughters nose was so stuffy she couldn't sleep so I bundled her up and sat outside on the porch with her. In about 15 min she was out cold. I also elevated her mattress 6 inches by rolling up a towel and putting it under it. (she is 6 months.)Run a humidifier and standing in a bathroom with lots of steam by running the shower helps. Your hair will be a mess, but he will be comfortable. Good luck

Try putting a little saline solution up his nose, they have some made for kids called Little Noses, if you put a few drops up his nose it helps to not only loosen the stuffiness, but it helps to keep his nasal passages wet.

Hope that helps.

Oh and if it is that he's stuffed up, be prepared that about 15 after putting it in his nose, it will start to drain. keep some kleenex close.

Good luck
K.

I use a nasal irrigation system for myself (Neilmed), and you can find similar ones for kids/babies. Buy some baby nasal saline solution and try it. He won't like it at first, but do the best you can to keep it up. It's the most natural way to keep nasal passages clean.

Have you tried vicks rub for babies? This works really well. If you are worried about putting it right on his skin, rub it on a onesie or undershit and then put something else over it. A humidifier also works really well at night. Good luck!

be careful not to suck out the nose to much, the tissue can get irritated and make him more stuffy. it is best to do as others have said using saline and/or steam to loosen it and then suck it out.
congrats and good luck,
C.

you can try saline solution spray for noses, found at any drug store, squirt a couple of spays in each nostril, he will fight it but keep trying or have your husband or friend help to hold him. Tip him partially upside down to get the solution deep in the sinuses to help break up the congestion. Wait 2 minutes and then use the sucker ball to hopefully suck out the loosened up phlem.
You may need to try it a couple of times
Good Luck

Run hot water in the shower to make the bathroom nice and steamy. Go in with your little stuffed up one and sit for 10 minutes or so (peel down clothing layers to make sure he doesn't get too warm). After that, turn water down to baby comfortable temperature and bring him in the shower with you. Make sure to wet his face a few times (but have a dry wash rag on hand to dry his eyes.) Dry off and wait a few minutes, then use the nose-sucker. (Don't wait too long to suck the nose out, or everything will dry up again and you will have to start at square one.)

What my doctor recommended was buying Little Noses nasal spray, squirtting it twice into each nostril, waiting for it to settle, then suctioning. I do not use the traditional bulb syringe. They have white aspirators in the baby aisle at the grocery store or drug store. It is white with a clear tip that comes off. I have done this with both of my children and it was the best thing I could do--especially when they were really little and had trouble nursing with a stuffed nose. Best luck and I hope your little guy feels better soon!

Saline drops in the nose then you should be able to get out all the snot you want. Also humidifier helps loosen things or hold him in a steaming shower room, like when you take your shower. If your little guy doesn't move too much in his sleep you can also elevate the head end of his mattress to help with congestion while sleeping. I have a 5 month old who just went through this. She HATED the saline drops in her nose, so I stopped fighting her. The nurse told me she will cough everything up, but in the meantime it will sound worse than it is. Just remember to keep fluids! It scared me, but your lil guy will fight it off like a champ!

Saline nasal spray and a pump specially before bed... also put his matress on an incline!!! Buy a cool water humidifier to put in his room (but away from baby's body)... and you can always purchase Hyland's homeopathy for infants on line!!! Just Google it!! (lots of sunhine so he can get his natural Vitamin D!!!)

Love, G.. :0)
http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/

"I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God had some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin." ~ Jerry Newport

Run a hot shower and close the bathroom door. Use saline drops/spray (depending on what label says to do at this age) and then take your baby into the steamy bathroom, close the door, and stay in the steam for 15 minutes. Then try the bulb syringe. Now this next suggestion is completely disgusting, and I could never bring myself to do this, but I know someone else who did. She put her mouth on her child's nose and sucked the snot out of it (and spat it out). She said her mom and grandma used to do this to her and her siblings when they were babies and that it worked really well. I never got desperate enough to try this, but... blech!

We used to run the shower as hot as possible and stand in the steamy bathroom with our baby and then use the bulb on her nose. we also used little noses, but I cant remember what the age is on it...

My friend swears by the Nosefrida nasal aspirator, which is noninvasive -- unlike the bulb syringe, which my daughter absolutely hates. I plan to get one before the next cold hits!

We use saline drops, Vicks baby rub and a cool mist humidifier for our girls. Good luck.

try using he saline solution first to make it nice and wet up there... could be allergies... dust? mold? I have fall allergies and they are more rare... but they do exist.

I hear your frustration as both my son's were and are stuffed up at night mostly. I use the Tylenol nose drops that are new. They work great. I just spray one side and my 4 month old is clear. I don't suck it out as my dr instructed me unless he has lots of junk backed up. I also use vick's cream vapor rub on his back at night right before i put his jammies on. That way he can't touch it if on his chest and get it in his eyes or mouth. The back is the safest place but it really clears him up. Good luck

SAHM, 39, with a super active funny 3 year old son and a 4 month old aon who is full of smiles and bubbles.

Hi L.:

The fuzzy fibers from "some" blankets would stuff up my kid's noses. I would put something like the fabric of a pillow case folded over the blanket by my babies face so that he or she wouldn't breathe in those fuzzy fibers.

Sometimes I would also wet it "a tad" to moisturize it from the air being too dry.

It could be a myriad of other stuff but this particular thing was the main culprit for my babies. When I took away those "particular" fuzzy blankets they would breathe easier.

Good luck.

Hi L. ~
Besides the saline solution, make sure that he drinks plenty of water. Even if it's just a couple of ounces a day. The formula he's taking has water, but it still causes congestion. Regular water will wash all of that out. He won't go hungry if you give him a couple of ounces of water a day. Good luck!

When my son was stuffy the doctor told me to use a humidifier in his room at night, and alos to place some folded blankets underneath his crib mattress to elevate his head slightly. Seemed to work for us!

I didn't read all of your previous responses, but I noticed that pretty much everyone recommended saline spray. Just a note that saline is just salted water. You can make this at home which is much cheaper. The other benefit is that you can make it with warm water so it is more comfortable for your baby and more effective at clearing his nose. Just mix warm water with a little salt and use the 'green bobber' to squirt it up each nostril. It really loosens up the gunk and you'll be amazed at how much comes out over the following 10 mins or so. Saline is completely safe to use multiple times during the day and night.
On a related note, once you get him draining, his nose may get a little irritated/red from all wiping. Just put a little vasaline around his nose to protect it. Works like a charm!

Try using a humidifier and salin drops in his nose. My daughter at 2 weeks was like that and that is what I did. It helped her.

If you are running a heater or fire place these days, it will dry out the air. I had this problem with my daughter when she was a baby and every year would do this and then it would turn into broncitis and even pneumonia (spellings?) Her doctor said to keep a cool humidifier running during the months that we run heat and it has worked ever since. See is now 10 and we have never had a problem. Hope this helps you and good luck.

When my son was a baby and had a bad cold, the doctor told me to squirt Ocean Nasal spray into his nose to loosen the snot and then use the bulb syringe to suck it out. It worked really well. Also if you can put a humidifier in his room at night and angle his mattress slightly it will help his nose to drain. I used a rolled up towel under the head of the mattress to raise it. Good luck. Having a miserable little one is no fun.

Johnson's makes a menthol vapor bath that works great to clear my kids out. It can be hard to find, but I just bought some more at walmart last week. We are also big supporters of the humidifiers at night and when my kids were stuffy we put a pillow under the head of their mattress to elevate them a bit while sleeping. They didn't always stay there, but it did help them to fall asleep better.

Is he drinking / eating dairy products? If so, dairy builds excess mucous in the body. You could try eliminating it for a week or two and notice if there is improvement.

Hi L.,
My 8 month old has the same issue right now, and I have found that Little Remidies Salene Drops work really well. I put two drops in each side and then "suck" it out with the bulb thingy. Hope this helps and good luck.

I'm going through this right now with my daughter. The best thing I've found so far is to use a humidifier at night and at naps, steamy bathroom during bath time and bring the baby in the bathroom during your own shower for more steam. Also, what one of the other moms said which is to use the saline nose drops. Put some drops in, wait a few minutes and suction with the aspirator.
Other things to try, a pillow under the crib mattress to put it on a slight incline or wherever he sleeps, and sometimes napping in the carseat or at least a more upright position (like in a boppy) helps the drainage go down the throat instead of come out of his nose.
Good Luck!

Little Remedies makes a Stuffy Nose Kit that you might try. It contains saline drops and a nose aspirator with a soft angle tip. I use them with my 8 month old and it seems to help. He fights it every step of the way, but even if I can get a few of the saline drops into his nose, it helps to soften the mucus so he can move it out more easily on his own, or with the nose aspirator. I usually notice an improvement about 10-20 minutes after use. Plus, you can use it as often as needed. Good Luck!

Hi,

I am a mom of two beautiful girls- ages 5 months and 21 months. When I first tried the aspirator (green bobber) I couldn't get anything out and my daughter hated it! Then I was shown how to do it correctly- squuez it first, away from your son, hold one nostril closed while inserting and sucking out the other nostril, then do the same on the other side. I have also used the saline drops when they are congested but their nose is too dry to suck anything out. Maybe you are already doing this, but it took someone else clueing me into it to do it right =)
One more suggestion- cool mist humidifiers work wonders on my daughters when they have a stuffy nose. We put it right next to the head of their bed/cradle and leave it on at night or for naps, as well as elevating their mattress with pillows underneath (takes away the risk of suffucation if the pillow or blanket is under the mattress, not under their heads).
Good luck! It is always hard to see our babies suffer with illnesses!

W.

use saline drops everyday, it's safe & helps prevents colds. Taking steamy showers before bed help out a lot too! u can also use the vicks hot humidifier. There's also waterless vapors, u plug it and the aroma helps to keep nasal passage open. If it's not working he will have to sleep upright, in a swing or carseat. It really works to have them sleep upright. when he gets much older than he can try a pillow. good luck

I wanted to add that you can put Vick's or some other menthol rub on the bottom of your son's feet. Make sure you put socks on him, but it should at least help!