A stuffy nose can often mean one cranky baby and a worried parent, especially if its a newborn who only knows how to breathe with his nostrils. That’s why unblocking baby’s nose is crucial. While there are several methods to unblock a stuffy nose, this mum’s home remedy for baby blocked nose has left the medics and parents divided.
Some believe her trick is perfect to get all that goop out of the baby’s nose, while others believe it can be fatal if done wrong.
The “home remedy for baby blocked nose” video that was shared on Facebook last November has now gone viral. In this DIY technique, the new mum is seen injecting a syringe filled with salt water into her adorable daughter’s nostril.
Home remedy for baby blocked nose: This DIY trick by a new mum goes viral
Distracting her little one with the camera, mum instructs her baby to keep her mouth open at all times. She then places the syringe inside the blocked nostril and presses the salt water inside.
Within a second, the other nostril shoots out snot that was blocking her nose. Take a look at the video to see how unblocking baby’s nose works perfectly for this mum.
Soon after the video went viral, it received mixed reviews from parents and medics alike. Some said they used this method of unblocking baby’s nose, and it worked well. Others said that it was dangerous and caused them more problems.
www.facebook.com/anedia.amazing/videos/1850556458305100/?hc_ref=ARR4SX4mRc1hC8DKUlWczBUJGYFIy-dcJcbaVZ7BOzGzA-vobLT_diKwMFu9o5jXYvE</p>
<h2>Viewers divided on DIY trick for unblocking baby's nose
While one user Josh Griffin said, “That’s a bottle of sterile saline she’s using, a special syringe, she’s holding the child’s mouth open to prevent aspiration, and squirting the solution exactly when the child exhales, also to prevent aspiration. Please don’t just put table salt in tap water and shoot it in your kids’ noses with their Tylenol syringe. It can lead to dry drowning or aspiration pneumonia.”
Another user and mum Debbie Kieffer wrote, “Yes it’s safe! I had to do this to my adult son. He could not breathe nor sleep for days. Doctor kept giving him Meds that didn’t work. I told him he would hate me for what I was about to do. On the 3rd squirt this disgusting chunk of yuck came out and he could breathe again. He took a hot shower and his nose was running clear. He put Vick’s under his nose and slept for 2 Days.”
Respiratory therapist Terry Keefer Driscoll wrote that while this method works, it must be done keeping the child’s temperament in mind. “As a respiratory therapist, this is the bomb! Although most kids may not be so cooperative and may require some sort of containment system,” she wrote.
Australian user Jeanette Martin wrote, “Be very careful doing anything like this on a child without Maternal Health or GP instructions. Too much salt can burn the delicate membranes in noses and throats of young children.”
While mum Chasity Lee Price seemed against it. “I am not going to down this practice because I know many people that swear by it. However it may vary from person to person…I went for about 3 years using the method because it did work so well. But I would end up with 3-4 ear infections each winter, never having had ear infections in the past. At one point, my 3 year old (at the time) got so clogged up he couldn’t breathe. We used the method with him. It did clear his nose and he didn’t even mind it but within 15 minutes he was complaining of pain in his ear. After this I stopped using it thinking maybe our “tubes” are different than the norm…,” she wrote.
This home remedy for baby blocked nose may have left people divided, but if your baby has stuffy nose and you want to try some DIY, here’s are a few doctor recommended ways.
Home remedy for baby blocked nose: Just use the safe ones. Image source: Pinterest
Home remedy for baby blocked nose: Tried and tested methods you can use
- Saline nasal spray. You can purchase a saline nasal spray. This can be used on infants, babies as well as toddlers. Lay the baby (tilt the head back) and put two to three drops of the saline solution into each nostril. If it comes out, don’t worry. Just wipe it away.
- Bulb syringe. A bulb syringe or a nasal aspirator is also quite helpful to unblock a stuffy nose. Lay the baby back as before. Now, squeeze the bulb and take out all the air, Gently, place the tip into one nostril and release the bulb as it sucks in all the mucus. Repeat the process in the other nostril.
- Steam up the room. Preferably the bathroom. Simply run a hot shower in your bathroom and when it turns steamy, you can sit with him for a few minutes to release the stuffiness and loosen up the mucus.
- Cool air humidifier. During colder days you might switch on the heat in your apartment. That sucks out any moisture in the air and makes the room dry and hot. This can make your baby’s nose stuffy. So run a cool air humidifier to bring that moisture back and loosen the mucus.
- Elevate his head. You cannot place a pillow under your baby’s head because of the risk of SIDS. But you can add a towel under his head and elevate it so he can breathe better.
If you are unsure of any of these methods of unblocking baby’s nose – or if you have tried them all and your bub still has a stuffy nose – rush to your doctor for a consultation.
ALSO READ: Your child’s blocked nose: what you need to know