Your guide to clearing your baby's nose
Clearing your little one's nose can seem daunting, but is quite simple – just take care.
Your baby needs to breathe comfortably through their nose or they will be unable to feed or sleep properly. If they have a cold, or nasal mucus dries and forms a plug, you need to clean it. Here's how.
Get the timing right
"The best time is before they feed, to make eating or sucking easier; if you do it straight after a feed, they may vomit," says Dr Mgcini Thwala, a paediatrician at Life Roseacres Hospital in Germiston.
If the mucus is thick or has hardened, a few saline drops will thin and soften it. "You can get this from your pharmacy, or make your own by dissolving half a teaspoon of salt (iodine-free) in a cup of boiling water," says Dr Thwala. Leave it in a clean container to cool.
Lie baby on their back on a changing mat or a bed, or cradle them in your lap, arms pinned gently to their sides, chin tilted up. Apply the saline with a dropper (also from your pharmacy) and wait a while for it to take effect. Then clean out baby's nose. Make a fresh batch each time and don't use it for more than four days in a row or baby's nose may become dry.
Use the right tools
A basic bulb syringe is usually all you need. Squeeze out the air from the bulb, then insert the tip carefully in one nostril, and release the bulb so it vacuums out the mucus. Expel the mucus into a tissue by squeezing the bulb hard. Repeat for the other nostril.
"Wash out the syringe thoroughly, filling it with soapy water then squeezing it out, and finishing with clear water. Replace the syringe every month or so," says Dr Thwala, "depending how often it’s used."
You can also try one of the many nasal aspirators now available, with a long tube and a mouthpiece, or a battery-operated aspirator that relieves you of doing the sucking. Insert the nozzle in your baby's nostril, and use the mouthpiece to gently suction out the mucus – a filter in the tube stops this or any bacteria reaching your mouth.
Again, take the device apart after each use, wash it in soapy water and leave it to air dry before putting it away.
How Clicks Clinics can help you during the flu season
Book an appointment for a flu vaccination at a Clicks Clinic by calling 0860 254 257 or visiting Clicks Clinics online. The good news is that most medical aids now cover the flu vaccination and sometimes even reward members.
Take note that the following people cannot get vaccinated:
- Babies younger than 6 months
- Anyone allergic to eggs
- Anyone who already has a fever
- Anyone who has shown a past reaction to a vaccine