After using saline nasal drops and waiting for the allotted amount of time, a suction bulb should be used to remove mucus from each of the nostrils. Make the air more humid. Running a humidifier with cool water in your baby’s room can help relieve congestion in the nose.
Your child is suffering from a stuffy nose. What is it that you ought to do?
This can be difficult to manage in children younger than 3 years old. To begin, it is not always easy to determine what is causing that stuffy nose. Because they are just beginning to build up their immunity to common viruses, infants and toddlers are particularly susceptible to catching colds. However, there are a great number of additional possible causes of congestion.
You are also restricted in your treatment options because it is not safe to administer certain medications to children under the age of 4. You won’t feel better if you take over-the-counter cold medication. They pose a threat to the health and safety of newborns and toddlers.
You are in luck because there are a lot of treatments available to you that are both secure and efficient.
The First Step
First things first: you and your pediatrician need to figure out what’s causing that stuffy nose before you can settle on a treatment strategy. And there are a wide variety of possible explanations.
When there is an excess of fluid in the nasal cavity, blood vessels and tissue can become swollen, which can lead to congestion in the nose. It may make it difficult to fall or stay asleep, and it may also lead to problems such as a sinus infection (sinusitis). If your infant is congested, they may also have difficulty eating.
There is no correlation between the color of mucus and the cause of an infection, whether it be bacterial or viral.
A visit to the doctor and possibly an allergy test are going to be necessary in order to determine whether or not allergies are to blame for the congestion or not. Even if a piece of food or another object becomes stuck in your child’s nose, it is possible for them to develop congestion. A trip to the emergency room or to your pediatrician is required in this case, as well. Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to remove anything other than mucus from your infant’s nose on your own.
Congestion is a common nuisance, but it can also be an indicator of more serious issues. The common cold commonly causes a stuffy nose, which can be treated with saline drops, some time, and some TLC. In the event that there are additional symptoms, including but not limited to fever and thick, yellow mucus, you should contact your pediatrician as soon as possible.
Safe Treatments
One of the safest and most effective ways to help clear a baby’s congestion is with a saline (salt water) spray or nose drops. These products are available without a prescription.
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If you use drops, place two drops in each nostril to loosen the mucus inside. Then use a suction bulb immediately afterward to withdraw the saline and mucus. You can place a rolled up towel under your baby’s shoulders so you can gently tilt the head back a little to make sure the drops get up into the nose.
Squeeze the bulb before you place it in the nose. That way, when you release the bulb, it will pull out mucus from inside. If you squeeze when the bulb is already inside a nostril, it will give off a puff of air that could push the mucus farther into the nasal cavity.
Squeeze out any mucus inside the bulb onto a tissue.
Do this about 15 minutes or so before you feed your child and before bedtime. This will help your baby breathe more easily when they nurse, take a bottle, or go down to sleep.
Some saline solutions also contain medicine. Avoid these. Plain saline drops or sprays will work fine. Just make sure to wash and dry the suction bulb after each use.
Steamy Solutions
There are other ways to moisten the nasal passages.
A vaporizer or humidifier that releases a cool mist into the room is usually safe, as long as you keep it out of your baby’s reach. Place it close enough so that the mist reaches your baby while they sleep, or while you’re in the room together snuggling or playing.
To avoid mold and bacteria growth, change the water every day, and clean and dry the vaporizer, according to the machine’s instructions.
You may also try this tried-and-true solution: Take your baby into the shower. Let your shower and bathroom get nice and steamy while you hold your baby close for a few minutes. This can help to clear your baby’s head before bedtime.
Don’t use hot water in a humidifier, since it can cause burns.
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3 More Tips
Follow some of these other steps to help clear up your baby’s stuffy nose:
- Place a pillow under the mattress so there’s a slight angle with your child’s head higher than the feet. That may help drain mucus out of the sinuses. If your child is still a baby in a crib, don’t do this. You should keep pillows and other things out of their sleeping area to lower the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Most pediatricians recommend doing so until your child is 2 years old.
- Encourage your child to drink more water. Fluids help thin mucus, but don’t force it. Even if your child just sips some more water throughout the day, that will help.
- If your little one is old enough, teach them to blow their nose. To show them how, exhale through your own nose. Place a tissue by your nostrils so your baby can see the air move the tissue as you exhale. Ask them to blow into a tissue the same way.
How Long Does Runny Nose Last In Babies?
It is not a sinus infection even if your child experiences a green or yellow runny nose in the first three to four days of a cold. This is because the mucus has been trapped in the nose for such a long time. This typically disappears within seven to ten days, and the fever typically subsides within two to three days after that.
Best Sleeping Position For Baby With Stuffy Nose
Babies are more comfortable when they are held in an upright position. It clears up stuffy noses and nasal congestion, making it easier to breathe, which in turn promotes restful sleep by relieving the symptoms of insomnia.
Help your little patient have a good night’s sleep so you can all wake up feeling refreshed. Restless nights made worse by your baby sleeping with a cold? If you’re wondering the best ways for how to help a baby sleep with a cold, then look no further! Find your go-to home remedy for cold in babies.
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When your child catches a cold it can be miserable for the whole family. Not only will they probably need a few days off school, but sleeping with a cold will be difficult too thanks to their stuffy nose, coughing and fever. This leaves them feeling overtired and fractious – and you won’t exactly feel on top of the world either!
As well as enabling the family to function like human beings, a good night’s sleep is important when treating a cold, giving the body time to fight germs and get your child on the road to recovery – otherwise that common cold could end up lasting for weeks.
With this in mind, we’ve listed the best things you can do to help your little patient sleep soundly through the night when they’ve got a serious case of the sniffles.
Tips on how to help baby sleep with a cold
1. Give them a lift
For a baby sleeping with a cold, use extra pillows to raise their head and shoulders as this will help the congestion drain down. For infants DO NOT use pillows. Instead, raise one end of the cot with something solid, like wooden wedges, making sure the cot is stable. This is the best sleeping position for baby with cold.
2. Make them a nightcap
A well-known home remedy for cold in babies depending on if they’re old enough, is to make them a warm drink before bedtime, such as honey and lemon to soothe a sore throat. It is a very effective method for how to help baby sleep with a cold!
3. Breathe easy
To help clear their congestion, rub a medicated vapour ointment on their chest and put a few drops of eucalyptus oil on their pillow or a handkerchief. This is guaranteed to help babies sleep with a cold at night. A saltwater nasal spray or nasal drops can clear noses for children under two.
4. Keep cool
It might feel counterintuitive if they’re suffering from a cold, but body temperatures spike at night, so make sure their room is cool and well ventilated. Layer their bed with a sheet and a duvet or blanket so they can snuggle up to start with and then sleep with just the sheet later if they get too hot.
5. Avoid night fever
One of the most important things to do for how to help baby with cold at night is to prevent a high fever and ease aches and pains with an anti-pyretic medicine (eg paracetamol, ibuprofen…). Speak to your pharmacist about suitable products for your child and always read the label.
More home remedies for cold in babies
Of course there are at least 12 more hours in the day when you can help your little one beat their sneezes and sniffles. Here’s what you can do…
1. Let them rest
There’s no denying many children try to blag a duvet day when they feel perfectly fine (tip: watch out for radiator marks on your child’s suddenly hot forehead!). But if they really are showing signs of a cold – sore throat, nasal congestion, sneezing, runny nose and watery eyes – it’s a good idea to let them rest to nip it in the bud before it takes hold.
If you’re still not sure, see our article When is your child sick enough to miss school?
2. Be prepared
A cold can come on quickly, so be sure to keep your medicine cabinet stocked with cough medicine and decongestants so you’re not stuck if you can’t get to an open pharmacy. Always read the label and check the use-by dates before administering.
3. Clean up
Stop the spread of the cold virus by throwing away dirty tissues. Also wipe down kitchen surfaces and door handles with an anti-bacterial cleaner, such as Flash Anti-Bac Plus.
4. Keep them hydrated
The body loses a lot of fluids during a cold so it’s important to keep them hydrated during the day. Good choices for children are water, juice, diluted squash, lollies and soups.
5. Prevention is better than cure
Keep your little one’s immune system in good working order by feeding them foods rich in nutrients and vitamins – vitamin C in particular helps boost cold-fighting power. See our article Five foods to keep colds at bay for inspiration.
To supplement this, children aged four and over can take a multivitamin to keep them healthy and strong all year round. Nature’s Best, for example, offer a range of junior and teenage multivitamins.