How to Treat Your Baby’s Stuffy Nose
4 min read
Your little one is congested. What should you do?
In a child age 3 or under, this can be a challenge. For starters, it’s not always obvious what’s causing that stuffy nose. Infants and toddlers often catch colds because they are just starting to build up their immunity to common viruses. But there are many other potential causes of congestion.
You’re also limited by the treatments that are OK to use in children younger than 4. You shouldn’t turn to cold medicines for relief. They can be dangerous for infants and toddlers.
Fortunately, there are plenty of safe and effective treatments that you can try.
Before you or your pediatrician can decide on a treatment plan, you need to know what’s causing that stuffy nose. And there are many possible causes.
Nasal congestion happens when blood vessels and tissue in the nasal cavity fill up with too much fluid. It can make it hard to sleep and lead to problems like a sinus infection (sinusitis). Your baby may also have trouble feeding if they are congested.
The color of mucus doesn’t reveal whether it’s a viral or bacterial infection.Â
The cause of congestion could instead be an allergy, which would require a doctor visit and possibly an allergy test. Congestion can even happen if a piece of food or another object gets lodged in your child’s nose. This, too, needs a visit to the emergency room or your pediatrician. Don’t try to remove anything but mucus from your baby’s nose on your own.
Sometimes, congestion may be a sign of a more serious problem. A stuffy nose due to a cold can often be treated with saline drops, time, and some TLC. If there are other symptoms, especially a fever and thick, yellow mucus, call your pediatrician as soon as possible.
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.
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.
