Health tip: Ease baby’s stuffy nose
April 28th, 2011
(HealthDay News) — Easing a sniffly baby’s stuffy nose can make both baby and parents feel better.
The ADAM Encyclopedia suggests how to help reduce nasal congestion in babies:
- With the baby lying on the back and a towel rolled up beneath the shoulders, place two-to-three drops of a saline solution into the nose before rolling baby onto the stomach.
- Use a nasal suction bulb, sometimes called an aspirator, to suck mucus from baby’s nose. Follow the product’s directions carefully.
- Elevate the head of baby’s crib.
- Get baby to drink a lot of fluids, so breast-feed or offer formula frequently.
- Use a cool-mist vaporizer. But don’t let the room get too humid, and remember to disinfect the vaporizer daily.
- Before bedtime, run a hot shower and take baby into the steamy bathroom to help break up congestion. Never put baby in the hot shower.
- Don’t use cough-and-cold medicines or nasal sprays in children younger than 2.
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