It is quiet disheartening and painful situation for parents to see their baby struggling with congestion. It becomes very difficult for the baby to breath, feed or sleep when the nasal passage is blocked with mucus. The lining in the nose produces slightly thick fluid like material called mucus. It helps to moisten the air which enters from the nose into the lungs.
Congestion occurs when there is excess of mucus production in the nose. As baby is not able to remove the dried mucus, it can block nasal passages partially or completely. This leads to baby congestion. Excess nasal mucus is produced when mucus membrane in the nose is irritated. This can happen due to unfriendly external environmental factors such as smoke, dust, strong smell of perfume etc.
How To Help The Baby With Nasal Congestion?
Excess mucus in nose also results from viral infection. Stuffy nose becomes a breeding ground for bacteria leading to secondary infections in the ear. Helping the baby suffering from nasal congestion will not only make him feel better, but at the same time help him to recover fast.
- Avoid exposure to allergy causing substances such as smoke, perfumes and sprays, and strong smelling products.
- Use vaporizer in the baby’s room. It keeps the air humid and protects further nasal dryness.
- You can also try this trick. Run hot shower or tap water in the bathroom. Let the steam accumulate in the bathroom. Now take your baby inside for few minutes. The inhalation of steam will help to relieve baby’s nasal congestion.
- Thirty minutes after steam inhalation, try nasal suction to remove the mucus from the nose. But do not strain a lot as you may irritate the nose which may produce more mucus. Make sure you do not use suction 30 minutes before feeding or before the baby sleeps.
- Do not use antihistamines as in most cases they produce mild drowsiness.
- To drain the secretions easily, elevate the side of bed where the child rests his head.
Beside the above methods, there are many home remedies that you can try to relieve congestion.
Home Remedies For Baby Nasal Congestion Relief
- Nursing mothers should avoid drinking alcohol, caffeine, colas, coffee and chewing or smoking tobacco.
- Saline nasal drops are effective to loosen the dried mucus from the nose. The drops are available over the counter. You can also prepare them at your home. To prepare fresh saline drops, add 1/4th tsp of salt in a cup of water. Once dissolved, the natural nasal drops are ready to be instilled into the nose. Put one or two drops in one nostril at a time. After few minutes try instilling in other nostril.
- Apply Vick’s vaporub on the nose. It contains eucalyptus, and lavender besides many herbs that are useful for relieving nasal congestion. It can also be applied on the chest area.
- Change the baby care products which have artificial fragrances. Replace them with natural products for baby care that does not smell. Also wash the bedding and change the bedding cloth daily. It is necessary to prevent airborne irritants from affecting the nasal passage and excess mucus production.