Unlock the nose of a toddler, especially in the event of a cold, remains a key gesture to help him breathe better. But between soft methods and more invasive devices, such as the nasal syringe, the opinions of specialists are not the same. To see more clearly, we interviewed Anh-Chi Ton, midwife, and Charlotte Bailly, pediatrician.
Baby fly is never a pleasant moment, but it is essential, especially when he is sick. A blocked nose can hinder his breathing, his sleep or the feeding. To help him breathe better, regular, simple or deeper washing that professionals call rhinopharyngeal desolation, is recommended. But when should it be done, even without a cold? And is the nasal syringe really useful? The midwife Anh-Chi Ton and the pediatrician Charlotte Bailly take stock.
In which case to blow the baby’s nose and at what time of the day?
Baby nose cleaning can “be a routine care To sneeze baby and eliminate nose droppings or dust that clutter it, be a ‘medical’ treatment when it is enrolled and that he has more secretions and mucus in the nostrils or In the case of an otitis, sinusitis when the baby’s nose is really crowded. What will be the most effective in the latter case will be the Rhinopharyngeal (DRP) deobestion“”,, explains anh-chi tone, midwife. Certain moments during the day are moreover more conducive to baby’s fly:
- In the morning, when you wake up, To evacuate the secretions of the night.
- Before meals To allow him to eat more easily. Wait a little after snapping up and try to roet it, so as not to risk making it vomit.
- After the bathbecause humidity fluidifies secretions and your baby will be more relaxed.
- Before sleepingto allow him to have a good night or a good nap.
Should you fly baby even if it is not enroll?
A baby does not need to be enlisted so that he is cleaned up. Indeed, “A newborn baby does not know how to breathe through the mouth, he knows how to breathe that through his nose, but he does not know how to fly on his own when he needs it. He will be able to do it around 18-24 months”, indicates the pediatrician. It is therefore important to clean it well To simply remove dirt, bacteria and accumulated nose droppings.
How many times a day should baby fly?
If washing baby’s nose can relieve it, doing it too often is also likely to attack your nasal mucous membranes and cause obstructions and flows. This is the reason why you have to be moderation. For a simple nose cleaning, “Routine care, you can do it once a day”. On the other hand, “”If baby is enrolledyou have to fly several times a day, 2 to 3 times a day“”specifies the midwife.
What products to use to fly baby?
If your child is less than 6 months old, use Single use physiological serum pods. After 6 months, you can continue to use physiological serum or choose a Baby water -based spray adapted to babies.
After washing your hands well, do several steps to fly the baby’s nose. Small advice, throughout the washing of the nose, talk to your baby gently to reassure him. Dr. Jimmy Mohammed shows it very well in his video Tiktok below.
- Start with Lie baby on the side.
- Gently hold your head on the side To avoid the involuntary passage of serum in its airways. At the beginning and if necessary, do not hesitate to get help to keep it in this position.
- If your newborn is positioned on the right side, Introduce with delicacy the tip of the pod at the entrance to her left nostril (closest to you).
- Press the pod to bring the liquid out and at the same time, close your baby’s mouth so that the serum is evacuated by the other nostril, taking with it the nasal secretions.
- Wait for your child to swallow and wipe their nose with a disposable handkerchief or cotton.
- Repeat this operation for the other nostril using a new pod, and turning your child’s head on the other side.
Can we fly baby with a nasal syringe?
The nasal syringes with a round, silicone tip, are more suitable for the small nostrils of newborns. “”Baby flies with a nasal tip, which take the form of a small syringe, are Useful to more easily clean your baby’s nose From the moment he seated, around 6 months “recommends the pediatrician. “Nasal syringes are also more practices to control the flow and quantity of the injected physiological serum“, Add midwife anh-chi tone.
On the other hand, they should not be used anyway. A collective of laboratories – Gifrer, Gilbert and Unith – met in 2024 to alert on the dangers linked to diverted use of nasal syringes And large bottles of physiological serum, popularized on social networks. Indeed, they recall that the ENT sphere of infants being very sensitive, it requires specific and soft hygiene. The use of 1 -liter serum bottles for example and reusable syringes can present risks for their health: risks of infections and proliferation of bacteria in physiological serum bottles, risk of otitis and overpressure, etc. For the collective, reusable syringes can contain up to 10 ml of serum, 2 to 5 times more than the nasal volume of an infant according to his age. Single use pods offer a safe solution suitable for their small nasal cavity.
Why make a baby DRP?
In medical jargon, the DRPOr Rhinopharyngeal dischargecorresponds to a deep nose washing, also called “nosebath”. “Physiological serum’s pants, but also rhinopharyngeal disobestrctions are very important in disease prevention, but also in treatment of respiratory viruses like bronchiolitis”, underlines Charlotte Bailly, pediatrician.
And for good reason, the nose is covered with a mucous membrane, ideal terrain for microbes, especially in winter or early spring. As the baby’s immune system is still immature, they are more exposed to infections such as colds, rhinopharyngitis or bronchiolitis. Wash their noses regularly helps to breathe better and limits the risk that the infection will descend into the bronchi.
What to do if the physiological serum does not come out by the other nostril?
This can come from a bad position, and in this case, baby may have swallowed a little serum, which is not serious. But if the nostril is too blocked, the liquid can remain blocked. It is then advisable to start the baby’s fly again, by plugging the treated nostril and sleeping on the side to help it best to expel mucus.
