Nasal Solution and Suctioning for Babies

A stuffy nose can make babies fussy when they try to sleep or eat. Saline nose drops and suction can help your child sleep and eat better. Suction your baby’s nose as needed and before feedings. You may also need to suction your baby’s mouth. Suctioning just after your baby has been fed may cause your baby to throw up.

Hold your baby in your arm at an angle with the head up. Cover the baby’s outside hand with your forearm and hold the inside hand with your same hand. This will limit the movement of the baby’s hands and head. This will make it easier to suction with the bulb syringe.
Or you may lay your baby on his or her side on a changing table. This will allow you to hold the baby’s hands with one hand while you use your other hand to suction.

Saline Drops and Suctioning:

If the baby’s mouth needs suction as well as the nose, always start with the mouth.
Squeeze the air out of the bulb before you insert it into the nostril or mouth.
Gently place the tip of the bulb in the mouth or nostril, whichever needs to be suctioned. If you are doing a nostril, place a few drop of saline into the nostril first and hold the other nostril shut to create a vacuum.
Let the air come back into the bulb. The suction will pull the mucus out into the bulb. If the mucus is too thick, add a few additional drops of saline and repeat.
Squeeze mucus out of the bulb onto a tissue.
Gently wipe off the mucus around the nose with tissues to prevent skin irritation.
Put a few drops of saline in each nostril after suctioning to help lubricate the airway and prevent irritation
Wash the bulb syringe with soapy water. Squeeze the bulb out several times to clean out the mucus. Rinse well with clear water.