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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think it's not that hard to wipe a child's nose?

39 replies

TerraNovice · 07/01/2015 13:14

I know it's winter and I know it's cold season but really - the amount of babies and toddlers I see with dried-up snot encrusted all over their faces! It's isnt just a runny nose that's dried, it's literally all over their faces in some cases. Surely it isn't that hard to take a baby wipe and clean their face?

Yes, perhaps IABU but it's one of my pet peeves!

OP posts:

Aherdofmims · 07/01/2015 13:16

YANBU. Not much you can do about it though unless your child!

SaucyJack · 07/01/2015 13:16

According to my ten month old, nose-wiping is the hardest and most traumatic thing in the whole world. She says YABU.

Faffyduck · 07/01/2015 13:19

Depends how much of a tantrum you will cause by doing so... Mine has ear piercing blood curdling screaming tantrums if I do. So I won't do it hundreds of times a day - just a few

I just let it go if it's more hassle than it's worth.

Of course I don't send him to anywhere/Anyone looking like this but if he is just sitting in his buggy and will not be clambering over anyone then before the bus ride home for example - sod it

Bellerina2 · 07/01/2015 13:20

YANBU. DS and I were once sat next to a mum with her toddler on the bus and the kid literally had what looked like a whole days worth of snot encrusted all over his face. Now I can understand not being able to wipe when you're out and about outside but surely once you get indoors a quick once over with a baby wipe can't hurt?

MrsCurrent · 07/01/2015 13:21

I had this snotty grotty baby with ds2, you can't wipe it all the time, you can only try to spot it in time but it takes seconds for them to wipe it up their face/in their hair/ down their clothes with one super sneeze. My son's poor little nose and top lip was red raw from the wiping. However I do still agree with you, it is grim.

Frusso · 07/01/2015 13:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

seaoflove · 07/01/2015 13:29

No, it's not hard. They often scream and struggle like you're trying to kill them, but it only takes a couple of seconds.

LadyLuck10 · 07/01/2015 13:30

Yanbu,

Cariad007 · 07/01/2015 13:41

Hah, I was at music class with DS this morning and thought the very same thing, as the baby next to him had dried snot smeared over his face. YANBU!

RachelWatts · 07/01/2015 13:48

DS2 hates having his nose wiped, and if he sees me with a tissue in my hand he takes off running!

I can only properly wipe his nose if he's restrained in the high chair, push chair or car seat. Or if I can pin him down.

If we're out walking anywhere then he stays snotty, I'm afraid. Not worth the risk of him bolting.

Ifyourawizardwhydouwearglasses · 07/01/2015 13:50

YANBU.

One of my pet hates!

AMillionNameChangesLater · 07/01/2015 13:51

Ds2 has had a cold since October, with a weeks break of conjunctivitis. The Dr said that he was probably getting it from his older brother.

His nose has been wiped so often that it keeps bleeding. Poor boy! But we wipe, then put nappy cream on his nose. I hate crusted noses on kids

Gafrey1 · 07/01/2015 13:59

Depends. Dd2 had a constant snotty nose from around 12 months until she was 3.5 years. It WAS hard to keep her nose/face clean all of the time. I know it wasn't just me that found it difficult, nursery, preschool and grandparents struggled too. People would come up to me and say dd2 has a snotty nose (like I didn't know!). All stopped when she had her tonsils and adenoids out at 3.5. Having said that, I don't find it difficult keeping DS nose clean with usual winter colds etc

kwerty · 07/01/2015 16:08

I think folk should at least make an effort to keep the child clean; it is pretty disgusting to see a snot-encrusted child, or have one next to you on the bus. Children generally don't like being wiped, but do it anyway. As for the poster who said it wasn't worth the risk of the child bolting - really? If your child is prone to running away, surely you have reins or some way of preventing this?

Bulbasaur · 07/01/2015 16:12

According to my ten month old, nose-wiping is the hardest and most traumatic thing in the whole world. She says YABU.

My 9 month old is the same. I've tried everything from making it a fun game to telling her to suck it up buttercup.

Bulbasaur · 07/01/2015 16:14

And.. I do still wipe her nose, even though she's melodramatic about it. I just grab her before she knows what's going on and wipe it off and put her down. Quick and easy. You'd think I was murdering her though.

sebsmummy1 · 07/01/2015 16:21

I am slightly obsessed with my sons nose so I have to agree. I received a compliment from the crèche staff before Xmas, they remarked that my son always looked so clean. I tell you I went home and polished my brownie badge for that

Waitingonasunnyday · 07/01/2015 16:24

Can I recommend Happinose for all the sore from wiping noses? Its like vaseline with lavender or something added. Bloody wonderful stuff.

Gileswithachainsaw · 07/01/2015 16:28

Yanbu.

leaving your kids snot all.over the face is disgusting.

Mine do sometimes get colds like all kids although I guess I'm. lucky to not have kids that pour with snot all the time.

I feel sorry for those kids it can't be pleasant bless them.

no excuse for leaving your child with snot streaming down face though.

pictish · 07/01/2015 16:28

Ugh. Years ago this pal of mine's son always seemed to be caked in snot, which she bizarrely never did anything about. When she wasn't looking I would take a wipe to him simply because I couldn't handle it, and used to retch looking at him sometimes, poor kid.

Yanbu - boke.

pictish · 07/01/2015 16:31

Mine have all struggled, yelled and fussed at having their noses wiped. Didn't care. If it's that or snot everywhere, then tough luck kiddo!

MokunMokun · 07/01/2015 16:31

That's interesting Gafrey

My son is 6 and his nose is always encrusted with snot during winter. It drives me crazy. The doctor said it doesn't seem like allergies but he did test positive for dust mite allergy. It is better when he takes anti-histimines but if he misses one day it's back to snot monster.

We have a family history of adenoid trouble though. I wonder if it would help him.

Nearasdammit · 07/01/2015 16:31

Depends.

My autistic DS went through a stage as a toddler - as many do - of catching cold after cold after cold and constant nose wiping - whatever I used and however gentle I was - left his nose and just underneath it red raw :(
He used to cry and cry :(
In the end if we were alone/not going out I started wiping it far less; the resulting crust, although not pretty, protected his skin to a degree. His skin was far less sore with occasional gentle soak+cleans than with the endless wiping he'd otherwise have got.

ohlittlepea · 07/01/2015 16:47

Op I used to feel like you, then my dd caught Rsv and for the last 2 months she's looked pretty awful. It's amazing how quickly it crusts on, we go for a fifteen minute drive and she looks like I've neglected her for a day by the end of it! And baby wipes are complete rubbish on her snot, they just seem to move it around, or if its dry you have to scrub her face like a pan with them to get anything off, the only thing that seems to work is a warm flannel which I use as often as possible. Her poor little nose is red from being scrubbed. So depending on the scale of the snot you may be being a little unreasonable. While we are on the subject any top mumsnet tips for decrusting snotty children? :)

ithoughtofitfirst · 07/01/2015 16:49

Yeah. Yabu. I was an obsessive nose wiper on ds and now he's asking me for tissue and baby wipes every 5 fucking seconds. His standards are too high.

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