Snotty/stuffed nose

[Bunny2021]

My 8.5mo DS has got the most horrendous snotty nose. I’ve tried, what feels like everything - saline drops, snot sucker, vapour plug in, breast milk up the nose! None of it’s working and he’s sleeping appallingly and struggling to breastfeed properly.

Any tips/medications I can offer to help him?

Ah I was going to suggest the vapour plug. You could try raising one end of the mattress slightly with a towel?

@Moochio

Ah I was going to suggest the vapour plug. You could try raising one end of the mattress slightly with a towel?

Yes, this. Unfortunately it seems you have tried the stuff they typically recommend for his age, but raising the head ever so slightly usually helps. A humidifier can also help as it keeps the snot in the nose moist.

Thanks both. How would you suggest raising it? Just want to make sure it’s not lumpy/uneven.

Which snot sucker have you got? The squeezy ones are crap, you need the one that you suck yourself - ours is called a Nose frida. Saline spray, leave it 5 minutes, then a mega suck. It's the only thing I find works for my bogie monster.

@Bunny2021

Thanks both. How would you suggest raising it? Just want to make sure it’s not lumpy/uneven.

What sort of mattress has he got? Just a tiny bit with something like a towel rolled and placed under the mattress (so that he won't grab it etc).

Yes as @DeyHuggee says. It is only raised slightly.

For feeding, when my EBF’ed babies were struggling to breathe while breastfeeding with a cold, I would sometimes express milk and put it in a soft-silicone-topped sippy cup. All they had to do was clamp down on the cup a bit and a fair bit of milk would come out that they could swallow quickly (or allow to dribble down their chins) between breaths. They didn’t need to sustain a suck, as with breast or bottle. Not fun, but it worked for us!