Talk to Cussons Mum & Me about your top tips for dealing with a snotty baby - you could win a £150 voucher plus a year's supply of Cussons Mum & Me products NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

With cold season once again upon us, Cussons Mum & Me, a range of specially designed skincare and personal care products for Babies featuring a special Baby Bath to help Comfort Snuffles, would like to know about your top tips for relieving a baby with a blocked nose as well as your stories about blocked noses and babies.

Here's what Cussons Mum & Me have to say: "If your baby has a snuffle, it can sometimes be hard knowing what to do to help them. That's why we want to hear from you, the real experts. We listened to the voices of over 1000 mums to help design the Cussons Mum and Me range. The special Baby Bath to Comfort Snuffles with a gentle menthol fragrance, offers a different way to help comfort little noses, and soothe baby." All baby products are Paediatrician Approved and Hypoallergenic.

So, what are your top tips for helping a snotty baby? And please share your horror stories of baby blocked up noses on this thread.

Whatever your top tips are, Cussons Mum & Me would love to hear about it.

Everyone who posts on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will receive a £150 shopping voucher plus a year's supply of Cussons Mum & Me products.

Please note your comments may be included on Cusson's Mum & Me social media channels, and possibly elsewhere, so please only post if you're comfortable with this.

Thanks and good luck,
MNHQ

I remember sitting in the bathroom after a nice warm bath, turning the shower on to its highest heat and cuddling my daughter whilst we enjoyed the steam. Then I used to put snuffle baby on the soles of their feet.

An if a cold got really bad I'd use a humidifier to put moisture into their bedrooms. I got a Vicks humidifier and three years later it still comes out when someone has a cold its brilliant.

I agree with the suggestions for spending time in a steamy bathroom. Also agree with using a damp flannel instead of tissue. I also suggest using essential oils such as eucalyptus with either lemon or peppermint, a few drops on a tissue inside the pillow case or with babies, under the sheet if not using a pillow. Use a nasal aspirator and get plenty of fresh air

Oh, and breastfeeding in the bath worked wonders with my daughter. Her nose would clear as she fed and I just had to wipe it periodically with a warm wet flannel between latches!

Humidifier with eucalyptus oil to keep the air moist esp when the heating is on. Elevating the bed slightly and a vapour rub on some cloth close to the head.

breastfeed, breastfeed and breastfeed a bit more, so they don't feel so miserable and it helps thin the mucus (makes it more liquid-like). As pp said, Olbas oil is magic. Keeping baby upright helps a lot too (I used to lean them on me or put them on the sling so they could sleep a bit)

Baby olbas oil pn a tissue in their room helped for us.

Also just come back from the Welsh Coast and found the salty sea air did wonders for my son. Made sure I kept him well wrapped up with plenty of Vaseline on his nose and cheeks to stopped them getting sore though.

Some olbas oil in hot water in a jug on the radiator always does the trick for my children . Also when they were babies, I would tilt the cot slightly so that the head was an inch or so higher.

We always put a stack of textbooks (plenty going in our house) under the head end of his mattress to help him breathe more easily during the night.

My GP recommended putting a little of boiled, cooled water into bub's nose (which they hate) and then some tummy time and the snots literally fall out so put a muslin under them.
You feel really mean but it does work!

I believe the best thing to do is suck it out with a straw.mI did see that recommended in a childcare book once....but never did it? Sleeves, mine or theirs, seem to suffice.

My eldest boy was the worst of my three for being bunged up and snotty,we where advised by an old midwife to put him over our knee with his head as far over so he was safe and rub his back enabling any gunk to be released from tubes and nose it worked every time and we then put vicks vapour rub into hot water so he could breath in the vapour,loads of soft muslin clothes to mop up the discharge so no nasty rough skin.Always had a jar of vaseline handy for the bridge of his nose which for some reason kept his nose clear.

I used to prop the cot up and have a karvol hanky, out of reach. But to be honest the best thing was keeping them upright with plenty of cuddles and a dose of calpol before bed.

This is really gross so apologies in advance but going swimming used to clear her out (I promise that isn't why we went!)

My top tips:

A bowl of water in the nursery will help release moisture into the room which will help blocked up noses
Everlasting baby's cot with a few phone books will help as it is often tricky to breathe when lying flat
A few drops of karvol or olbas oil on a muslin tied to the cot or bed will help, ditto snuffle babe rubbed onto the baby's chest

My story....

New health visitor came to visit and arrived early so sat chatting to me as I was feeding my baby her breakfast. She had a dreadful cold and, all of a sudden, did THE most violent sneeze, well it was about three sneezes in one actually. HV was sitting right in front of her, her beautiful scarf and notepad were covered in a mix of weetabix and snot!

I had a massive giggling fit and just could not stop laughing enough to get a proper apology out. I was literally helpless with giggles as I handed her some baby wipes. She did find her sense of humour, once she'd got over the shock!!

Warm baths and pink calpol when needed

DS seems plagued by sniffles from Sept-March every year. It's awful, but things ive found handy are saline drops, snufflebub on the feet and chest, and those blocks to prop the cot/bed up in a bit more of a stable way than on books. I've also heard people wax lyrical about the vicks plug ins, so will try those this year.

Being held upright near a tissue with a few drops of Olbas Oil, saline spray and Calpol are the remedies in this house :-)
I use fleecy wipes to help prevent sore noses.

A steamy bathroom

CalCold - but they discontinued it. It was basically Beechams for babies.

A really steamy bathroom made by turning the shower on very hot and sitting in the bathroom coupled with vicks rubbed onto the chest.

Snuffle babe on a tissue in the Moses basket
Vicks (Tesco or Boots equivalent more like) on the feet
Sleeping on me!
Humidifier with eucalyptus insert thingy
BM up the nose
Make sure to still go out!
Raise the head of the cot
Calpol (HomeBargain paracetamol really...)
Lots of little feeds

Snuffle babe on a tissue in the Moses basket
Vicks (Tesco or Boots equivalent more like) on the feet
Sleeping on me!
Humidifier with eucalyptus insert thingy
BM up the nose
Make sure to still go out!
Raise the head of the cot
Calpol (HomeBargain paracetamol really...)
Lots of little feeds

We put some Olbas oil in hot water in the bedroom in a safe place. It works like magic. We use it for ourselves too, blut neat on temple or under nose if not sore. If that's too strong, dilute or use it on a hanky. Sinus problems are so painful and this really helps.

Warm bath in steamy bathroom. Afterwards, Vaseline underneath baby's nose so it doesn't get sore when you clean it, Vaporub and Calpol if needed.

Bath in a steamy bathroom. If your baby is having trouble feeding because of a stuffy nose, nasal saline drops may help to unblock his nose.