Pulmonary congestion is present in 89% of SIDS cases (p < 0.001 compared with non-SIDS deaths), and pulmonary edema in 63% (p < 0.01).
A gentle nasal massage can help loosen and remove any substances clogging your little one's sinuses. Simply use two fingers to gently rub the area around the top of your baby's nose. This can also include the region just under your little one's eyebrows.
- Place a humidifier in your baby's room to moisten the air and loosen congestion. - Elevate your baby's head, which can minimize the discomfort of a stuffy nose. It's fine to let babies less than 3 or 4 months sleep their car seat.
If your child's stuffiness is accompanied by a fever, ear pain, a sore throat and/or swollen glands, or you suspect there is a foreign object stuck in her nose, call your pediatrician right away.
Gentle taps on your baby's back can help ease chest congestion. Lay them down across your knees and gently pat their back with your cupped hand. Or do it while they sit on your lap with their body leading forward about 30 degrees. It loosens mucus in the chest and makes it easier for them to cough it up.
To clean your baby's tongue and gums correctly, you should:
- Make a habit of cleaning after feeding.
- Gently cradle your baby in one arm during the cleaning.
- Use a damp gauze or washcloth, or a silicone baby tongue cleaner.
- Gently massage their gums, tongue, and inner cheeks.
This is so common there is actually a medical term for it, "nasal congestion of the newborn." Babies have tiny little nasal passages and can sound very congested in the first few weeks of life. They are also "obligate nose breathers," which means they only know how to breathe out of their mouths when they are crying.
A humidifier may be particularly useful if your baby is born in cold weather months. For example, if you have forced hot air heat, your home may feel dry and give your little one congestion or dry skin. Colds and flu may cause cough, sore throats, and stuffy nasal passages.
Children and infants have narrower nasal passageways than adults, making them more susceptible to nighttime congestion caused by inflammation or excess mucus. Very young children and especially infants, who mostly breathe through their nose, cannot blow their noses as adults can.
In the very young infant, allergy may be manifested by diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, nasal congestion, rash, wheezing and colic. Among other causes, these symptoms may be due to a formula allergy. Additionally, the same symptoms may not be due to allergy at all, but to an infection or other cause.
If mucus goes down the back of your baby's throat it may cause her to gurgle. Mucus can also move further down to your baby's voice box (larynx) and her windpipe (trachea), which may make her sound "chesty".
Use saline drops to clear the baby's nose before feeding or sleeping. Use a warm washcloth or cotton swab to clean off dried, sticky mucus on nostrils.
If your baby is under the age of 2, you should never apply Vicks to their chest, nose, feet, or elsewhere. You could try special nonmedicated rub for babies 3 months and older. The blend is dubbed as a “soothing ointment†that contains fragrances of eucalyptus, rosemary, and lavender.
Young babies may choke if they swallow breastmilk or formula too quickly or if they have too much mucus. Any object small enough to go into your baby's airway can block it.
Decongest a baby
- Rest: An adequate rest in warm surroundings helps the baby recover from the bought of the viral flu.
- Position: Holding your baby upright to your chest may relieve the stuffiness due to gravity.
- Hydration: Make sure the baby is taking feed well.
- Warm bath: You can bathe your baby in warm water.
What to Do For Your Baby's Stuffy Nose
- Nose Drops and Suction. Squeeze one to two drops of saline nose drops in each nostril to help loosen any dried mucus and then use a rubber suction bulb.
- Raise the Humidity.
- Wipe It Away.
- When to Call the Doctor.
The usual way for your newborn baby to breathe is through their nose. This is unless their nasal passage has some blockage, which can lead to mouth breathing. Young babies don't develop the reflex to breathe through their mouths until they are 3 or 4 months old.
Try to limit suctioning to two to three times a day. Suctioning more often may cause the inside of the nose to dry out, get sore and bleed.
