Your newborn child takes between 40 and 50 breaths per minute. A very young baby sometimes sounds congested when she's not ill. A newborn has very small nasal passages; even a tiny amount of mucus can make her breathing sound as if she has a cold. Clear the dried mucus with a nasal aspirator and saline solution to help her breathe more easily.
Step 1
Take the cap off the saline spray and insert the tip of the bottle into your infant's nostril. Squeeze the bottle once and then remove it.
Step 2
Squeeze the bulb of the nasal aspirator in the palm of your hand. Insert the tip of the aspirator into the same nostril that you sprayed; continue to squeeze the bulb in your hand.
Step 3
Slowly release the pressure from the bulb to suck the mucus out of the nostril.
Step 4
Squeeze the bulb while holding the tip of the aspirator into a tissue to express the mucus out of the bulb.
Step 5
Gently blot the newborn's nose to remove any mucus that came out while you were aspirating the nostril.
Step 6
Repeat spraying the saline and aspirating with the other nostril. Blot the nostril.
Step 7
Wipe the newborn's nose and face gently with a wet wipe to remove any dried mucus from the outside of her nose.
Tips and Warnings
- Repeat the steps once more on each nostril if your infant is especially congested.
- Do not use saline spray meant for an adult nose. The spray might be too powerful for the infant's delicate nose. Do not spray saline into the other nostril without aspirating the first nostril. Your infant may not be able to breathe if both nostrils are blocked with saline.
Things You'll Need
- Saline spray for infants
- Nasal aspirator
- Tissues
- Wet wipe
