When your little one is congested, you'll do just about anything to help them. Most adults think of colds as mild illnesses, but babies can feel miserable quickly because they're unable to blow their noses and clear mucus from their nasal passages. That's why a bulb syringe is a must-have item for the medicine cabinet. Keep reading to learn when and how to use a bulb syringe, with tips for cleaning the handy suction device.
What Is a Bulb Syringe?
A bulb syringe is essentially a nasal suction device for clearing a baby's airway. It's used to suck mucus from their nose—often in combination with a saline solution, which can loosen the secretions to make them easier to remove.
A quick browse on Amazon shows there's lots of different products designed to remove mucus, like the NoseFrida and even electronic devices. A bulb syringe specifically refers to the silicone or rubber bulb that works by manually squeezing to induce suction. It's the type of device you might receive from the hospital when you take your baby home.
How to Clear a Baby's Stuffy Nose
When to Use a Bulb Syringe
For babies, stuffy noses often comes with crying and fussiness, since they can't clear their nasal passages themselves. A bulb syringe can help relieve congestion for better breathing. Eating and sleeping will also become for comfortable with cleared nostrils.
A bulb syringe can be used whenever a baby seems particularly congested, says Nicole Leigh Aaronson, M.D., pediatric otolaryngologist at Nemours Children's Health in Delaware and Clinical Associate Professor of Otolaryngology and Pediatrics at Thomas Jefferson University. But “it's important not to suction too often or this can become irritating to the delicate nasal lining. Usually, suctioning is not done more than four times per day,” she says.
Why Should You Use a Bulb Syringe?
Here are some situations where a nasal bulb syringe could come in handy, says Dr. Aaronson:
There's a lot of mucus visible in the nose that won't seem to come outMucus appears especially thickYour baby seems to be mouth breathing and unable to breath easily through the noseYour baby is unable to feed without breaking the latch
How to Use a Bulb Syringe
Parents should be very gentle when using a bulb syringe; never use force or push too hard. It's only necessary to insert the device into the tip of baby's nostril in order to remove mucus.
You can use a nasal bulb syringe along with a saline nasal solution or without it. “Nasal saline can be used before the bulb in order to thin secretions before suctioning,” says Dr. Aaronson. This saline solution can be store-bought or homemade.
How to Give Nasal Saline Drops to Babies and Kids
Below, we've included directions on how to use a bulb syringe both ways.
Using a bulb syringe without saline:
Start with a clean bulb syringe, and pinch the bulb to squeeze out the airPlace the tip of the bulb syringe in the baby's noseRelease the bulb, which will draw mucus into the deviceSqueeze mucus out onto a tissueRepeat on the other sideClean the bulb syringe thoroughly with warm soapy water afterwards
Using a bulb syringe with saline:
With the baby on their back, drip three or four drops of saline into each nostrilAllow the saline to sit for a minute or two to thin the secretionsFollow the steps listed above for using the bulb syringe without saline
Avoid suctioning your baby's nose right after feedings, as this could cause vomiting.
How To Survive Your Baby's First Cold
How to Clean a Bulb Syringe
When you think about the job a bulb syringe does, it becomes clear why it needs to be sanitized after each use! Dr. Aaronson recommends cleaning your bulb thoroughly with soap and hot water. You can follow the steps below for cleaning a bulb syringe:
Run warm water into a bowl and add a dash of soapPlace the tip of the bulb into the bowl and suction the soapy water into the bulbShake the bulb vigorously to distribute the water evenly inside the bulbSqueeze the water out of the bulb into a sink or trash can nearbyRepeat at least three times to ensure the inside is clean, and rinse with a round of waterWash the outside of the bulb with the soapy waterLet dry with the bulb tip pointed down to drain
Discussion about this post