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Thursday, December 20, 2007

Natural Remedies for Clearing the Stuffy Nose


If there's one thing that will keep a child of any age awake, it's the stuffy nose. And if they're awake, you're awake! With over-the-counter medicines being called into question, you're probably wondering how to deal with things like a stuffy nose in a natural and safe way. I've got a few tricks to share with you - some perfect solutions for newborns, and some perfect even for you.

One of the most helpful remedies for the stuffy nose is salt water. This can be used for any age, and it doesn't have to be uncomfortable. For older children and adults, a weak solution of about a cup of warm water and a teaspoon of sea salt can be gently sniffed from an eyedropper into each nostril. For infants and toddlers, you can try a product called Baby Simply Saline. As the name implies, it is simply water and salt in a container that makes it easy to spray into baby's nostrils. No preservatives, no stinging.

If you're nursing a newborn, an unusual but effective technique is to put a few drops of breastmilk into each nostril with an eyedropper. Sounds weird? Well, since the breastmilk has bacteria fighting properties, it's actually a great natural choice. And it's free! I've found this unique remedy in many books on natural baby care.

If you didn't get a chance to read my post Natural Remedy for Baby's Cough, hop on over to it. Using a humidifier with essential oil can also help a stuffy nose. I give instructions on that post to help you out.

Got any of your own remedies you find helpful? Raw onion slices near the bed? A special tea? Share them with us in the Comments section - I'd love to hear more!

4 comments:

Beth @ TheAngelForever said...

The other night my 7 month old was so congested none of us could sleep. I finally asked my husband if he wanted to try something I had heard about. we tried the breastmilk drops into the nose. Within 10-15 minutes he was breathing and sleeping peacefully. It is truly amazing how many things breastmilk can help with.

Michelle Constantinescu said...

I'm so glad to hear that! I never had the opportunity to test that one out, and I wanted to know how well it worked. Thanks for commenting!

Anonymous said...

The essential oil tea tree is good for nasal congestion. I used it when my daughter had a cold.

Amanda said...

I heard about the breastmilk solution and absolutely believe in it. My only problem is trying to get it into my son's nose. He's 16 months now and is impossible to hold still! Any suggestions?