A Healthy Diet

Best Sleeping Position For Baby With Stuffy Nose, A healthy diet with plenty of vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C (1000-2000 mg per day), can help a child’s immune system to fight off infections. Keeping them well hydrated is also helpful. Drinking warm fluids such as apple juice, tomato juice and lemonade can assist with easing congestion.^[1]

A few other things you can try include: a salt water nasal spray, drops or flush; running hot water in the nose; and a neti pot, which is an easy way to clear the nose without touching it. A good quality humidifier or a baby vicks can also help to provide some relief.

In addition, if your baby is having trouble breathing, you should make an appointment with your pediatrician. This is especially important if they are showing signs of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). A child with RSV may have shallow, fast or strained breathing and flaring nostrils. It can also cause bluish tinted skin, lips and nail beds. Taking action early is the best way to get your baby the care they need and the treatment that works for them!

Common Baby Cold FAQs

The common cold is a viral infection of the nose, throat and airways. It usually lasts for a few days and includes symptoms such as a blocked nose, sneezing, a sore throat and a cough. It is not usually as bad as the flu and can often be managed with simple remedies like a warm drink, a throat lozenge or nasal sprays and drops.^[2]

Despite being in summer, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is still prevalent, especially among infants and toddlers. The first sign of RSV is a stuffy nose and congestion that progresses down into the lungs, which triggers coughing. Seek medical attention if your baby has a fever, difficulty breathing or a bluish tint to the skin, lips or nail beds.

A baby with a stuffy nose should be suckled or put on a humidifier at night to help loosen mucus and prevent them from becoming dehydrated.^[3] They may also benefit from a few drops of saline in the nose to help them breathe easier and relieve any pressure.

The best sleeping position for a baby with a stuffy nose is on their back or side with their head resting on a small pillow or mattress beneath their head. This will help them breathe better and sleep much more comfortably. Try to avoid a lot of sleeping on the floor as this can increase your baby’s chance of getting a cold.^[4]

Why Do Babies Get Colds In Summer?

The flu and cold can strike at any time of year, but in the summer months they tend to be at their worst. The best way to ward off these bugs is with a bit of prevention and lots of rest. Be sure to keep your baby’s nose covered at all times, and avoid putting them in the car or on the airplane if you can help it.

The good news is that colds, especially the mild kind, tend to last less than a week. The best medicine is to enlist the help of your pediatrician or family doctor. Your child may be prescribed a small dose of acetaminophen or ibuprofen, but this should only be used for fever reduction.^[5]

Does Vapor Rub Work?

A stuffy nose is the first sign that your baby has a cold.^[6] This often progresses to a cough and congestion in the lungs, so it’s important to see a doctor immediately. Watch for shallow or fast breathing, flaring nostrils and a bluish tint on the skin, lips and nail beds.

Vapor rub can work to soothe a stuffy nose by reducing mucus production. It can also relieve dry coughs and muscular aches caused by a cold. You can use it as a rub on massage for kids or adults before bedtime, but remember to keep the vapor rub away from the eyes and don’t apply to broken or irritated skin.

Another simple way to treat a stuffy nose is to make vapor shower melts, which are very soothing and help clear the nasal passages. To make them, mix 1 cup of cornstarch with 4 tablespoons of vapor rub and 6 tablespoons of cold water. Using a fork, blend the ingredients into a thick pasty mixture^[7]. You can also add a few drops of essential oil to your hot shower to help with mucus production and congestion.

Best Sleeping

When a baby’s nose is stuffy it can be a major cause of fussiness and sleep problems. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to help a baby with a stuffy nose.

For example, putting a drop of breast milk into your baby’s nose can help loosen mucus. You can also try running a cool mist humidifier in their room to keep the air moist.^[8]

Rest

When a baby has a stuffy nose it can be a major pain. Luckily, there are some great home remedies to help clear your baby’s nasal passages of any excess mucus and boost their immunity in the process.^[9]

Using a humidifier in your baby’s room at night will help to break up mucus and sneeze causing secretions. Cool mist humidifiers are the safest and most effective.

Aside from the humidifier, you can also place a small fan in your baby’s room for a cool breath of fresh air to clear out their nostrils and help them breathe better all around.

The best sleeping position for your little one is a safe, upright position. Never prop up your baby with a pillow or put their mattress on an incline – this can increase their risk of SIDS and suffocation.^[10]

What is the best home remedy for your baby’s runny nose? It’s not easy to answer, but here are a few of the most notable and best-known tips. The most important thing to remember is that your baby’s health should always be top of mind.

If you are in the market for the best home remedy for your baby’s nasal congestion, keep these ideas in mind and you will be well on your way to a better night’s sleep in no time.^[11]

Use A Humidifier

Humidifiers can help your baby breathe easier during the winter by boosting moisture levels in the air. The added moisture helps mucus to loosen and clear the nasal passages, which makes it easier for your child to breathe.^[12]

There are several different types of humidifiers available, including warm mist and cool mist models. You should choose the type that best suits your needs and budget.

You can also add essential oils to your humidifier to increase its benefits. The most effective essential oils for immune system support are lavender, eucalyptus, and tea tree. They have antibacterial properties that can help protect your family from common colds and flu.

However, you should be aware that humidifiers can have a negative effect on sleep quality and can make your bedroom noisy. Therefore, it is important to choose a model that is quiet and does not disrupt your sleep.^[13]

Boost Immunity

When it comes to babies, boosting their immunity can help them fight off colds and other illnesses. It’s a good idea to take the time to do some basic immune system boosters like drinking plenty of water, eating healthy foods and getting adequate exercise. These things will give your baby the boost they need to be able to fight off any cold or illness that comes their way.

Another great way to boost your baby’s immunity is to feed them breast milk. This is because breastmilk contains antibodies that are able to fight off infection and provide your baby with long-lasting protection. You can also try squirting some breast milk into your baby’s nostrils to thin out their mucus and relieve congestion.

The fluid will help your baby to breathe easier and sleep better. In addition, it will give your baby a natural immunity that will help them to keep their nasal passages healthy and clear for the rest of their lives. You can do this at bedtime by putting a few drops of breast milk into their nose.^[14]

Hydrate

It’s easy for a baby’s nose to become congested and block up, which makes breathing difficult. It also can make it harder for them to sleep and feed well. To help their nasal passageways clear, spray some saline or suction the nose. It’s a safe way for you to help your baby breathe easier and it can even help you get a good night’s sleep as the mucus from their nose won’t be in your face.

It’s important to keep your baby hydrated when they have a cold, so give them extra fluids like water, pure fruit juice and milk. This will thin out their nasal mucus and keep them from getting dehydrated, which could make their nose feel even worse. ^[15]

You may want to run a humidifier in their room so that they can breathe in some humid air, but avoid using a humidifier that leaves the room wet as it could cause your baby to become overheated. You can also steam your bathroom with hot running shower or bath water to loosen up the nasal mucus. Lastly, you can use a cool mist vaporizer to suck out the moisture. This is one of the best home remedies for their stuffy nose, as it’s a natural solution that works great!^[16]

Keep their Space Hygienic

Keep a bottle of disinfectant spray handy in each room where your baby spends time and wipe down all the surfaces that they will touch. Toys, dishes, rags, doorknobs, light switches and phones all have the potential to hold germs. ^[17]The more your child touches these areas, the more likely they are to pick up germs, according to the National Sanitation Foundation International.

If you’re worried about letting your baby go to sleep with a few toys in their crib, consider soaking their plastic, rubber and teething toys in distilled white vinegar and water for 15 minutes before placing them away. This will help de-germ the toys and make it easier for you to clean them.^[18]

On this episode, Elisca Hicks and Mike Berrill, crew systems operations instructors with Leidos and KBR at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, discuss the top questions about space hygiene that they receive from people back on Earth^[19]. They also talk about how astronauts shower, shave and go to the bathroom in space. Enjoy! See you on the next episode! Thank you to all of our listeners! If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below. We’ll answer them as soon as we can!