Love It, Leave It #4
I think I am going to change this series to simply Love It. I will occasionally throw in a Leave It, but I have realized that I have a lot more loves than leaves, which I guess is a good thing. Today though, is both. 🙂
Elias has been a very congested baby. We have yet to get to the bottom of it. First we thought it was a cold, then allergies, then maybe me eating dairy, reflux, then back to allergies… Needless to say, we have tried a lot of nasal aspirators to try to clear the little guy’s nose out. These things are pretty gross, but when you find one that works, life is good.
Love It
American Red Cross Nasal Aspirator
This thing works great. The tip is a bit more narrow than the basic blue ones we got from the hospital. The best part though is not the tip, it is that the bulb opens on the bottom so you can clean it. I love that. Makes me feel so much better knowing that it has been rinsed out thoroughly.
You can get these at Target for $3. They are in the baby area, not the pharmacy area, along with a bunch of other red cross items, like nail clippers and what not.
I have bought several- one for the diaper bag, one for Elias’s room, one for day care… you can’t have just one bulb syringe! 🙂 I’m weird, I know.
Leave It
Bebesounds NasalClear Nasal Aspirator
Disclaimer: on the Toys R Us website, most people love this thing. But I am telling you, it does not work on E
lias.
I bought it because as much as I love my red cross bulb syringe, I always feel like I don’t get everything. This battery operated aspirator’s description says: “Able to play 12 tunes to help distract your child while in use, the NasalClear Nasal Aspirator from BebeSounds quickly, easily, and safely clears your baby’s stuffy nose and helps her or him to breath more freely. The aspirator also provides you with suction that is stronger than that of a traditional manual aspirator, yet gentle enough to use safely and comfortably on your newborn.” When I read that, I thought, gosh, if this works, it will be miraculous!
Well the music hardly distracts Elias and the aspirator doesn’t get anything out of his nose. I guess miracles don’t come in nasal aspirators. 🙂
When I bought it I thought, I am such a first time mom, this is totally not going to work and I was right. It didn’t. But, like I said in the disclaimer, a lot of people have reviewed it and said that it did work for their child. My vote though: leave it.
So, what are your thoughts on the yucky bulb syringe?
Our pedi told us not to use one at all. He said they can inflame the inside of their tender noses and cause more problems.
I think that is wonderful that the Red Cross one opens so you can clean it thoroughly!!! I will have to stock up on a few. I used to keep having to suck up hot, soapy water in the blue hospital ones, because I was so paranoid about what was left in them…blech! I eventually just gave up because the thought of old nasal secretions grossed me out, haha.
To Amy’s comment, my sister was told the same thing not to use one when she had her newborn.
If it works great on Elias the American Cross one then brilliant! At least one baby is happy =] xxx.
I hate those snot suckers 🙂 my daughter hates them even more–I still use the blue hospital one on her and she’s two. I was desperate the other day because poor baby can’t breathe and I am so over cleaning her face with a tissue because she wipes it everywhere……
but yea..they are pretty gross!!
I’m not going to lie… I just gagged a little. 🙂 I’m going to start keeping a list of gross things so I won’t be bummed I don’t have kids.
🙂
dont have babies but I’m an MD and I used to work for 1 year in a perinatologist area, well here in DR we ask the mothers to buy their own and bring them to the delivery… I learned that the cheaper the better!!! Honestly!!! cheap ones are softer so it is easier to suck more out without making baby more unconfortable.
Jessica, I swear we are kindred spirits. 🙂 I also cannot live without my Red Cross aspirator. Washable is the only way to go!! I just bought a bunch for my sis who is due in December.
We use the ones that the hospital gave us! It works better than any other one we’ve tried…even the red cross one! As I’m writing this, I’m wondering…does every hospital send you home with 3 or 4 nasal aspirators??
Hey Jessica!I was just wondering if you use a nasal spray before using the sucker.I have two little girls and in my experiance it makes it a lot easier and you get more junk out when you use the nasal spray first.Hope this helps.Poor little Elias!
Really like your blog!
Your kiddos are adorable!
The one from the hospital was the best by far – they only gave me one, though, and my Mom’s dog decided to make it a chew toy. Still bummed about that and trying to figure a way to bribe my GYN to get me some more. 🙂
Using Little Noses nasal pray before sucking with the aspirator works wonders on my little one’s nose. There’s much more production if I use the spray and wait a couple of seconds before sucking.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the one from the hospital and wish that I had a million of them! I might have to try the red cross one now!
I needed your post today! My Eli has been so congested (b/c of his projectile vomiting – fun stuff!) and I feel as if I am stretching his nostrils each time I use the blue one! I know…total first time mom…but I hate it!
I am going today to buy this Red Cross one. Hope it works for us!
I’m not a mommy yet (May 2009) but I’ve seen this on some other friend’s blogs… http://www.nosefrida.com/ and that it supposedly works really well… I’ve been ‘stalking’ your blog for awhile but couldn’t resist commenting on this.
You mean a booger sucker? We’ve called it that for so long that I’d forgotten the real name for it! Good to know there is one that can be cleaned out. The inability to clean it properly always grossed me out.
This must be an American thing (I’m in N Ireland) because NO-ONE I know owns a nasal aspirator, I’ve never seen them, and I wouldn’t even know where to buy them.
My instinct would be, like some of your comments have noted, that using them could actually cause more problems – and I’m pretty sure my husband, a family doctor who does baby clinics would agree.
All babies get stuffed up noses, yes it sometimes stops them sleeping, but it’s not a big deal!
I’ve just realised this is probably my first comment, though I’ve been reading (and enjoying – Elias is v cute!) for a while since finding you via Bring the Rain – I hope I don’t seem too negative or dismissive.
I guess I just find it fascinating that there seems to be a product for EVERYTHING in the US, and that we Europeans manage without most of them! (Though, of course, there are lots of things I wish we could get here!)
Hey Jessica! My little guy has allergies so I use the one from the hospital all the time. We received a few different ones as gifts, but I was disappointed with them all. I think I will pick up the Red Cross one, I like the idea of being able to clean it better. My doc said to put a little vaseline on the tip so it slides better in the nose. I found Cristian tolerates it a lot better now!
I had to laugh when I saw what the what the Love It or Leave It was about this blog. 4 babies and 14 years ago, my husband and I brought home our first bundle of joy! I was terrified that he would start choking or something and the only way to save him would by using the blue sucker that they sent us home from the hospital with. The discharge nurse told me to keep it with him all the time. Well day 3 or 4, our first “baby” (a very stupid cocker spaniel), chewed up our blue sucker. First-time Mommy had a total meltdown and made first-time Daddy drive all the way back to the Labor and Delivery floor of the hospital to get another life-saving device! He probably should have had me committed or at least laughed at me…but instead he headed back to the hospital where the nurses knew he was dealing with a postpartum mess!
And, by the way, I wish they had the Red Cross sucker when I had babies. Looks like a good one!
I am so going to try that bulb. My son was in the NICU so we left the hospital with 4 bulb syringes. He goes through phases where he is very congested, and then nothing. My husband calls him “piggy boy” when he is really congested.
The doctor said he is picking up little viruses, and they usually take 3 weeks to go away.
I still quit drinking milk just in case, but I haven’t seen that much of a difference.
i agree…i bought one too – it doesn’t suck anything out his nose!!!! nothing at all!! 🙁
great blog!!!! 🙂