When your baby's nose is stuffy, use a bulb syringe to clear it and make it easier for your baby to breathe and eat.

When to use a bulb syringe:

• For a stuffy nose from a cold: Use the bulb syringe right before feedings. This makes it easier for your baby to nurse or take a bottle.
• For milk or formula that comes up into the nose during feeding: Pause the feeding to use the bulb syringe. When you're ready to feed your baby, have the bulb syringe nearby.
• To keep your child's nose from getting sore, use the bulb syringe no more than 3 times a day.

How to use the bulb syringe:

1. Lay your baby down on his or her back.
2. Look inside your baby's nostril:
   • If you see thick mucus, use a clean dropper to put one or two drops of saline (saltwater) solution in the nostril.
   • If you see thin mucus or spit-up in the nose, you do not need to use saline solution.
3. Squeeze the air out of the bulb syringe. Keeping the bulb squeezed, gently put the tip of the bulb into your baby's nostril.
4. Slowly release the bulb. As it expands, it will pull the mucus or liquid from your baby's nose.
5. Remove the tip from your baby's nose, point the tip downward, and squeeze the bulb hard to empty it into a tissue.
6. Repeat from step 2 for the other nostril.

To clean the bulb syringe:

1. Squeeze cool, soapy water into the bulb syringe, squeezing and releasing several times.
2. Rinse well using clean water, squeezing and releasing several times.
3. Squeeze again to empty out any water that remains and let dry.
4. If you used a dropper to put saline drops in the nose, clean it the same way.

• Your baby has a cough or is breathing quickly.
• Your baby has trouble feeding.
• You're concerned about how much your baby is spitting up.

• Your baby seems to have trouble breathing.

Why should I put saline in my baby's nose? Thick mucus won't pull into a bulb syringe easily. Putting a couple drops of saline (saltwater) solution into your baby's nose helps loosen the mucus. You can buy saline solution at drugstores and most supermarkets. Or you can make your own by dissolving ½ teaspoon of table salt (non-iodized) in 1 cup (8 ounces) of boiled or distilled water. Make sure it has cooled before using it in your baby’s nose. Store it in a refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Make a fresh supply each day.