When your baby has a stuffy nose, try running a hot shower for a few minutes. Then, when the bathroom is nice and steamy, sit in the room with your baby for a bit. The warm, humid air will help loosen the mucus in their nostrils. Just don't go in the hot shower with your little one—the water can scald them!
Run hot water in the tub or a bucket for a few minutes as the steam fills the bathroom. Sit in the steamy room while holding your child for about 10-15 minutes. You could sit on a stool or a plastic chair so that you're both comfortable. Take a toy or a bath book along to keep your baby entertained.
The professional association of paediatricians and adolescent doctors BVKJ, on the other hand, advises against using a sauna before the first year of life. Ultimately, it is up to parents to decide whether to take their child to the sauna before their first birthday.
Have your little one in the bathroom while running a shower and letting the room become steamy helps loosen nose secretions, so it doesn't build up causing breathing or coughing difficulty. Using a humidifier in the child's room serves the same purpose.
01Steamy bathroom
Try it when your baby is uncomfortably congested. How to do it: Turn the bathroom into a steam room by running the shower on hot for 10 to 15 minutes while holding your baby outside of the shower. Get as comfy as you can—you'll probably end up sitting on the closed toilet seat.
Steam can thin out the mucus and phlegm that cause many of the cold symptoms, allowing you to clear your airways and breathe easier.
You can use a humidifier in your baby's room while they sleep to loosen mucus. Ask the pediatrician if you can use saline. You can put one or two drops of saline in the nose to loosen mucus. Massage your baby's nose, eyebrows, cheekbones, and bottom of the head.
Q: Is it dangerous for a baby to sleep with a blocked nose? A: While it might be comfortable for your baby to sleep with a congested nose, it's considered safe for most children.
Raising your body temperature above 102°F (38.9°C) increases the risk for birth defects (such as neural tube defects) in the first trimester and dehydration later in the pregnancy.
Keep Theirs Heads Upright
The best default position for your baby to be in when they have a cold is upright.
If you have a cold, a case of the flu, or COVID, you should not use a steam room every day, as these conditions often also cause you to have a fever. Dehydrating yourself excessively can also cause sinus issues, so using steam rooms sparingly will give you the most benefits with the fewest drawbacks.
Not only will a warm bath soothe your sick infant, it will ease aches and pains, and steam from the warm water will also help clear congestion. Dry your baby thoroughly afterward to prevent chills. Keep your infant's head slightly elevated to make breathing easier.
The easiest way to tell if your baby is too hot or too cold is by feeling the nape of the neck to see if it's sweaty or cold to the touch. When babies are too warm, they may have flushed cheeks and look like they're sweating. An overheated baby may also breathe rapidly.
The ideal humidity level for a baby's room is between 30% and 50%. The EPA recommends this indoor humidity range, and they state that it should never exceed 60%.
It is important to make sure that your baby is a comfortable temperature – not too hot or too cold. The chance of SIDS is higher in babies who get too hot.
If it feels at all uncomfortable or it your skin is turning red, it's probably too hot.
This is so common there is actually a medical term for it, "nasal congestion of the newborn." Babies have tiny little nasal passages and can sound very congested in the first few weeks of life. They are also "obligate nose breathers," which means they only know how to breathe out of their mouths when they are crying.
Our bodies react differently to allergens at night and as much as we need gravity, it is not helpful when it comes to a baby's stuffy nose at night. Mucus builds up and has nowhere to go, increasing nasal congestion.
Do Babies Sleep More When They Have a Cold or Illness? In general, when your baby is sick they will sleep more. That said, depending on the type of illness or cold your baby has, they may struggle to get the sleep they need and that can make it hard on baby and you.
Medical experts believe that when babies use pacifiers while dealing with a stuffy nose, it causes a damaging pressure in the tube between the nose and the ear, increasing the risk of ear infection.
Yes. Breastfeeding a sick baby gives her a great chance of a speedy recovery, as well as helping to comfort her. Your breast milk contains antibodies, white blood cells, stem cells and protective enzymes that fight infections and may help with healing.
Don't be tempted to overheat the room because you have a cold. Keep the temperature at a comfortable level (69F – 72F) and bundle up with blankets that can be shoved off if you begin to overheat. The humidity in the room is important too. Dry air can worsen your cold symptoms and parch your nose and throat.