Andrew is almost 3 1/2 months old. I don't think there's been a day since he was born that he hasn't had a cold (five year olds bring a lot of germs home from school with them) ranging from awful viral infection to a simple stuffy nose. I do have a bulb syringe like this one,
(Except that mine is two pieces so you can actually clean it, and the tip is not only clear (so you can be sure it's clean) but also a wider, rounded tip so you're not sticking something right up their little noses in order to get suction.)(Where was I?)
Right, so Andrew always has a stuffy nose to one degree or another. The bulb syringe works well enough when it's thick enough to actually be sucked out, but what about the whistlers?
You know the ones.
Those hard, crusty little boogers that eventually cover the entire nasal opening, making it difficult to breath. And eat. And sleep.
The amount of time it takes to get those buggers out with the bulb syringe usually has Andrew SCREAMING, increasing mucous production and thus defeating the purpose of the bulb syringe entirely.
Enter this little gem...
the basic bobby pin
I know the old saying about not sticking anything in your nose that's smaller than your elbow...
(or is that into your ear?)
...but desperate times call for desperate measures. The bent end of a bobby pin actually makes a really great nose picker for tiny noses. It's small, thin, has rounded edges, and is good for precision work.
Now calm down, I'm not sticking it all the way up into his nose. Just for those little hangers-on about 1/8" in (or less). I also cover the end with a thin receiving blanket just in case, and for absorbency.
One of the biggest benefits to this is that I can get the whole thing over with in a matter of seconds as opposed to the lengthy ordeal with the bulb syringe.
So what Works For Me? Picking my baby's nose with a bobby pin.
Bahahaha...you totally crack me up!
ReplyDeleteWho knew booby pins had so many uses...hair ties, picking locks, and now this!
I'll have to give it a go the next time my little one needs help picking her nose :)
Haha... I sometimes use a qtip on baby's nose. d
ReplyDeleteI used to have these plastic tweezers with rounded ends on them that a friend sent me from Singapore. They were actually made for this purpose -- for picking your baby's nose!
ReplyDeleteThey were by far my most invaluable baby item. You can see a picture of them here, because I blogged about how much I loved them:
http://diaryofaturtlehead.wordpress.com/2007/11/08/nose-poo/Then, about six months ago, Gal Smiley was playing with them and snapped them in half. I was heartbroken!
So, I'm so very very happy to hear about your bobby pin idea! It's brilliant and should fill in for the nose-picker quite nicely. I owe you one!
I will admit to having used tweezers. My mom thought I was nuts but it is way faster.
ReplyDeleteLOL! This is great! We always called those little blue bulbs - snot suckers! Wish I'd thought of some of these when my kids were little. I always just used my bigger than life fingers and made my kids cry!
ReplyDeleteI tend to use q-tips or tissues... my lil one has had many a stuffy nose... poor thing. Sometimes I use my fingers when it's right there but impossible to get with that syringe... mine has a clear tip too!
ReplyDeletehuh...genius!!
ReplyDeleteLOL!!
ReplyDeleteGross confession - I get a great sense of satisfaction from picking my children's noses. I was actually upset when I realized that my older daughter's nose was no longer mine to pick. I should still have a few months of pickage left on my younger daughter.
ReplyDeleteThen I'll just go back to picking my own nose, I guess.
I had one of those blue bulbs when my boys were little too...they hated it but it sure helped them breath. And the bobby pin is genius though I suppose they would run like lightening in the other direction now ;)
ReplyDelete