4 week old baby with blocked nose(snuffles) and AC! Please help.. | ExpatWoman.com
 

4 week old baby with blocked nose(snuffles) and AC! Please help..

87
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 August 2014 - 17:08

My 4 week old baby is having severe blocked nose. I know it's not cold because he doesn't have any other symptoms. I suspect the air con is giving him the blocked nose. We keep the temp at 24deg and fan speed to low, the blower does not hit him directly as well. I give him saline drops prescribed by the pediatrician, he sleeps peacefully but Arnd early morn hrs things get real bad. He starts grunting n is really uncomfortable, also I have noticed thick muscus which I carefully remove it by massaging his nose and with a tissue. This has been going on for a couple of days and I'm worried sick! It's not poss to switch off the AC coz we'll bake inside ( I'm scared of over heating the baby and SIDS)n and I really don't know what to do!

Being a ftm, I'm still adjusting to all the baby things, night feeding and to top it I have this new prob. Pls guys, I need suggestions as to how to make my LO more comfortable and get rid of the snuffles. I also have 2 dogs who sleep with us but I doubt it's pet allergy as his mucus is thick n not runny, also this happens only when the air con is on. We have him in 2 layer clothing and a light blanket over him.

Any advise will be highly appreciated..TIA

Xx
<em>edited by CG9 on 13/08/2014</em>

99
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 16 August 2014 - 21:37
Im no expert with babies, but a friend of mine said a nanny she once had used little bowls of water with drops of eucalyptus oil inside and put the bowls on the radiator (this was over winter in London). But, i guess any kind of electric oil burner / air diffuser could work. Not sure where the best place is to buy pure essential eycalyptus oil though.
2782
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 15 August 2014 - 23:40
The one we have is the Sharp plasmacluster with carbon and hepa filters, I think the model number depends on the size of the room you plan to use it in. As I said we mostly use just the purify but the humidify function is good, it outputs to a set humidity so the room doesn't get too wet unlike some other humidifiers you can buy. They are quite expensive, but I consider it an investment in their health and cheaper than Dr's visits. It is worth noting that purifiers actually filter the air, vs some products which mask odours etc by outputting fragrances into the air. If you were to use essential oils etc in combo with a purifier, the purifier would actually kick into overdrive trying to filter the oils back out. One other possible cause could be reflux, if your baby snuffles after feeding and when lying flat on their back. Regardless of cause though I think the purifier is a good buy for anyone in this sort of climate, environment. In the meantime a wide shallow bowl of water near the baby's bed will add some humidity back into the room.
87
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 August 2014 - 11:11
Thank you guys for the replies. Visited the Dr and she confirmed that he has no cold and it's due to the AC he is getting the blocked nose. I have been using nasal drops and have started using the bulb syringe to suck the mucus. The humidifier/ purifier idea sounds great. Any suggestions on where to buy and which brand? Xx
2782
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 August 2014 - 22:44
It could still be a cold, you wouldn't necessarily see any other symptoms. The nose sucker sounds like a good idea, I know some people actually do it the old fashioned way via their own mouth although not something I ever could bring myself to do. You can also do sinus massage right before a feed if your baby is struggling to feed with a blocked nose. Personally I never bothered removing the mucus from a blocked nose, it soon fills up again anyway and your baby is quite capable of mouth breathing. Don't use the saline drops right before lying the baby down to sleep, you can increase the risk of ear infection, I would give it a few more days and if it doesn't seem to clear then look into ways to humidify the room, and also get the AC vents cleaned. We actually run a purifier/humdifier unit in the kids room, mostly we just use the purify function which removes dust/fungus etc from the air but I also add water and humidify whenever one of them has a cold.
30
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 August 2014 - 21:31
Hello! Look up on google or youtube device called NoseFrida, it is basically "nose sucker" as i call it. Saved me lots of times! When my son (now 15 months) has any congestion i do it before bed..sometimes during the night if i hear problem reappears and nose blocked again. I prefer saline sprays to drops as it is more effective with washing mucus out. Try Tonimer baby.. I bought my NoseFrida at db babies when son was 1 month as well. Saw it in some pharmacies but rare. Marina mall favorite things boutique had them too. 2 nd floor. Around 60 dh i think it was. Plus stock some filters. Personally i would put ac back to "normal" like 20-21C (healthy "baby" temp is 18-22C as far as i remember) and maybe even buy humidifier (still plan to myself) it is dry air not T causing drying of mucus in baby's nose. Make sure you keep your LOs nose moisturized for now and use saline drops often 'cause if mucus dries out it makes it easy for any infection to set in on unprotected area.
8965
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 14 August 2014 - 11:55
Saline nasal drops are good to gently unblock the nose and keep the nasal passages lubricated so they don't dry out. I get very bunged up when its dusty out and find these help I think they are safe for very young babies. Pop to the pharmacy and they will assist
318
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 14 August 2014 - 11:38
Could you try some steam? Maybe run the hot water in the shower to steam up the room and take him in there with some 'vicks'. You could also try their baby balsam product which is more mild for the bugs - could perhaps put it on his chest for him to inhale?
 
 

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