by Arianna Larson

Created on: January 17, 2010

Although mostly an annoyance, a nasal congestion could also lead to more serious problems. Nasal congestion, generally known as a stuffy or stuffed up nose is when the nasal passages become blocked; the blood vessels that lie in the nose get inflamed making the membranes to get swollen. The most common causes are allergic reactions, infections, irritants like tobacco smoke or a perfume.

Newborns and young infants can only breathe through their noses; learning to breathe through their mouths at around 4 to 6 six months of age. In the first months of life, a blocked nose could be very problematic; it interferes with breastfeeding and could also cause life-threatening respiratory distress; therefore is very advisable to call the pediatrician, especially if your child is under 3 months of age. On older kids and adults; congestion could cause hearing and speech development problems, snoring, interfere with sleep and can be associates with sleep apnea.

As a parent, is very hard to watch your child in pain and/or suffering; however, since is very dangerous to medicate an infant, is better to resort to alternative methods to relieve the symptoms and let the medications aside until they are prescribed by a pediatrician.

Usually a stuffy nose can be cured with the intake of plenty of liquids; which will help the body to rid of the irritant and therefore clear the congestion.  Offer your baby more than the usual amount of water, juice and tea. Avoid drinks that contain caffeine as this could dehydration and could aggravate the symptoms. Chicken soup, is a favorite of moms and grandmas around the world; is great to relieve the congestion because the heat increases the nasal mucus movement through the nasal passages.

The use of humidifiers will also help in relieving the condition by the moisture in the air.  Humidifiers are not excessively expensive and can be purchase and stores like Wal-Mart, Walgreens or Target in the Unites States; if you live in another country you should be able to find one of these in a pharmacy or drugstore.  In the case that there is no access to a humidifier, a steamy bath or shower will have the same effect.

Babies don't know how to blow their noses; so if the baby needs immediate help breathing due to the congestion, suctioning the baby's nose with a nasal aspirator or bulb syringe will help. Since the mucus might be think and sticky, a saline solution can be use to loosen it. A saline solution could be purchase at a pharmacy or made at home by mixing one cup of lukewarm water and ¼ teaspoon of salt until the salt is dissolved. Always use fresh solution, since homemade solutions don't contain preservatives, it cannot be kept for more than just a few days.

Keeping an upright position will also help your child to feel better, so before to put him or her in bed, put something like a folded blanket or towel under the mattress to elevate his or her head; do not put it directly under your child’s head as this would be a suffocation hazard. Some stores also sell baby wedges to keep your baby’s head elevated.

Lastly, keep your child comfortable as much as possible so he or she can relax and rest.

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