Yup, you know you love someone when you’re willing to literally suck the mucus out of their nose. That’s what’s going on at our house right now. Fun times. Alexander has his first cold. Or, more specifically, a mild case of bronchiolitis likely caused by RSV. He’s a big coughing ball of mucus and phlegm. He has been examined by two different paediatricians, and they both think his condition will clear up on its own within another week or so. In the meantime, this mommy’s heart is absolutely broken.
But back to the topic at hand… the orally-powered nasal aspirator. It was recommended to us because the regular bulb suction device wasn’t doing a very good job of clearing Alexander’s nasal secretions. And it is exactly what it sounds like – a nasal aspirator that you put in your mouth and suck on. It looks like the bulb suction device except that it has a filter and a tube connected to a mouthpiece.
The one we bought was the hydraSense nasal aspirator. It is absolutely fabulous. It’s so much easier to use than the traditional bulb device because you don’t need to use one hand to use the device. Once the mouthpiece is in your mouth, you still have both hands free to hold baby and insert the nose piece. It also gets a lot more stuff out of the nose because its not just a little squeeze of suction. And it’s easier on the baby because it doesn’t go as far into the nose. It’s also not as gross as you might think. I’ll admit, I first thought it sounded very disgusting – literally sucking secretions out of your child’s nose. But it’s not that bad. The filter works very well. The only thing that might gross you out is the noise it makes when you’re sucking. That could make you a little queasy. I tend to have an iron stomach, especially when it comes to my child. But even I gagged at one point. Other than that, it’s great! I highly recommend it for anyone whose baby has nasal congestion that needs clearing.
And, FYI, for Canadian readers… if you go to the hydraSense webpage and sign up for their Dolphin Club, you can print off a coupon for $4 off the starter kit, $2.50 off any other product (like the aspirator on its own or their saline drops), and $0.50 off the filter refills. Woohoo for saving!
... on this journey we call life 