The best way to help a baby with a runny nose is to keep their nasal passages clear with saline drops and gentle suctioning, and to offer frequent feedings to maintain hydration. Most infant runny noses come from common cold viruses, and symptoms typically last 10 to 14 days in babies, which is longer than in adults. There’s no medication that will speed up recovery, but a few simple techniques can make your baby much more comfortable.
Why Babies Struggle With Runny Noses
More than 200 viruses can cause the common cold, with rhinoviruses being the most frequent culprit. Babies catch these viruses through their mouth, eyes, or nose, and their immune systems simply aren’t mature enough yet to fight off many common infections. That’s why infants average more colds per year than older children and adults.
The real problem isn’t just the runny nose itself. Babies are obligate nasal breathers for the first several months of life, meaning they rely almost entirely on breathing through their nose. When mucus blocks those tiny nasal passages, feeding becomes difficult because your baby can’t breathe and suck at the same time. A stuffy nose can also disrupt sleep, making everyone in the house miserable.
How to Clear Your Baby’s Nose
Saline drops and a bulb syringe are your two most effective tools. Here’s the process: lay your baby on their back and place 3 to 4 saline drops into each nostril using a nose dropper. Hold your baby with their head back for about a minute to give the saline time to thin the mucus. Then suction with the bulb syringe.
To use the bulb syringe, squeeze all the air out first. While keeping it squeezed, gently place the tip into one nostril. Release the bulb slowly, which pulls mucus out of the nose and into the syringe. Squeeze the mucus onto a tissue, then repeat on the other side.
A few important rules to follow:
- Limit suctioning to 4 times per day. More than that can irritate the delicate lining of your baby’s nose and actually make congestion worse.
- Always suction before feedings, not after. Suctioning after a meal can cause vomiting.
- Clean the syringe after every use. Squeeze warm, soapy water into the bulb and shake it to clear out mucus. Rinse several times with clean water.
If you prefer a newer-style nasal aspirator (the kind where you use your own suction through a tube), the same timing and frequency rules apply. Whichever tool you use, the saline drops beforehand make a big difference in loosening thick mucus.
Keep Your Baby Hydrated
When babies are congested, they often nurse or bottle-feed for shorter periods because breathing is difficult. But fluids are exactly what they need. Breast milk or formula helps thin mucus, and staying hydrated supports your baby’s immune response. Try offering smaller, more frequent feedings rather than waiting for your usual schedule.
Watch for signs of dehydration, which can sneak up on a sick baby: a sunken soft spot on top of the head, fewer wet diapers than usual, few or no tears when crying, sunken eyes, or unusual drowsiness or irritability. If you notice any of these, contact your pediatrician promptly. For babies already eating solid foods, small sips of water between feedings can help.
Using a Humidifier Safely
A cool-mist humidifier in your baby’s room adds moisture to the air, which can help loosen nasal congestion and make breathing easier. Always choose cool-mist over warm-mist for children. Hot water or steam from warm-mist humidifiers and vaporizers can cause burns if your baby gets too close or if the unit spills.
The tricky part with humidifiers is keeping them clean. Bacteria and mold grow quickly in standing water. Empty the tank and dry all surfaces daily. When refilling, use distilled or purified water, which has lower mineral content than tap water and reduces buildup inside the unit.
Safe Sleep With a Stuffy Nose
It’s tempting to prop up your baby’s mattress or place a pillow under their head to help them breathe at night. Don’t. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies always sleep flat on their backs on a firm, even surface. When a baby’s head is propped up or on an incline, their neck can bend forward or fall to the side, which actually kinks the airway and makes breathing harder.
Inclined sleepers have been banned by the Consumer Product Safety Commission after a series of infant deaths showed how dangerous they can be. Swings, rockers, bouncy chairs, and car seats don’t provide enough support for safe sleep either, even when your baby seems to breathe better in an upright position. Suction your baby’s nose before putting them down for the night, run the humidifier, and trust that a flat sleeping surface is the safest option.
What Not to Give Your Baby
The FDA does not recommend over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for children younger than 2 because they can cause serious, potentially life-threatening side effects. Manufacturers have voluntarily gone further, labeling most of these products with warnings against use in children under 4. Children who have taken these products have experienced seizures, allergic reactions, difficulty breathing, and dangerously low blood sugar. The FDA also warns against homeopathic cough and cold products for children under 4.
Honey is a well-known cough remedy for older children, but it is unsafe for any baby under 12 months. Infant botulism, caused by bacterial spores that an immature gut can’t fight off, is the risk. About 20% of infant botulism cases are linked to honey exposure. Don’t add it to food, drinks, or a pacifier.
For fever, acetaminophen is generally considered safe for babies over 2 months, and ibuprofen can be used starting at 6 months. Always dose by your baby’s weight using the syringe that comes with the medicine, not a kitchen spoon. If your baby is younger than 2 months with a fever, that warrants an immediate call to your pediatrician.
When a Runny Nose Needs Medical Attention
Most runny noses in babies are caused by common viruses and resolve on their own within 10 to 14 days. But certain signs point to something more serious. Watch for labored breathing where you can see the skin pulling in between your baby’s ribs, at the neck, or below the ribcage with each breath. These are called retractions. Nostrils that flare wide open with each breath are another red flag, as is grunting while breathing.
A rectal temperature of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher in a baby under 3 months old is always an emergency. In older infants, a fever that lasts more than a few days or keeps climbing deserves a call to your doctor. The same goes for nasal discharge that stays thick, green, or yellow for more than 10 to 14 days, which could signal a sinus infection rather than a simple cold, or for any baby who refuses to eat or shows signs of dehydration.