Putting saline drops in a baby’s nose is straightforward once you know the positioning: lay your baby on their back, tilt the head slightly, and place 1 to 2 drops in each nostril. The whole process takes about two minutes, and you can do it several times a day as needed. Here’s exactly how to do it so it works well and keeps your baby comfortable.
What You’ll Need
Gather everything before you start so you’re not reaching for supplies with one hand while holding a squirming baby with the other. You’ll want:
- Saline nasal drops made for infants (available at any pharmacy without a prescription)
- A bulb syringe or nasal aspirator to suction out loosened mucus afterward
- Tissues for cleanup
- A swaddle blanket (optional, but helpful for keeping little arms out of the way)
Step-by-Step Technique
Swaddling your baby first can make this much easier. Babies instinctively grab at anything near their face, and a light swaddle keeps their hands tucked away so you can work with both of yours free.
Lay your baby on their back on a flat surface. Tilt the head back slightly. You don’t need a dramatic angle; a small rolled-up towel or washcloth under the shoulders creates just enough tilt to keep the drops from running right back out.
Place 1 to 2 drops into each nostril using the dropper. Avoid touching the dropper tip to the inside of the nose, since that can irritate delicate tissue and transfer bacteria back into the bottle. After the drops go in, keep your baby on their back for about a minute. This gives the saline time to thin and loosen the mucus deeper in the nasal passages.
Wipe away any excess that drips out with a clean tissue. If your baby sneezes, that’s normal and actually helps clear things out.
Suctioning After Saline Drops
Saline alone loosens mucus, but babies can’t blow their own noses, so you’ll usually need to suction it out. Wait about a minute after putting in the drops, then use a bulb syringe or nasal aspirator.
To use a bulb syringe: squeeze the air out of the bulb first, while it’s away from the baby’s face. With the bulb still squeezed, gently place just the tip into one nostril. Then release the bulb slowly. The suction pulls mucus into the bulb. Remove it from the nose, squeeze the contents onto a tissue, and repeat on the other side.
Be gentle with insertion depth. You only need the tip barely inside the nostril opening. Going too deep can irritate or swell the nasal lining, which makes congestion worse instead of better. Two to three suctions per nostril is plenty for one session.
When and How Often to Use Them
The best times to use saline drops are before feedings and before sleep. Clearing your baby’s nose before a feed helps them breathe while nursing or taking a bottle, and clearing it before naps or bedtime helps them settle more comfortably. If your baby seems hungry right after suctioning, go ahead and feed them while their nose is clear.
One important timing rule: always suction before feeding, not after. Suctioning on a full stomach can trigger vomiting.
You can use saline drops multiple times a day since they contain nothing more than salt water. There’s no medication in them, so there’s no risk of overuse. Most parents find three to four times daily is enough during a cold, but you can use them more frequently if your baby is particularly congested.
Making Saline at Home
Store-bought saline drops are inexpensive and sterile, which makes them the simplest option. If you prefer to make your own, the standard concentration is 9 grams of non-iodized salt per liter of water (roughly half a teaspoon of salt per cup of water).
The critical safety point: never use tap water straight from the faucet. Tap water can contain microorganisms that are harmless when swallowed but dangerous when introduced into nasal passages. Use distilled water, sterile water, or water you’ve boiled for at least five minutes and then cooled completely. Make a fresh batch daily and store it in a clean, covered container.
Keeping Suctioning Tools Clean
Bulb syringes and aspirator parts sit in warm, moist conditions after use, which is ideal for bacterial growth. Clean them after every session. Wash all parts with liquid dish soap and warm water, squeezing soapy water in and out of the bulb several times. Rinse thoroughly with clean water and shake out as much moisture as possible. Let everything air dry completely with the tip pointing down so water drains out of the bulb.
If your baby has been sick, a deeper clean helps. You can boil heat-resistant parts, or soak plastic pieces in a diluted bleach solution (one part household bleach to 100 parts water) for 30 minutes, then rinse with previously boiled and cooled water. Dry all parts completely before storing. A bulb syringe that never fully dries inside can grow mold, so replace it if you notice any discoloration or odor.
Signs That Congestion Needs Medical Attention
Saline drops handle typical stuffy noses from colds and dry air effectively. But some symptoms alongside congestion signal something more serious. Seek medical care if your baby has a fever and is younger than 3 months old, a fever lasting more than five days, difficulty breathing, greenish or bloody nasal discharge, unusual sleepiness, persistent crying that you can’t soothe, or signs of ear pain like tugging at the ears.
Difficulty breathing is the most urgent of these. If you notice your baby’s nostrils flaring wide with each breath, skin pulling in between the ribs or at the base of the throat, or a breathing rate that looks faster than normal, that warrants immediate attention rather than more saline drops at home.