My baby is about 11 weeks old and has a lot of mucus in her nose. She has been having trouble sleeping and breastfeeding due to the congestion. The doctor says she isn't sick it is just normal baby congestion whatever that means. We tried the bulb syringe but she hates it and throws a fit when she sees it coming and it was rather ineffective. I was desperate to find something else so I did some searching and found this interesting item. It is wonderful and so worth the money.
The first time I tried it I was ready for her to cry and pitch a fit but nothing happened. My husband held her upright and talked to her and she smiled and cooed the whole time. Believe it or not, I had seen a device similar to this on the show Dirty Jobs (used to collect Turkey semen) so I already understood how it worked and knew I wasn't going to get anything yucky in my mouth. I did about three suctions in each nostril and stuff came out every time. Most of it collected in the white part of the device but I did get a little in the bottom of the cup. It didn't take a lot of suction in fact not much more that drinking from a straw in my opinion. After we finished she was clear for the first time in days...woo hoo. I could hear an immediate difference. I'm hoping we all get to sleep a little more tonight!! I'm betting this will work even better with some saline drops but I wanted to see what it would do on its own the first time.
I cleaned it easily with warm water and a little dish soap. I'm a germaphobe so I also used the tiny brush that came with my Dr. Browns bottles to clean the inside of the device, it fit perfectly. Lastly I put a cup of water in the microwave for a minute and used some metal kitchen tongs to dip each part for a few seconds. Everything comes out very clean. It says in the directions not to get the collection cup too hot so I only dipped it briefly. I always hated that I couldn't really clean my bulb syringe but this thing can really be cleaned and boy was it easy!
Update: Our baby is now 4 months old and we still use this item often. I still think it is great! Unbelievably my son (2&1/2) can use it on himself...he wanted to try, I let him, and he cleared his own nose. My husband and I both use it on the baby and often get enough mucus that a small amount collects in the clear cup. I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to be able to take a baby that is having trouble nursing, suction her nose quickly and easily, and then watch, as she is able to nurse with ease again. I frequently use it just after adding some saline drops to her nose and that makes this product work even better. A few months later this is still worth the money and very cool.
I've been using the regular bulb nose syringe for my 13-mon old daughter. We have three of these at home, given by the hospital and the PD, and another one from Little Nose. Although my daughter is okay with these nose syringes, I think these syringes are not very effective. Many times, after using the syringe, my daughter still have stuffy nose.
Then a friend of mine recommended this product. I got this yesterday and tried it on my daughter today (she is having a cold). It cleaned my daughter's stuffy nose right away, and the tip of the suction doesn't go into her little nose. The suction strength is controlled by me. Well, it appears kind of nasty, I had to suck on the other end of the tube. But the design of the product is very good, you won't suck in the mucus to your mouth. It will go into the small bottle, and you can that happen. Once you are done, wash the whole kit with water. That's all, and the result is great since my daughter's nose is clear right away.
It looks a little expensive at first, but think about babies get sick 5-10 times a year, and it is something you will use it quite often. My daughter had one ear infection when she was 11 months because the mucus didn't get clean out as it should even with using the regular nose syringe couple times a day. Just to avoid the ear infection and reduce the need to go to PD office already make my money worth.
Buy Baby Nasal Aspirator Vacuum Suction Pigeon (Made in Japan) Now
The baby HATES the bulb syringe to clear his nose...
with this crazy snot sucker thing, he actually GIGGLES. I'm ordering one for all my friends with babies. Packaging is all in (Japanese?) but some pretty funny instructions (in broken english) are included. AWESOME GADGET!!
Read Best Reviews of Baby Nasal Aspirator Vacuum Suction Pigeon (Made in Japan) Here
We own four nasal aspirators by now.
1/ bulb syringe
Works well, but takes too long. Not the easiest to clean properly.
2/ battery operated Graco/Bebesound (same thing) aspirator
Compared to the bulb it is easier to work with and clean afterwards, but not as effective, because the suction is weaker. OK for thin mucus, continuously runny nose. But even for that, if you have a baby like mine, who cannot stay still for half a second, you'll find this little machine to be too slow. (No, the music does not help.)
3/ Japanese "pigeon" aspirator
Supposedly the suction power is controlled by the parent. We were only able to use it effectively for thin mucus, for which the battery operated aspirator was more comfortable to use. Both are slow, though. We don't have weak lungs, but often we both felt like we got "stuck" and could not suck anything out, yet baby's nose remained stuffy. Maybe it's good for newborns.
4/ vacuum attachment nasal aspirator
This is the best, we put away all the others. It's a clear tube, consisting of three parts. The tip is not intrusive, it does not go into the nose, and it is designed so that the snot does not travel into the tube. The other end attaches to the vacuum cleaner. I know, this sounds scary, doesn't it? We were in Europe where we saw it in action (and I thought they must be crazy!) I bought one, tried it on myself when I had a runny nose and also when dry. No, it did not suck my brain out :) Actually, the suction does not feel strong at all, so it is somewhat surprising how well it cleans. Effective and VERY FAST. My baby has no problem with the noise of the vacuum cleaner, but even if yours does, you can turn it off in max 4 seconds. Winner.
*** I apologize for not updating my review for a long time (busy with 2nd child...) I've finally found this product sold in the US and also available on Amazon:
Baby Vac Nasal Aspirator 2012 Model
Want Baby Nasal Aspirator Vacuum Suction Pigeon (Made in Japan) Discount?
I have a 4 month old and a 2 year old. They both got a cold at the same time.
***
This is much better than a bulb because:
(1) You can see what you are getting
(2) I can get out more goobers than a bulb since I have more air
(3) Easy to clean enables me to see that it is clean with no germs left lurking around
(4) Convenient plastic carrying case for travel bag
***
Difficult because:
(1) Sometimes based on the snot consistency, the mucous tube dribbles into the air vacuum tube (not really a problem because you can see it coming, but it will gross you out)
(2) Requires additional arm (one for baby head, one to hold aspirator to nose, one to hold baby arms down you can hold the aspirator in your teeth)
(3) Fairly intuitive if not, good luck with the Chinese
***
Better answer:
(1) For travel, this is the best
(2) For home use, get the Baby-Vac Nasal Aspirator. Sounds crazy using a vacuum cleaner attachment and it will freak out your mother-in-law, but it is fantastic and it does not suck out brains as you might think. See my review for that one: http://www.amazon.com/Arianna-Baby-Vac-FREE-SHIPPING-made/dp/B004JA1XB2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1334092810&sr=8-3
I have tried a few other brands and love having them in the diaper bag but these were a big waste of $ since my lil one will not eat them :(
