Parenting

Newborn baby and nose drops
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Here's Why You Shouldn't Suck The Snot Out Of Your Baby's Nose With Your Mouth

Sometimes you can get a little desperate.

by Jacqueline Burt Cote
Updated: 
Originally Published: 

Fact: Moms do all kinds of unbelievably disgusting stuff we never, ever would have imagined ourselves doing before we had kids, from thoughtlessly finishing half-chewed pizza crusts (not ours) to reaching into the toilet for some beloved plaything. But while some moms manage to maintain some sense of propriety, others (understandably) lose the ability to get grossed out — like the parents who are willing to actually put their lips to their congested baby's nostrils and slurp the boogies away. But how do you unblock your baby’s nose with your mouth? And eww factor aside: Is it safe to suck your baby’s snot out with your mouth?

How Do You Unblock Baby’s Nose With Your Mouth?

While the reasoning behind your desire to suck that snot out old school style is perfectly understandable, and some experts will tell you it's not the worst thing ever (after all, odds are you've been pretty well exposed to whatever germs your baby is carrying anyway), Dr. Tanya Altmann MD, FAAP says it's not the best option in the world, either. Cooties aside, there are more effective ways to go, she says:

"There are devices you can use (such as the NoseFrida Snotsucker) where parents suction with their mouth and the tube goes into a baby's nose, but the mouth is not in direct contact with baby’s nose," Dr. Altmann tells Romper. So you’re technically unblocking baby’s nose with your mouth, but there’s no actual snot getting in there.

Is It Safe To Suck Snot Out Of Your Baby’s Nose With Your Mouth?

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Look, we get it. When your baby has a cold and he can't breathe (or eat, or sleep), you can get a little desperate. Maybe he won't let you get anywhere near his nose with a bulb aspirator. But it might not be the smartest, safest decision to put your own mouth to your baby's congested nose to suck the snot right out of it.

“It is not a healthy practice; especially the sucking with mouth, all the organisms that are causing this infection you are trying to take in; to ingest it, and that may even predispose the mother to an infection that she never bargained for,” Dr Titus Ibekwe was quoted in an interview as saying.

"There are also battery-powered similar devices on the market now."

It doesn't take a medical professional to figure out that probably eating a sick person's snot is going to up your odds of catching whatever it is they have. (Except that, as we noted before, you probably already have those germs anyway. Ah, parenthood!)

Experts:

Dr. Tanya Altmann MD, FAAP, author, pediatrician and parenting expert

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