Breastfeeding and Snotty Boss. What's the Connection?

It's International Breastfeeding Week, and it's the perfect time to celebrate the unusual connection between successful feeding and Snotty Boss Nasal Aspirator. 

Many parents are surprised at the correlation, after all feeding is through the mouth and Snotty Boss deals with the nose. 

Let me explain...

Young babies breathe through their nose. In the first 6 months of life, those tiny nostrils are their only source of oxygen. (Note: After 6 months, they develop the ability to breathe through their mouth, but their preference will always be nose breathing).

So during breastfeeding (and bottle feeding for that matter) babies can only breathe through their nose while their mouth is busy drinking. Ensure the position of your baby is keeping the nostrils clear from your breast tissue, for maximum oxygen inhalation.

But if babies are congested, they will struggle to breathe air through their nostrils. It means they won't attach and feed for more than a few seconds. (Source: Aust Breastfeeding Association)

The most common causes for nasal congestion in babies and toddlers is a viral infection, sinus or allergy. Congestion in newborns can also be caused by a build up of birth fluid (which they are expelling in the first weeks of life). 

Air conditioning and heating can cause the nasal passages to dry out, and as the nose makes more mucus to compensate, babies can feel congested.

Even if they are not congested by a virus, babies may still have a small amount of mucus or a dried booger blocking the nasal passage. Babies can't tell us they have a blockage, but they will feel very uncomfortable and irritable, and will not feed for very long.

How can parents ensure the best attachment and feed?  With safe, effective nasal suction BEFORE each feed. This clears the nostrils and helps them breathe and feed better. 

Then after a nice long feed (then burp and nappy change) babies are much more likely to settle for a better sleep. That is the dream of parents all over the world!

Snotty Boss is Australia's strongest, safest, motorised nasal aspirator kit with everything you need to relieve congestion, all year round. It comes as a full kit, which also includes a refillable saline spray bottle and 4 nozzles to deal with every age and level of mucus.

We recommend 1 or 2 squirts of saline first, to flush, freshen and loosen up the mucus/booger. Then a full insertion and slight rotation of Snotty Boss for 10 seconds in each nostril.  

Did you know you can also fill the spray bottle with breastmilk? It's mother nature's saline, and as well as being a great lubricant for the nasal passage, it's full of antioxidants and antibacterial properties, to further enhance your little one's health. If filling with breastmilk, just make sure you store the spray bottle in the fridge. Then discard and wash the spray bottle thoroughly after 24 hours. 

Snotty Boss Nasal Aspirator is TGA approved for safe home use, and has constant, gentle, effective suction at around 60kPa. For context, medical-grade suction in an ER is around 100kPa of suction (and can be very invasive and uncomfortable for babies).

Snotty Boss really is a parenting essential, that you will use every week until your child learns to blow their own nose (usually around 3-4 years of age). Naturally it comes with a 60 day satisfaction guarantee, so your can try risk-free.

Snotty Boss has just won the GOLD MEDAL for Best Baby Product in the Bounty Parents Aus Awards. They are the company who distribute the "Bounty Bags" in Australian Maternity Hospitals, and are a trusted source of parenting and health information. 

We want you to be our next success story and put your trust in Snotty Boss to help your little one breathe well all year round.