Saline Nasal Spray in Every Room!

One of the most important "Tips and Tricks" we can give you is to have a Saline Nasal Spray bottle in every room of your house! Searching for it at 2:00 am can be a daunting task, to say the least. We've fumbled around the house for the spray more times that we can count and have found ourselves frustrated beyond getting back to sleep after the search. When we finally bought several bottles and found a place in each room, our world changed considerably.

On our first visit to the Rady Children's Down Syndrome Clinic, we learned from the Ear, Nose and Throat specialist that Saline would be our new best friend. We learned it is very common for these little angels to deal with ear, nose and throat problems due to their narrow ear canals and smaller nasal passages. Using saline drops and/or spray helps keep stuffed up noses to a minimum.

When Graci was a baby, we would simply hold her, tilt her back and drip the saline into her nose. Then, and this came directly from the specialist, blow air sharply onto her face. This causes the child to attempt to take a breath in through their nose which gets the saline further up and into their nasal passage. Now, we use the spray function and simply spray it into her nose. In fact, when she sees one of us with the bottle, she leans forward and tips her head up a bit. It took her a while, but once she realized how helpful the saline was, she welcomed it!

There was a time that we were using the saline up to 7 or 8 times a day. When she had a cold or a stuffy nose, we used it as much as she would let us. We had been told it helps to keep them clear of nasal issues and to continue using preventatively, so we did. Since we used it so much with her, she got used to it and feels now that it's just a normal part of life.

We also keep the "nose sucker" (well, that's what we call it) handy. We bought a battery operated nose aspirator, but it really never did the trick. They don't seem to go in to her nasal passage far enough to work. We've tried several times and haven't had good results. So, we use... still use... the style given to us from the hospital.

Today, we really only use the saline and nose sucker on Graci when she is stuffy. We use it before she goes to bed and throughout the day as necessary. Sometimes we sit back and smile thinking back to those early days. It's amazing to see how far we've come and to know that we did it all... together!

Be sure to check with your child's Pediatrican. We do not claim to be experts in the field of Down Syndrome. We've just had a wonderful ride and are happy to share our experiences.