Use tweezers to grab crusty boogers

Booger removal: we've all got our methods. Here's Stormy's:

Our 9 month-old seems to have a constantly runny nose and he hates to have his nose wiped.  (What baby doesn't?)  My boyfriend came up with the perfect solution for those crusty boogers - he tweezers them out.  For some reason our baby doesn't mind the tweezers - he actually holds really still.  I thought this was strange until I a friend of mine said her husband does the same thing to their baby!

Note: Proceed with extreme caution. One jerk of the head could be really dangerous, and sometimes those crusties hurt (and cause a start) when they come out.

Related: Snot-wiping best practices

Comments

[Adriana]

i thought i was the only parent who did this. i've found that it's easier to get them out if i use a little saline solution first. tweezers are the best for the hard, gunky boogies, but the nosefrida still wins hands down for regular congestion!

[Lance]

maybe a dedicated pair of chopsticks would be less hazardous?

[mudface]

The thought of a sharp pair of tweezers near the eyes of my eight month old makes me break out in a cold sweat. He's always jerking his head around to look at something new. I don't think I'll be using this hack myself, but to the parents that do, I hope they are very careful!

[Adriana]

i forgot to mention that i usually use the tweezers when he's napping, easier and safer for us!

[famousamy]

I also thought I was the only one who did this. But I agree, it can be dangerous once the baby is a big mover. I did it to my daughter for probably the first 6 months of her life, but now at 9.5 months if I feel the need to use the tweezers I do it either while she's sleeping or have my husband help to hold down her head.

[STL Mom]

Maybe this would be a good use for the plastic tweezers that came with the toy medical kit...

[Sandy]

Have you tried wetting a baby wipe with warm-almost hot water and then trying to clean? It works quickly. Fortunately for us my kid has always been picky about his nose being clean so he actually brings us a tissue to clean his nose. Must be because we always used a warm and damp wipe so it did not bother him as much to be cleaned.

[alisa]

I use a damp Q-tip. Works just fine.

[kittenpie]

Ha! We totally do this. We call it spelunking.

[Michael - Family Hack]

You know you are a parent when phrases such as "crusty boogers" and "best snot wiping practices" make something a must read.

Michael

[Hayley]

I've done this since her first weeks of life, when i discovered that a nasal aspirator does squat.

i use round-edge tweezers, wouldn't even think of using sharp ones. careful you don't pull a nose-hair though!

[Melanie]

When the baby is really little, you can use the end of a bobby pin or safety pin. That worked best for me.

Tweezers sound a little too dangerous for a really little baby.

[Rebecca]

I use this method also, but only while asleep!!! Works perfectly!

[mk]

what about a damp q-tip?

[DQ]

Technically, you don't have to grab anything out of a baby's nose. It's quite dangerous to use metal implements, or q-tips. A wet, warm washcloth should do the trick. Anything on the inside will just have to wait. Not that I haven't tried it myself... it's SOOO satisfying to grab a huge obstruction from a fussy baby's airway... but I have decided it's mostly not worth the risk of a jerking head impaling self on tweezer!