My 6 and a half month baby girl has been through the worst of congestion. I hear from everyone it’s normal for babies to get congested because their nasal passages are so small, but she has been through it really, really bad. I’m thankful it’s never associated with a cold, but it breaks my heart when she can’t breathe or nurse because she literally can not breathe.

I had a hard time finding any online help with congested without a cold. I had to really dig deep and ask my pediatrician (a Chinese practice doctor who has an eastern medicine way about things.)

Here are the things that have worked for us, if your little one is congested:

1. Drink straight lemon juice with cayenne pepper once daily. I mean a lot of lemon juice and a lot of cayenne pepper. (This is for breastfeeding mamas only. Whatever you ingest, baby ingests in a small form and I truly believe this has helped my LO)
2. I use Zarbee’s Naturals Soothing Baby Chest Rub on her chest (not touching their nipples), on her back and back of the neck and on the soles of her feet with socks over it.
3. Boogie Saline Nasal Drops (I prefer these over any others due to their ingredients) in combination with a Baby Nasal Aspirator. My preferred choice is NoseFrida by Fridababy. Some parents prefer the bulb syringe but when your baby kicks, screams and cries the way mine does, I can’t help but to think its too rough for her — she doesn’t get that way whatsoever with the NoseFrida.
4. Wrap your little bundle at night so they’re nice and warm, put an extra blanket on them, and lay him/her upright.. at about a 25 degree angle. They fall asleep just fine as long as their snuggled and bundled up.
5. Put on a space heater if you have one and a humidifier. Yes, the heat dries the air, but it also makes the boogies come out of your LO.. and the humidifier moistens it. I got my humidifier on amazon after trying 3 or 4 and returning. I love this one because it’s big enough to last all night on full blast, it’s easy to refill and clean and you can use the mist nozzle to direct it where you want.
6. Take a hot steamy bath with your LO or…. what I prefer because I don’t like taking her wet out of the shower, is putting her jumperoo in the shower (or any upright toy/chair you may have) and hanging out with her in the bathroom as it fills up with steam. When my LO was bouncing like crazy in her jumperoo in our steamy bathroom, all the mucus and snot was just falling out of her nose on to her jumperoo cushion, which I then washed and dried.
7. Give your LO some organic chamomile tea, start with about 0.5oz of warm tea in a dropper. (This is for babies 6+ months)
8. Nurse, nurse, nurse. Our bodies are amazing machines and knows what your LO needs through his/her saliva entering your nipple. The more your nurse her the more your milk will change to thin her mucus up and clear her congestion.

My fiancee suffers from congestion (without ever being sick). Every morning he wakes up a little congested no matter where we are living, no matter what the season is, it’s just how he is and how his dad is too. My LO may have gotten those same genetics and it’s important to know how to deal with them in the most beneficial way for your baby, rather than just giving baby OTC meds or infant tylenol.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, how you deal with your LO’s congestion, if any of my suggestions work for you or if you have any questions!