How Do You Get a Child to BLOW Their Nose.

Updated on March 01, 2013
S.M. asks from Winters, CA
18 answers

My son has never and still refuses to BLOW out and blow his nose. He blows out his mouth to fake it or acts like it freaks him out. Any tips? It'd save alot of tissue and noses. He's now 3 1/2.

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T.S.

answers from Sacramento on

We've had great success with using a saline nasal spray (Ocean is a name brand). I spray it up his nose, he gives a big sneeze, and out comes whatever was clogged up there. Now that he's almost 3 he doesn't mind blowing but still likes to have the "nose spray" first. It just moistens things up so they move more easily.

Hope this helps,
T.

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J.C.

answers from Sacramento on

My daughter is 2 and I use the aspirator, until recently. It gave her a bloody nose. Dr said not not use it because it rips the membrane inside the nose, causing the nose bleed (cured by putting vasiline on a q-tip and gently applying inside nose a few times a day). He said kids like boogers and not to worry about it too much. So I use tissue a lot, soft kind, and also will clean it out with a q-tip if needed. Seems to work!

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D.C.

answers from San Francisco on

Dear S.,

If he acts like it "freaks him out", maybe it is painful. When people blow too hard, it forces mucus into the ear canal and can cause am ear infection. I know it sounds gross, but you can teach him to suck the mucus into the back of his throat and then spit it out. That actually helps clear the Eustacian tube and is a healthier way to get rid of "snot".

Good luck ! D.

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C.A.

answers from San Francisco on

I was watching the Today's Show, or something like that and they showed how to teach kids to blow their nose. They said to take a candle (big one, not birthday style) and ask them to blow out the candle. Then ask them to do it with their mouth closed and through their nose. I'm not sure if it works, but it's worth a try. Assuming he doesn't know how and not that he wont.

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A.T.

answers from Stockton on

Let me know if you find a good technique! I've tried everything!

A.H.

answers from San Francisco on

I demonstrated blowing air out of my mouth, then my nose and had him practice with me. I also told him if he could learn we'd stop using the aspirator - he really hated having his nose aspirated so that served as major motivation. From what I understand though most kids take a long time to learn this skill so don't worry too much about it.

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W.H.

answers from Phoenix on

This is not so much about *how* to blow their noses, but one thing that I did as a mom with little runny noses instead of wiping it every 5mins, was to gently pinch/squeeze from the top of their nose (pushing contents down & out of the nose) then wipe away. That way they seem to have to get their noses grabbed a little less often. Kids dont seem to mind it, even kids that have been over here that run away and fight the first time they see me with the kleenex will willingly allow me to wipe their nose the next time. I also *remember* how sore my nose can feel with a lot of wiping so I try to be gentle. Hope that helps in the meantime until you get him blowing on his own.

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A.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi S. -

My daughter did the same thing until she was almost 5. I just wiped her nose with a cloth until she got the hang of 'blowing' - we just had to wipe a little more often! Cloth is easier on little noses than tissue. Just launder the cloths with a little bleach to take care of germs.

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L.S.

answers from San Francisco on

My daughter is 6 and just started actually blowing her nose a few weeks ago. She has known how, but didnt like the way it felt, snot on her upper lip, etc. When she had a really bad cold, I would still use a nasal aspirator on her nose, and when she was "snotty" last week, she asked for it and I told her I didnt have one anymore and that she needed to blow her nose like a big girl.

I would just keep encouraging him, he will do it when he feels ready/confident. Til then, invest in lots of tissues!

good luck!

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L.S.

answers from San Francisco on

This is a question I've never seen addressed in any of the toddler health books! We struggled with it too, and still do.

I practice with my daughter whenever it seems relevant to do so. I tell her it's like blowing out a birthday candle -- with breaths from her nose! So we do "huff huff huff -- ha ha ha! huff huff huff -- ha ha ha!"

And then most of the time she still sniffs/inhales with the Kleenex. :o But she's getting the idea!!

Don't worry about the tissues and the nose. Eventually kids do figure this out.

If you've got sniffles and sneezes, try Hyland's homeopathic Sniffles and Sneezes remedy. You can find it at Whole Foods and IMO it's worth the money; provides relief within 15 minutes.

Best of luck! Keep teaching, and have fun with it!

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J.M.

answers from San Francisco on

My son does the same thing. Now I tell him to take a big breath, then I hold his mouth shut and hold one nostril shut and the air is forced out the other nostril. Works like a charm.

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S.C.

answers from San Francisco on

let me know too. my daugher still does not do it. although i show her and tell her, she won't do it.

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S.E.

answers from San Francisco on

Use the aspirator. They hate that. At least mine did. She didn't want me sucking stuff out of her nose, so she started blowing (at 2 yr. on her own). Give him a choice of the tissue or the aspirator.

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L.M.

answers from San Francisco on

Okay, difficult to get them to do something they probably think is gross. My son still hates to blow his nose at 16 because the snot gets on his upper lip as he blows into the tissue. but at least he blows. The way I taught my kids to blow was to use a feather (when they were unstuffy) and have them close their mouths tight and blow out their nose to move the feather. This gave them the feeling they needed to know. I'd have them try with both nostrils and plug one and then the other. I also resorted to the reward system when they blew there noses when really little. I know they couldn't stand to blow it and I couldn't stand it if they didn't. So a little reward helped solve the problem.

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B.V.

answers from Stockton on

Instead of tissue I use brightly colored handkerchiefs made of soft material. When my daughter was well we would "play" with them and I would make her laugh by making funny noises and faces while pretending to blow my nose. She would try and I would also laugh and encourage her until she was blowing out short burst of air. When she was sick she remembered the bright hankies and was able to blow. She's only 16 months so the blowing doesn't completely empty her nose, but it certainly helps, and the soft cloth doesn't irritate like a tissue can. Maybe letting your son pick out a few special handkerchiefs just for his nose will motivate him to use them. Good Luck.

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S.L.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi S.
I think this is very normal... 3 1/2 is still very young.
my son was the same way, wouldnt blow out or didn't understand the concept of blowing out as oppose to in and hence.... making the nose even stuffier :)
you just have to be patient, eventually they catch on, took my son until about 5 or so to finally blow out properly.

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A.V.

answers from San Francisco on

You don't have to blow the nose. I read an article that you should just wipe the nose not blow it. My younger son will not blow his nose either. I don't make him, he just wipes it if it is runny. Can't find the article but it makes sense. It says it can push it back into the ears and further in the nasal cavity.

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L.W.

answers from Las Vegas on

I took a tissue and told my three-year-old son to do a fake sneeze. I did the first "atchoo" for him to see how I took the tissue and held it to my nose, and then he played along and actually blew his nose! Hoping this little trick might help someone else at wit's end like I was.

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