Parents of small children are already fearing the weeks of sickness that inevitably come with flu season. Kids are basically human versions of the Broad Street pump—an ideal breeding ground for germs partnered with a terrifyingly efficient delivery system of uncovered sneezes, face touching, and shared toys.
It’s the worst when an infant catches a cold. They’re far too young for decongestants, so you’re left with that little bulb syringe from the hospital and a bottle of saline spray to try to clear the poor kid’s nose out so that they can stand to eat for more than seven seconds. You feel like you’re about to impale your poor baby’s brain when you stick that thing near their nostril, and you’re trying not to think about all the things growing inside the opaque bulb that you have no way to clean.
There’s a better way. It’s called the NoseFrida.
Invented by a pediatric ENT in Sweden, the NoseFrida is the epitome of the insane things we do for our children. This little contraption is built so that you, the loving caretaker of the child, can literally suck the snot out of your child’s nose with your own mouth and lungs.
Yes, I am very serious.
Yes, it’s almost as horrible as you imagine.
But it works, so you do it!
FridaBaby NoseFrida
$15.99, Amazon
The NoseFrida is engineered to be as idiot-proof as possible, which is helpful when you’re trying to use it at 3 a.m. It has three components: the cylinder that is placed at the baby’s nostril, the tube that you suck through, and the filter that keeps the snot from making it to your mouth. The filters are disposable and the rest of the NoseFrida is washable with soap and water.
This little gadget might not be for the squeamish. But 9,000 reviews, with a 4.5-star average on Amazon, don’t lie. You won’t inhale any snot, I promise, and instantly stopping your child’s constant sniffling is unbelievably gratifying. With older babies, you’ll have better luck if you swaddle them up first so that they can’t grab the tube. Honestly, I still occasionally use this on my 3-year-old … and even my 6-year-old. When do kids get better at blowing their nose, anyway?
Is it gross? Hideously so. But if you can’t take the crying and snorting and runny nose a minute longer, buy a NoseFrida and just … well, suck it up.
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