Emily Oster

2 minute read Emily Oster

Emily Oster

Is Saline Nasal Spray Safe for Babies?

Q&A on overuse

Emily Oster

2 minute read

At the start of last winter, our baby started waking up with blood on her nose and face due to the dry air. Our pediatrician recommended saline drops or spray before bed, and the bleeding stopped! Our girl didn’t fight us on using spray, so we’ve been doing one spray per nostril before bed for over a year now so it could just become part of her bedtime routine.  

Now that she’s almost 2 years old, I’m wondering if we’ve made a mistake. I’ve seen articles that using products like Afrin too regularly actually causes more congestion — could the same be true of saline? 

—A concerned mom who loves routine

As a parent, there is nothing better than finding a simple solution that works for a problem like this. In our case, the answer always seems to be Aquaphor, which has fixed everything from wounds to eczema to burns (luckily the burns have only been mine). So I’m happy for you that you found a solution!

Ralphs_Fotos / Pixabay

Of course, as a parent there is also nothing worse than the fear that you’ve been accidentally doing something dangerous, possibly for years. This is the core of many panic headlines — as in, did you know that this simple spatula might be killing you slowly? In your case, it’s the nasal spray. 

Good news! There is no issue with using saline spray in your nose for years, or forever. It’s just salt and water, two things that are in your nose all the time anyway. Afrin has a decongestant in it, and it’s recommended not to use it for more than five days in a row because of “rebound congestion,” which overuse can make worse. But salt water will not do that.

Spray away!

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