Jay's right - Of course babies less than 6 months whose noses are blocked
with a cold can breathe through their mouths...any mother who has bf (or
bottle fed, I suppose, too) a baby with cold has observed this.

And as an addendum to my post about UK midwives and doctors almost never
aspirating or suctioning,  it is now very rare that babies with a blocked
nose are even treated here. Treatment of choice (years ago) was ephedrine
drops, but this is no longer given (well, I won't be dogmatic, I expect
someone somewhere is bucking the trend). Reason: possible damage to the
mucus membranes.

Doctors don't use syringes on a blocked nose and parents have never been
given syringes to use at home - the very idea of using one myself appalls
me, yikes, the thing could be poked up too far!  This reluctance is of
course cultural - you won't find many UK parents who would use a rectal
thermometer with their infants, either, as we'd be too darn scared!  But
there is a layer of common sense in here, too. Basically healthy babies
deal with their colds and congestion very well, and snotty noses cure
themselves quite nicely...you don't need to poke around, really, do you???


Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK