The First Years Nasal Aspirator; The Must Have You Don't Want to Think About
Written: May 07 '04 (Updated Jun 21 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Gets the job done; ridges for secure grip; easy to clean; safety base prevents over-insertion.
Cons: None, aside from the task for which this is made...!
The Bottom Line: Sooner or later, you're going to need one of these - this one gets the job done with minimal frustration for parent or baby.
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| krissingene's Full Review: The First Years Nasal Aspirator |
To begin with, please forgive me for using the politically incorrect and somewhat crass name by which we call this instrument in our home, as I don't think I can type 'aspirator' but so many times before beating my head against my desk. The item in question will heretofore be referred to as the snot sucker. Disclaimer: If you are offended by the word 'snot', you may want to stop reading now.
By the time we bought our newborn daughter home from the hospital, we had obtained not one, not two, but three snot suckers, a fact that horrified my husband to no end as he had never heard of them before and was more than a little squeamish at the thought of their intended use. I had purchased one myself, received one as a gift and then, of course, forced to take the hospital-issue snot sucker as well. All three were unceremoniously dumped into a small basket of pacifiers, product samples and other rejected odds and ends beneath the changing table and forgotten for three months. That is, until we needed it.
Sniffy Baby
My daughter's pediatrician warned us before flying across the country that she would more than likely end up with a cold due to the compressed cabin air in the plane. HA! I thought, upon returning home with a perfectly healthy little girl. Three days later, it hits. Coughing, sneezing, sniffling, snorting, the whole nine yards. My baby's first cold!
Even though I'm a new mommy, I've read enough on baby care to know that first colds are rarely fatal and generally no cause for panic. Since she didn't have a fever, I set about making her as comfortable as possible - and breathing certainly being a necessity for comfort, I reached for a snot sucker and pulled out the first one I happened to come to, which was The First Years Nasal Aspirator.
It's actually not bad looking, as far as snot suckers go - I'm assuming that they come in a variety of colors as the ones pictured here at ePinions are navy and purple and mine is a very light mint green with a blue First Years logo. The large round bulb is textured with indented rings all the way around, which makes gripping the bulb very easy (and leaves nifty little ridges in your thumb when you're finished.) The long tube tapers off at the end to a thinner, baby-nostril-sized opening; the sudden taper is a safety feature to ensure that the snot sucker isn't placed too far inside baby's nose (a feature that I'm most thankful for, as yet being a very novice and nervous snot sucker.) I'm not sure why, but I couldn't help noticing that this particular snot sucker also has a very light fragrance, something nearly baby powder but not quite. I suppose it is very important to have your sucked snot smell powder fresh...
It Really Sucks
I really tried not to put too much thought into the removal process as I squeezed the bulb and placed the tip of the snot sucker into my daughter's nose. If you are squeamish, you will not appreciate the noise that accompanies the act of releasing the bulb - the sucking squelch is enough to turn a weak stomach. However, this product really seems to work as two quick squeezes on each side and my daughter was breathing semi-normally again.
That's not to say she appreciated it - I suppose most babies will disagree with foreign objects being placed inside their nostril (I certainly would), but she seemed more annoyed than actually uncomfortable by its presence.
Then What Do You Do With It?
Before becoming a mother, I had wondered how one goes about cleaning out a snot sucker - I mean, it would certainly reach its capacity sooner or later left to its own devices. The First Years Nasal Aspirator makes cleaning a snap with a valve conveniently located at the top of the bulb. Similar to the valve in anything inflatable, just pop the top open and run hot water through the bulb to clean (I wouldn't recommend examining the contents first...)
Contact Info
For more information, visit The First Years online at www.thefirstyears.com or call 1-800-317-3194 (US and Canada).
Also By The First Years
The First Years Soft Teething Beads
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
krissingene
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Member: Kristin
Location: Southern VA
Reviews written: 267
Trusted by: 118 members
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The strength of Motherhood is greater than Natural Laws. -Barbara Kingsolver
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