Best Nasal Aspirator for Babies

If you’re in a hurry and just want to find out what the best nasal aspirator for babies is, I’d recommend the NoseFrida.

In the early stages of parenthood, you’ll discover the many things that your baby is totally dependent on you for. Blowing their noses is one of them! Babies under 12 months breathe solely through their noses, so when it’s blocked up with snot, mucus, and boogers, it can be very uncomfortable for them. 

To help you out, we’ll show you what to look for in the best nasal aspirator for babies—and we’ve listed our favorites for you to choose from.

Here are the baby nasal aspirators I will be reviewing:

• NoseFrida
• BabyBubz Booger Remover
• Nosiboo Pro
• Bubzi Co
• BabySmile
• BabyComfy Nose
• NeilMed Naspira Plus
• Munchkin Clear Nose
• The Original Boogie Buster
• Baby NasaKleen
  

Why Would You Need One?

Babies’ noses are tiny and delicate, and therefore, can be susceptible to getting blocked up. The causes include things like sickness, colds, allergies, air quality, and teething. If you’re a first-timer and find that your baby is struggling to breathe, this can be a worrying and uncomfortable experience for both you and your little one. 

A nasal aspirator is a must-have device, and I don’t want you to feel desperately wishing you had one while sat nursing a struggling baby at 3 am. 

What to Look for When Buying a Nasal Aspirator

Nasal aspirators for babies can look remarkably similar, so what differs between, let’s say, the highest price to the lowest priced brands? As moms, we all know that our babies are different, and what works for one might not necessarily work for another. Here’s a list of a few things to consider to ensure that you get the best nasal aspirator for your baby.

What It’s Made From

The tips all have direct contact with your baby’s nose, whether it’s inside or outside of the nostril. Therefore, you need to make sure that the material used for this is non-abrasive and that the packaging is clearly labeled as BPA and phthalate-free. Silicone is a good option because it’s soft and flexible, as well as being easy to clean and safe.

Size of the Tip

Before purchasing your baby’s first nasal aspirator, make sure it caters to the specific age range that you want it for. Some brands offer a selection of different shapes and sizes, allowing you to select the right one for your baby and increase the tip size as the baby grows. Other brands may be targeted towards older children, and some offer a one-size-fits-all tip.

How Easy It Is to Clean

It’s vital to clean your nasal aspirator before and after each use to prevent bacteria build-up from germs and mold growth. Some brands have disposable parts, including filters and tips, which can be changed after every use, so they’re relatively easy to keep clean and sterile. 

Although this sounds great in terms of ease and hygiene, they’re more wasteful and inevitably more costly. Most brands can be taken apart for easy cleaning, although some may be easier to take part than others, and a few are even dishwasher safe. 

The Three Types

There are three types of nasal aspirators on the market, so let’s take a look.

Bulb Syringe

The bulb syringe has been around for ages and is still commonly used in hospitals. You may have even been given one to take home with you. 

It’s the simplest in design and the cheapest option. It looks like a squeezable ball with a nozzle at one end and works by a simple air suction technique. The suction created will help to release the mucus, pulling it down into the ball. 

One obvious downside to this is that the dark, enclosed environment is an ideal breeding ground for germs. They can be washed out with warm soapy water; however, you can’t get inside them to scrub the surface and let them dry properly. 

Electric Aspirator

The most sophisticated and highest priced options are the electric nasal aspirators. These come in all different shapes and sizes and are either battery or mains powered. They are a bit like a mini vacuum cleaner with a nozzle and a power switch, so all you have to do is turn it on and get cleaning! 

Depending on your specific model, the nozzles may be taken apart for easy cleaning or replaced. The snot usually gets stored in a small reservoir which you can empty and clean easily. These can also be quite loud and scary looking, and obviously not too easy to transport.

Oral Suction Aspirator

The oral suction aspirator (yes, you guessed it) works by you sucking the mucus out of the baby’s nose through a tube. There’s either a filter or a canal which catches the mucus and prevents it from going inside your mouth—phew! 

They generally consist of a couple of parts; one longish tube with a tip for the baby’s nose and a mouthpiece for you. Most models come apart easily for cleaning, and depending on the brand, the tips and filters will either be tossed in the garbage or cleaned for use again. They are quite similarly priced, although you’ll be paying slightly more for the leading brands. 

Top Tips

Before I give you my roundup of the 10 best nasal aspirators, I wanted to share a few tips and advice on other things that you can do to help clear those stuffy noses: 

• Make sure that you use a saline solution inside your baby’s nose to help soften the mucus prior to sucking and pulling it out. This will really help and make it more comfortable for your little one. Don’t use it for more than four days at a time, because this could lead to drying baby’s nose out even more. 
• Always follow the instructions about how often you can use your aspirator. Don’t overdo it and if you’re unsure, seek advice from your physician. 
• Consider using air humidifiers and purifiers. You want the environment to be as healthy as possible for your baby, so try to eliminate any potential for allergens to thrive.

My Baby Nasal Aspirator Reviews

Your little one will be able to breathe freely with one of the following products in our round-up. I’ve found the top aspirators on the market that work to clear baby’s noses.

NoseFrida

The NoseFrida Snot Sucker is a market leader in oral aspirators. This Swedish-born product was designed by a doctor with efficiency and simplicity in mind. It markets itself as being 100 percent weird and 100 percent hygienic. It’s one of the first of this design so let’s put it to the test and see if it lives up to its name.

The NoseFrida has a simple design and consists of a nozzle at one end where the snot collects, a long tube, and a mouthpiece for you. It works by placing the tip of the nozzle onto the outside of your baby’s nostril to make a seal, and once you’ve put the mouthpiece into your mouth, you’re ready to start sucking. 

The mucus that you suck out will stay inside the nozzle behind a filter, so that you won’t get any germs or boogers in your mouth! Once finished, take it apart, toss the filter into the garbage, and clean the rest. The NoseFrida is dishwasher proof, making it even easier. 

Once you get over the initial gross factor, there’s no doubt you’ll really like this product. I find the oral aspirator to work the best, as I have more control over the suction. It’s simple to use and effective at getting that stubborn snot out of your baby’s nose. 

The tip does seem quite hard; however, because it’s not actually going inside the nose, this isn’t so bad. It should be easy to make a seal, and the tube is long enough without compromising the airflow resistance. 

The NoseFrida is made from clinically safe materials as recommended by pediatricians. It’s BPA and phthalate-free and safe for all ages. It also comes with 24 filters for extra hygiene.

BabyBubz Booger Remover

The Booger Remover from BabyBubz is also a leading brand in the oral aspirator market. Created by a couple who wanted the safest, premium product to use on their children, their motto is “By Parents, For Parents.” This smart and simple device claims to be the safest nasal suction device on the market.

The Booger Remover works similar to the NoseFrida, the difference being it’s constructed a little differently with a collection chamber held in the middle of two tubes. The tip goes slightly inside the baby’s nose; however, it’s quite small and made from soft silicone so it shouldn’t cause any discomfort. 

Unlike the NoseFrida, this one doesn’t have a filter, so the snot and mucus get stuck in the chamber where it’s kept by a safety lid preventing it from going into the second tube. 

I love the fact that you don’t have to keep buying more filters for this one, which can be costly and a hassle. However, filters keep the aspirator hygienic, so you have to stay on top of cleaning it. Forgetting to clean it could result in more germs being passed on to mom or dad, and it’s much easier to clean out fresh snot than dried. 

The Booger Remover is super easy to take apart and clean in warm soapy water without any fiddly parts to remove and getting your fingers covered in snot.

BabyBubz is so confident that you’re going to love their product, that it also comes with a lifetime guarantee! This is a pretty generous offer—I’m not sure I’d want one returned to me after a lifetime of use. The company also claims their product to be a ‘hospital-grade,’ and it’s BPA and phthalate-free.

Nosiboo Pro

The Nosiboo is an electric nasal aspirator for those of you who want to quickly clear your baby’s nose and be done with it. This fun-looking snot sucker has a bear-shaped face, so it definitely looks the friendliest out of them all. It’s designed to meet the needs of 21st-century modern parents (minimal effort for you!) and was developed with the help of ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) specialists.

This model is operated by plugging it in, so no batteries are required. The suction power is adjustable with a guidance of what age needs what level of suction. 

The tip is made from silicone and goes inside the baby’s nose. Once the snot is out, it’s stored in a small chamber close to the tip. This is the only part that needs cleaning, so it’s pretty simple to maintain. 

What I like about this product is the toy-like design because it should keep your baby sufficiently distracted, leaving you to do your job. It’s easy to use because all you have to do is press a button and sit back. If there’s a lot of mucus to get out then the oral aspirators can make you feel a bit lightheaded after a while. 

The Nosiboo is BPA-free, so it’s entirely safe for use on children. It also claims that the maximum suction power will not cause any harm to your baby.

Bubzi Co

The Bubzi Co is another oral aspirator that has made it to the list. These devices, in my opinion, are the easiest to use on little babies. Priced slightly lower than most other models on our list, let’s see if it’s compromised in quality or as good as the rest.

What I first noticed is that the Bubzi Co comes in handy packaging that looks like a teddy bear, which is great for transporting. It’s easy to assemble and consists of a chamber that attaches to the soft silicone tip. There’s also a suction tube with a mouthpiece for you. 

There is no filter, and instead, they recommend to place a tissue inside the chamber. This will help to soak up the snot, but be warned, when used without a tissue, some moms ended up sucking up snot into their mouths!

The tube is quite short, which means that you need to have your head really close to your baby’s when sucking. You may find it easier to use with your baby in your arm, as opposed to lying down. 

The Bubzi Co nasal aspirator is also easy to clean by quickly disassembling the parts and washing them in warm, soapy water. It’s made from hospital grade soft silicone and is BPA-free.

BabySmile

The BabySmile is the next in our range of electronic aspirators. I was immediately aware of its size compared to the other brands because it’s so much bigger compared to the alternatives on the market. Although there’s a lot more bulk in this device compared to the NosiBoo, there’s not a lot of difference in price.

This model is called the S-503, which is an improved version of BabySmile’s previous S-502. This one is apparently smaller and more compact, which is a relief; the other one must’ve been huge! The biggest part is the chamber where all the snot is kept after being sucked through the tube. 

So, how does the BabySmile compare to the Nosiboo? Well, they’re both fairly easy to assemble, use, and take apart. You might be slightly alarmed when using the BabySmile for the first time because it’s so loud. Also, the nozzle that goes into the baby’s nose feels like using a vacuum cleaner with an adjustable toggle on its handle, allowing you to control the suction level. 

After the initial shock, you will find this device to be really effective at getting the mucus out. The pressure created from the suction toggle almost always makes babies sneeze as well, which is helpful to remove as much snot as possible.

They have even attached suction pads to the bottom of the device to stop it from accidentally tipping over and spilling all that snot on the floor!

This product is FDA tested, BPA-free, and can be used from birth onwards, including adults. It also states that it’s safe to use as much as you need; however, we wouldn’t overdo it with this because it’s so powerful.

BabyComfy Nose

The Original Snot Sucker by BabyComfy is another oral aspirator that works with the same concept as the rest, so what’s different, and how does it compare to the previous models?

The snot chamber on the BabyComfy Nose is egg-shaped and claims to be designed so that airflow will stop here, making the snot and boogers stay inside. 

There is no filter, and they recommend to use a tissue instead. Tissues are claimed to be more absorbent and better for the environment than disposable filters. This is obviously a bonus, and although I’m not so sure about the hygiene of this, it’s nice not to have to buy extra parts. 

The device comes with the option of two nose tips; small for a newborn and those tiny noses, as well as a standard size for older children.

It also comes in a really handy mesh bad for transporting and which can also be put into the dishwasher to keep all of the parts together. This is useful even for storage, as I’ve lost several oral aspirators and their parts by not keeping everything together.

This device is also BPA and phthalate-free, and great value for money.

NeilMed Naspira Plus

The NeilMed Naspira Plus is a combination of an oral aspirator and a traditional bulb. This means that you can use either technique independently or both together. Other than this, I really like the look of this one at first glance.

Similar to the NoseFrida, the NeilMed requires the use of disposable filters to reduce the risk of contamination. Its unique chamber design contains a one-way valve that would stop any airflow from the parents mouths into the baby’s nose. If this were to happen, then it would push the mucus further up your little one’s nose. 

When using this device, some parents found it quite hard to hold onto the bulb because it’s so big and perhaps not necessary. But you may like the feature of having a two-in-one design to give you the option of either technique.

In addition, the NeilMed also comes with saline drops which is a nice extra. The device can also be sterilized in boiling water and it’s really easy to twist off and take apart. 

It’s BPA and phthalate-free and comes with a 100 percent money-back guarantee if you’re not happy with how it works.

Munchkin Clear Nose

The Clear Nose by Munchkin is one of the cheaper options in the oral aspirator variety. Its white and simple style is really nice as it seems a bit less tacky looking than some of the other brands.

This device includes three different sized silicone tips; small, medium, and large, which are great for versatility. It also comes in a clear plastic case, making it easy to pack up and toss into your diaper bag. You never know when you might need it.

It features a unique chamber design to keep that snot in place, so no need for filters or tissues. The best part of using the Munchkin Clear Nose is that babies really don’t seem that bothered by this one as opposed to some of the others. This clearly means that it doesn’t irritate, which is probably because you can get the right fitting tip depending on the size of your baby’s nose. 

The small bulb and long hose make it really easy to handle, which is a definite bonus when dealing with a wriggling baby. However, after a few uses, some moms found that the detachable chamber became loose and difficult to keep on.

Compared to the other models, it’s a bit fiddly to clean and not dishwasher-proof, which just makes life so much easier when you’ve got a million things to clean.

It meets industry standards and is also BPA and phthalate-free. Compared to some other aspirators, the Clear Nose seemed to cause the least irritation.

The Original Boogie Buster

Developed by European physicians, the Original Boogie Buster boasts to be the number one selling nasal aspirator in Europe. Despite its name, it’s not, in fact, the original oral aspirator, but certainly a popular model.

The Boogie Buster has both disposable filters and disposable tips so that means a lot of things to keep buying, but it reduces the risk of contamination. It comes with three tips or you can pay a little extra and get 10 additional ones plus the three to start with. The anti-return dual safety chamber is designed to capture the boogers, and the disposable filter prevents them from going into the tube. 

My first thoughts were that the tube seems quite short, which from previous experience, makes it harder to control—especially if your baby is wriggling a lot. 

The disposable tips and filters seem a bit of a faff and wasteful, but at the same time, it does make it much more hygienic than some other brands, and there are fewer parts to clean. 

The filters are much easier to remove than other brands, which also means that you’ll not end up with your fingers covered in snot. Bonus!

There’s a double filter, so if the boogers are tough enough to get through the first one, then hopefully they won’t get past the second and end up in your mouth. This does make it slightly harder to suck, though, because of the added resistance. Also, what parents like about this one is that the chamber is small so you don’t have to watch the snot and boogers moving around as much.

The Boogie Buster is BPA and phthalate-free and I like that the tips seem ergonomically better than other models. It’s not expensive but not cost-effective either with all that extra money to be spent on filters and tips. It comes with a travel case so you can store all the small parts together and have it on you at all times.

Baby NasaKleen

Made in the USA, the Baby NasaKleen comes with 50 disposable filters. As it’s already one of the cheapest options on the market for oral aspirators, this makes it exceptional value for money.

Its simple design consists of a soft silicone tip, a plastic chamber with a hygiene filter, and a tube connector. The tube is nice and long, making it easier to control. Users like how the mouthpiece is rigid, so it doesn’t collapse like on some others.

Cleaning is easy as the tube unscrews, and the soft tip is removable. What you might notice is that the extra-fine filter makes it quite restricted of airflow. Some parents opted to remove that altogether, and it seems to work really well with just the foam filter that it comes with.

One mom found the tip to be way too big and abrasive, so she cut it down slightly. After this simple modification, it worked great. 

This device works great, but over time, it can start to lose effectiveness. This may be due to the cheap materials used in manufacturing, or simply that it needs a good old clean.

Like all the others on the list, it’s BPA and phthalate-free to ensure your baby is only in contact with safe materials. If you’re looking for a bargain, this is a low price with an almost endless amount of filters, so you can’t go wrong with that. It may not be durable or long-lasting, but it will do the job for the moment.

Snot a Pretty Sight

There are lots of options out there for clearing your baby’s nose. I think we can all agree that oral aspirators are definitely the best in terms of effectiveness, ease of use, transportation, and cost. 

My favorite has to be the NoseFrida, as it is the least abrasive yet highly effective. Although it’s the highest-priced from this category, I could see why because it’s so durable and doesn’t feel cheap and tacky. The disposable filters are hygienic also, which helps to keep moms, dads, and babies protected. 

You may find sucking the snot out gross at first, but there’s an oddly satisfying feeling of getting loads out to help your little one breathe again!