What about setting a kitchen timer or cell phone alarm w/a fun ring every 30 minutes (?) however often would keep her from snuffling all the mucous back up into her head, and have her blow at those designated times...?
I'm not into using bribes or rewards generally speaking, but maybe she gets a sticker each time the alarm goes off and she blows her nose w/o a fuss and then at the end of the day or week if she has a certain amount of stickers she gets to do something special-pick out a movie for everyone to watch together, gets time on the computer, gets to paint her finger or toenails or maybe yours

, an extra story at bedtime... whatever is special at your house.
Make sure you're very matter of fact about the new plan and get her involved in picking out the alarm and the special treats she's working toward.
Hope that helps and that she feels better soon!!
Chelsie

 

Oh, some variation of that may work. She did ask for a piece of chocolate today. I could probably get her to do something to take care of herself for chocolate. I'll sleep on that one.

Thanks!
Sus

 

I know chocolate can be a great motivator, but sugar is so hard on the immune system I'd hold off on any sweet treats til she's all better, maybe that will be extra motivation to get the snot out!

Maybe she can pick out the candy bar she wants for when there's no more snot in her head

Good Luck!

 

Is she into 'doing gross things' could you teach her to suck it back to her throat then making that gross wretching noise of hocking it up and spitting it out... maybe even go outdoors and seeing who can spit a loogie the farthest?

Could you get a baby nose suctioner and either teach her to use that or you use it on her? The mucus would stay off her face.

What about underwater blowing, like when she is in the bathtub, will she blow bubbles with her nose? could you adapt that to maybe a pan or sink of water.

Have you tried a wet washcloth for her to blow her nose into? Maybe even try one with some sort of EO on it ... not really for the EO to do anything but make her think that it smells like one of the herbal remadies.... approach it that she needs to smell deepely the moistnss and the odor then she needs to push out that smell from her nose... when that happens the snot will come out also, then she/you can quickly wipe away that mucus and by using the wetcloth it will clean all the residue from her face.

edited to add... you may be up against a wall now with her sick, you may have more luck trying to get good productive nose blowing by teaching her how to blow when she doesn't have so much drip to deal with, so keep up with it when she gets better.

 

My daughter did that when she was about 6yo. I warned her not to suck the mucus back into her nose because it wasn't good for her....that it would lead to an ear infection or sinus infection. I told her over and over again.

Sure enough a few days later she had the mother of all ear infections. We treated it with garlic oil and it turned out fine, but she was miserable. I made sure to point it out to her that she caused it by not taking care of herself.....natural concequences.

She is 11 now, and she blows her nose. Don't worry. They learn.

 

I'm not so sure you want to hear this, but I have never been able to blow my nose. Quit even trying years ago as just the thought freaks me out. And I don't stay sick any longer than anyone else despite 36 years of injesting my own snot.

I'm sorry you have to listen to the the nasty sound effects but I think she'll be ok health-wise.

 

seven yo daughter is the same way.She used to blow for me when she was
like 2 but as she has gotten older just sucks it in. She is sick less frequently and it lasts a shorter period than anyone in our family. go figure!!

I have explained till I am blue in the face that it feels better to get it out...is better for her body.But alas I cannot force her to do it. So we can just encourage fluids etc and the rest is up to her.

 

This is honestly not a fight I would want to fight. I would explain that she might feel better if she blows her nose and it could avoid complications or a longer illness, but then I would leave it up to her. I give my kids a lot of leeway when sick . . . I don't have the same expectations.

In my personal experience, the only consequence of not blowing my nose while sick has been to get a sore throat (or a worse sore throat). I would just offer the advice and rationale and then let her choose how to handle her snot.

Hope she feels better soon!

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romana9+2 This is honestly not a fight I would want to fight. I would explain that she might feel better if she blows her nose and it could avoid complications or a longer illness, but then I would leave it up to her. I give my kids a lot of leeway when sick . . . I don't have the same expectations. In my personal experience, the only consequence of not blowing my nose while sick has been to get a sore throat (or a worse sore throat).

I don't even get a worse sore throat, generally.

I almost never blow my nose. It makes my whole head feel awful, and makes my sinuses and nasal cavities feel weird. I feel much, much better overall if I don't blow my nose when sick. The only times I've ever had ear/sinus infections were during a very high-stress point in my life where I was also regularly developing bronchitis, running high fevers, etc. (took antibiotics twice in less than 8 weeks, which is unheard of for me), so I don't think my lack of nose-blowing was the problem.

OTOH, if the OP's dd does feel better after blowing her nose, then maybe she'll get the habit on her own. I'm not sure what a good way to handle this would be.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by mama24-7 Greetings. I am unable to listen to her suck it in over & over next to me, so she opted to not eat through most meals today b/c she wouldn't dab her nose or blow while sitting at the table. Any suggestions or ideas would be most appreciated. Sus

I came back and caught this part of your post... might want to bend whatever table rules you guys have and let her opt to eat someplace else so she's getting all the nurishment she can while she is sick. If the snot sucking is bothering others when everyone is eating, maybe she could take her meal in another room or something.

 

From the time I was very young, my Mom gave me many choices about my own healthcare (for super serious things like my severe asthma, she could and did override me at times but I am referring to general health stuff; incidentally becasue she did give me so much freedom, when shs said it needed to be a certain way, I rarely argues because I knew it must be serious). I was always given the tools and techniques with which to feel/get better and it was up to me whether or not to use them. The one caveat was that were I to choose not to use such things, I was not allowed to make others miserable for my choice. So if I didn't want to take the nasty tasting cough medicine, that was fine--but I was not to complain about the coughing, etc. Once my food allergies were no longer lifethreatening, it was my informed choice whether or not to eat an allergenic food, knowing what the consequences would be. Sometimes it was worth it to me, most times not. But I still had to do my regular stuff--school work, household responsibilities, etc. while feeling the aftereffects.

In your daughter's situation, this would extend to not blowing her nose. If she chooses not to do so, she has to sniff and snort out of your presence, even if that means she is getting up 20 times during dinner. If she gets a sinus infection that has been explained to her as a likely consequence of not clearing out her sinuses, then you will take care of her of course, but it was her active choice to take that risk to get sicker and so she would not get extra sympathy or coddling, with a reminder that she chose to take that risk, etc.

I have found in my own experience as a child and my experience as a Mom that this works really well to give them the choice in their care (even works on dh's!). They have ownership in getting better, rather than powerlessness to the germs and Mom's will. But you have to be willing to see through the consequences, even when they seem miserable. You aren't going to be heartless, but you would not listen to the whining "I'm miserable ness" that comes with such things. The response would be something sincere along the lines of "I'm sorry you don't feel well. Often that is what happens when a little cold is allowed to grow into a big cold because you chose not to take care of t early on. Next time, it might be better to do x instead of the y you chose this time. Would you like to try x now and see if we can keep things from getting any worse?". No? Ok then, I am not going to listen to you complaining about the consequences of the choice you made--you may go lay down in your room instead (of on the couch) until you are ready to stop complaining about the consequences of your choices." And it only take a short while, before they will actively and willingly choose the actions that make them feel better.

As far as the actual technique of blowing her nose, all 3 of my boys greatly prefer soft birdseye hankies or a damp washcloth to tissues for blowing their nose. They also like it when I use a dedicated

chapstick to rub around the outside of their noses, etc to help with the redness and chapping.

Hope your little one feels better soon!

 

My dd struggles to blow a bunged-up nose cos it's difficult to get any leverage as such at times and you just end up with very little actually emerging, she would get worse as she sucked instead of blowed. I used an atomizer/oil burner with decongestant oils like peppermint, eucalyptus around the house and in her room at night, this helps to loosen mucus. A steam inhalation with decongestant oils also helps tremendously. Get a bowl fill with hot water, taking care from burning, put oils in and get your dd to put her face over the water, not too close, maybe with a towel over her head but that might be too much for a younger child. A drop or two of olbas oil, a mix of decongestants, on a tissue kept at a good distance from skin as it can burn, will really help just loosen up that mucus enough to start getting a clearer passage. All these things require parental supervision as oils are strong, hot water etc. Top up on Vit,C and good foods, fruits, raw veg etc also you could try alternate breathing techniques like inhaling through mouth, exhale through mouth and try very gently to exhale through nose in between just to try and get some passage. I might also add a tiny drop of thyme to the bowl but be careful.I once , before I knew the score, sniffed olbas oil right up my nose! didn't know you just sniffed it from a distance

wow did I have a burnt out nose. Hope your dd feels better soon and your home returns to a more well-feeling harmonious level. Also I love queencarrs post and tissues can be a bit detrimental as they are so dry on skin, a damp soft cloth is a better idea I think for comfort as the skin gets really red and raw with fairly constant tissue use sometimes.

 

I wish I had some definite answers for you. My son (6) won't blow his nose. I've tried all the tricks. He gets so bad that he ends up gagging on all the phlegm, etc, that he vomits. He's even ended up in the hospital. He still won't blow his nose.

 

On the chocolate, I was hesitant to do this b/c of the sugar. Luckily, she woke up much more like herself today. Still sniffling here & there, but mood wise, she was herself. I think she's on her way to getting better. Now I have it.

Anyway, I never thought of using a wet washcloth - what a great idea! I'd love to get rid of paper tissues all together but dh won't go for it. We do have a couple of the nasal sprayers w/ saline in them & sometimes she will use it, but not over the last few days.

I think that once she is all better & everyone is healthy again, we'll just need to talk to her about what our concerns were & why we care. Then, like someone posted, work to leave it in her hands. I think too maybe we can make a list of all the things she thinks might be helpful to her when she is sick & then when she is again, she can refer to the list that *she* comes up with.

Also, she was able to eat her food. Just not while the rest of us were. I know that it is my problem dealing w/ the sound of her inhaling the mucus - I have a very strong gag reflex & if I really think about it, even sitting here alone, I feel it in my throat

. She was allowed to come eat when we were done. I think some of the time she did but on the 2nd day of feeling terrible, she just didn't care.

Thank you again!

Sus