Stimulating Snot

Raise your hand if you've ever used a bulb syringe. For those uninformed about this diaper bag must, it's a cross between a turkey baster and an eye dropper. It is used to get nasty noogies out of newborn noses.

There are 3 simple steps to bulb syringing: squeeze syringe, insert into nostril, release pressure on syringe. Theoretically, the nasal mucus makes its way from the baby's nostril into the blue snot warehouse.

Of course, in my house the bulb syringe process was much more complicated, involving upwards of 5 steps and 2 adults. It's been a while, but I recall a few of the steps: hide the syringe from the baby, hold the baby's head still, remove your hair from the baby's fingers, sit on the baby's hands, remove your finger from the baby's mouth. You get the point.

I recently heard about a new tool, developed by the Swedes, which accomplishes the same objective, using a rather unique approach. They have developed a tool which allows parents to suck the snot out of their infants' noses...with a straw!

Yes, introducing the Nosefrida Snot Sucker Nose Nasal Aspirator. According to their web site, it is a "15 inch clear plastic tube that extends from a nasal nozzle, allowing the parent to use their own suction to draw mucus out of their child's nose."

I know what you're thinking. I thought the same thing. What is stopping the snot from making it into my mouth? (I mean, there's an easier, more direct way to eat noogies, if that's your thing.) Apparently, the Nosefrida comes with a hygiene filter that prevents mucus transfer from child to user.

Wow! Not that's cool. I wanted a Nosefrida Snot Sucker of my own. So I bought one today at BuyBuyBaby on Harbison! All I needed was a baby to test it on.

But my baby (Linda) is 16 years old now. She said, "NO WAY, MOM! See you later".

I had to find a baby. I could go to the mall! I usually see a lot of babies in the mall. I should be able to find one with a runny nose in the food court. But I was a little nervous about that hygiene filter. (It's one thing using it on my flesh and blood, but a mall baby?)

Then the light bulb went off: Plan C! I could use it on myself! Only one problem. I had no noogies. And how do you stimulate snot?

Which gets me to the topic of this blog. I've tried all day to accumulate sufficient snot in my nose. The funny things is, I blow my nose ALL DAY LONG every day. You'd think if I stopped blowing it, I'd have some accumulation, right? 

Empty.

But that didn't stop me from test driving it. (As you can see, Kevin was intrigued.)

And I believe it works.

When I first got home from BuyBuyBaby with my Nosefrida I ran in the house and screamed, "Dave!  Guess what!  I'm testing the most disgusting product ever!"

I gave him the box to see for himself.

"What's disgusting is that you spent $17 on this."

And he's right, of course. Now that I have a Nosefrieda, I realize how easy it would be to make my own.  I could use my Silly Straw Eyeglasses. 

And it would be a lot more fun to use.