What Is the Best or Effective Nasal Spray for Children?

Hi M.,

I am prone to sinus infections too. However, since I started using saline spray (Ocean Spray if you prefer name brands but I have used the CVS and Walgreens store brand as well) I rarely get sinus infections. For the first time in my life when I get a cold it goes away without leading to a sinus infection. I attribute this to using the saline spray daily (every night). I am also much less congested in the morning when my allergy tend to act up.
My friend, also with sinus issues, swears by the "Neti Pot."

Best of Luck.

Make sure that the nasal spray that you're using is free of thimerosal, the same nasty mercury based preservative that they still put in multi-dose vaccines. My sister recently gave me a bottle of CVS nasal (pump) spray and I found out online that it has this as an ingredient. I'm very careful about what I and my family ingests as I have an 18 year old son who's severely autistic and has been damaged by this stuff in his vaccines when he was younger.

Hi M.,
I would ask for very specific recommendations and directions. I have an older brother who was COMPLETELY addicted to nasal spray for years (MANY years). He got to the point where he was totally stuffy if he wasn't using it constantly. He had to have a bottle in his pocket, his drawer at work, his car etc. It has a very real "rebound effect" that you do not want!
I would ask them for specific instructions and personally, I would prefer the saline drops/spray whenever you can.
Good luck!

look into a nettipot, drug stores and health stores sell them. It will take care of the sinus problems w/out the rebound affect. Also look into manuka honey, there was a study just made public that it had antibacterial properties(all honey does) but that Manuka honey was found as effective at antibiotics. It was an initial study but it can't hurt.

Hi M.,
We use Simply Saline spray with my almost 2 year old son, it comes in a baby version that has a smaller nozel and a more gentle flow. I use the regular version. We both use on a daily basis to help keep the nasal passages moist which seems to help with sinus issues. I get sick much less often than I used to and I don't wake up with a headache in the winter months from the dry air. We also use a humidifier in my sons room whenever he is sleeping. Spencer still gets an occassional snotty nose but the saline also helps clear it out. I have been using the spray since he was about 6 months old and he has only been on antibiotics once and we probably could have skipped those but they thought he was starting to get some fluid in his ears.
Simply Saline has worked for us, it comes in a little spray can and can usually be found with the sinus medication. I have also used Little Noses spray saline with my son and it works just as well. The spray does not contain any medication so there is no addictions issues.
If your son is 10 and can blow his own nose, you may want to try a squirt in each nostril, allow it a minute to set in and then blow his nose. I just read in a childrens magazine that the best way to blow your nose without inflaming nasal tissues is to block off one nostril and then do three short gentle blows, repeat if needed to get the nose cleared out. After his nose feels clear then give an additional small squirt to keep things moist. We have been trying this out and it seems to work.

I am a big advocate of saline use!! Hope this helps, S.

Hi M., Your Doctor should have told you what kind of spray he wants you to use!! Nasal sprays can be very effective, but they can also be a big problem with long-time use which should be a concern to you and your Doctor. My father (who had terriable sinus problems) used to use them every day, twice a day for years and actually became addicted to them! Go back to your doctor and request some real information from him instead of just the generic suggestion he gave you! Best wishes

Repeating what everyone else here has said, Saline... our allergist has us on it...store brand, & I use a sharpie to put the first initial of each of our names on the bottles in the cabinet!

That said, he also wants us on Flonase, Nasonex or Astelin... he's not choosy, just gives us samples when we see him and writes the script for whichever of them has a coupon or a special offer, like your first script gets a rebate.

My son & hubby both have allergies, and I am prone to sinus infections b/c of a deviated septum but don't want surgery. Our allergist says if we're not going to live by the ocean where there's naturally saline in the air, and the air is cleaner and fewer pollen-bearing trees, this is the next best thing (he's half joking of course, but it's working for us!)

Also, when your son's feeling a cold coming on, have him do the Zicam swabs. It's zinc, which is a virus fighter, and it does help to shorten the longevity of a cold, and since it's swabbed into the nose, should also help to prevent the virus from settling into the sinuses and turning into an infection.
Knock wood, so far so good for me this season ~ zicam has thus far prevented my colds from turning into sinus infections, and the colds have been very minor!

Good luck!

Oh, and regarding the posts about the nasal sprays, wasn't it Afrin? My ex father in law was also one who became addicted to it.
I am fairly certain the prescription sprays and probably otc ones too, don't contain "that" ingredient any longer... this was a looooong time ago, like 25-30 years.
Right?

hi, i've had a big history of sinus problems and eventually needed to get sinus surgery. since the surgery i've used saline spray every morning. in addition to my first hand experience i am also a pediatric nurse. saline sprays are just like salt water. its not a medicated nasal spray like flonase or nasonex. it just serves to clear your nose of secretions and dried debris like dust, pollen, etc. it is just a way to clean out your nose. without the extra debris in your nose there is less chance of this stuff making its way up into your sinuses and causing an infection. your child should blow his nose then use the spray and the blow his nose again. it helps to have him lean his head forward b/c then he won't taste the spray drip into his throat (remember its salty and kids won't like the taste) . i just use the cvs brand. they're all the same so why pay more

i agree that simply saline (for babies) is the best!!!! was recommended by my pediatrician!

Good advice from your doctor, especially since antibiotics don't work for colds and other viruses. As far as a decongestant nasal spray, I believe Neo-Synephrine has a mild formula that would be good for your son. Just make sure not to use it too often, or else they get what's called rebound congestion. This is heavy congestion that occurs after too much use of decongestants.

Hi M.,

You can make your own nose drops with salt and water.

The other thing is you can run a vaporizer especailly at night.

Go to a Massage therapist that does lymph drainage periodically and have her massage his sinuses.

Good luck. Hope this helps. D.

I swear by saline nose drops. Every time (not too much just once or twice a day only when needed) my nose is dry or I have to blow my nose, I spray some saline nose drops in each nostril. You can find plain saline nose drops at any pharmacy like rite-aid. Use the store brand cuz it's cheaper and you shouldn't need all the extra additives in name brands. Saline is just salt-water. There should not be any side effects from pure saline water. What it does is gently blocks off any microscopic openings in the fine nose blood vessels where most viruses enter. Also, use a warm mist humidifier - keeping the nasal passages moist prevents a lot of problems - best to use reverse osmosis or spring water that doesn't have a lot of minerals and salt in it which will only cause a sauna in the room - by using as pure water as possible it allows the water to mist more slowly which is better. Blessings!

I would also say to boost his immune system with oral vit C and Zinc.

use saline spray. you will be able to clean out the sinuses and yet make sure they are not dried out. antibotics over a period of time will not let the body naturally fight infection. i am surprised that they did not recommend over the counter products such as mucinex.you need to go to CVS,Walgreens or Rite Aid. normally the pharmacist or their staff can help you with the different cold products out there and probably know what is good for children. if you are not doing it already,have a air purifier in the room and during the winter use a humidifier so the sinuses do not dry.