Review: Nose Frida Snot Sucker

This article is all about the Nose Frida Snot Sucker. Yes, that’s what it’s called. And yes, that’s what it does. But I gotta tell you, you NEED one of these in your house when you have babies or little kids. Here’s why.

I have affiliate links in this article – these are products I love and use in my home.

This seemingly underrated gadget may have saved my newborn’s life. No, really.

It was the first night we’d brought him home from the hospital – family had come over to love on him and help us get settled, and they were saying their goodnights. My dad handed my baby back to me, and I saw my son start to turn red, and arch his back. As I got him in my arms he turned stiff and started to make a weak little sound.

He was having trouble breathing.

After a few panicky minutes, and calling 911, I remembered that I had been given one of these Nose Fridas and I sent my sister to fetch it upstairs. There’s no assembly and it’s so intuitive that within seconds I was using it on my firstborn’s tiny nose.

It worked like a charm. A snotty, straw-like charm.

We later learned that my son had severe reflux, and he’d regurgitated some breastmilk up into his nose. Newborns don’t know that they can breathe through their mouth, so being congested is a serious thing. I’m not sure what would have happened if we hadn’t used this; by the time the EMTs arrived, my son was sleeping in my arms. Those poor guys, they told us they’d been so worried when they heard over their radio that “a newborn is not breathing.” You can imagine what they were thinking.

Needless to say, we now have four Nose Frida Snot Suckers in our home. I keep them throughout the house, and one in my diaper bag.

Please don’t let me scare you – I don’t think they are usually a matter of life-and-death. But it worked better than any bulb syringe ever could, and the Nose Frida is much easier to use, and more sanitary. (Bulb syringes often grow mold or other science experiments inside, since it’s impossible to truly clean them out).

Nose Frida vs bulb syringe

As soon as I hear my infant daughter snorting like she’s having trouble breathing, I grab the Nose Frida out of my nightstand. One minute later, she’s calm and breathing clearly.

I also like using the Nose Frida after I’ve sprayed some nasal saline into my baby’s nose. When my littles start to get a cold, I do a spray in each nostril, wait a minute, and gently suck the excess back out. This is particularly useful if you’re about to put them down to sleep. (And I like this nasal saline because it’s the most natural, no extra gunk in it like artificial scents. Why would you want extra smells in your nose spray anyway?…)

A few tips: wash your Nose Frida regularly. It’s easy to clean, just pop it apart and wash with soap and water. You’ll have the narrow straw (where you put your mouth), the larger apparatus which touches Baby’s nose, and the spongey filter. Then let it air dry.

Nose Frida, disassembled

You won’t need to buy extra filters often – the original Nose Frida comes with a lot, and I’ve only bought replacements once.

And suck gently when you do use it – you don’t want to hurt the inside of your child’s sweet little nose! Just put the larger opening to baby’s nostril, and the red mouthpiece in your mouth, and suck gently. You’ll be able to see what you got out of there (gross but fascinating). I lay my daughter down on the changing table and make sure I have plenty of light. One or two sucks in each nostril, and she’s good! If Baby still sounds congested, you can use a bit of saline like I mentioned above.

Have you ever used the Nose Frida? What did you think?