snotters | The S-Mum

I’ve just realised that a six week old with a head cold is possibly one of the worst feelings in the world… for both baby and parent.

With Mini-Me into her third round with the nasty viral flu that’s been plaguing Donegal’s homes for the past few months, it was inevitable that Princess would pick up some version of it. She’s been threatening us with the odd sneeze and little cough for a few days, but this morning, she woke up as a Snufflupogus, with weeping eyes and all.

And it’s horrible.

My friend has always been unable to tolerate snoots up noses. She’s the kind of person who will squeeze a blackhead, even if it’s on someone else’s nose! She picks at her kids constantly; they never have a snoot stuck in a nostril or a piece of sleep in their eyes. She’s even quite happy to pick at other people’s kids. I kid you not.
And for years, I have teased her about it.

But tonight, I am very tempted to ring her to ask what type of snotter busting device she’d recommend for the detraction of those bad boys hidden deepest in the nostril. I’d happily drive an hour to the nearest 24 hour store to source the clever contraption than sucks up the snot. But I seriously doubt that a simple fix exists that can be used on a perfect little six week old snout.

And so we just have to perservere with cuddles and tissues. Every sneeze brings with it another gloopy lump of gunk and a few minutes of ease for Snufflepants. She’s currently cuddled up of top of Daddy, making all sorts of grumbly, snottery grunts. She sounds like Miss Piggy.

And in fairness, I think it’s upsetting him more than it’s bothering her.

Mini Me is also dosed, but at least she can tell us how she’s feeling and understands that she’ll get better. We can give her medicine to ease the discomfort, and most importantly, when we hold a tissue to her snottery nostrils, she now blows through her nose rather than through her mouth!

So it’s not quite as dramatic as the tiny one’s sniffles. And really, that ‘s not even that dramatic, because realistically, she has a good old fashioned head-cold. It’s minor in the larger scheme of things. She’ll be fine. But that doesn’t mean that Mammy and Daddy don’t grimace every time she sneezes. We want to pull all of the offending gunk out of her little sinuses so that she can breathe easily again. We’d both swap places with her in a heart beat. Because that’s what parents do.

Things might be snottery and sticky, but they could always be worse.

Now, I must go text my friend to see if she’ll come for tea tomorrow. You never know what snot busting tricks she’ll be able to show me!!

I am Six-weeks-and-snuffly Mum.