Do you have to hold your little one down to be able to wipe their nose?
Wiping a runny toddler nose can be one of the more difficult things to do for a parent of younglings. Especially when they’re sick and their snot is running like a faucet…into their mouth.
The more it runs, the more we need to wipe, and the more they hate it, thus resulting in more wrestling them to pin them down.
Why are they so against it? Think about it…someone holding your face and shoving a tissue into it and squeezing your nose when you have no say and no clue why they are doing this; it doesn’t sound very pleasant.
That said, my daughter willingly lets me wipe her nose, and I didn’t even know it was so difficult for parents until another parent saw me do it and said that her toddler fights her tooth and nail every time she tries to.
So, it made me think about what I did that made her agree to let me do it.
Here are my secrets:
Ask First
I always ask her if I can get her boogers. If she turns her head away, I give her a minute and then ask again, and she usually will let me.
There have been times that I just need to do it because snot is running into her mouth and that’s too much for me to handle for long. And she fussed a little, but it was quick.
Then I ask again the next time, and, honestly, nine out of ten times she lets me.
This lets her feel respected and like her body is her own.
Show Her the Money! Er, boogers!
The times that I would have to wipe her nose when she was fussing, I would show her the tissue, or burping blanket, and tell her to look and see what came out of her nose. This made her stop fussing right away and become very pensive and curious about what she was looking at.
Now, when I ask her if I can get her booger, she always wants to see it after I get it because it’s interesting for her to see what came out of her nose, that she didn’t even know was in there!
This helped her to understand WHY I was wiping her nose.
Use a Burping Blanket.
Using a napkin or tissue can start to rub your toddler’s nose raw, but if you use fleece burping blankets, they are softer and really good if your little one is sick and will use up a lot of tissues. This way you can use the blanket for a whole day.
Put Vaseline on their nose after.
Again, their nose skin can be raw from all of the snot and rubbing the snot away, so putting Vaseline (or even Aquaphor) can help protect their skin. And if they’re already agreeing to let you wipe their nose, they will also be okay with you wiping a little dab of Vaseline on it.
If you stop and think about things from your toddler’s perspective, just imagine what you would appreciate in that situation.
There are, of course, some things that just need to be done because it’s good for them. Like they have to sit down in a shopping cart so they don’t fall, and they can’t pick up monster-sized ants because they would get bit, but if there is something that they can have a little say over, let them have it.
Respect their “no” and try again in a few minutes. Be gentle to their skin and put on moisturizer so that pain isn’t a reason they don’t want you to wipe them.
And be open to explaining WHY you’re doing it. We’ve all heard the, “BECAUSE I SAID SO,” answer to a child wanting to know why, and many of us have been told that, but that’s a bad answer most times.
I like to know why something is the way it is or why someone did what they did because it makes me feel better to understand the people and world around me. It’s also how we learn. Why would a toddler be any different?
Explain the WHY of what you’re doing. Your stubborn toddler will understand and then cooperate better.
Giving respect begets cooperation.
Related posts:
The Secret to Fighting Mom Overwhelm
How to Stop Taking Your Mom Frustrations Out On Your Spouse
14 Ways To Deal With Frustrations As A Parent – From Real Moms
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