How to teach a child to blow their nose

When a child has a runny nose, especially a tiny baby, it is always very demanding for everyone. The child sleeps poorly and does not want anything sprayed into the nose or mucus suctioned out. Parents then look forward to the time when the child can blow their nose on their own, so the whole situation with the runny nose will be more bearable. When should you start teaching a child to blow their nose, and how?

When to start teaching a child to blow their nose

The best time to start teaching is around 9–10 months, when the child starts to enjoy imitation. You can blow into water, snuffle like a dog, blow through your nose onto your own hand and the child's hand, blow through your nose at the child, blow at a felt ball, and so on—the imagination has no limits. The important thing is that the parent does everything without needing any response from the child. Over time, the child will start imitating you, some after a week, others maybe after a month. 

You can then add a tissue and blow into the tissue so it flutters, and try offering it to the child too (always when they do not have a runny nose). And of course, if you have a runny nose yourself, show the child how you blow your nose and comment on it.

With older children, use the form of guided play, for example you set up a course and blow a felt ball with your mouth, then blow the ball with your nose. With calm children, you can blow with your nose at a candle flame (watch out for burns), or blow with your nose at a mirror so it fogs up. If you can manage to blow a bubble wand with your nose, that will certainly be fun for the child too. 

Once the child can blow something out on their own or blow through their nose (roughly between 18 and 24 months), teach them to press one nostril closed and then the other so the nose-blowing is effective. You can show this to the child on stuffed animals too, so they can learn the technique better and enjoy it.

When the child does not want to blow their nose into a tissue

If the child does not want to blow their nose into a tissue, you can try getting picture tissues to motivate them, and if that still does not help, suggest blowing their nose into the sink, for example. Better to blow the nose into a sink that can then be washed than not blow it at all.

If the child already imitates blowing and then gets a runny nose, do not push them. The child will try to blow, and if it does not work, that is fine—you will try again next time. If it still does not work, wait until the runny nose goes away and then practice again blowing into a tissue, at a ball, at a mirror, etc. Be patient, do not pressure the child, and you will see that one day you will get the desired result.