A couple days after we got to Tokyo, my parents took me to a baby store nearby where I found this. It was an experimental purchase that turned out to be so amazingly good I’m going back to get another one this weekend so I can keep one in my bedside table and one in the diaper bag. This is available at various drug stores and baby stores in Japan and also at Amazon.jp (but not Amazon.com). It’s available from me, too. Just lemme know if you want one.

Traditionally, Japanese people would suck their babies’ snot out with their mouths. One night a few months ago when Rinah was having trouble sleeping because of a stuffed nose and I couldn’t clear out anything with the snot sucker we had, I remembered what some of my Japanese church friends did with their babies and I considered it, but was too grossed out to actually try. This product is the alternative for people too squeamish to suck and spit. The several bulbous snot suckers we have collected do not work and after I’m done using one, she’s screaming and her nose is still stuffed.

She hates this new one, too, but at the end of the ordeal, the little container has gobs and gobs of gooey yuckiness. The best part of all is that she can sleep through the night instead of waking up and crying because her nose is too stuffed to breathe. During the day, after a snot-sucking session, I don’t need to wipe her nose for at least an hour or two which means I don’t have a baby running around with snot running out of her nose or smeared all over her face and a rough red patch under her nose from too much wiping. Also, no more latching on, nursing for just a little bit, then coming up for air, and latching back on again, over and over and over.

Here’s a closeup of the thingy (click to see full size) and a pic of how to use it. You’re gonna have to settle for the manufacturer’s picture ’cause I have my hands full when I’m using it. I know if looks gross but it works really well and the snot all goes in the bottle part, not your mouth.

Apparently, there is something similar made in Sweden called the Nosefrida that comes recommended by lots of magazines and Dr. Sears, but I haven’t tried it so I don’t know how well it works in comparison.