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Why Not to Use a Breast Pump As A Suctioning Device For a Nasal Aspirator

Why Not to Use a Breast Pump As A Suctioning Device For a Nasal Aspirator

There has been a hack going around the internet, and as a Pediatric ENT, I wanted to set the record straight. I joined Jilean, from @paceful.sleeper.jilean on Instagram to share why it’s important to avoid using a breast pump as a suctioning device for a nasal aspirator

One thing is for sure: parent’s everywhere are sick of sucking snot. Which is where, we can imagine, that the breast pump sucking hack came from. Shared by quite a few moms on the Internet, the hack of taking your nasal aspirator that you would otherwise suck snot from and attaching it to a breast pump for electric suction, has become wildly popular. However, we want to share some concerns that we have so that you can keep your little ones safe and healthy.

Why Not to Use a Breast Pump As A Suctioning Device For a Nasal Aspirator

Why Not to Use a Breast Pump As A Suctioning Device For a Nasal Aspirator

While maneuvering these products together in a crunch may seem innocent for well-intentioned parents, he problem with breast pump use for nasal suction is that it pushes air into the nose and can blow mucous down into the throat. This happens because a breast pump operates with a back and forth suction, different than a nasal aspirator that simply pulls the mucus out of the nose in one direction. 

This is something that we thought through very carefully whenever developing the NozeBot, developed by a Pediatric ENT and the Director of Director of Pediatric Otolaryngology at Emory University School of Medicine.

It has hospital-grade suction, meaning that you can use the device in the comfort of your own home instead of having to make a trip to the emergency room. This is especially wonderful during this very powerful RSV season. Our NozeBot has also gone through rigorous testing and is perfectly safe for anyone to use on their little one. The nose tip was designed to make it difficult for parents to over insert into their child’s nose, unlike many other nasal aspirators on the market.

Lastly, whenever it comes to suction strength, you can’t beat how powerful (yet still extremely safe) the NozeBot is. For reference, the maximum suction strength on the Spectra (the breast pump the Jilean used in her original Instagram reel) is 270 mmHg whereas the maximum suction strength on the NozeBot (a hospital grade nasal aspirator) is 585 mmHg.

For more information, watch the video here:

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