Can you feed a 10 month old baby until he pukes in order to clear his sinuses? [Easy there! Details included]?

I am not remotely a doctor

That sounds like a good way to get a sinus infection – though perhaps the whole problem is that he has a sinus infection. Either way, yuck.

Agreed, @dappled_leaves.

I am not a pediatrician or an Ear Nose Throat specialist, and my kids are in their late teens. But I have never never heard that way of clearing sinuses.

And the bulb syringe for nasal suction of mucus really is not that difficult, you just need to hold the child securely in one arm and suction with the free hand. And the relief is so quickly apparent to the child that they don’t protest for more than a minute.

as zenvelo said or a Neti Pot

Sounds abusive to me.

I have never heard of that. It can’t be good for the baby, physically, to be habitually vomiting. Not only that, but to feed the baby till he throws up would be stretching out his stomach which can’t be good. If I were the mom, I’d be getting a second opinion.

If the baby has had a lot of congestion for over three months (and I’ll assume the baby is 4+ months old) I would first hope they evaluate whether the mucous is clear or not. If, not I would try the baby on a round of antibiotics and see if he improves. If that doesn’t work then I would consider whether it was an allergy possibly. It’s one thing if the baby has always had this problem (even then I would do something) but if he developed it I would assume something is different than before.

See another doctor.

ipecac juice is quicker

I would strongly caution about using a Neti pot on an 11-month old child. For adults with narrow eustachian tubes (many of us), the Neti pot can be very painful. For a baby it would be excruciating.

@zenvelo gives sensible advice about using a little bulb syringe.

My theory (thanks to those that have weighed in) is that the baby has Celiac or IBS and that it flared up when they stopped feeding him baby food. Possibly the food starts to make gas at the first bite and builds until he vomits. At the bare minimum, I would try feeding him a diet of baby food again, and see if he improves. I’m betting that horse is some gastronomic disorder and the sinus problem is due to the throwing up.
Just my gut (and my IBS) talking.

I tried to tall her into getting a second opinion, but her MILaw is heard of nurses at the Regional Hospital in a rural area. I’m guessing that a 2nd opinion has been frowned on or dismissed.

Would inducing vomit like that hurt or burn the area? Stomach acid right?

I am not sure if a baby could handle it. But I have a badly deviated septum, sinus infection, and polyps.

Best thing for me was hydrating better (also vomiting would cause dehydration no?) And using a nasal cleansing kit. It is kind gross, but it gets the nasty stuff out and cleans it too more or less.

PS I am asking, not saying this should be done to the baby. As I do not know.

I feel bad for the baby, as a second opinion is never a bad thing, yet it seems like the MIL being head of nursing in some tiny regional hospital is the end all for this little one.

I don’t want to follow this Q anymore it bothers me so much.

Even worse, they are 4½ hours away, and just casual acquaintances for me. I have no way to push for change…no update until Christmas. The mother seemed defeated. The father is both an extreme cheap-skate and a mamma’s boy. All are transitioning into new homes, the MIL having built and the kids taking over the home place. Baby is suffering.

I’m hoping you misunderstood and the child is not being force fed, but rather has been throwing up a lot, because eating when congested is extremely difficult, especially for such a young person. Not that that makes it ok.

No, she just feeds the boy until he throws up. No force feeding. When he got done vomiting, they put him in the closet (with the door slightly open, for dark & quiet) and he slept for hours. He was still asleep when we left, maybe 3 hours later? Perhaps more.