Dealing with congestion is incredibly hard, especially when your little one hasn’t figured out how to blow their nose yet. As a parent who has navigated cold and flu season with a couple of kids of my own, I absolutely get it: when the baby is having a hard time, everyone is having a hard time.
That’s why I wanted to share my experience with the Grownsy electric baby nasal aspirator, which has been such a help in our family. It doesn’t become a number one Amazon bestseller for no good reason. It’s an essential tool, whether your newborn is just congested or your toddler is full-blown sick.
Key Takeaways
- The Grownsy Electric Baby Nasal Aspirator offers powerful yet gentle suction with three adjustable speeds and soft silicone tips.
- It’s rechargeable, easy to clean, and more hygienic than manual or mouth-operated aspirators.
- Built-in lights and music make the process less stressful for both babies and parents.
- Compared to NoseFrida, Grownsy provides better design, cleaner operation, and a larger collection chamber.
- A must-have for every parent, effective, safe, and parent-approved for newborns and toddlers.
Pros & Cons Summery
Grownsy Nasal Aspirator Pros
- More Hygienic: No manual mouth suction required.
- Easy to Clean: All pieces come apart and are washable, parts can be boiled for disinfection.
- Rechargeable: Uses USBC cable and is portable.
- Distraction Features: Includes both lights and music.
- Good Tip Variety: Three different soft silicone tips suitable for newborns through toddlers.
- Strong Warranty: Offers a two-year product warranty and hassle-free exchange/refund options.
- Effective Suction: Three speeds effective for both wet and thick mucus.
Grownsy Nasal Aspirator Cons
- Music can be a little annoying.
- The chamber cleaning mechanism is not intuitive (you have to pull apart, not twist).
Other Tips for Congestion Relief
- Use nasal drops and sprays before aspiration to loosen mucus.
- Give the baby a warm bath or allow them to sit in the bathroom while running a steamy shower to open nasal passages.
- Run a humidifier in the baby’s room, especially during colder months, to add moisture to the air.
- Remember that when they are congested, they are having a hard time too, so extra love and cuddles go a long way.
Key Features and Design Overview of Grownsy
Powerful yet Gentle Suction
This device manages to be strong while still being gentle, even on the smallest noses. It offers three adjustable suction settings: Soft, Moderate, and Strong.
I found that the suction works great on both wet and hard boogers, which is critical for real-life use. When I tested the three speeds on my skin, I could feel the suction, but when I used it inside my baby’s nose on the lower speeds, I sometimes needed to switch to the second speed to grab thick gunk.
Ergonomic, Rechargeable, and Portable Design
The Grownsy aspirator is designed to be handheld and features an angle that is really helpful when you are trying to get gunk out of a baby’s nose, it feels almost like you are trying to feed them inside the nose, and the angle helps pull that extra mucus out.
I appreciate that it is rechargeable using a USBC cable, similar to a phone charger. This means if you lose the original charger, you can still charge it up, making it a great option for use on the go.
Soft Silicone Tips for All Ages
The aspirator comes with three different kinds of tips, which are all super soft and flexible. These tips are made of silicone, which made me feel much more comfortable than using the hard plastic tips I’ve seen on other models.
- Newborn/Infant Tip: This round, shallow tip is perfect for newborns and younger babies because their nasal passages are shallow.
- Toddler Tips (x2): These are longer tips for children over two years old and can really get in there to clear them up. One has a blunt tip, and the other has a slightly angled tip.
Built-In Lights and Music for Distraction
Let’s be honest, most kids do not enjoy getting their boogers sucked. To help with this, the Grownsy unit features both lights and sounds. The light changes color, and the music plays a song, which definitely helps distract the little one, making the whole process suck a little less for everyone involved.
Although I found the music a little annoying, the distraction factor is worth it.
Real-World Experience: How to Use the Grownsy Nasal Aspirator
Preparation Tips for Effective Suction
My biggest tip is always to use nasal drops or spray first. Saline helps to loosen mucus, especially if it’s thick and further back in the nose. Using the drops or spray makes the mucus less sticky and less viscous, which dramatically helps the aspirator pull it into the chamber.
I found that trying to aspirate thick boogers without pre-treating them didn’t work well; the booger got stuck right at the tip even on higher speeds.
Proper Technique and Safety Tips
When using the aspirator, you want your little one to be upright, not lying down. If your child is sick, I recommend doing this before bedtime to prop them up and clear their nose so they can sleep restfully.
If you see the suction is too strong and the silicone tip is pinning together, resulting in no air going inside, you may need to troubleshoot or change the angle.
Troubleshooting: Fixing Suction or Leaks
If the device doesn’t seem to be suctioning properly, there are two main things to check:
- Sealing Ring: Double-check that the silicone sealing ring has not fallen off, as it is essential for proper suction.
- Assembly: Make sure that everything is completely twisted and assembled correctly, as incorrect alignment can affect suction. To avoid any leaking, only fill the collection chamber up to halfway before stopping and emptying it.
Customer Support
One thing that really impressed me was the company’s focus on customer service. They offer options to reach them via email or even text. They offer a two-year product warranty that you can activate within 14 days and a hassle-free exchange or full refund for any product issues.
Maintenance and Hygiene
Why Electric Beats Manual or Oral Aspirators
Being electric means this aspirator is far more hygienic than the old manual methods. It’s so much better than the bulb they give you at the hospital, which you can’t perfectly clean, leaving boogers trapped inside.
It’s also better than the oral aspirators, the ones where you use your mouth to suck out the boogers, because there is no manual suction involved, meaning I don’t have to risk sucking the junk out or unintentionally passing germs between kids.
Step-by-Step Cleaning Instructions
The parts all come apart, allowing them to be thoroughly cleaned. To clean, you simply take the pieces apart, rinse, and scrub everything with warm soapy water.
If you want to disinfect, you can boil the washable parts in boiling water for five minutes. Just make sure everything is completely dry before you reassemble and store it away.
How to Open and Clean the Collection Chamber
This is where I struggled initially. The clear collection chamber attaches to the base using a lock/open twist mechanism. However, the lock and open setting is only for attaching the chamber to the base, it is not how you open the chamber itself to clean the mucus out.
To open the collection cup, you simply pull the two plastic pieces apart at the lip located near the bottom. Once you know this trick, it’s super simple.
Comparison: Grownsy vs NoseFrida and Manual Models
I often see the Grownsy aspirator compared to the Frida Baby models, so here is a breakdown based on my testing and experience:
| Feature | Grownsy Electric Aspirator | Electric NoseFrida | OG Snotsucker (Manual) |
| Tips Included | 3（1 Infant，2 Toddler/Angled） | 2 | 1 |
| Distraction Features | Lights（color changing）& Music | Light only | None |
| Collection Chamber | Bigger container, no blowout hole | Smaller container, has a “blowout hole” in the back where mucus might squirt out during use | Requires filters, long, difficult-to-clean tubing |
| Infant Tip Design | Preferred, flat and shorter，shallower for infant nasal canals | Protrudes out too much for comfort | N/A |
| Cleaning Ease | Easy disassembly, parts washable/boilable | Easy disassembly, canister washable | Very difficult due to long tubing；requires constant filter replacement |
| Recommendation | Best Choice | Good choice, but watch for the blowout hole | Do Not Recommend |
I found that the OG Snotsucker is a hassle to keep around. It’s too difficult to clean the tubing, and once you run out of the four provided filters, you have to spend more money on replacements.
Between the two electric options, the Grownsy definitely has a better design. Not only does it have a bigger container, but I noticed when testing the Electric NoseFrida with water that water squirted out of a blowout hole on the back, suggesting mucus could come out there, which I found kind of disgusting. The Grownsy infant tip is also superior because it is shallower and flatter, which prevents hurting a baby’s sensitive nose canal.
Final Verdict: Is the Grownsy Nasal Aspirator Worth Buying?
My final thoughts are that this is an affordable baby and toddler item that I would definitely recommend parents have.
It is so handy whether your kiddos are sick or just little newborns who are congested. It is highly recommended and in my experience, the better choice compared to the competing electric models.