Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Stages

How to teach kids to blow their nose

By

If there’s anyone who needs to know how to blow their nose, it’s kids. How do they always end up with a runny, snotty nose anyway? 

Regardless, while blowing your nose might seem like an incredibly simple task to you, it’s not a skill that you’re born with, and teaching a child to blow their own nose can be inexplicably difficult. They just don’t seem to get it, for some reason, and it doesn’t click for some until they’re well into their adolescence.

Recommended Videos

Teaching your children some manners is an important part of being a parent. So how can you teach your child to blow their nose properly?

Related

The basics of nose-blowing

child blowing dandelion
Sharefaith/Pexels

As an adult, you need to blow your nose, and so you just do it. It’s that easy. But what if you break down nose-blowing into all of its little steps? There’s actually quite a lot there to remember, especially if you’re a 4- or 5-year-old child still learning about your own body and how it works. 

You have to do the following:

  • Know when your nose is full enough to blow.
  • Learn to push air out of your nose strongly enough to force the mucus out.
  • Learn when to breathe out versus breathing in.
  • Learn to only breathe out of your nose and not your mouth.
  • Catch anything that comes out in a tissue, so it doesn’t end up all over your face.

For kids, this is a lot to learn, and you getting frustrated because they just don’t seem to get the process won’t help. You’ll need to be patient as they learn all of the above. 

If you think your child is up to the challenge, though, here’s how you can teach them to blow their nose.

How to teach kids to blow their nose

kid blowing nose
Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels

First things first: They’re going to need to learn how to effectively blow air from their nostrils only, not their mouth. One easy way to practice this skill is to give them a clean tissue (when they do not have a stuffy nose, just to clarify) and ask them to make it move by breathing on it using just their nose, without opening their mouth. 

If this challenge doesn’t work, you can also show them how they can create fog on a handheld mirror using their nose only.

Whatever method you end up using, the result should be that your child learns to blow a stream of air from their nose.

Then again, when they do not have a stuffy nose, have your child practice blowing from one nostril at a time into a tissue. Show them how you hold one nostril closed and blow out the other, then switch. 

Once your child actually has a stuffy nose (which will probably be sooner than you think; they’re a kid, after all), ask them to employ the techniques they’ve learned. 

Tips on nose blowing

When your child is learning how to blow their nose, there are a few things that can make the process easier:

  • Practice, practice, practice; they won’t get anywhere without it. Nose-blowing takes time to learn.
  • Offer lots of praise, even when a good attempt fails.
  • Offer help, if needed. Sometimes, a child can get the blowing part of blowing their nose down, but they just can’t coordinate it with holding the tissue.
  • Don’t get frustrated or angry. This seemingly simple task isn’t so simple to a beginner.
  • Buy tissues with fun designs or colors.
  • Make it easy for children to throw away their used tissues. Otherwise, you may end up with piles of used Kleenex all over your house. You likely also want to teach your child to wash their hands after every nose blow.
  • If your child is really blowing but having a tough time getting everything out, you may want to invest in some saline spray or a nasal aspirator to help them out.

When nose-blowing just won’t cut it

Once you’ve successfully taught your child to blow their nose, you should see fewer snotty faces and fewer instances of mucus wiped in very undesirable places around your house. However, if your child, despite all their successful nose-blowing, still seems to always have a runny nose or congestion, you may want to consult their doctor. While runny noses aren’t uncommon among kids, you still want to ensure that there’s nothing more serious at hand, like an allergy or seasonal illness. 

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Holly Riddle
Holly Riddle
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Holly Riddle is a freelance food, travel and lifestyle journalist, who also dabbles in copywriting, ghostwriting and fiction…
We love these boys’ fade haircut ideas (and your kid will, too)
From toddlers to teens, a boys' fade hairdo could be the new style your child loves
A boy with a faded haircut wearing headphones

We get so excited about all the options for haircuts for girls, that sometimes the boys' styles get overlooked. A clean, neat haircut can raise confidence and show off his adorable face, which is slowly changing into the young man he is becoming. Don't worry — no bowl cuts here, just popular and unique cuts that use the fade to bring out your child's personality. Find a boys' fade haircut to fit your child's style or go for something new to see how it fits when you give these cuts a try.
Basic boys' fade haircuts

Classic short undercut
One of the most versatile and easiest fades is the undercut. It looks cool, is easy for parents and kids to maintain, and offers a bit of flexibility in styling. If the top is shorter, you could spike it up or style it to the side if the hair is left a bit longer.
Taper fade
If your child wants something a little more basic but can look put together in just a few seconds of styling, the taper fade leaves you with a few options. It's a classic cut but with an effortless edge to it, where the fade starts at the bottom but seamlessly blends into the hair early on, leaving the rest of the head to be styled how you want.
French crop
This cut is for the child with a little more edge and personality. It's still a low-key cut with little maintenance to style it, but its endless looks are modern and fresh. Start with the classic French crop cut, and then add a high fade to the sides and back. This will give more attention to the top, which you could leave longer, slick back, or cut shorter and spiked.
Faded buzz cut
Every boy in the '90s and 2000s had a buzz cut. Now, there is a modern twist on that old military cut your child can try on. It still gives a clean look but adds a layer with the fade on the sides. If your child doesn't like to get ready in the mornings, this cut will save everyone time while still leaving him looking sharp.
The pompadour
The pompadour is such an adorable cut that dresses up any look when styled with a bit of product. Throw in a fade on the sides and back, and you have the ultimate look. The classic sweep and slick back of the pompadour clean up any kiddo, but the added fade along the edges is a fresh take.
Faded comb over
Don't worry -- no one will look older than their years with this faded comb-over look. It's a cute take on the original comb over, with the fade blending into the section that gets combed over. Add a shaved line at the part where you have the longer hair on top to the side to bring the homage home.
Faded side part
Close to the fade comb over, the faded side part works so well with kids who have a natural part on the side. It gives the natural lay of the hair a style that can be done in seconds, which is great for kids and parents, and plays off how the hair goes normally. Keep the top as short or long as you want and do a higher fade on the side of the part to allow for quick styling.
Faded mohawks

Read more
What is permissive parenting and is it a recipe for disaster?
Is permissive parenting allowing kids to rule?
Permissive parenting checked off on a parenting style checklist

Parenting and parenting styles have evolved over the years, and with it comes much controversy. Everyone has an opinion on the best way to rear children, with many being critical of styles that are opposite of their own choices. ABC's The Parent Test has put parenting styles under a microscope in a new reality show focusing on 12 families with different ways of parenting their children. Critiquing parenting styles is not a new thing, though. American psychologist Diana Baumrind studied parenting styles in the late 60s. Baumrind identified three main parenting styles: permissive, authoritarian, and authoritative. She also studied each one's impact on children.
In the '80s, Eleanor Maccoby and John Martin added a fourth parenting style -- uninvolved or neglectful. What exactly is permissive parenting, and is it right for you? Let's take a look at permissive parenting, as well as the other parenting styles considered the norm.

What is permissive parenting?

Read more
Is middle child syndrome really a thing? We’ll shed some light on this concept
If you have more than two kids, see if middle child syndrome might be lurking in your household
A group of young children at an activity table.

Every child is different, but if you have more than two children, you may find yourself wondering if middle child syndrome is really a thing. There are endless reports and studies about birth order and the various characteristics assigned to those based on where they fall in their family's lineup. While these reports typically characterize the oldest children as responsible leaders and the youngest children as indulged creatives, middle children are often labeled as the forgotten children.

While no parent wants to admit they treat any of their children differently, there does seem to be a lot of evidence to support middle child syndrome. If you have a middle child, you're one yourself, or you're wondering if you should have another child, we have information about middle child syndrome that may help shed light on the situation so you can see for yourself if you think it's true.
Is middle child syndrome really a thing?

Read more