My second baby experienced a myriad of typical newborn ailments that were never a concern with my first baby. One such ailment was a clogged tear duct.
Initially, I was worried we would not be able to clear it up.. But once I did this super simple natural remedy, it cleared up even quicker than the doctor said it would!
DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical professional and nothing in this post is meant to be or replace medical advice. Please speak with your baby’s doctor about any health concerns you have.
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Miracle Remedy for Baby’s Clogged Tear Duct
The Crusty Eye
When my baby developed a crusty yellow discharge around her eye, I was worried at first that it might be an infection.
Already my new baby had been though high-risk jaundice, a heart defect diagnosis, a herniated umbilical cord, numerous blood draws and now this.
Find out why my baby had holes in her heart here.
The one thing I knew to do was put breast milk on her eye. But it wasn’t working well enough. Her eye got worse.
I consulted with her doctor, afraid she would end up needing medicine for it. But her doctor was not concerned, assuring me it was just a clogged tear duct – a very common occurrence in newborn babies.
The doctor told me I could wipe the crusty gunk off with a warm washcloth. She also recommended massaging the inside corner of the eye with a warm washcloth. And she said the breast milk was fine and might also help.
It was after this doctor appointment that I changed my approach and found a solution that cured my baby’s clogged tear duct.
The Natural Remedy
Before, I had been putting breast milk on my daughter’s eye whenever it was crusty but not once it would clear up. But the crusty yellow gunk kept returning over and over.
Find out why your baby will only sleep when held in this post.
Then I got serious about clearing up her eye. I started massaging breast milk into the corner of her eye three times a day, regardless of how well it was doing. I did this until well after her eye discharge had cleared up.
The amazing result was that breast milk cleared up her clogged tear duct completely! Her doctor had told me she would have this problem off and on until her tear ducts matured, possibly up to six months to a year old.
However, in my daughter’s case, breast milk and massage therapy resolved my baby’s clogged tear duct within a matter of weeks and we never had a problem with it again.
How to Do it
Now, I can’t promise you that your baby’s tear duct will have no further issues by using the method I did. Your baby may continue to have a crusty eye off and on for the first six months to a year as the doctor told me.
But I do believe this method can only help and will not cause any harm. And don’t just take my word for it. This study showed breast milk to be as effective as medication at clearing up discharge from babies’ eyes.
However, please speak with your baby’s doctor about this to make sure your child’s issue is indeed just a normal clogged tear duct and not an infection and also to make sure this natural remedy is indeed safe for your baby
So here’s the specifics of what I did for my baby’s clogged tear duct:
1. Use Freshly Expressed Breast Milk
I do not know whether or not frozen breast milk would be as effective as fresh. It might be. But I figure, the fresher, the better.
Read about the easy way to start solids with your baby in this post.
But it can be a challenge to express some fresh breast milk right at the moment you need it all the time. So breast milk from the fridge that was expressed earlier in the day can also be used.
If you need some good breast milk storage bags, I loved these. They have a section that can be torn off to pour the the milk out as though from a spout.
But, if you are only using a portion of the stored milk, you can simply open the press and seal at the top. Then you will be able to close it back up to preserve the remaining milk.
2. Use a Soft WashCloth
You will want a nice, soft baby washcloth soaked with warm water that’s been squeezed out to remove the crusty gunk on your baby’s eye.
I have loved the Norwex baby washcloths for both of my kids. I also l really like these super soft baby washcloths.
Whatever washcloth you use, just make sure it’s nice and soft since you will be using it on your baby’s eye. Get it wet with warm water and squeeze it out. Then, carefully wipe away the gunk working from the inside corner of the eye to the outside.
Read “How to Bathe a Newborn” here.
It makes a huge difference when the water is warm. At some point, I tried to use a breast milk-soaked washcloth to wipe away the gunk, but it just didn’t work on gunk that was really caked on and stuck to my baby’s eyelids.
So, while you want to be careful that the water is not hot, make sure it is warm. The warm cloth will help to melt away the gunk.
3. Massage Baby’s Clogged Tear Duct with Breast Milk
Finally, once you have the accumulated gunk out of the way, pour a few drops of breast milk into the inside corner of the eye. It’s going to drip all over a bit, but that’s okay.
You can also dip your finger in the breast milk to get a little extra on the eye as you massage it. But I highly recommend pouring some directly into the eye as well to make sure you get enough on there to be effective.
With breast milk in your baby’s eye, now you can massage the inside corner of the affected eye, helping to open the clog while simultaneously allowing the breast milk to get deeper into the tear duct.
Read “How to Increase Productivity While Nursing“.
Do this three times a day, continuing for several days after the eye has cleared up.
Kiss That Gunk Goodbye
Okay, you might not actually want to kiss the yellowish-greenish gunk on your baby’s eye. But with a combination of warmth, massage and the healing power of breast milk, your baby’s eye will be feeling and looking better in no time.
Just make sure you are consistent and keep it up for a bit even after the eye is looking better. Increased frequency and staying consistent made a big difference when I was treating my baby’s clogged tear duct with breast milk.
Have you tried treating your baby’s crusty eye with breast milk? What was your method and how did it work out for you? Let me know in the comments!
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