Thanks for dropping in for this special post to solve the mist-ery of the best Nasal Saline option for you and your kids. While most nasal saline sprays, drops, or mists sold at grocery stores or pharmacies will work just fine, this post is mostly aimed at helping you sift through some of the more common products you are likely to encounter. In general, you want to purchase 0.9% NORMAL SALINE unless otherwise directed by your medical provider. It’s impossible to test and review every brand available, but I hope this gives you an idea of what you should be looking for when purchasing nasal saline.
Typically, a “gentle mist” nasal saline will have an applicator tip that looks like this:
Whereas, a nasal saline applicator with a more narrow/straight tip will result in a more direct spray, and may not be ideal for younger kids or infants.
So let’s get our noses wet and jump in!
RANKING SYSTEM:
1 point for price (aiming for around $5 per bottle)
1 point for comfort (gentle)
1 point for ease of application (can you use it on a moving target?)
1 point for smell/taste (if it smells bad or tastes salty, your kids won’t use it)
1 point for marketing claims (true to claims made on packaging)
+/- My personal overall opinion (plus = good, minus = bad)
TOTAL POSSIBLE = 5 +/-
THE GOOD (4 to 5+)
- Price = 1+ (around 25 cents each vial)
- Comfort = 1 (very gentle)
- Application = 1+ (best control/delivery)
- Smell/Taste = 1
- Claims = 1
BEST FOR INFANTS
100 pack and what I use almost daily along with a bulb syringe for suctioning out infant noses. These vials allow for the best control for tiny noses compared to a mist or spray which can sometimes be too much. If you’re not sure on the best technique, talk to your pediatrician and they’d be happy to show you how!
- Price = 1
- Comfort = 1+ (very gentle!)
- Application = 1
- Smell/Taste = 1
- Claims = 1
BEST ALL-AROUND
A true gentle mist from a trusted brand. I was surprised, however, that when testing the Little Remedies Spray/Drops version that it ended up down at the very bottom of this list. Therefore, I would only recommend buying the SALINE MIST!
- Price = 1
- Comfort = 1+ (Gentle)
- Application = 1
- Smell/Taste = 1
- Claims = 1
MUST HAVE
- Price = 1 (will last forever)
- Comfort = 1
- Application = 1
- Smell/Taste = 1
- Claims = 1
AMAZING
- Price = 1 (will last forever)
- Comfort = 1
- Application = 1
- Smell/Taste = 1
- Claims = 1 (innovative!)
PLEASANTLY SURPRISED!
Quite expensive, but nice to have in your medicine cabinet. This would be most helpful for uncooperative babies, toddlers, or older kids who desperately need to loosen up their mucus and congestion, but refuse to let you use nasal saline drops or spray. Although it is more a passive delivery of nasal saline by providing a continuous flow of a very fine saline mist, it can be helpful to avoid constant wrestling, discomfort, and/or nasal trauma and give everyone a much needed break. This is basically a disposable nebulizer that can be used multiple times.
CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE
- Price = 1
- Comfort = 1 (surprisingly gentle!)
- Application = 1
- Smell/Taste = 1
- Claims = 1 (innovative adjustable flow)
INNOVATIVE
Another surprise inclusion given how poorly the Kid version of this product performed with testing. I LOVE the unique and innovative 2-in-1 twist design for both mist and spray that actually works! Although this product was designed for adults, especially the “jet spray” feature, this is gentle enough to use for kids and infants on “mist spray” mode.
THE BAD (3 to 3+)
Those listed here appear like they would be a great purchase, but, in my opinion, are NOT worth spending money on. But I will still link these products as others may have a different personal preference.
- Price = 1
- Comfort = 1+
- Application = 1
- Smell/Taste = 0
- Claims = 0
SMELLS LIKE A WIPE
It’s not inherently “Bad” but I’d recommend the UNSCENTED version instead
- Price = 0
- Comfort = 1
- Application = 0 (gooey and sticky)
- Smell/Taste = 1
- Claims = 1
JUST OK
It’s fine if you want to buy it, but there are other alternatives including lotion or Vaseline. I’d recommend the AQUAPHOR LOTION STICK instead
THE SNOTTY (0 to 3-, aka DO NOT BUY)
These products are ones I will NOT recommend. Links are for reference only. They are either unnecessary, make false claims, or otherwise score low.
- Price = 1
- Comfort = 1
- Application = 1
- Smell/Taste = 0
- Claims = 0
The comfort nozzle is IDENTICAL to the gentle mist options listed above. The “rubberized nozzle” is simply a thin coating over hard plastic. The only purchase option is a double pack with hypertonic saline which I do NOT recommend since it can cause discomfort, burning, and increased taste of salt which will likely cause your child to be even LESS willing to let you apply saline spray the next time. So while this product LOOKS innovative and scores an overall of 3, their claims are misleading and I cannot recommend with confidence.
Little Remedies Nasal Saline Drops
2
- Price = 1
- Comfort = 0
- Application = 0
- Smell/Taste = 1
- Claims = 0
This was actually a very surprisingly low score. When testing this product, I found the delivery mechanism was too inconsistent and it was difficult to use as a dropper, and was NOT gentle when used as a sprayer. When applying nasal saline for a newborn, you need a controlled delivery of only a few drops, or a gentle mist, which is difficult to achieve with this. Scroll back to the top for the much simpler Nasal Saline Drops 5mL Vials.
The Pediatrician's Corner 
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