Mum's 'genius' trick for unblocking baby's nose has divided medics and parents

As a parent, it can be painful watching your child suffer from illness.

Seeing your baby suffer from lack of sleep can drive parents up the wall, especially when they struggle to breathe.

While there are apparatuses which can help - such as nasal sprays, one mother has come up with a genius trick to unblock her baby daughter's nose.

But her method has divided medical professionals and parents.

In a clip posted to social media, the mother fills up a syringe of salt water before instructing her young one to keep her mouth open.

She then places the syringe under the unblocked nostril, presses down and shoots the salt water up her nose while a torrent of inaccessible snot shoots out the other.

A mother's trick to unblock her child's snotty nose has caused controversy. Photo / Facebook

Parents and experts were swift to respond to the video, with opinion divided on whether the DIY technique is safe to perform.

"As a respiratory therapist, this is the bomb!" one expert wrote.

"Although most kids may not be so co-operative and may require some sort of containment system."

One mum agreed, saying: "Coming from a parent of a stuffy 5-month-old this is definitely worth a try."

However, not everyone was on side with this mother's tip, with one nurse raising concerns for the baby's health.

"This is not a safe practice. It can lead to choking and aspiration which could result in a pneumonia. But what do I know. I'm only a children's nurse," she wrote.

"Looks good and eases child BUT errrrm dry or secondary drowning springs to mind. I wouldn't do it too risky," agreed someone else.