The Nose Frida Snotsucker works really well. But at what cost?
The Nose Frida Snotsucker works really well. But at what cost?
We take a deep dive into the Nose Frida Snotsucker and tell you whether this popular nasal aspirator is worth selling your soul for.
In recent weeks, Millennial Asian-American Dad (MAAD) has come to the conclusion that the Nose Frida Snotsucker is the baby product equivalent of doing wind sprints up a hill (aka high-intensity-interval-training, HIIT).
It is really f*cking effective but, also, just an absolutely awful experience.
As I suck that stubborn snot out of my kid’s nostrils, I also feel someone sucking a bit of my soul out of me.
It definitely works but is this devil’s device for you?
Read on to find out.
Why does this product exist?
The Nose Frida Snotsucker is made by -- drumroll -- a company called Frida.
Founded in Sweden by a Swedish paediatrician, the firm is now based in the United States (looks like Florida according to Frida’s Our Story page).
Per Frida, the company is not a lifestyle brand. Rather, Frida bills itself as:
A solution-based brand
The 411 of parenting
The “who-do-I-call-in-the-middle-of-the-night-cause-my-baby-won’t-stop screaming” brand
From a marketing perspective, this is brilliant messaging.
If you want your kid to stop crying, then Frida products are the solution (great positioning for “problem to be solved”).
(PS. If you work for Frida, the domain for www.whodoicallinthemiddleofthenightcausemybabywontstopscreaming.com is available for $11.99 at GoDaddy. You’re welcome!)
The clear messaging continues right down to the product line; there is literally zero confusion at to what a Frida product will accomplish for you.
The Booger Wiper. The Butt Washer.
And, of interest today, The Snotsucker.
Here are the main reasons that The Snotsucker exists:
Babies typically can’t blow their nose until they are potty-trained age
Babies don’t breathe from their mouth in the first few months (nose breathing only) so snot blockage is very uncomfortable and sh*tty
Other nose aspirator options -- bulb thingy or electric sucker thingy -- don’t work as well or are harder to clean
While not always to be trusted, when you can hit 10k+ Amazon reviews for a product with a 4.7 rating…that’s pretty compelling.
In sum, the internet loves this thing!
So how exactly does the Snotsucker work?
How do you use it?
The Nose Frida Snotsucker isn’t very complicated (no moving parts!)...
...and the actual how-to steps (below) are straightforward enough.
(It’s worthwhile to apply some saline nasal spray -- which *shocker*, Frida sells -- between Steps 1 and 2).
If there is one overarching note I’d make about the item, it’s this: MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS COMPLETELY DRY BEFORE NEXT USE.
You do not want to ingest water while sucking your kid’s snot out.
The experience is soul-snatching enough as it is without adding the sensation of a liquid substance entering your esophagus.
What’s annoying?
As mentioned, the Frida folks are some savvy business people.
They’ve perfectly implemented the famous Gillette razor-and-razor-blade business model.
Sell one item (razor / snot sucker) at a relatively low price to boost sales of a complementary good (razor blades / blue hygiene filter thingies).
And, sure enough, the Frida-branded complementary blue hygiene filter thingies — which blocks your kid’s mucus from entering the nose hose — are not cheap.
A packet of 20 goes for $3.99 (so about $0.20 each).
I’m not sure how much they cost to make but I can guarantee the margins on these bad boys would make Starbucks jealous.
As seen below, there is quite a bit of unused material in the blue hygiene filter thingy packet.
It’s pretty effin’ annoying.
To deal with this waste, we employ two hacks:
Just rip out the unused hygiene filter material and crudely shoehorn it in the Snotsucker (my wife hates when I do this)
OR buy this generic 100-pack replacement hygiene filter from Amazon for $6.99 ($0.07 each!!!)
The only other annoyance I’d point out is that the Nose Frida snotsucker ad shows an animated demonstration of how to suck the snot.
The video makes it look WAY TOO EASY!
It fails to include the 2-minute baby tantrum that typically accompanies a good snot sucking.
Should you buy it?
Yes.
Unfortunately, this thing works so well and gets so much of the snot that it makes the awful experience worth it.
(DISCLAIMER: MAAD has NO affiliation with any products mentioned. We write all Dad Rants & Reviews in the name of comedy and do NOT do affiliate ad links! And while we know many doctors, we are NOT doctors ourselves so please do your own research before making any decisions)