Well when Stella got her first cold, it was three nights of wheezing, and coughing and down right crabbiness. But the interesting part of it was, with the tubes in her ears, some of her mucus worked it's way out of her right ear and dried. I thought it was dried applesauce at first, but was easily clean with a moistened Q-tip on the OUTER EAR only! DO NOT INSERT TIP IN EAR! Also try to do this when she is sleeping.