17 Month Old Twins Very Congested at Night

If you haven't done so yet, a trip to the pediatrician would be in order to exclude any more serious health problems.

If they don't have an underlying condition it might just be that their airways get dried out from either air-conditioning or having a fan running in the bedroom. This is true for myself and my daughter who also has been increasingly congested, only at night, since it has been so hot out. I try to give her some relief by using saline nosedrops before she goes to bed and trying to make sure that she gets plenty of liquid.
Good luck!

I would try running a vaporizer at night and maybe elevating there heads a bit and see if that helps. If not Id take a trip to peditrican to check for sinus infection.

This would happen with us whenever my son would get a sinus infection/post nasal drip. They don't really have the ability swallow the stuff running down the back of their throats in their sleep like we do...so it would go in his lungs...and he'd cough and cough...OR it would hit his gag reflex and he'd throw up...OR he'd cough so hard he'd throw up. Ugh.

If we gave him pseudoephedrine + tylenol it would IMMEDIATELY take care of the problem....BUT if it lasted for more than a few days I'd call his pediatrician and bring him in, because at that point it was most likely an infection that needed some antibiotics.

As a perpetually congested person, I've discovered that sniffing clean, salty water 20-30 minutes before sleep really helps clear my sinuses, and usually keeps them clear for a few hours.

It may cause a runny nose for a bit while the sinuses are clearing themselves, though, so immediately before bed isn't a good idea for me. This works well for both allergies and colds, and I think it helps keep my nasal passages hydrated in dry weather.

I just saw an ad for a product called Simply Saline, which makes a can especially for spraying a mist into the noses of babies and small children. This looks like a pretty easy way to try this approach (surely much easier than getting your daughters to sniff up liquid, like I do!). I would want to check the ingredients to be sure there are no preservatives, though. If it's only water and salt, it should be good.

You might try vacuuming the bed mattress and floor frequently to minimize dust mites and dander. Mattresses are literally sponges for dander and dust mites..