PediaTrick
Just about every child has put something up his nose. The list of items is endless ‚ crayons, beads, marbles, French fries, Legos, and just about anything that will fit. For an unlucky few, neither they nor their parents can get it out. Before rushing the child off to the doctor or emergency room, there are a few tricks you can try.
What you shouldn't do is put anything into your child's nose. More often than not, all you will do is push whatever is in his nose further in, making the ulitmate removal all the more difficult.
If your child is calm and not crying, close the nostril on the side with nothing in it, put your mouth over your child's mouth, and give a quick breath into your child's mouth. The air will go out the blocked nostril and hopefully the object will pop out.
It may be difficult to do this if your child is upset and crying. Another method uses the crying to your advantage, but it takes quick action. When your child is about to exhale, quickly pinch off the unblocked nostril and put your hand over his mouth. This forces the air to the block nostril and hopefully pops out the crayon or marble.
If these tricks don't work, a trip to the emergency room or doctor's office is the next step.
Emergency Medicine, 1/05, p. 8.
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