Young children seem to enjoy putting foreign objects in their nostrils and then forgetting about them. Favorites are food, paper, cotton, and beads. The body tries to reject these intruders by producing a foul-smelling yellow nasal discharge.
Your child can try to blow the object out by blowing his nose vigorously several times with the other nostril closed.
DO NOT try to remove the object by putting anything into the nose, including tweezers and fingers. This almost always pushes the object in farther and makes removal by the healthcare provider very difficult. Watch your child closely to make sure that he doesn’t push it in.
Call your child’s healthcare provider immediately if:
- The object is still in the nose after your child has tried to blow it out.
Written by Barton D. Schmitt, MD, author of “My Child Is Sick”, American Academy of Pediatrics Books. Published by RelayHealth.
Last modified: 2006-03-02
Last reviewed: 2011-06-06 This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information is intended to inform and educate and is not a replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional. Pediatric Advisor 2011.4 Index
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