What Should I Do If My Child Swallows An Object?

The first thing to do if your child has swallowed an object is to remain calm. Try to find out what your child has swallowed.

Swallowing an object is something that often occurs during childhood. As a parent, you should not panic. However, you must react quickly in the exceptional case that medical attention is required.

In most cases, you don’t need to panic. If there are no negative symptoms, you probably don’t need emergency care.

The object will most likely be excreted on its own within 24-28 hours. In some cases it can take up to 5 days.

Parents can also go to the hospital for an X-ray to see where the object is. The situation depends on the shape and size of the swallowed object in relation to the age of the child.

Remember that only objects that are in the esophagus and that are too large to leave the body through the digestive tract are removed using an endoscopy.

In many cases, if there are no negative symptoms, no urgent help is needed. It is still best to contact your pediatrician. See the doctor immediately if the child swallows a poisonous object to avoid complications.

What should you do if your child swallows an object?

If the child cannot speak or has breathing problems, follow these tips:

• Stand behind the child and place your arms on his chest.
• Bend the child forward at waist level until his upper airway is parallel to the floor.
• Use your other hand to pat the child firmly between the shoulder blades.

• Make a fist and place it above the child’s navel if the object still does not come off. Place your other hand on your closed fist and pull your fists  firmly toward you and slightly upwards 5 times.
• Repeat these steps until the object comes off or the child starts coughing or breathing.
• Seek immediate medical attention if the child loses consciousness.
• Resuscitate the child if you know how to do it.
• Try to calm the child and ask him about the object he swallowed if he can talk.

Things to avoid if your child swallows an object

• Do not panic. You must remain calm despite the fear. This will help keep your child calm and allow you to respond effectively.

• Do not attempt to remove the object using dangerous maneuvers. These techniques are doomed to fail.
• Try not to make the child vomit. This allows your child to get stomach contents into the lungs.
• Don’t give them a drink. This can move the object and turn it so that it gets completely stuck, even if it wasn’t before.

When do you have to go to the hospital?

Be alert if your child swallows a foreign object. Medical assistance is required in the following cases:

• Pain in the neck or throat.
• If the child coughs and has difficulty breathing  because the object is stuck in the airway.
• If the child is vomiting or has a stomachache.
• When the child cannot swallow his saliva.

• If the object is a battery, magnet or a pointed object.
• If the child’s skin turns blue or pale.
• With any other symptom of choking.

How can you prevent your child from swallowing an object?

• Do not let them play with small objects.
• Supervise your child during meals and cut their food into small pieces.
• Introduce solid foods  into their diet.
• Teach them to eat calmly, not to talk with their mouths full and how to chew properly.

• Do not allow your child to walk, run or play with food or any object in their mouth.
• Children under the age of 4 should not eat foods that they cannot easily eat. This includes candy, popcorn or whole nuts.

• Your child should not be fed when she is crying.
• Make sure their toys are age appropriate. The toy should not contain small pieces.

In short, remember that most swallowed objects are excreted in the faeces one or two days after swallowing.

Therefore, it is enough to monitor the stool to know if the object is out of the body. Sometimes the rejection of the object can take up to 3 weeks.