Most objects that children put in their noses are found by parents
soon after they are put there. Commonly inserted objects include beads, dried
beans, popcorn, nuts, buttons, marbles, paper, pebbles, plastic toy pieces, and
foam rubber.
Objects in the nose may cause:
- Difficulty breathing.
- An
infection.
- Nasal drainage, which may be foul-smelling,
usually from just one nostril.
- A
nosebleed.
- Damage to the nasal tissue caused by pressure against
the object (pressure necrosis).
- The release of dangerous chemicals,
such as from a disc battery.
Removing an object from the nose
- Breathe through your mouth since the nose is
blocked.
- Pinch closed the side of the nose without an object in it
and try to blow the object out of the blocked side. You may need to help a
child pinch his or her nose.
- Blow your nose forcefully several
times. This may blow the object out of the nose.
- If the object is
partially out of the nose, you may be able to remove it. Hold still and remove
the object with your fingers or blunt-nosed tweezers. Be careful not to push
the object farther into the nose. If a child resists or is not able to hold
still, do not attempt to remove the object.
- Some minor bleeding
from your nose may occur after the object is removed. This usually is not
serious and should stop after firmly pinching your nose shut for 10 minutes.
For more information, see
how to stop a nosebleed.
You may be able to remove an object from a child's nose using the
"kiss technique." Do not try this if you are uncomfortable with it, your child
says it hurts, or if your child becomes upset by your attempts.
- Apply pressure to close the child's unaffected
nostril. You can do this or the child can help by holding his or her finger on
the unaffected side of the nose.
- Blow a puff of air into the
child's mouth. The positive pressure of this puff will help push the object out
of the child's nose. You may need to repeat this activity several times.
