Foreign Bodies In The Nose: Should One Panic?

When something sparks children’s curiosity, they will bombard you with several questions.

However, curiosity does not stop at just asking questions. Children below five years often insert tiny objects in their nose, mouth, or even ears to satisfy their curiosity. Although the objects could be small, they certainly pose a choking hazard. If the object is sharp, it may damage the tissue and lead to bleeding. Hence, foreign  object removal  becomes necessary.

What does foreign bodies include?

Children might insert objects like the following into their noses:

• Pieces of crayon
• Paper bits
• Molding clay
• Erasers
• Disc magnets
• Pieces of plastic

Signs of foreign object in the nose: 

• Pain in the nasal area
• Continuous itching
• Continuous nasal discharge, which may be grey or white in color and may include blood
• Difficulty in breathing
• Constantly touching or picking the nose (the child may be trying to get the object out)

How to remove foreign body from nose

Foreign object removal can be done gently if the object is not in too deep. Follow these steps on how to remove object from child’s nose:

• Tell your child to close their mouth.
• Tell them to not breathe in sharply as this may push the foreign body further into the nostril.
• Now gently press the other nostril to close it.
• Ask your child to blow gently through the nostril which has the foreign body.
• If the object is loosely lodged, it will come out in 3-4 blows.
• If your child experiences pain while doing this, stop the process. Do not force him/her to keep doing it repeatedly as this may lead to bleeding.

What you should not do

Do not stuff the nose with cotton as this may push the object further in.
Do not use tweezers or other sharp objects to remove the foreign body as they may damage the nasal tissue.

You must contact a medical professional if: 

• Nasal bleeding continues
• The foreign body has been stuck in the nose for longer than half an hour
• Nasal discharge continues after removal of the foreign body
• You think there might be an infection in the nasal area
• The child experiences difficulty breathing

Foreign object removal is usually easy if the object is small enough to be expelled by a little bit of forced exhaling. However, to prevent such instances, you must keep an eye on the child and keep any small objects away from your child.

Talk to your doctor immediately if your child accidentally inserts a foreign body in the nose.

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