There comes a time in almost every parent’s life where their child decides to stick something up their nose and it gets well and truly lodged.
Whether it’s food, beads, a bit of Lego, a glob of BluTac, it doesn’t matter, it can be pretty panic-inducing for all involved.
While it might be tempting to fish around in your child’s nostril using some tweezers, or to coax the offending item out with a cotton bud, health experts strongly advise against this.
“Usually you will push it further up and you could do damage to the inside of the nose,” according to health professionals at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.
Experts across the board recommend trying the “parent’s kiss” – a relatively simple technique that uses your breath to propel the object out of their nose.
If the object is fully blocking the nostril, the technique should help to clear the blocked passage.
In a video tutorial on Instagram, CPR Kids, which educates people on baby and child first aid, urges parents to relax and reassure their child, explaining you’re going to give them a “big kiss”. It might help to lie them down for this bit.
Once that’s agreed (and accepted) block the clear nostril with your finger and place your mouth over your child’s mouth so there’s a good seal.
“Breathe into their mouth, and as you feel a bit of resistance to your breath, give a short, sharp puff of air,” advise the experts.
All being well, the force of you blowing into their mouth should then push out whatever’s blocking their nostril. And there’ll probably be some bogeys and snot that appear and hit you in the face, too.
“It is not always successful but it is safe to do,” says Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. “It only works if you blow hard and fast and have a really good seal between your mouth and the child’s mouth. It is often messy for the person who does the parent’s kiss!”
It’s worth noting that if the offending item doesn’t come out after trying this, you’ll need to seek medical help. And, if your child has a button battery up their nose, or there are two or more magnets which are in both nostrils, you should seek urgent medical advice as these could cause damage to the nose.
Kids, eh?
