Every week, Edwin de Vaal (47), a general practitioner in Nijmegen, answers a frequently asked or conspicuous question from his practice. This week is this: My child has a pearl in his nose, what should I do?
Do I have to go directly to the GP if my child has put something on his nose?
“No. If your child has put a small object in his nose, such as a pearl, a pea, a marble or other small toys like Lego, you don’t have to go straight to the doctor.”
“The first thing you have to do is stay calm. There is no reason to panic. The object is easier to remove than you think. Also, panic isn’t good for your child.’
“Young children are often not yet able to blow their own noses. Unfortunately, it is often the children who put things in their noses.”
What do you need to do?N? Get tweezers?
“Many parents are actually trying to get the object out of their child’s nose with tweezers, a cocktail prick or something else. But it often just pushes it deeper into your nose. In addition, it can cause damage to the nasal cavity.”
“If your child is big enough to blow his nose, keep the empty nostril closed and ask your child to gently blow out the other nostril with his mouth closed.”
What if your child is too small for it?
“Young children are often not yet able to blow their own noses. Unfortunately, it is often children in this age group who put things in their noses. But even with toddlers you don’t have to go to the gp. There is a simple trick that you can use to easily remove the object. It has the beautiful name Mother Kiss.”
How does such a Mother Kiss?
“Ask your child to open his mouth a little in the form of a small o, i.e. with slightly shredded lips. Carefully close your child’s empty nostril, then close your mouth. So you too make an ‘o’ of your lips, but a slightly larger o, so that you have closed his whole mouth with your lips.”
“Now blow through your mouth briefly and powerfully. Through its strong airflow through your child’s mouth, the object shoots through the nose. If you want to know exactly what this looks like, there are videos on Youtube consult.”
When do you need to go to the doctor?
“If the Mother Kiss does not work or if you suspect that the object has not come out completely. And even if your child’s nose starts to become inflamed or bleeding. Then it is advisable to consult with the doctor’s assistant.”