Objects in the Nose

Although it may seem strange, objects do occasionally get stuck in the nose. This is particularly true with children. A child may put just about anything small enough up the nose, such as a screw, a marble, or a piece of popcorn. The child may complain about this afterwards, or you may notice a foul-smelling green or yellow discharge from one nostril. The nose may also become tender and swollen.

If you have children under five at home, try to keep small objects out of their reach. Like most children, your child may experiment by putting an object in his or her ear—or nose.

If your child does have something stuck in the nose, first reduce the swelling in the affected nostril by spraying a nasal decongestant, such as Neo-synephrine. Then ask the child to pinch the unaffected nostril shut, or do it yourself, and have the child try to blow the object out of the other nostril. If you can see the object, you can use tweezers to try to remove it, but make sure that the tweezers aren’t too sharp. Also, stop using the tweezers if the child won’t sit still or if you think you might be pushing the object in farther. Don’t worry if the child’s nose bleeds a little.

If you can’t remove the object from the nose, call your health care professional immediately. He or she has a special instrument that is usually successful in extracting a foreign object. Occasionally, the child may need to be put to sleep in order to accomplish the procedure. This is especially true if the child is very frightened.