How to Remove Objects from the Nose
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Raisins and rocks, seed, bead, bells and buttons: all of these objects will fit in a small child's nose.
How do I know?
Personal experience.
Lots of it.
Yes, I was a child, who shoved things up my nose.
My children too, are prone to stuffing objects up their noses.
Even the children I had in day care seemed to have the nose shoving gene.
Some children will tell you when something is stuck; but, others prefer to ignore the problem. These are the ones you really have to be ware of.
Some signs of an object stuck in the nose are:
- Difficulty breathing.
- Funny sounds out of the nose.
- Swelling of the nose, particularly on one side.
- Blood trickling out of the nose.
- A bulge high up on the nostril. The bulge may be soft or hard, depending on the object.
Did you know a bean in the nose will sprout?
What is a parent or caregiver to do, if an object is found to be lodged in the nose?
How to Remove Objects from the Nose
1. Have the child try and blow their nose, while pinching the unaffected nostril closed.
2. If you can see the object, but it can not be blown out by the child, try grabbing it with tweezers and gently pulling it out.
3. If the object can Not be seen, and the child's blowing is not working, blow it out your self.
This option is similar to preforming CPR. You will want to place a Kleenex between the child's nose and your face, then pinching the child's unaffected nostril shut, blow into the child's mouth gently.
You may have to blow several times, but with a little persistence, the object will come out.
Beads and other things with holes in them are the hardest to get out, as the holes allow air to pass through them, but once there is a build up of snot, the object will come out.
Beans, raisins, and the like have a tendency to swell in the nose, making prompt removal very important.
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
- Theodore Roosevelt
Copyright (c) Christa Dovel 2009
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I don't KNOW how many fit up there... As I recall, SOMEONE insisted on getting them out before I was done experimenting!
Plain ole curiosity drew me in..Now I can help my husband when he is experimenting with things up his nose...LOL
This was not only informative but amusing! :) I was a daycare provider for 15 years and have two children of my own...I am all too familiar with this topic! LOL. Thanks for this terrific post.
Meggin: Glad to be of assistance!
Mschattie: Thank You! I think it is something almost every parent will have to deal with at some point, and I would like to save a few of them a trip to the ER. :D
It's about time that somebody hubs about this! Bookmarked - it might come in handy! :D
Thanks Chris! So glad to know that this will not make it in to your next 'Hate it' hub. :D
This is a pretty amazing hub! I was never a child adventurous enough to stick things up my nose so I don't have any personal experience, but I can only imagine how stressful it is for a parent or teacher the first time they experience this happening to a child. All 'my children' are Korean, and old enough to know better, but I'll be definately be keeping this advice in mind if it ever happens. I didn't know that you could blow it out yourself. That must be a very useful tactic... :)
You've been fortunate Laura! While not all of my children have experimented with such, it has saved me many trips to the ER.
My son has stuck more things in his nose, then one can imagine I believed at one point it was a nose to bead and bug fetish. Yes he even stuck a bug up there on a dare,lololo thank god for tweezers and the certainly do work miracles, great advice. :)
Isn't it funny the things kids do while discovering themselves? Everything goes in the mouth, then nose and ears, then other kid's ears and noses and mouths,...no wonder parents lose their minds!
AEvans: LOL! Bugs up the nose? Thank goodness I've never had to deal with that one. :)
mamahops: Kids are great! There is nothing they don't think of, or so it seems. When did I become so boring, as to not even wonder how many beads would fit in my nose, or how a cherry pit feels in the ear? Gotta love them.
Seriously? You can perform nostril CPR? How desperate do you have to be to figure that one out. Awesome hub, Christa Dovel, I'm bookmarking it in case I ever need to use any of these techniques.
My dear dad was the one desperate enough to figure it out. Long drives to the ER don't make for a fun evening. :)
This has been my first serious laugh of the day. Thanks.
Fortunately, I haven't needed any of this advice...yet. Both of my children have been caught before any objects actually lodge in the nose. :-)
Glad you enjoyed it Joy! Thanks for stopping by, and you are fortunate. :)
This hub is a must read for new parents and I can tell you this from my personal experience lol. I shoved a marble up my nose once when I was kid and fortunately for me, I told my mom right away. She took me to the hospital and the procedure was really simple, a thin and long vacuum thingy was all that the good doctor needed to pop that marble out of my nose. I was one of the lucky ones though, because I’ve heard of some horrible stories about children ignoring the problem and paying dearly for it. This is a wonderful hub, a really nice job indeed.
Your right, it can be a very serious problem. Things can rot in the nose and seeds sprout quite well there. I have head of more than one parent who's first clue to the problem was a root growing out of the kids nose. Luckily they grow down!
Nice hub... thanks for sharing..Additional tips: You can also put a towel warmer in the area around the nose, so that objects can melt.telusuri
Hsofyan, thanks for reading and commenting! I could see that work if for something like chocolate... but I would be afraid of burning the child. Have you used a towel warmer to melt objects from the nose?
Oh dear. Your hub reminded me of a humiliating childhood moment when I had tried to wad enough tissue up my nose to keep it from running... It got stuck, and I was too scared to tell my parents. It all came out rather spectacularly at dinner that night ... onto my plate ... in public... in a restaurant with relatives.
LOL! That is too funny. Though I can see how humiliating it would have been! :D
How to Remove Objects from the Nose....... What is really great about that...... my 2 year old son does that....... it is called nose picking ! LOL !
Free4india: If you had read the article, you would know that it is about what to do when picking won't work. Hope nothing serious gets stuck up your toddler's nose.
my 2.75 yr old just sneezed out a peanut that's been lodged in his nose for 13 days. he put said peanut in his nose while i was out of town. husband thought it had come out and (despite my suggesting) never took him to the doctor. apparently, it did not. i'm so glad this ended well. what a crazy ordeal.
Amy, I'm glad that turned out well for you!
Amusing and so true. My oldest daughter was the worst about this. This could still come in very useful for my youngest.
Thanks for the advice. Our 2 year old daughter got a peanut stuck in her nose and began screaming and thorowing herself around at the sight of the tweezers. I found this site and had my wife blow in her mouth and it worked! It took about 3 times to get out, but the little thing popped right out.
Brian, I am so glad your little girl is doing well! And glad to have helped out.
I've got the bead with a hole in it up the nose of my 2 1/2 year old daughter. I couldn't get it out with tweezers and actually ended up pushing it further up the nose (tweezers were slightly too big for the bead). Took to Pediatrician and MD couldn't get the bead. Told me to put Saline up the other nostril until saline came out the nostril with the bead. Bought a pressurized saline can and did this three times. What a sight to see, but still no bead. Then tried it on myself to see how it felt. Not too bad, strange feeling. Now I am waiting to get an appointment with an ENT. The fun never stops.
Brian, I hope your little girl is okay! This has got to be traumatic, for you and her. :(
Can I just say a big thanks it worked a treat,
I now have a happy not cryin little boy :-)and
just a little blow thought his mouth was all it took!
Thanks
Thanks for the tip! My daughter showed play dough up her nose this morning and I had no idea how to get it out. My wife told not to try push it out or get her to sneeze because it would only go in further. In the end we used tweezers, but blowing it out seems like the best way to go.
Paul, I am so glad it worked for you!
Noah, at least it came out, and no one at your house is panicking. :)
Christa, Thank you so much for this tip. After I accidentally pushed the cucumber up my 2-year-old's nose even further, I went online and found your site. After about six blows, I was amazed to find a half-inch piece of cucumber emerge(I thought it was about a tenth of that size when it was in the nose). What a relief to be able to remove it so easily, without a trip to the emergency room.
Cucumbers! What next? :) It always amazes me what children will think to stick in their noses. I am so glad it came out for you, Emma, and thank you for letting me know.
Getting your kid to sneeze work wonders too. My daughter had a lego up her nose that I couldn't even see (I almost didn't believe her) but we went to the doctor to be safe. While we were waiting in the exam room, she sneezed and it brought the lego into view - easy to get then.
Thank you Nancy. I have tried to get kids to sneeze before, but couldn't seem to make them muster a big enough one to do the job. :)
Wow!! Luckily my son never put anything in his nose but I have a new baby boy now and who knows if I'll have to worry about that with him.. The CPR thing is such an amazing idea.. I would have NEVER thought of that.. I'm so glad I stumbled upon your hub.. Such great advice!!.. Mothers always learn from personal experience!
Linda, I hope you never have need to try it out! Congrats on the new baby. My youngest is three.
Thank you for your site. My 3 year old daughter put a round bead up her nose today and despite repeated attempts with tweezers I couldn't get it out so off we went to the doctor. Unfortunately the doctor was unable to get near her with anything resembling a sharp instrument and want us to wrap her in a sheet and force her onto the table so she could try to poke a needle in to the hole in the bead to get it out. That sounded a bit traumatising to me so I declined and took her home to try to think of some other way first. Your suggestion about blowing into her mouth didn't work for us but got me thinking about suction. I decided to try putting a straw into her nose and sucking on it and it actually worked! I guess this would only work for smooth round objects, but certainly beats the physical force option! I hope this helps someone else as it was such a relief to us.
Marlane, thank you so much for sharing what worked for you! I bet your little one was relived too.
Parents: If blowing through the mouth does not work, try gentle suction. Marlane used a straw. Another option would be a bulb syringes, like hospitals use to clear a newborn's airways.
my son decided he was going to put this sharp thing right up his nose and it was pretty big, well he starts to scream to me about his nose and that he had an airoplane up his nose and i thought then he was jk with me well sure enough he sneezed and this thing comes out of he nose well thank god he did sneeze.
Kids do do the craziest things don't they, Kimberly. Glad he is doing well.
thanks GOD ..today we got rid of the medicine put by my 2 yr old son in his nose.though the help of a ent specialist was needed....a lesson forever......
Umm..my brother shoved a piece of plastic up his nose.
You know, the top of a go-gurt? He has that up there, and it doesn't seem to be affecting him badly (all he does is sneeze randomly) , but still..it's not supposed to be up there...Could you help?
Thank you.
Hi Sarah, If he was my child and I could see it up his nose, I would try to use tweezers to grasp it and pull it out. If I couldn't see it, I would blow in his mouth until it was visible (2-3 tries) or use a nose bulb, like they use for newborns, to try and suck it out.
I think it would be big enough that it shouldn't get too high up, but do watch him and make sure he is not shoving it up further with his fingers or sucking it up by breathing deeply. Encourage him to blow often and get it out. Some things may not seem harmful but can tear up the tender tissues in the nose or lead to infections.
I really hope that helps, if you haven't gotten it out already.
~Christa.
Thanks for the post!!! it worked on helping get a very large string of cotton out of my sons nose!!! couldent blow it out but was able to get it down so i could tweeze it.
Thank you I just blew a bead out of my daughter's nose. Saving us a miserable trip to the emergency room.
Well, I've tried a couple of these things...but do not want to go to the hospital so will try again. I have a 21mo son with three older sisters...one pink bead up each nose! UGH!! It's $200 just to walk into a non-urgent care facility and $600 for the ER....so, after lunch, I'll try some other options. I tried to suck with a straw yesterday, but didn't try very hard. The encouragement here gives me the oomph to give it another whirl! I can still see them both and have tried to have him blow, which he does - but to no avail. Hopefully, the snot has built up a bit overnight!! Will let ya'll know!!
Nostril, that is...my son has only one nose - thank GOD!! He'd have as many filled as he could!!
Oh Lisa! I hope you have got those out.
At least beads do not grow, like beans do, so there isn't quite the hurry.
eh ..... what about tissues i got a very small piece stuck in my nose i donno if its still stuck inside but i have a blocked nose. please email me at nitawee@ymail.com
OMG...this totally works I was awoken by my 5yr. old saying she had tissue in her nose again!!!!! We were trying everything but nothing worked that god I found you. I told her I had to practice my cpr on a 5yr.old and she fell for it it took one big breath and it came out whoosh and of course landed on my face..ewww but she is all better thank you so much!!!
Thanks it worked and save a trip to the er..
Cherry sead it was....
@ Elisa -- I am so glad! I like the way you used an excuse to get her to calmly cooperate.
@David -- Those Cherry seeds! I had a child stick one of those in his ear... It was only AFTER I got home from the ER that someone gave me an idea how to get it out. Fortunately, I've never had an opportunity to try it.
Cost me $92 dollars to find out that information.
my son caught a cold and then put a bead up his nose. i tried the blow in mouth thing and the bead came out. right after that he sneezed 3 or 4 times in quick sucesstion. i had a hard time wiping up the snot!
Amazing advice. Just got bead out of my four year olds nose. He was very traumatised by it being up there and thrilled not to have to go to hospital - especially as we live in China.
Dangerous. As you said, "just like with CPR." What are you doing in CPR? Trying to force air into the lungs. "Gently" should be in GIANT FREAKING CAPITAL H2 LETTERS so these people don't blow their kids' lungs apart.
Many Thanks, wasn't sure if trying to tweeze it out was a job for the Docs, but my husband easily picked out the popcorn from my daughters nose with his fishing tweezers!
Our 4-year old put a raisin in her nose. Fortunately, my wife was able to suck the thing out on the first try using a straw (hollowed out pen) while she slept. She didn't even wake up from her nap!
Incidentally, the only reason she fell asleep in the first place was from exhaustion after crying while we tried other things: trying to coax her to blow her nose (she was very resistant), vacuum cleaner attachment (not powerful enough, but certainly traumatic enough), pepper (couldn't get her to sneeze), cpr-style blowing in the mouth. We were going to try tweezers after the straw. What a relief the straw worked!
my sister nose something was gone inside and i think it a piece of candle drope but i dont know she is iawaiaw or in real but iam woary pray for her she getting better she has problem that she cannot eat sweet things and donnt like to eat from one year old she not drink milk but miount it she is very weak please p rray for she geting better her name is moieza anam please
Nabiea, I hope your sister gets better.
Seriously if this is tried on a very young child you can damage their lungs if you blow too hard and this should be thought of before you would attempt anything like this~~ and in CPR training you are first and formost taught about this on small children or infants it can blow their lungs apart!If something is in a childs nose like that you really should see a doctor or at least call them to see if this treatment is safe for the age of your child!
It's so hard to get an object from our nose. And not just so hard but so risky. It cause a lot of damage to the nose and can be result by a nose damage. So dangerous but thanks for your tips it could be safer this time.
There is a reason I said GENTLE breathes. Anytime one is dealing with a child, care is needed.
When I have used this, I have always used short, gentle breathes, and since the child is conscious, they have ALWAYS resisted at any extra air in their lungs.
Use common sense. There is a reason you have a brain...
You saved us a trip to the dr. I just blew a bead out of my sons nose. Thanks!
You're Welcome, Mercedes!
OMG! Single dad here with a two autistics girls (4 & 5). My 4 year old shoved a large bead in her nose way way up there. I tried tweezers and just made things very bloody and VERY VERY scary. My 5 year old was crying hysterically for her sister. I was at a loss for answers, till i found the reverse CPR. The bead took a few blows but the thing shot out of her nose and 5 feet across the room! Were using it to make a necklace to remind her what NEVER to do again!
thanks author for prayy
YAY!!!! Thanks for posting this!!! Our son had just stuck raisin up nose ... we found your article, followed your advice and low and behold out pops raisin...
Thanks !!! You saved us hours in doctors office/hospital! Now... on with our day!
Thank you, thank you! You just saved us a trip to the Urgent Care Clinic and $50!!
I was stupid enough to stick a folded staple, yes staple up my nose when I was about 5. Obviously they're so thin it never affected my breathing. Tbh, I have no idea whether its still there, and I'm 17 now. And I'm pretty worried about going on flights since it might set metal detectors off at airports, and that would be a very embarrassing story to tell. I just hope it fell out in my sleep one time or maybe it came out in some snot once, or I may have even swallowed it. Chances are I have, but who knows!
what if the child tells that some bead went into her nose but not to be seen any ware, what will happen to the bead where will it end up?
heyy here :) ive been experiencinq this stucked or clogged thinq in my nose, its not bead or any object, its part of my nose in short its like a small circle that's made by the meat in my own nose, ive been having hard time breathing expecially when the other side of my nose is clogged too, i breath throughout my mouth and it causes me to not be able to sleep. please help me,, thank u very much .
Thank you so much, this just saved me a visit to the emergency room. Worked really quickly, so thank you again :)
Seema -- Sorry to take so long to get to you. If you take a look at a picture of the sinuses, you will see that they drain into the throat, so as long as the bead was small enough not to get stuck in the sinuses, it should just pass into her stomach and out of her system.
Kristy, it sounds like you may have scar tissue, or something that is simply trying to heal. If it persists, I would see a doctor about it. My youngest sister had to have scar tissue removed from her sinuses due to frequent infections.
Hi Kelli! I am so glad this worked for you! :)
Thank you SO much for this advice. My 2 year old son stuck a raisin up his nose this evening. He was so frantic. He was very ill last year and had 2 major bowel op's. The mere THOUGHT of having to take him to a hospital was traumatic in itself. Found your piece here, tried the reverse cpr and it worked. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! God bless you.
in my childhood a small piece of eraser gone to my nose,i blown my nose very hard ,it didn't came out.so i inhale hard,still i have no idea ;where that eraser gone?
oh gosh, my 4yr old grandson put a small piece of toilet paper in his nose. his terrified of tweezers going in his nose. i tried to have him blow it out, but unfortunately he doesnt know how to, he keeps sucking back in. will this go down his throat as its small and he can breathe? he told me right away and 3 of us tried but he was yelling "THIS IS FREAKING ME OUT" then of course i freaked out. he's sitting on the bed and said hey mamaw i think its out. i used a flashlight and could barely see it anymore. what should i do?? PLEASE HELP!!!! THANK YU
Just few days back my kid had a bead in his nose and had to rush to the emergency, at least now I know what to do, Thank You. ........ God bless you
@onecoolgma --Toilet paper is made to disintegrate quickly, so it shouldn't cause him a problem. The body is good at dealing with things that don't belong in it.
Remember, the sinus empty into the throat, and most excess mucus ends up in the stomach.
what a bout a filter tip
Thanks a lot, you saved my day. My 2 yr old is doing this for second time now. He tried tissue papers before and that came out by itself. Now it was a small piece of nut. I used the blowing advise you gave me and it came flying out. I really appreciate you for your post and service. God bless you
@Mary, if it can go up, it can come out.
You were such a great help. my son had a tissue stuck in his nose, I tried every thing like a nose surgeon to get it out but it was in too deep. But I found your site and you were a really great help. Pinching one nose and doing cpr through the mouth and it pop up and everyone was at ease.
Thanks a lot (it made me feel like Super Dad
Hi, I accidently got two 5mm cubes stuck up my nose, that are magnetic. Can they cause any harm? What should i do? Thanks. P.S im 13 :3
My daughter has put a small ball of tissue up her nose, tried getting it but couldn't, asked her to blow her nose but instead she sniffed now I can't see the tissue anymore, should I worry??
@Stephen -- I haven't been here in a couple of weeks!! Hope you got those out... and YES, keep magnets out of your body -- they can cause serious problems.
@Boo -- Like I've said before, issue is made to disintegrate quickly, so it shouldn't cause harm. The body is good at dealing with things that don't belong in it.
Remember, the sinus empty into the throat, and most excess mucus ends up in the stomach... that goes for magnets too.
This morning my 2 1/2 year old son managed to lodge a red bead, identical to the ones in the photograph, up his nose. I found this site while waiting at the ER, and went back to the car to attempt to blow it out through his mouth before the nurse called us in. After multiple attempts, I realized that by pulling the skin near his blocked nostril to the side, I could open his nostril wider. Doing this in combination with blowing through his mouth and blocking his other nostril dislodged the bead.
Thank you very much for taking the time to post this.
thanx soooo much 4 d info my son put a bead in his nose n the pepper did not work but the cpr did it thru the will of Allah .
Thanks so much for the advise! Worked like a charm but I couldn't figure out how to keep the tissue in place so I got sprayed with snot and the candy he had put up there. I'll take getting sprayed with it over a trip to the ER any day though!
Can you help my little one stuck a cotton wool bud up their nose and the top came off and got stuck not sure what to do as blowing and sneezing doesn't help and have tried with tweezers but can't find it. What shall I do?
Wow! This was truly helpful as I never thought I would have such an experience and I was fearful at first but I researched it, your post came up and sure enough, the exact little red bead came out of my son's nose in an instant. Thanks so much!!
Im in afghanistan and my wife was messaging me about my son with a popcorn seed in his nose, luckily I found this method and it worked great. Thanks for the post....
Farmerboy 3 years ago
"How do I know? Personal experience...Beads ... with holes in them are the hardest to get out, as the holes allow air to pass through them, but once there is a build up of snot, the object will come out."
but how many will fit up there? Especially the little gold ones, from the old necklace in the old dresser?