Babies and toddlers are one thing above all: incredibly curious. And they also explore their world through their mouths. On this occasion, it can happen that the gleefully sucked small parts are swallowed and enter the respiratory tract or esophagus. The most common items are marbles, money coins, pen caps or beads. We give tips on how to react when this happens – especially if there is a risk of breathing difficulties and choking.
Swallowed objects
If the objects are not too large (guideline: smaller than a 20-cent piece for a two-year-old child), swallowing is usually not a problem. Parents can wait – if they want a keepsake – until the foreign object has passed the stomach and intestines and leaves the body naturally. This takes about a week.
Things only get serious if the swallowed object contains dangerous ingredients or is sharp. This can result in poisoning or injury. In addition, larger objects pose a danger because they can get stuck in the esophagus and on the way to the stomach. Retching, vomiting and pain can be the result. In the worst case, injuries occur.
Initial measures after swallowing
- Even in milder cases, take your child to the doctor.
- For larger objects, an x-ray can be used to clarify where the foreign body is and whether it needs to be removed.
Inhaled foreign body
If your child has swallowed an object that blocks the airway, a violent cough is usually the result. It usually ensures that the foreign body can be coughed up on its own. If your child is breathing and coughing adequately, prompt him or her to continue coughing vigorously. If the object is coughed up, remove it from the mouth. If the child is breathing weakly but regularly, place him or her in the recovery position and notify 911.
In the meantime, make sure he or she calms down and continues breathing calmly. If your child is unable to cough, breathe, speak or cry, choking is imminent and you should intervene immediately.
Indications of choking:
- Breathing becomes weaker.
- The skin turns a bluish color.
First aid measures
- For infants and young children: Place the child on his or her stomach over your forearm or thigh (head down). For older children, make sure they lean forward a lot.
- If this measure alone does not trigger a cough reflex: support the infant with one hand in the shoulder area, tap with the other hand about five times between the shoulder blades. For the infant, place one hand under the breastbone and tap between the shoulder blades.
- If there is no success by this measure, immediately notify the emergency physician. In the absence of breath sounds, immediately begin to administer breaths.
Respiratory distress in pseudocroup
Pseudocroup is a laryngitis usually caused by viruses (rarely bacteria) with swelling of the mucous membrane below the vocal cords. Environmental factors (air pollution) and stress are often involved as triggers. Children between three months and five years of age are affected.
Typical symptoms:
- Suddenly occurring at night, barking cough.
- Hoarseness
- Whistling sounds when inhaling
- In severe cases: significant shortness of breath
- Sometimes: bluish discolored lips
- Usually no fever.
First aid
The most important thing is to calm the child. Usually it already helps to open the window and let in fresh, cold air and hang wet towels in the room. Despite all these measures, the swelling around the larynx can lead to threatening shortness of breath. Therefore, if your first aid measures do not lead to improvement, you should immediately call an emergency medical service (telephone 112).
