What to do if something is stuck in your child's throat

Since children are not fully developed and have not formed good eating habits, they often have various problems with their diet, such as food getting stuck in the throat, which is quite common. When parents face such problems, they should analyze each problem specifically. If the object is relatively small, they can ignore it. But if the object is large or dangerous, you need to seek medical attention immediately!

1. Don’t worry about small objects, they will be discharged by themselves

If a baby swallows a foreign object that is not particularly large, such as a small glass ball or button, it will be excreted along with the feces through the peristalsis of the gastrointestinal tract.

Parents should carefully check every bowel movement of their baby until they are sure that the foreign body has been expelled. Generally, foreign objects stay in the gastrointestinal tract for no more than three days. If they are not discovered after this time, timely re-examination is required.

Nursing: You can feed your child scrambled eggs with leeks, honey and other foods rich in fiber to promote bowel movements, which can usually be excreted from the body within 2-3 days.

2. If your baby swallows a foreign object, do not use the usual back-patting method for emergency treatment.

When a baby swallows a foreign object, some commonly used first aid methods are wrong. For example, some parents will pat their children's backs hard, while others will put their hands into their children's mouths or even into their throats, which may push the foreign body to a deeper area. In addition, inducing vomiting is not recommended to prevent foreign objects from being accidentally inhaled into the trachea.

3. If your baby swallows a foreign object, it is best to send him to the doctor for examination!

If a baby accidentally swallows a foreign object, it is best to take the baby to a doctor for examination. It is best to take the child to the nearest hospital to take a front and side X-ray so that the doctor can determine where the foreign object is and whether it needs to be removed. This way, timely treatment can be done, giving parents peace of mind.

Nowadays, large hospitals usually use endoscopes to remove foreign objects. It can remove foreign objects directly without surgery, reducing the pain of children. Only when an endoscope cannot be used should surgical removal of the foreign body be considered, for example when the foreign body has fallen into the trachea, or when the foreign body has damaged the child's esophageal mucosa due to irregular or sharp edges. But this situation is relatively rare, usually only 1% of the time.

If you find that your baby has a long-term cough or unexplained asthma-like symptoms, you can take your baby to the hospital for examination to determine whether the condition is caused by swallowing foreign objects.