When Your Child Swallows a Coinby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 08 Jan 2009 12:30 PM
I was in the family room late in the afternoon, putting on lights and thinking I would find some entertainment for the three kids while I attended to dinner. My oldest had just finished his homework, my husband was not yet home, and this is always the "hectic" time in my house. My four-year-old daughter came into the room to tell me that she had just swallowed money. She said that she tried not to, but it went down anyway. I staved off immediate panic since she was breathing and speaking clearly (the first consider is whether the coin is causing a blockage or partial blockage of the airway. My daughter was upset but clearly not in any respiratory distress. She also didn't complain of any pain in her throat, and she wasn't drooling (coins can sometimes get lodged in the esophagus). I wanted to present a calm demeanor to keep her calm, while I called the pediatrician's office. But I confess that I did start to panic in the next minute when the power went out. My eldest child went to fetch the battery powered lantern, while I used the light on the cordless phone to see well enough to disconnect it and reconnect a regular wired phone. While I dialed the office, I instructed my eldest to confirm the exact coin that was swallowed by showing my daughter the different choices. "It was a dime, Mom!" he reported back. In most cases, swallowing a coin does not require emergency care. In spite of my daughter being convinced that the doctor would have to cut her open, the prescribed solution is to wait for the coin to pass, examining all stool until it does. This could take anywhere from a day to a week. Ah, fun, fun, fun. Any stomach pain or rectal bleeding requires another call to the office. But, as in any case of a foreign object being swallowed, the pediatrician should be called. Do not give any food or milk until it can be confirmed that the coin is not lodged anywhere. If there is any respiratory distress, drooling or inability to swallow, call 911 or emergency services. Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right. Related Articles: Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantbaby tags User Comments  drnewmom (307) 08 Jan 2009 06:57 PMI trust you'll keep us posted on the passage of the coin... happy hunting, may your daughter have speedy intestines! coach4tl (10) 29 Mar 2009 09:14 PMHi Mary Ann, how long did it take to pass or did your daughter have to have it removed? My son is 3 and swallowed a coin 2 weeks ago. He has had 2 x-rays already, one on the day it happened and the other one a week later and both showed the coin still in his stomach. Doctor said that sometimes it takes 3 or more weeks. We have been watching his poop and so far nothing. Thanks for your help!  Mary Ann Romans (26886) 30 Mar 2009 11:17 AMThe coin passed within a few days for us. One thing I would suggest is to see if you can collect the stool using a training potty. It makes searching for the coin much easier. coach4tl (10) 30 Mar 2009 02:31 PMThanks so much for your response, we got lucky today and the coin is out. Great timing as I just started to really worry about it. It took 2 weeks and 1 day to pass so hopefully if any parent out there is starting to lose hope (as I did) this will help to calm your nerves a bit while waiting. :-) Community Tags baby, choking hazard, preschooler, swallowing a coin Discuss this article
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