What Do You Do When Child Swallows a Coin?

A majority of children swallow something they're not sopose to multiple times in their life without us even knowing. this will pass, literally. Wateh for it in the poop. It may take a few days but it will come out.

Hello S., My son swallowed a nickel when he was about 5 and I freaked out. We took him to have x-rays done. They said it was there and to wait a few days to see if it would pass. This was the worst part because we actually had to "search" for it. But luckily after a few days it did, and he has been fine ever since. I would wait a few days to see and then if you can't find anything, take him to get an x-ray. Hope this helps. M. W.

Whew!! I was a bit nervous. My kid did the same thing, at the same age, I of course called the doctor and spoke w/ the advice nurse. I was told to monitor for any breathing changes or difficulites and make sure there were no other abnormal upper respiratory changes or tummy aches. I was then told that 98.9% that all would be well just to be on stool watch for the next 72 hours. Sure enough like clock work the coin came out in the wash, so to speak. Doing fine and well and continues to be an active 3yr old. All will be well with yours too.

God bless :)

watch for it to pass and if it doesnt call your ped. some kids have had difficulties others pass it.

When I was a litle girl I found a quarter and put it in my mouth. Then I was jumping on the couch and swallowed it. I paniced a bit but never told my mom and eventually it passed. Just keep an eye out for it if you want to be sure.

I usually don't respond to emails like this but I felt a need to. My nephew swallowed a coin when he was little. He was vomitting and unable to keep any food down. They took him to the emergency room where they removed it. The doctors said the coin was blocking his airways. I am not writing to scare you but if I can prevent a child from danger I felt obligated to do so. My advice to you would be to talk to your doctor and get medical advice since each situation is different. Hope your son is ok. I am sorry if this sent twice, since the first time I wrote it, I was not sure it went through. Have a wonderful New Year!!
M.O.

You should take your child to the doctor. You would not want to be in a situation where complications arise later.

I think it would depend on the size of the coin and whether or not he seems to be in any discomfort. I'd call the pediatrician to let them know and see how they'd like to handle it. My son swallowed a penny and I was told to wait 3-4 days (since there was no problems with his breathing or swallowing and he wasn't in any discomfort) and watch the poop. We had him do all his potty on the trainer potty again (he'd only just moved to the big potty, so it was still available) and then we sifted through all the poop with a fork before dumping it. We found it on the fourth day, so we didn't end up needing to go in for an X-ray. I was starting to really get nervous by the end of that third day though!

Most kids who do this will just have it pass through with no troubles. Hopefully your son will be the same.

Good luck!

Hi S.,

You need to take your little one to the ER. My 2 year old daughter had swallowed a coin and I was told that even though she could breath she may have complications getting it through her system. They did X-Rays to make sure it was not lodged somewhere. I then had to watch for it to come out in her bowel movements. Luckily it did. If it had not, I would have had to take her in again.

Blessings,
L.

What size coin was it? my daughter swallowed a quarter a year ago, and the dr. said to take her to the ER because a quarter is pretty large. They did an x-ray and it was in her stomach, so we just waited for it to pass. If it's smaller than a quarter, it should pass through just fine, but you should probably call the dr. to let he/she know and see what they say. Most dr.'s want you to check their stools to make sure it passes.

When my sister and I were younger I gave her a penny to pretend eat, but she ended up actually eating it. My parents brought her to the ER where they did an x-ray to make sure it wasn't lodged anywhere. It wasn't, so my mom had to check her poop to make sure it came out. I would definitely recommend taking her to the ER so they can do an x-ray ~ better to be safe than sorry.

My youngest daughter went into older daughters room and came out saying "I ate the money" (at age three) and I called pediatrician in a panic and he coached me to make sure that there were no impediments to breathing or swallowing and then eventually it will just wind through digestive tract and be pooped out...She is fine with no medical support needed. This is the daughter now attending nursing school...

My sister had to 'pass' hers and my parents had to watch for it. Good luck.

I agree with the other posters. My daughter swallowed a nickel before. Our doctor said to bring her to the er for xrays. Go take an xray. The coins could easily get lodged somewhere it shouldn't and can cause serious problems. An xray can make sure where it is. Most cases it will just find its own way out, but an xray will be able to calm your nerves.

When my sister did this my mother had to dig through her poop daily per Drs advice. I do not envy you right now! My Mom had her poop on a paper bag that was cut so it would go under the toilet seat and would catch it. It took her about 5 days to pass it. My Mom stocked up on plastic forks and gloves! I still will not eat with a plastic fork to this day! lol

She was also told to watch for nausea, vomitting, fever, constipation etc. I would call your pediatrician to get advice from her as to make sure things have not changed in the years past!

Also, make sure you save that coin for him when he gets older... Yeah I know gross but throw it in some disinfectant to clean and put in a baggy for the next 15 years! It will be a funny story to share with his kids someday!

Good luck and many blessings to you and yours!

I would call your doctor. My friend's son did the same thing and he went to the ER.

I am a nurse, and as long as there is no breathing difficulty you just wait for it to pass.

I do not mean to panic you but I would take you lil boy to the Dr as soon as you can and ask for an xray. That way you can tell if it has traveled or not.
I have gone through this twice with my older kids. The first time was 12 yrs ago. She started to wheeze and had trouble keeping 3rds baby food down so I took her to the Dr. Not knowing she has swallowed anything he put her on meds for Asthma. After a few days of treatments she didn't get any better so I took her to the ER and demanded an xray to see if she had pneumonia. They came back with good news and bad news. The good news was that she didnt have pneumonia but she did require emergency surgery as she had a foreign object in her throat. Come to find out she had swallowed a penny and had been there long enough to corrode. I freaked out. I was told she was lucky that it didnt lay down flat when she slept because it could have but off her airway. Now mind you she was a little over a year old when this happened.
My second child 5 yrs ago swallowed a quarter and I freaked then but I took him to the Dr and they said to go on poop duty and it did come out a few days later.
I am sorry if I have scared you but if it were me I would go and have it checked out. I would much rather pay a dr bill then be sorry later down the road.
I was fortunate to have the lord on our side and watched over my daughter and kept her safe from harm.

When my niece was 2 she swallowed a nickel. My sister was told to immediately report any vomiting, abdominal distention, lack of BMs, and were told to watch for it. They "found" it in a couple days, my niece did not seem to have any trouble passing it. You may want to call your doctor for his/her recommendations though.

That happened to someone I know- their daughter swallowed a penny. This is gross, but what they did was check her feces for it until it passed through. Unfortunately, I was babysitting when it did :P

Call your dr or go to the ER. It might not be affecting him now, but as it travels, it might get lodged somewhere and block things off. They may just put you on "poop watch" but you want to make sure it is "traveling" safely.

Good Luck!
B.

My daughter swallowed a penny. We did the xray thing too. It was in her stomach. The pediatrican called a pediatric gastroenterologist and he said it could take any where from a few days up to 2 months for the penny to pass. It came out 10 days later. I too did the bowel movement checks. It came out just fine.

My son swallowed a penny when he was 4 (old enough to know better, I thought!) I called the pediatrician and they said what the other posts have said - watch for any symptoms of anything wrong and watch for it to pass naturally. There's a slight chance it can cause an obstruction somewhere, so you should let your pediatrician know and watch for any abdominal pain.