I just saw a question come through on YEDDA from a mum who was worried about her 2 1/2 year-old who swallowed a coin. Sounds like something that could happen to me and my son ... so I thought let's check this out. It must happen a lot anyway. Over on Yedda there have been 3 responses so far - all of them basically say "watch out but don't worry".

After a bit of Internet research I found out that the swallowing of objects is indeed common amongst children. The main problems in this case are choking (rare) or the coin going down the wrong tube (even rarer) into the respitory tract. There is also a risk the coin gets stuck in the esophagus.

If in doubt - a trip to the doctor is probably a good idea. Definitely see a health care professional if the child shows any signs of discomfort or breathing difficulties. However in most cases (apparently) the coin will exit the body the natural way within a couple of days. If it doesn't show up after two or three days the whereabouts of the coin should be checked by a doctor (e.g. using X-Rays).

Cheers,

Stef

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