Kids!! What are they thinking?

On Wednesday, my 4 year old son stuck a bead up his nose. I dont know why he did it, but it wouldnt come out. My oldest daughter called me in hysterics because his nose was bleeding because the bead was stuck in there. So we called our favorite EMT - my best friend - who came over and extracted the bead from his nose. Then on Thursday, my 3 year old daughter decided to do the same thing - thankfully the bead wasnt so far up that my oldest daughter couldnt get it out. It was removed with no further incident.

But it got me thinking - why do this? What are you going to accomplish by putting something up your nose? So I did some research - here is what I found....

Kids and Health: A Bean Up the Nose is Nothing to Sneeze At
by Dr. Robert Nohle

Kids are kids; they put things where they shouldn't go. Sometimes (luckily!) it is the cell phone in the toilet or the rubber dinosaur up the bathtub spigot.

My own daughter managed to put nearly half a deck of playing cards in the DVD player and the surprising thing is that it still worked for months until we ultimately found the missing cards. Other times it is a little more worrisome, such as when they put stuff in their mouths, ears, noses and other orifices.

We expect babies and toddlers to put just about everything in their mouths -- and we usually are pretty vigilant about making sure small and hazardous items are away from their reach.

However, don't think you are in the clear just because you have a school-age child! An older child will sometimes intentionally put something somewhere in their body just "because" -- because they are bored, because they just want to see what happens, or because a friend or sibling encourages them.

Most times, the bean in the nose, the quarter found in the toilet (use your imagination) or the Battleship game piece in the ear can become part of family lore, brought up and giggled over through the years. However these incidents are not always amusing -- sometimes serious harm or death can occur.

Up the Nose - -

Kids stick more than their fingers up their noses. Very often kids will stick food or paper up their noses -- which can absorb moisture and swell. Be sure that you are confident you can remove the item before attempting to do it yourself. A physician can use suction to remove a stubborn item, and again, can treat or prevent infection.

Dr. Robert Nohle is chief of pediatrics for Seattle-based Group Health Cooperative. His column runs the first Thursday of every month. Have a question or comment for Dr. Nohle? Contact him at health@seattlepi.com.