Toddler Might Have Swallowed Tack....

Updated on August 31, 2011
J.P. asks from North Anson, ME
12 answers

I just went to lay my 15 month old back down for a nap and realized she pushed her bed away from the corner of the room and pulled a calendar off the wall and i cant find the tack. I found the calendar in her bed and searched there for it, and around the floor but still nothing. There is a heating vent in the floor it could have dropped down too. She isn't crying or anything and she doesnt really put anything but food, sippy cups, and bottles in her mouth. She is sleeping now, so Im going to look again when she gets up and someone can watch her. Im extremely surprised she could even reach the calendar. If I can't find it I am definately calling the dr but I want to be sure I thoroughly checked everywhere first. Has anyone dealt with this before? What happened?

Please don't be rude with answers Im trying to deal with this as calmly and logically as I can.

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P.G.

answers from Dallas on

If you have a big magnet or something, that might help you find the tack in places you might not be able to reach or see. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

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M..

answers from Youngstown on

I agree, if you don't find the tack go to the er for an xray. Better safe than sorry.

You must be so worried. Try to stay calm and hopefully all will turn out well.

3 moms found this helpful
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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

you need to pull up the vent and check and if you don't find it go and get her xrayed. a tack is sharp and can puncture her intestines and or other organs. you might not realize for a while what the problem is and then too late to fix. better safe than sorry. I am going to pray that you find it. and then make the observation that a crib should have nothing above and or around it. my son pulled a plant off of a shelf that was next to his crib. made a beautiful mud collage on the wall and then used the pot to crawl out of the crib. landed on his back. never have anything by the crib. good luck

2 moms found this helpful
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R..

answers from Chattanooga on

I agree with Sherry. Keep looking for the tack, but if you don't find it soon take her to the ER for x-rays. It doesn't take long for it to get into the digestive tract, so the sooner you get this resolved the better. Good luck! I hope you find the tack in the room.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

When this happened with my daughter (similar age at the time), I called the advice line and they said to take her to the ER to be xrayed. My child had a couple of tacks in her mouth and I couldn't be sure she hadn't swallowed any. The concern was that the tack could puncture her stomach or intestines and it would be a big problem. I decided that the benefit of knowing (they would be able to see the tack end, the other end of ours was a plastic ball) outweighed the risk of exposure to xrays.

So...I suggest you get her xrayed at the ER if you can't find it. I'm sure she isn't the first possible foreign body kid they've seen or will ever see. These things happen.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.C.

answers from Wichita on

Most kids have put something in their mouths that didn't belong there, but sometimes they swallow them. Use a magnet to search & I would take her to the ER. Better safe then sorry.

God bless!

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L.N.

answers from Boston on

Take her to the ER as soon as possible. They need to do an x-ray and make sure she didn't swallow it. If she did, they need to take her into surgery immediately to remove it. I had a similar situation when my son was 18 months old and I thought he might have swallowed a safety pin. (The x-ray showed he was fine.) The doctor's office told me to go to the ER immediately and the ER staff told me that it was better to be safe than sorry in this situation. Good luck!

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E.M.

answers from Johnstown on

My guess is that you'd know if she swallowed it because I don't know how she couldn't be in pain. If you can't find it, then I'd take her to the ER for an xray or ultrasound...and I do suggest the sooner, the better, so don't wait too long to search for it. You may want to use a flashlight to help you look too. Just sweeping the light across the floor could make a world of difference. GL!

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J.B.

answers from New York on

I seriously doubt she swallowed the tack. There were several times when I thought my son ate something and it turned out he didnt. If I were you, I would search the room like crazy. Look everywhere the tack might be. Look in between the sheets, everywhere. If you STILL cant find it, I would call the doc just to be sure.

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T.M.

answers from Cincinnati on

I'm going through the exact same situation. I really don't know what to do. She isn't crying but is singing and happy as ever but I am terrified she might have swolled it!!

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A.H.

answers from Chicago on

Keep a close eye on her during her nap...but personally I think you're fine. I don't think anyone could swallow a tack big enough to hold up a calendar without an extreme amount of pain!

But I'd sit with her until she wakes up and immediately pull off all of the bedding and everything, pull the bed away from the wall, and thoroughly check everything before putting her back down tonight for bed, just in case it is in there somewhere. Also you probably already thought of this, but I'd use something else to hang things in her room...and don't hang anything on the walls around her bed that she could get to.

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M.K.

answers from Los Angeles on

I think she would be crying, it would seriously hurt to swallow a tack - just observe her for a day or two, make sure there is no blood in her poo, it will be ok

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