PLEASE HELP - I Think My 18 Mnth Old Ate Beads

Even if you took him to get an x-ray the beads are plastic and would not show up. My son swallowed a penny and we called the doc they said as long as water could be swallowed then his throat was clear and it would pass in a couple of days and it did. Reading things on the internet is not always the best idea unless you can read it and not let it upset and just be aware of a POSSIBLE side effect not a DEFINITE one (which I can't, I'm like you it scares me everytime so I don't read things on the internet unless it is a site linked to my son's pediatrician's website). Calling his doctor is the best choice right now.

while none of us can promise you that everything will be fine, the it is most likely that he will be. They dont have magnets, so that is the biggest thing in my world, other than that..watch and wait. In all likelyhood he did not even ingest one, so hang in there, and stay off the computer..ha:) Take care ~A.~

don't panic if he eat some it will pass in a day or two my little girl swallow a dime and it pass in day two
he will be okay you just need to monitor if he feels bad or anything but personally i think he will be okay.

I swallowed beads myself when I was a kid - and that was back in the 80's when EVERYTHING would be considered "toxic" today. The internet can really scare a person with rare or strange cases that one would've never have heard of if it weren't for the internet, so don't panic. Just keep an eye on his BM's, running fever, nausea or any other strange symptoms. Your doc is right, they will pass in a day or two. No biggie, Mom. :)

I am an ER nurse and we see this all the time. It is very rare for something that small to cause an obstruction. I WOULD NOT recommend going to the ER. We are soooo busy and the majority of it is flu stuff. It would probably be worse to have your child sitting in the waiting room for hours with sick people all around than to just wait it out at home. If he starts running a high fever or acts like he has abdominal pain (for example if he cries when you push on his belly) then call your doctor back.

Good luck!

i think the big problem with kids swallowing small things that aren't sharp is if they swallow more than one magnetic object. as for toxicity, don't forget: the dose makes the poison. sure if he drank a cup of the dye used to make the bead, he might have a toxicity issue. as it is, just a speck of something (one time, for that matter) is not likely to be of any concern.
if it makes you feel better to do *something,* ;) you can ensure he gets plenty of fiber (soluble and insoluble), antioxidants (vitamin c via sodium ascorbate (think SA, SA, SA...), strawberries, grapes, broccoli, etc.), and things good for the liver (vitamin d (sunshine or a D3 supplement) and vitamin a (sweet potatoes, carrots, egg yolk, etc.).

HTH!

Hey A. and gang,

I think you guys are awesome and reassuring... BUT... did you know that Nickles ARE something to worry about??? I did not. However, during the summer my daughter's boyfriend's 14mo old baby became VERY VERY ill... throwing up, bloody diareah, etc. ER finally pumped her stomach and found a nickle no one knew she'd swallowed. They said that it lodged somewhere instead of passing as normal, and was poisoning her. Just a HEADS UP...

T. Cobbs

When my son was 2 he swallowed a coin. We were at Home Depot and he reached in the bottom of my purse and by the time I got to him he had already rushed it into his mouth and swallowed it. I took him immediately to the ER. They did the xray.. I figured he swallowed a penny or dime.. but it was a quarter!! I don't even know if I could swallow a quarter now! They were not worried at all because it was in his stomach..and ended up passing fine. They said as long as he could swallow and breathe, more than likely it will pass and not lodge anywhere. I am sure a bead would pass fine.

Because the beads are small and round they will most likely pass through him just fine.

I would take the wait and see attitude. If he begins to complain of a tummy ache or refuses to eat/drink or suddenly experiences constipation then I'd take him in-otherwise he should be absolutely fine.

Do you know how many kids eat coins these days? Those are slightly bigger and not spherical and yet they pass through just fine.

We moms worry so much-but in this case-your Pediatrician is right. ;) Good job for doing all you can and for loving your child so much.

They most likely won't be in there long enough to cause a problem. Just be sure to check your child's diaper to make sure they have passed. If they haven't within 5 days, then call your pedi. Most likely, depending on how dense the plastic is, they may not even show up on x-ray. I'm sure things will be OK, don't worry. I bet you'll find something today!

Hi A.,

I echo most of these responses and think the bead(s) will just pass. I would definitely avoid the ER right now if at all possible due to the flu stuff. I did want to add... the internet is not always a good place to search for answers. My husband drilled a small hole into some fiberglass and then started thinking he might have exposed himself to something toxic. I found a TON of scary stuff on the internet and then wised up and called poison control. She totally reassured me that he would be fine and basically told me to stay off the internet when it comes to stuff like that. Good luck!

Hey dont worry when I was 18 i swallowed a sewing pin with a head on it and it actually passed fine I went to the hosptital and they told me to give it a certain amount of time before surgery and it worked.
Also my sister when she was a baby swallowed a dime and my grandma told us to fed her lots of white bread and it would be fine and pass through. So thats what we did and she now has the dime in her baby book! :)
Beads will be fine! :)

HI there

If they are small beads then don't worry - they will pass. As far as the toxic scare, odds are they are NOT toxic, especially if they were from a child's set of beads. Try not to worry, although I know it's hard, they should pass within 2 days. I know all the stuff on the internet can scare you to pieces but he'll be fine.

just be sure to do a little research to see what those beads are made of. call your doc.

Be careful what you google as you can find a lot of information the is not credible. My brother swallowed a penny once when he was about this age and my mom found a very shiny penny in his poop one day! If your pedi is not concerned, then I would just watch him closely. If you see any signs of discomfort then you may want to take him in. However, the doctor's office and ER's are loaded with sick people and the flu can be a lot worse on him than the beads most likely. Hopefully, that helps. Good luck!

Hi my son swollowed a nail about an inch long last October and it passed without any complication. I would just watch him and check his stool for the next day or two. I went to the Er and they see things like this all the time ofcourse I was a wreck and in a panic thinking this was just horrible but they didnt get excited they just said to keep and eye on him make surehe had no paon and check the stool what fun that was for a day or two. Hope this gives you some reassurance that he should be ok

My advice would be to follow the doctors orders.

If they are really small they will come out in his poop. I had a kid swallow a quarter and the doctor told the parents to wait and see if it comes out. But later they thought he had not and nothing. Just watch his poop. Years ago when I was a teen I changed a diaper and the kid has swallowed a pop bead and you probably do not know what that is but that is what I found in his diaper. G. W

When my daughter was that age, she swallowed a few rocks at the playground. Sure enough, they ended up in her poop. It's a right of passage!

Dear A.,
Just give him foods that will cause him to go to the potty and watch it.Any of my kids or grandkids there wasn't any problem. Just watched them and like I said gave them food that i knew would make them go potty.
Good luck
J. G

If they are plastic there is nothing to worry about. My ped. suggested feeding your child something "you'll see again" like corn. When you see the corn in the poop, that's how long it should take to see the beads.

Of course if you're concerned, get your child x-rayed. But I think the internet has too much scary stuff to really trust it.

IMHO