How would you react if your toddler swallowed a penny ?

Sarah - posted on 04/20/2012

Take him/her to the ER and make sure it wasn't aspirated into their lung.

Tina - posted on 04/19/2012

For anyone googling this in the future...there is some horrible recommendations here. A penny, depending on the date of production (post 1982 I believe it is, they changed what pennies were made of)...which clearly there is typically no way of knowing once its been ingested...can be made of materials that start to corrode right away when mixed with gastric fluids, unlike other coins. They literally will start to eat away at their insides. Please, take them in RIGHT away and demand an xray and that they remain and be closely monitored. When our daughter swallowed one we had an incompetent er physician send us home...only to go back with a furious pediatrician who said they should have not discharged her...they called in a gastroenterologist who completely agreed and by the time they removed it not 23 hours later she had esophageal erosions and two small ulcers already. You should have seen how corroded the penny was already was not even in a day. You do NOT mess around with pennies, batteries, etc. It is no longer the old way of assuming they will just pass, they can cause serious damage while in there.

Laura - posted on 04/09/2010

my nephew swallowed a penny while in my care and was choking i managed to dislodge it quickly but took him to a and e because he kept balking.He had an xray and it was lodged in his throat and needed to go under anesthetic to have it removed.i would always get something like that checked because it could shift at any time and be fatal especially if asleep.scariest moment of my life i thought i wouldnt get him to take a breath again!

Kim - posted on 04/08/2010

I wanted to share, I do have insurance so I did take Tanner for an xray, a day later and it was pooped out.
Thanks everyone, Louise Gough comment was right on point with my peditricians reaction. If you don't have to worry and can afford the visit to the dr, no reason to waste time just go get the xray to see where the penny is this is the only way to know your next step.

Carla - posted on 04/08/2010

If you have to sit here and ask that question I am sorry to say but there is something wrong. I would immediately take the baby to the doctor because if it goes down the wrong way then he/she can choke! If it lands in the wrong spot in the stomach it can definitely cause organ damage, and last but certainly not least, Pennies are dirty and they carry lots of germs. He\she can get a virus get copper poisoning and many other things. Objects that can be dangerous to swallow

* Small coin-shaped batteries can cause harm if they do not pass through the body quickly, as the chemicals inside can leak out and burn the surrounding tissue, or they can cause a small electric current which can also do harm.
* Objects that are small enough to swallow, but larger than about 18mm across may get stuck on the way down in small children.
o All Australian coins, including the 5 cent and 2 dollar coins are larger than 18 mm, so they may cause problems.
* Objects that are pointed (eg. open safety pins, toothpicks, stiff wire, fish and chicken bones) can pierce the gut, so if you think your child has swallowed one the child needs to be seen by a doctor as soon as possible.

Kimberly - posted on 04/08/2010

If there wasn't any choking or gasping, I would let it pass in his poop. About a week of checking the poop.

Jen - posted on 04/07/2010

i swllowed penny buttons boiled sweets chewing gum n i had a habit chewing on thing n putting things in my mouth didnt do me any harm i actually didnt tell anybody about the button.

Brandi - posted on 04/06/2010

It never hurts to give the dr. a call. But basically, if the child is breathing ok (not wheezing or gasping for air) and he's not in any pain (esp. in the throat or chest) a penny will often pass on it's own. I once swallowed a nail (yeah I said a Nail) and it just passed on it's own. It went down head first not point, so the dr. thought i shouldn't be in any danger. With a penny, though, you shouldn't even have to check his stool to be sure it passed, it will :-) Kids will swallow the darndest things won't they?

Shelley - posted on 04/06/2010

I would go have it checked.

Louise - posted on 04/06/2010

If your toddler is breathing normally there is no cause for alarm. Unfortunately this is a trip to the hospital as he/she will need an x-ray to see where the coin has gone. If it has passed into the intestines this means examining poop for the next week. If it has gone into the lung cavity it will have to be surgically removed. Most coins pass through the body with no affect what so ever but it's worth getting them checked.

Alicia - posted on 04/06/2010

my son swallowed a penny and we took him to the er and they did x-rays and seen where it was at we had to keep checking his poop to see if he pooped it out..yes sounds nasty but if it doesnt' pass they will have to do surgrey cause it could get stuck..we had to take him back to the er every other day to see if it was moving and in about a week he passed it...

Shannon - posted on 04/06/2010

I think I would call my childs doctor and ask if it is cause for concern or not. Better safe than sorry!

Brandy - posted on 04/06/2010

I honestly don't know but I do know that I swallowed one when I was a toddler and I'm fine...