Children often like to experiment by placing items up their nose. If the objects are small and fit neatly into the nostrils, they can become stuck. Such objects include:

• beads
• sweets
• small toys or parts of toys
• pieces of food.

An object in the nostrils might go undetected until symptoms develop, such as pain, redness or swelling in the nose. There may even be a smelly discharge from a nostril.

If you think a child has an object in their nose, take the child to see a doctor.

If you think that there is an object stuck in your nose, you could hold your finger over the other nostril then try to blow the object out. If that doesn’t work, then see a doctor.

Don’t try to remove the object yourself as you may cause damage or bleeding in the area.

Avoid sniffing to reduce the risk of breathing in the object. If you are in pain, get advice on the pain relief medicines you can take.

Inhaled objects

If an object is stuck in the nose, it can be accidentally breathed in. That could cause breathing difficulties, coughing or wheezing.

If an object becomes stuck in the air passages, go to the nearest emergency department. You should call triple zero (000) immediately and ask for an ambulance if:

• you become too breathless to talk
• you develop very rapid breathing, or have to put a lot of effort into breathing
• you feel faint or as if you might pass out.