- Plug the opposite nostril, close mouth, and blow out the nostril that has the foreign object in it
- Induce a sneeze to more forcefully blow it out (with pepper or some other method that works)
- Delicately grab the object with tweezers (but don't make things worse by shoving it in further)
Recently, our two year-old stuck a Lego man's arm into his nose. We tried all the regular methods as best we could (with a squirmy, crying child), with no luck. I decided to try something new and perhaps save a lot of trauma, time, and money. I got out the shop vacuum, and with a quick nozzle modification, we sucked that Lego man's arm out of my kid's nose lickety-split!
Now, be sure to read ALL the steps before you condemn me as a terrible, irresponsible parent.... and if you ever try something like this... blah, blah, blah, use common sense, blah, blah, blah.
Remove these ads by
Signing UpStep 1Get the vacuum
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |












































I'm sure if you think about it you'll remember something you did as a kid that wasn't the brightest of your shining achievements. Or something that someone else might consider stupid.
Third hard blow and thump, we heard it go through the straw; it came out. Saved me a $100 co pay and spending all night at the ER.
I was lucky -- this as last resort before the ER.
obviously use the vacuum on low setting and try on parent first..
Are you saying you ALREADY went to multiple doctors, and they didn't solve your problem? If that's the case, please don't try this. This will only work on a loosely stuck item, close to the nostril opening. For anything more serious, please just go back to the doctor.
Parents can choose to set an example, to teach their kids to be self-sufficient and handle life's little problems with ingenuity and cautious confidence, like you are doing.
Or, they can teach their kids to be dependent on others and to go haring off to the hospital in EMERGENCY mode for every little thing that happens to them in the course of a normal childhood.
It's amazing how many kids cram things up their nose. Reasons? I don't believe they ever have or need a reason. It's nice that the experience can sometimes be changed from a scary ER trip into just another thing that happened today, by using a simple vacuum and a pen.
I also think it's great that other parents have chimed in with alternative methods to try. I heart the Instructables community.
Step 2: Wait for sneeze.
Works well, have done it in the past, when my wife did daycare. Although I do enjoy the extra effort that this involves.
for anything not related to human (or animal) orifices, then it's a good idea, though if you had a Kirby, you already get an Inflater/deflater tool which can do this job... :)
However, there are times that really are serious emergencies where doctors are the obvious best bet, and certain "object in the nose" cases fit this category. Likewise there are plenty of times that a generally intelligent person can perform minor procedures at home without rushing off to the hospital.
I can just imagine someone trying this with something like a Tristar, and bursting several bloodvessels in the nasal cavity, and a trip to the hospital to stem the bleeding and stitch up the damage... :)
Not wanting to be too negative, but there are really dumb people out there who will just use a vacuum on full blast to do something like this, so yeah, it's an "At your own risk" kind of thing... :)
Also, this reminded me when my son stuck 2 peas in the same nostril. I had to teach him to blow hard after he inhaled, while I plugged the other nostril.
un-popped popcorn kernel was stuck in my toddler's nose. The ER doc said he had a suction device or forceps, but first he had me close the other nostril, cover the child's mouth with my mouth and puff a breath into the toddler's mouth.
It popped right out! It was the easiest thing I ever saw!
My daughter (about 5 years old at the time) squished down a foam bead and shoved it up her nose. I tried making her blow, tweezers, pushing down on her nostril, nothing worked (I didn't know about the plug-and-blow method!). Children's ER tried the same things, had one person pushing it down, having her blow AND suction to finally get it out! The resident helping asked her why she shoved it up her nose. She looked at him and with a completely serious face, responded "because I tried to put it in my ear but it wouldn't fit!"
I'm certain that most people who complain about stuff like this don't have real children. (They most likely have chihuahuas in little sweaters that they carry around in giant purses.)
Hopefully I shall never have to use this instructable. But I will surely remember it in case I do!
She said plug the non-blocked nostril and blow through the mouth. When my curious little explorer later put a raisin in her nose at 3 I knew exactly what to do and it worked like a charm. No scary hospital needed.