My 2 yr old might have swallowed some money....?

Question

I was cleaning the kitchen, and my son comes up to me with a quarter in his hand, and his mouth wide open... he does this when he put something in his mouth that he didnt like the taste of (like blueberries and stuff) but anyways, I asked him if he ate money, and he laughed and kept laughing. I asked him again and he said yep... now i dont know whether to believe him or not. i called the doctor and told the lady about it, and she made an appointment for him to be seen today. Has anyone gone through this? Should I be really worried??? Im worried sick now, and my fiance asks like it isnt that big of a deal.

Answer 1

My youngest son, now age 23, swallowed a quarter at age 3. I was frantic and thought of all the horrible thing this could cause, block his breathing, stomach, or become lodged somewhere and have to be surgically removed. The pediatrician took an x-ray and sure enough, there was the quarter. All he said was, "Relax mom, if he got it down chances are he will get it out just as smoothly." Every few years when I again run across that x-ray, I laugh and call to ask him if he finally got his money back. It should be fine.

Answer 2

In general anything that is the size of a quarter or smaller will pass through his digestive system okay so long as it made it down his throat. Obviously if he is talking and laughing, it made it to the belly. If you think he may have gotten something bigger such as a 50 cent piece or dollar coin, you should take him for an x-ray because something that size may cause problems when he tries to pass it. Your doctor will fill you in on all the goodies when you go. You may want to up his juice and fruits to help make his stool softer when he tries to pass it too... ask your doctor how you can help him pass it comfortbably.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Yes it happened to me. I too did not know my son and put a quarter in his mouth when he was violently throwing up. I had put him into the tub because he was covered and wanted to clean him up when a quarter popped onto the floor. I asked him where it came from and he said in my mouth. I was so upset that I didnt even know he could have been choking. I too called the doctor and they said if he showed no signs he was still choking to give him a drink and ask how his throat feels. It turned out he was fine but what a scare I had. I informed him never to put anything but food into his mouth again.

Answer 4

well foriegn objects in your stomach is never a good thing, but as long as he didnt swallow an entire piggy bank's worth i think he should pull through. I know people who have swallowed about 5 or 6 quarters when they were young and they are fine now. Of course, the doctor should answer all your questions better than random people on the internet

Answer 5

A friend of mine told me once that her daughter swallowed a penny. She never chocked on it, but she took her to the doctor anyway. The doctor said that you pretty much have to wait for it to come out when they go to the bathroom. He suggested to watch for it because if it doesn't come out, then they may need to remove it. But, the doctor wasn't worried because most cases like this, it usually comes out naturally. Anyway, when this happened to my friend, she found the penny (guess where.. lol) and she cleaned it and put it on a necklace and is going to give it to her daughter when she's older. lol... Isn't that funny! I'm sure your son will be fine and it will come out naturally.

Answer 6

Kids eat stuff like that all the time. It probably won't hurt him. He'll probably "pass" it in a day or two. Actually, money and coins are very dirty so there could be some bad germs on there that could make him sick. i.e. someone went to the bathroom and didn't wash their hands and then used that money to pay for something... kinda gross, but I think he'll be fine.

Answer 7

my son was 1 when he swallowed 3 pennies they came out when he sh**
poor thing had a hard time getting them out it took 2 days but he is now 2 months from being 3 and he has never put anything eles in his mouth other than food he puts it in his pockets. if he has something and he is not sure he will look at me and will not try to eat it unless i take a bite first.

Answer 8

My son did that when he was small.It usually is not a problem unless they do not pass it. You will probably be on dodo duty until it comes out. That means checking it to see if the money is there. If it does not come out,the doctor may do an ex ray or a cat scan to see where it is. Depending on where it is, it may have to be surgically removed. That is the worse case scenario. It will probably come out on its own. So don't worry. things will be fine.

Answer 9

As a child I used to love to suck on coins. I swallowed a penny, and I am fine. He will probably just get rid of it in his diaper. You are doing the right thing by taking him to the doctor to be safe.

Answer 10

You don't need to be worried; toddlers and preschoolers often eat things they aren't supposed to. They usually just poop it out; the only thing you should be concerned about is if he drank cleaning liquid or something else that is potentially toxic. He probably didn't however, and in the case of money you probably don't need to worry.