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My child swallowed something - what now?

Emergency numbers: 108 ambulance · 112 national emergency · Poison centre (AIIMS, 24x7): 1800-116-117

Quick answer: Three swallowed things are always an emergency, even if your child looks perfectly fine: a button battery, a magnet, and anything sharp. For these, go to the ER now - do not wait for symptoms. For a small, smooth object (like a coin) in a child who is breathing, swallowing and acting normally, call your paediatrician for advice.

🟢 GREEN - You can usually watch at home when

Only when ALL of these are true: the object was small, smooth and blunt (a small coin, a small toy part, a bead); your child is over 2 years old; and your child is completely normal - breathing easily, swallowing normally, no drooling, no pain, eating and drinking as usual. Most of these pass in the stool in a few days. Call your paediatrician the same day to be sure, and check the stools.

🟡 YELLOW - Call your paediatrician today if

  • The object was bigger than about 2.5 cm (1 inch) across.
  • Your child is under 2 years old.
  • You are not sure what was swallowed, or when.
  • The object has not come out in the stool within about 3 days.

🔴 RED - Go to the emergency room NOW if

  • Button battery (saw it or suspect it). A battery stuck in the food pipe can burn through in as little as 2 hours. Even a "dead" battery is dangerous. Do not wait for symptoms. If your child is over 1 year old and can swallow normally: give 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of honey, up to 6 doses about 10 minutes apart, while you get to the hospital. Do not delay the hospital trip to find honey, and if your child vomits, stop giving it. Honey slows the burn - it does not stop it, and it never replaces the ER. Never give honey to a baby under 1 year.
  • A magnet, or more than one magnet. Magnets can pull together across loops of intestine and tear holes. Needs an urgent X-ray.
  • Anything sharp or pointed - pins, needles, screws, toothpicks, open safety pins, bone shards, bottle-cap edges.
  • Water beads (the gel beads that swell in water). They can keep growing inside the gut and cause a blockage, and they often do not show on X-ray.
  • Your child has symptoms of a stuck object: drooling, gagging, refusing to eat or drink, vomiting, pain or a "stuck" feeling in the throat, neck, chest or stomach.
  • Any breathing problem, noisy breathing or wheeze after swallowing something - call 108.

🆘 SOS - What to do while you get help

  • Stay calm and note the time. Try to find the same object or its packaging - a photo or the matching battery/battery pack tells the doctors the exact size and type.
  • Give honey only as described above (button battery, child over 1 year).
  • Otherwise, do not give food or drink - your child may need a procedure under anaesthesia.
  • Bring the matching object or packaging to the hospital.

❌ DO NOT

  • Do not make your child vomit. It can bring the object back up into the airway.
  • Do not put your fingers in the throat to pull something out.
  • Do not give bananas, rice or bread to "push it down".
  • Do not give laxatives.
  • Do not assume a child who looks fine is fine - most serious battery ingestions are NOT witnessed, and a battery in the food pipe may cause no symptoms at first.
  • Do not treat water beads as harmless because the packet says "non-toxic".

What is happening and why

Most small smooth objects that reach the stomach pass safely. The danger list is short but specific. Button batteries create an electrical current in the moist food pipe that produces a chemical burn - this starts within 2 hours, which is why speed matters and why AAP guidance recommends honey (which coats the battery) on the way to hospital for children over 1 year. Two or more magnets attract each other through the bowel wall and can cut off blood supply or tear holes. Water beads swell inside the body. Sharp objects can puncture. Doctors locate the object with an X-ray (a button battery has a tell-tale "double ring" or halo), and remove it by endoscopy when needed.

This page is for first-aid education and does not replace examination by a doctor. In an emergency, call 108 or 112.

Sources (last checked 13 Sep 2026)

Reviewed and approved by Dr Anjana Alekhya, MD (Paediatrics) · Published 13 September 2026