Picture this: A toddler is playing quietly when his mother steps away for a moment. Upon returning, she finds her purse open, change scattered about and her toddler smiling like the cat that swallowed the canary (or in this case, the kid who swallowed the coin).
In fact, similar scenarios occur more than 3,000 times a year, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers.Because roaming little fingers often find loose change within easy reach, coins are a frequently ingested object among young children. As exasperating as this practice may be to parents, it's typical for a child this age to pick up small things and put them in his mouth.
But problems can crop up when a toddler puts his money where his mouth is. Choking is the most obvious danger, but what happens if he actually swallows some change?
For the most part, coins pass through the body without causing any harm. To be on the safe side, however, parents should be on the alert for gagging and exessive drooling, which may indicate that the coin is stuck in the child's esophagus, and wheezing and coughing, which could mean the coin is lodged somewhere in the respiratory tract. If any of these symptoms are visible, immediate medical help is required.
Even if the guilty party doesn't seem to be having any difficulty, it's a good idea to call his pediatrician. If the child is eating and drinking without trouble, close monitoring may be enough. If not, the doctor may order an X-ray to determine the coin's exact location.
Change that makes its way into the stomach is best left to continue its journey through the digestive tract, which takes two to five days. But if the coin is lodged in the esophagus, the organ that connects the mouth to the stomach, it needs to be retrieved. Trapped coins can obstruct the passage of food or even perforate the wall of the esophagus. In most medical centers, swallowed coins are removed with the aid of an endoscope, a thin tube equipped with forceps, a light and a tiny camera lens.
Is there any way to prevent coin ingestion? Short of spending all of your change, the best way to keep a little money-grubber from eating his future allowance is to supervise him closely. But since constant vigilance is impossible, it's important to keep coins safely out of reach - on an inaccessible surface, say, or in a childproof drawer. Another option: Designate a secure piggy bank for those pennies. After all, it's never too early to start saving for college.