“Foreign bodies” in the nose, such as nuts, peas, Legos, or other small objects lodged in a nostril, are a frequent problem encountered by toddlers.  They often mean a trip to the doctor or even the ear, nose and throat specialist for removal.

A recent study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal reviewed the research on a time-tested technique for removal of nasal foreign bodies: the mother’s kiss.

The mother’s kiss was first described in 1965 by Vladimir Ctibor, a general practitioner from New Jersey. The mother, or other trusted adult, places her mouth over the child’s open mouth, forming a firm seal as if about to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. While pushing closed the unaffected nostril with a finger, the adult then blows until they feel the resistance caused by closure of the child’s glottis, at which point the adult gives a sharp exhalation to deliver a short puff of air into the child’s mouth. This puff of air passes through the back of the mouth and up to the nose, out through the affected nostril and, if successful, the pressure from the air causes the object in the nostril to pop out. 

In fact, the technique works 59.9% of the time, according to researchers.  There were no reports of complications or injuries caused b the use of this technique. -TR

LINK(S): Original CMAJ article