Study Finds Mother's Kiss Can Dislodge Objects Kids Stick Up Their Noses

News
By Mack Rawden
published

Most adults can avoid the temptation to shove objects into their noses, but on the whole, little kids are far more prone to heeding the urge. Consequently, emergency rooms get more than their fair share of lodged crayons and entrenched erasers. Removing such obstructions often involves hooks, glue and/ or balloon catheters, but apparently, there’s another, far simpler way that could work in a solid percentage of cases.

According to a new study published in The Canadian Medical Association Journal, a technique called “The Mother’s Kiss” is “neat”, “very safe” and may work as much as sixty percent of the time. The simple procedure only requires the mother to put her finger on the opposite nostril, seal her mouth around her child’s and blow air in with force roughly equivalent to a sneeze. If done correctly, the object may shoot out the other nostril or at least get close enough where it can be removed via fingers.

Speaking to ABC News, Dr. Henry Ou of Seattle Children’s Hospital said “The Mother’s Kiss” works best with items that are really plugged so force can be generated, but he also cautioned that if the mother mistakenly blows the object into the airway, it can make the situation far worse.

As backwoods remedies passed down through generations go, this one actually seems logical, sound and backed by science. More people need to know this exists. Hopefully, the study, led by Dr. Stephanie Cook, will be the first step toward making that happen.

Mack Rawden
Editor In Chief

Mack Rawden is the Editor-In-Chief of CinemaBlend. He first started working at the publication as a writer back in 2007 and has held various jobs at the site in the time since including Managing Editor, Pop Culture Editor and Staff Writer. He now splits his time between working on CinemaBlend’s user experience, helping to plan the site’s editorial direction and writing passionate articles about niche entertainment topics he’s into. He graduated from Indiana University with a degree in English (go Hoosiers!) and has been interviewed and quoted in a variety of publications including Digiday. Enthusiastic about Clue, case-of-the-week mysteries, a great wrestling promo and cookies at Disney World. Less enthusiastic about the pricing structure of cable, loud noises and Tuesdays.