What Is the Tiny Hole in Front of My Child’s Ear? A Parent’s Guide to Preauricular Pits You may have noticed it soon after your baby was born. Or perhaps you have only just spotted it while washing their hair. A tiny, pin-sized hole sits just in front of the ear . It can look so neat that some parents initially wonder whether somebody has somehow pierced the ear. Other parents notice exactly the same tiny opening on themselves or another relative. Then comes the understandable question: “Why does my child have a little hole beside their ear?” In many children, the explanation is something called a preauricular pit , also known as a preauricular sinus . The reassuring news is that an isolated preauricular pit is usually just a small difference in how the outer ear formed before birth. Many never cause any problem at all. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Occasionally, however, the tiny tract beneath the opening can become infected. That is when parents may suddenly n...
My Child Swallowed a Coin or Small Object — What Should I Do? It can happen incredibly quickly. Your toddler is playing happily. You look away for a moment. Then a coin, bead, or small toy part on the floor has disappeared. Your child points towards their mouth. Perhaps they cough once. And suddenly you are asking: “Have they swallowed it?” The reassuring news is that many small, blunt objects that reach the stomach pass naturally through a child's digestive system without causing harm . NHS hospital guidance confirms that coins, small plastic items and small toys commonly pass without intervention. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust But there is an important exception. Some swallowed objects can cause serious injury even when a child initially appears completely well. In particular: BUTTON BATTERIES and MAGNETS need urgent medical assessment. So the first question is not simply: “Did my child swallow something?” It is: “WHAT did they swallow?” First: is my child choking? Swallow...