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 that was 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?...
Sore Throat and a Sandpaper Rash? Could My Child Have Scarlet Fever or Strep A? Your child comes home complaining that their throat hurts. By evening, they have a temperature. Their neck glands may feel swollen. Then you notice something else. A fine rash has appeared across their chest or tummy. It does not necessarily look dramatic—but when you run your hand gently over it, the skin feels unusually rough. Almost like sandpaper . For many parents, particularly after recent publicity around Strep A, the immediate question is: “Could this be scarlet fever?” Scarlet fever is an infection caused by Group A Streptococcus , often shortened to Group A Strep or Strep A . It mainly affects children and usually responds well to appropriate antibiotic treatment. The key is recognising the pattern and arranging a medical assessment, rather than trying to diagnose the rash from an internet photograph alone. What is scarlet fever? Scarlet fever is caused by Group A Streptococcus bacteria. The...