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Children's health

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Original poster

Baby may have swallowed Polly Pocket

27 replies

TulipVictory · 09/11/2021 10:51

For background she has had a cold/runny nose for a week and loose stools the last three days (nothing today). She is 10 months old

Yesterday she was playing next to my other daughter by the big toy storage unit and basically pulling everything out whilst I tidied and swept around. She loves just sitting and playing with all the toys. Anyway when I went to pick her up again I noticed a small polly pocket doll on the floor (the really tiny ones with the magnets inside them somewhere so they stand up on the polly pocket stickers in the sets). She had opened one of my elder daughters sets, there was one doll on the floor near to her but I know there were three in there as I know my oldest child was playing with other it only the weekend. Anyway I asked my other daughter where they were and she said "I don't know". Anyway we went about our day and didn't think anymore of it. This was until she was up screaming in pain from about 10-2am. I'm sure it was her tummy as she kept trying to go to sleep then absolutely screaming and bringing her legs up. This is when I thought why is her belly so sore and I thought crap maybe she did swallow those dolls. I've searched high and low for them this morning and can't find them anywhere 😫. She was crying and really hot and sweaty when I went into her room this morning but her room did feel warm. Otherwise she has had a little bit of toast, had a little play and is now napping, she doesn't seem to be in pain.

What would you do in this situation. I'm torn between keeping an eye on her or phoning the GP/111, however I'm not even certain she's swallowed them at all.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Yamaya · 09/11/2021 10:53

Can you ring your doctor just to get their advice?

PineappleWilson · 09/11/2021 10:54

If she's potentially swallowed a foreign body, containing a magnet, take her to A&E as she'll need an x-ray. It's hard managing toys where there's an age gap (I have nearly 9 years between my two and the board games got put away because of small person and small pieces) but you really need to keep things with tiny pieces in higher storage that she can't reach. They're a choking risk if nothing else.

SleighBells21 · 09/11/2021 10:55

I would ring GP/111 advise.

You don't know if she did or not so she needs checked out to make sure.

Pumpkinsonparade · 09/11/2021 10:55

My dd swallowed a nail.
A year later ds (assumed to have) swallowed a small magnet.
Both times quick trip to A&E and they used a hand scanner to check.
Nail in suitable place for natural exit. No magnet found in ds..
Please ring 111. And likely go for a scan.

bloodywhitecat · 09/11/2021 10:56

If she has potentially swallowed a magnet I would take her to get her checked out.

LaTomatina · 09/11/2021 10:57

Yup A&E immediately if you seriously think she has swallowed a pair of magnets.

If it was just one toy and she swallowed it without choking you could probably wait for nature to take it's course but not with magnets.

ArtichokeAardvark · 09/11/2021 10:59

Go to A&E. We took DS there when he was small as I fished one of his grandad's tiny hearing aid batteries in his mouth and I couldn't be sure if he'd swallowed another one (there were several missing from packet). They xrayed his tummy and fortunately all fine, but they said it was the right thing to do as anything metallic shows up like a beacon on an xray. If the polly pocket is magnetic, it will show.

Needless to say, I went bananas at grandad for leaving his batteries lying around...

PleaseReferToMeAsBritneySpears · 09/11/2021 11:07

Joining in to say if she might have swallowed a magnet, take her to A&E straight away.

lynntheyresexpeople · 09/11/2021 11:15

If she's possibly swallowed a magnet, she needs A&E urgently.

Original poster

TulipVictory · 09/11/2021 11:23

I was just googling using the one I have left. The feet are attracting to the stickers and feels rubbery. A 2006 article says the magnetic ones were recalled due to babies swallowing them. Does anyone know what attracts these ones then if not magnets? Not attracting to magnets on my fridge.

OP posts:

Kimchi · 09/11/2021 11:26

I would go straight to a&e. For the sake of a few hours versus the risk of damage…

bubblebath62636 · 09/11/2021 11:53

Magnets can be life threatening. Please take her to A&E ASAP.

SleighBells21 · 09/11/2021 11:57

Even if it's not magnetic you still need her checked

stressbucket1 · 09/11/2021 13:45

Take one of the dolls with you. They could x-ray that first to see if it actually shows up. Might help them to decide if an x-ray would be helpful for your daughter or not.

Original poster

TulipVictory · 09/11/2021 21:45

Rang 111 who sent me to minor injuries. Saw gp who said she wanted her to be seen by paeds & best case scenario she's got a virus and swollen lymph nodes in stomach making it sore, worst case - bloods & ultrasound in the morning. We are currently sat on a paeds ward, its busy & docs are in handover. Apparently it could be quite a wait 🙄 baby was more uncomfortable as day went on but seems okay this evening

OP posts:

Original poster

TulipVictory · 09/11/2021 21:46

To add she did have a temp of 38.8 at minor injuries

OP posts:

PleaseReferToMeAsBritneySpears · 10/11/2021 05:34

Gosh, you poor thing. I hope you got seen and you've had some rest by now. How are you getting on?

Invasionofthegutsnatchers · 10/11/2021 05:36

Glad you are in hospital

rrhuth · 10/11/2021 05:39

I'm glad you're being seen.

Magnets and small batteries both need to be watched carefully around babies!

rrhuth · 10/11/2021 05:40

Or rather, kept away from small children.

lynntheyresexpeople · 10/11/2021 06:58

@TulipVictory

Better to be safe than sorry - you're in the best place, even if it's a long wait

Original poster

TulipVictory · 10/11/2021 21:06

Just to update. We are home now. The doctors in the hospital seemed very dismissive of the possibility of swallowing toys. I think mostly because I'm not sure if she even swallowed it. They felt her tummy and weren't concerned because she wasn't uncomfortable with it. They were more concerned with her fever and her being unwell. When the consultant came to see me she discussed her symptoms, needing a wee sample to ensure she doesn't have a uti, keeping up with paracetamol etc. The last thing she said was oh yeah my colleague mentioned about the polly pocket thing. I got the impression they just thought I was paranoid. We stayed a few hours, her obs were okay and went home in the early hours of the morning. The discharge letter does not even mention the possibility of her having eaten a toy just about her temp, cold symptoms for a week and that she had red inside ears/throat. They wanted me to take a urine sample into my gp today which I have done. Gp phoned and she had white blood cells and ketones in urine so they have sent the sample off to the lab. She's still spiking temperatures and isn't wanting to eat any food. She is breastfeeding though and doesn't seem in pain any more. Hasn't pooped today, passing urine.

OP posts:

Pumpkinsonparade · 10/11/2021 21:35

Poop checking may set your mind at rest. When dd swallowed a nail I had to look!! Oddly I never found it..
Def there on the scanner though.

PleaseReferToMeAsBritneySpears · 11/11/2021 09:27

So glad she seems ok, well, relatively speaking. I'm sure she'll be better in a day or two as she fights this illness. I'm surprised at their lack of interest assuming you said the toy had a magnet in it. Better to be safe than sorry though.

Original poster

TulipVictory · 11/11/2021 10:13

@PleaseReferToMeAsBritneySpears sorry to add the new versions don't actually have magnets in them. They have rubber feet.

She was up again last night feverish from midnight until 4. Doesn't seem as hot now but just had diarrhoea. Seems a bit happier as was playing with toys.

OP posts:

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