How long does a ball from "Hungry Hippos" type game take to pass through a 2 year old?

[notwavingjustironing]

Nightmare. My 2.5 DS2 managed (on Saturday night) to get hold of the balls from the game (which were somewhere completely separate from the rest of the game for a good reason). He then came in and said "I swallow yellow one!" and grinned at us.

Unfortunately there is indeed a yellow ball missing. Nursery are on "ball watch" as are we - but should I be worrying at any point? He seems absolutely fine in himself - but the ball is very small - about the size and colour of three grains of sweetcorn?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.....

[llareggub]

Ring NHS Direct? I would...

[hopefully]

I have no idea, but you have just won my favourite thread title of the day award.

[notwavingjustironing]

If I wasn't so worried, I would organise a sweepstake .

[frogs]

24 hours or so ime. Don't worry. If it isn't sharp, poisonous or somewhere in his ear or respiratory system (which it clearly isn't) it won't do him any harm. It will emerge in its own good time. Obviously you can root through his poo for confirmation of this, but personally I tend not to check in detail.

[saltire]

Well it was 3 days for one to pass through the puppy if that helps!

[notwavingjustironing]

Thanks. Instinct tells me that he's ok and everyone else is saying he will be fine, but I wanted to cast the net wider....

I did have a perfunctory poke at some poo on Sunday night, but didn't really want him to think that was the norm and that he should join in too

[brightwell]

We test transit time with 1/2 a cup of sweetcorn,if you know what I mean.

[thenewme]

Is it a magnetic ball?

[Picante]

What would you do if it was? Drag it down with a magnet??

[Hassled]

I can tell you 10 days for a 1p piece. Surprisingly slow, I thought.

[llareggub]

Does your 2 year old like Hungry Hippos? I've been idly contemplating it as a christmas present for my DS. It's been a very long time since I played it so have no idea.

Bit put off now by your thread however.

[thenewme]

No, Picante. It can cause serious problems if a child swallows a magnet.

[hewlettsdaughter]

a metal ball from "Mousetrap" took 4 days to pass through my three year old, if that helps....

[Pheebe]

My sister swallowed a marble when she was about 4. Took about 3 days to reappear apparently. This was 30 years ago but the docs said it was important to be sure it had passed as even smallish things could conceivably cause a blockage.

A cousin also swallowed a piece of mechano at about the same time and was told to eat cotton wool sandwiches He's fine and has a gaggle of kids of his own no...but no mechano funnily enough...

[notwavingjustironing]

still no news for those who are interested. Very much liking the sweetcorn idea though.

[Tangle]

I always seem to find sweetcorn goes through DD remarkably (and unusually, relative to other things) fast - we'll have it for lunch and it'll be through before she goes to bed - she's 20 months.

[schneebly]

my ds swallowed a metal ball bearing and it took him 5 days to poo it out

[hewlettsdaughter]

any sign yet?

[blametheparents]

I swallowed a spring from a peg when I ws little (about 7, I think). I too was told to eat a cotton wool sandwich (yuck). I was also kept in hospital for a couple of nights, I think partly because of the shape of a peg spring and they were worried about tearing.
I reckon your DS will be fine.
Will you wash it and use it for Hungry Hippos again when you discover it?

[notwavingjustironing]

It never appeared! However, the tuna and sweetcorn that he ate three days later definately made an appearance.

I'm convinced that it made an appearance at nursery, although I don't for a second feel upset that the girls didn't sift through his poo sufficiently to give it back and therefore make the game complete again.....

[zazen]

LOL having the game complete again! You'll have to train your DS to purloin another ball from someone else's house!!

My DD ate a pebble and pooped it two days later. I squeezed her nappy to find it - never had the courage to sift through the actual contents of nappy!