Paediatric eye, ear and nose problems & foreign bodies

How to respond when a child has something in their eye, ear or nose, and when to treat as a first aid problem versus an emergency.

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How to guide

What is paediatric eye, ear & nose problems?

In practice, children frequently present with dust or chemicals in the eye, small objects in the nose, insects in ears or minor eye injuries from play; the wrong first aid can cause more harm than good. Safe management focuses on gentle irrigation for chemicals or loose particles in eyes, avoiding deep probing of ears and noses, and recognising when button batteries, severe pain or vision changes justify urgent hospital review.

Foreign bodies in a child’s eye, ear or nose, as well as minor infections or irritations, can be painful and distressing but are usually not life-threatening if handled calmly and correctly. First aid therefore centres on avoiding unskilled attempts at removal, managing discomfort and spotting red flags such as visual disturbance, intense pain, bleeding or suspected chemical injury that require rapid specialist assessment.

NHS child accident guidance advises against trying to remove objects firmly lodged in the nose or ear and recommends A&E or minor injuries units, especially where button batteries are involved.

Who needs this skill?

Anyone supervising children needs to know when it is appropriate to try simple measures (like eye rinsing) and when they must stop and seek specialist help to avoid permanent damage.

Health & Social Care

In health and social care, staff may see eye injuries from self-harm, behaviour or care tasks; NHS paediatric eye-injury guidance is clear that chemical splashes and significant trauma require immediate irrigation and urgent assessment, not watchful waiting.

Licensed venues & nightlife

Licensed venues and events carry risks from smoke effects, lasers, loud noise and small promotional items; having a standard response to eye pain, sudden hearing loss or suspected foreign bodies reduces ad-hoc decision-making and future challenge.

Schools

Schools and early years providers commonly see minor eye irritation, beads up noses and similar; NHS advice stresses not to dig for lodged objects and to treat button batteries in nose or ear as emergencies needing immediate A&E.

Workplaces

In workplaces and leisure venues, risks include sand, dust, craft materials and cleaning products in eyes, and small items entering ears or noses; staff must balance quick relief with avoiding iatrogenic injury from tweezers, cotton buds or improvised tools.

How to manage paediatric eye, ear & nose problems

These steps outline first aid for common paediatric eye, ear and nose issues.

Irrigate eyes promptly after chemical exposure or loose particles

If a chemical or irritant enters the eye, rinse immediately with clean, lukewarm water for at least 10-15 minutes, tilting the head so water flows away from the unaffected eye, then cover lightly and seek urgent medical review. For small loose particles like dust, gentle rinsing or asking the child to blink in clean water may be enough if pain settles quickly.

NHS child eye-injury resources emphasise immediate irrigation for chemical exposures and avoiding delay before seeking help; prolonged pain or visual change after irrigation needs urgent assessment.

Avoid removing embedded eye objects or applying pressure

If an object appears stuck in the eye, do not attempt to remove it or press on the eye; cover both eyes loosely to reduce movement and get emergency care.

Embedded foreign bodies and serious eye trauma are outside first aid scope; attempts to remove them risk permanent damage and should be left to clinicians.

Do not dig for objects firmly lodged in nose or ear

If something is firmly stuck in a child's nose or ear, do not probe with cotton buds, tweezers or similar; this can push the object deeper. NHS guidance recommends taking the child to A&E or a minor injuries unit, particularly if the object is a button battery, which is an emergency.

Leaving lodged objects alone and seeking appropriate help is safer than risking further damage; button batteries in nose or ear need the same emergency mindset as swallowed batteries because of rapid tissue damage.

Use gentle measures only for obvious, superficial foreign bodies

For clearly visible, shallow objects near the front of the nose, some clinicians use techniques such as the 'parent's kiss' under supervision, but these should be guided by local protocols. As a first aider, your role is usually to recognise the problem, keep the child calm and arrange appropriate assessment rather than to attempt advanced removal techniques yourself.

Referencing, but not over-promising, these techniques protects you from endorsing unsupervised manoeuvres outside normal first aid training.

Monitor for red flags and escalate

Seek urgent assessment or 999 if a child has severe eye pain, vision changes, blood in or around the eye, difficulty moving the eye, marked swelling, persistent discharge, or if they are very distressed or drowsy after an eye injury. With ear or nose objects, escalate urgently if there is bleeding, foul-smelling discharge, breathing difficulty or suspected button battery.

NHS eye-injury and foreign-body guidance is explicit that these features need rapid clinical input; embedding them in your copy keeps your public advice aligned with national standards.

This guide is a learning reference only. It does not replace attended, assessed first aid training.

Qualifying courses

These courses frame eye, ear and nose foreign bodies as part of wider paediatric minor-injury and poisoning teaching, stressing safe limits of first aid, early irrigation where appropriate and timely escalation to specialist care in line with NHS advice and Qualsafe's learning outcomes. Choose the course that matches your role, sector, and the level of clinical practice required.

Qualsafe Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid (RQF)

EYFS recognised; foreign body management

2 days

3 years

Qualsafe Level 3 Award in Emergency Paediatric First Aid (RQF)

EYFS recognised; foreign body management

1 day

3 years

Learn More

Qualsafe Level 3 Award in First Aid at Work (RQF) & Qualsafe Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid (RQF) - Combined

Adult eye injuries plus paediatric eye, ear and nose issues

3 days

3 years

Common questions

Practical answers for employers, venue managers, and healthcare teams about paediatric eye, ear & nose problems training.

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When is something in a child’s eye an emergency?

Chemical splashes, high-velocity injuries (like a snapped elastic band or projectile), severe pain, vision changes, blood in the eye or difficulty moving the eye all warrant urgent assessment or 999; prompt irrigation is critical for chemicals.

Should we ever try to remove objects from a child’s nose or ear ourselves?

NHS child accident guidance recommends leaving firmly lodged objects where they are and taking the child to A&E or a minor injuries unit, especially for button batteries; unsupervised probing risks pushing objects deeper or causing injury.

What is the ‘parent’s kiss’ and is it first aid?

The ‘parent’s kiss’ uses a puff of air from an adult’s mouth to dislodge a nasal foreign body; it is usually taught and supervised by clinicians in healthcare settings. It should not be improvised without guidance or when a button battery is suspected.

Can eye injuries wait for a routine GP appointment?

Minor irritation that settles quickly after rinsing can be managed with self-care, but persistent pain, redness, sensitivity to light, discharge or vision changes should be assessed the same day by appropriate services, following NHS local pathways.