Dad Shares 'Genius' Hack for Removing Popcorn Stuck up Daughter's Nose With a Straw

A dad's self-proclaimed "genius idea" for dislodging a popcorn kernel from inside his daughter's nostril has ignited fresh debate around the need for universal health care in the U.S.

One TikTok user claimed Simmons511 may have saved himself as much as $711 after using a vacuum cleaner, combined with a straw, to suck the kernel out of his child's nose.

"My daughter shoved a popcorn kernel up her nose so I had the genius idea to tape a straw to the vacuum," he wrote alongside the video. "Got it." The video can be viewed here.

The resulting video has already been viewed 5.6 million times on TikTok, with Tabitha Thacker 740 commenting that he saved $711 in completing the homemade procedure.

"My son did it with a crayon," they explained. "Went to urgent care. That was my bill. By the time the doc got to him, all he did was blow."

At least two other users, however, were less impressed by his efforts.

"I cannot believe no one here is pointing out how dangerous this is," user3198233856130 commented. "If he emptied her lungs she might not be able to breathe in again."

CanadianNurse, meanwhile, warned that "the straw can damage her nasal cavity."

Another TikToker, posting under the name Romina Aguado773, felt the video was a sad indictment of the U.S. healthcare system.

"Tell me health care is unaffordable in your country without telling me health care is unaffordable in your country," they wrote.

Others seemed eager to share their homegrown methods for removing unwanted items from children's nostrils.

Amanda Z said: "I made my son sniff pepper so he would sneeze an M&M out of his nose."

"Hold the other nostril and blow in the mouth," Steph Hauser suggested. "My daughter has done this three times."

A small minority did seek to offer some reassurance, however, that they had tried a similar method of extraction.

"We had to do this with my sister years ago," Critters Don't Litter wrote. "I told her not to put orange peels up her nose but she did anyway."

Registered nurse Kristin Hayes says parents should resist the temptation to try and remove items from their children's noses using household items. She told Verywell Health that the best homemade treatment is a method that has been termed "the Parents Kiss."

She writes: "When your child is exhaling, close the nostril that does not have the foreign object."

"'Kiss'" your child using a technique like a mouth-to-mouth," she continues. "Blow out until you feel resistance. This means the glottis (opening between the vocal cords) has closed. Then use a quick blow to try and push the object out of your child's nose."

Newsweek has contacted Simmons511 for comment.

The latest in a string of dads to go viral in September, a video of this at-home surgical effort comes hot on the heels of another clip chronicling a father's heartwarming reaction to discovering his son wearing makeup for the first time.

Prior to that, another dad sparked controversy on Twitter after a clip of his young daughter dual-wielding two guns racked up millions of views on the platform.

Another father found himself courting both praise and criticism after sharing his unique method for hanging his daughter on the back of a chair.