[One magnet is better than two].

Accidental foreign body ingestion by children is not exceptional and occurs in most cases in children less than 5 years old. The impact is not well known. We present the case of a 31-month-old boy affected by peritonitis caused by several bowel perforations after swallowing three magnets at different times. A single foreign body magnetic ingestion does not often cause trouble, but if the ingestions are spaced out, then consequential complications can occur. This is why, in case of stomachaches in a child less than 3 years or a child with behavior problems, it is important to perform standard abdominal X-ray examination.
(Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier SAS.)