Clinically, a small bowel hernia in infants is usually an inguinal hernia with symptoms such as a bulging mass or pain. The condition is usually asymptomatic in the child and most parents find a mass in the inguinal region followed by an inguinal hernia when bathing the infant or when the infant is crying. If the infant has no symptoms of inguinal hernia, surgery can be performed at a later date in the hospital. If the mass is stuck in the gap and the infant is crying severely, it often indicates an inguinal hernia that is ingrown and requires emergency surgery at the hospital as soon as possible.