how to clean your babys ears

Do you find that your baby’s ears are filled with wax? Is there a safe way to clean them without hurting your baby? 

Earwax buildup is common among babies. It is actually important in keeping your baby’s ears clean and healthy. It is a way of trapping dust and dirt particles that could damage the eardrum if they travel inside your baby’s ear.

But too much of earwax buildup can interfere with your baby’s hearing and may even cause an earache. 

The Do’s

If you see wax collected on the outer part of your baby’s ear, then use a warm washcloth to clean the ear wax but do not push it inside the ear canal.

If you feel like there’s a lot of wax in your baby’s ears, consult with the pediatrician.

The doctor will safely remove it by flushing your baby’s ear with a liquid like a hydrogen peroxide solution that will loosen up the earwax.

Sometimes the ear wax is also scraped out using a tool called curette. The doctor will be precise and will make sure that it doesn’t hurt your baby during the process.

You might be asked to repeat this treatment once in a month or sooner depending on the buildup.

The Dont’s

Q-tips might be your go-to for cleaning ear wax but it is strongly advised against using them on your baby. When you use cotton swabs, you might push the wax deeper into the ear canal and you even run the risk of rupturing the eardrum’s thin tissue.

In Fact, you shouldn’t insert anything in your baby’s ear canal to clean it or for any other reason.

Does it cause an ear infection?

Your baby might pull and tug at his ear when he senses discomfort in his ears. This can be an ear infection or because of the wax. if it’s because of wax buildup then there generally won’t be any fever or sleep troubles, unlike an infection.

When you look into your baby’s ears, if you notice a brownish discharge or pus both milky white and bloody then it is an indication of an infection.