Tips for Cleaning a Baby’s Ears

All parents and caregivers want their babies to be clean and healthy. One of the ways we often try and help babies is by cleaning their ears. However before you go sticking a Q-tip or anything else in your child’s ear there are some things that you should know.

First of all, what exactly is the purpose of that brown sticky substance better known as ear wax? The ear canal is small but complicate and intricate part of our body. In the middle ear (the part you cannot see) we have glands that make ear wax. Overtime that ear wax starts to come out of the ear become visible to the eye. Even when you can’t see it, our ears are making wax all the time.

Earwax has several very important functions. It moisturizes and protects the ears so we don’t have itching and discomfort. It also contains chemicals that help fight infections and keep bacteria and viruses out of our ears. Earwax is also sticky enough that it stops foreign objects and invaders such as dust, dirt, debris, and bugs from getting in our ears. Believe it or not we really need earwax.

While you may be extremely grossed out by the wax in most cases you really don’t need to do anything. Keeping a child hair clean and having good hygiene habits can more often than not be enough. A baby’s eardrum is very fragile and delicate and if you are putting things in the ear it can cause pain, or infection. The eardrum can even bleed and in some cases rupture. Both of which are extremely painful. As tempting as it maybe you never ever want to put objects such as qtips, bobby pins, glasses, or ink pens in an ear. If absolutely necessary you can take a clean damp cloth and gently wash the inside of the ear without reaching into the ear canal.

Occasionally, it may be suggested to use a bulb syringe but that can be painful for baby and if done improperly can lead to infection. Sometimes so much wax can build up that it can cause the ears to start hurting. If you notice your child pulling on their ears you want to visit your doctor. Often there are over the counter ear wax removal kits your doctor will recommend. These should not be used with checking with your doctor first. The best remedy though for healthy ears is paying attention, and simply let the ears protect themselves.