Help for Child W/ Tubes

Have you tried putting ear plugs in her ears? I know she is little, but they make wax ones that are harder for small fingers to pull out but seal really well. I have tubes in my ears for 5 years as a kid but I was 5 so I understood the need to have the ear plugs....I can see the difficulty in explaining it to a three year old. If you have her lay down in the tub with just a little bit of water and you are careful with rinsing you should be able to avoid her ears. Hope this helps. :)

My son had to put in the tubes twice as well. There was a hat specially made for children with tubes to wear while taking a shower at the pharmacy. It fits on like a hat but the top part is open so you can wash his hair, but it has a ring around the head so the water doesn't come close to the ears. I also used a cotton ball with Vasaline Jelly and put it in like ear plugs. Good Luck:)
H. M.

My son also has tubes and our doctor recommended this mold-able putty to shape into his ear before baths. 24 pair of them are $29.00. His surgery was about 1.5 years ago and we still have a bunch of them. The company is called Insta-mold products in Oaks, PA ###-###-####. the product is called Insta-putty silicone ear plugs. We also have the headband thing for swimming. Good luck. J.

Did your ENT give you ear plugs? My daughter also has tubes and her ENT gave us ear plugs to put in when she showers, bathes or swims. She does well with them.

Hi A.

Here's a story for you. My grand daughter Gwenevere started beng sick non-stop when she was about 4 months old. You know the story from there better than I do I'm sure, and it resulted in her having tubes put in when she was about 9 months old. While the severity of her discomfort eased for a bit, she continued getting "sick" and instead of the doctors thinking it was always a cold or flu, they began to say it might be allergies. The doctors then decided she had asthma. The poor baby was receiving wave after wave of antibiotics, and antihistimines and tylenol, and motrin. She was still getting up several times a night. The poor thing thought this was "normal."

During this time I became aware of NAET and began treating regarding some of my personal matters (please visit NAET.COM) and read the book "Say Good-Bye to Illnes." I also bought for my son and dil the book "Say Good-bye to Children's Allergies." Last month Gwen was treated for her allergies to dust an animals. Guess what? No more mucous! And she is eating much more and sleeping longer at night. She is still allergic to a lot of other things, which are being treated one by one in an orderly fashion. Soon she will be allergy free! In the meantime, she feels SO much better.

As the reason children get tubes in the first place is usually allergy related, I thought this information might result in your daughter's allergies being identified and cured. Then (if the reason for the tubes was allergy related, there would no longer be a need for the tubes, or worrying about getting water in her ears, etc., etc., etc.

Best wishes,

M.

Hi A.,
I am now in my 44 years of life and have raised two wonderful children. My daughter is now 24 and has gone through 3 pair of tubes in her ears which lead to a major ear reconstruction to her left ear do to erosion of the ear drum.

To encourage you, my daughter has full hearing in both of her ears and for the first time at age 22 was able to put her head under water and has not had any more problem with either of her hears.

Bath time could be a challenge so she decided to take showers. We started puting ear plugs in her ears, (the ones that look like a small piece of clear clay) Then it would get stuck in her hair so she wanted to try putting dry washcloths over her ears and quickly rinse her hair. The regular shower on the days she did not wash her hair she was just careful to not put her head under the shower nozzle. It was trial and error but she healed up each and every time her tubes were in her ears.

I just really prayed all the time but I realized I had to help her live each day without fear, this is not easy but with each passing day we both became very confident.

Life has so many obstacles but it seems that there is always a way to get through them.

I am not sure if this helped at all but it felt pretty good to know I could at least share that this too shall pass!

DanaC

Hey, my son is about 4 years old and also has the tubes. We went to Parker Institute (in Torrance, CA) and they made custom fit ear plugs. We have never had any water in the ear problems after that. Hope that helps (by the way they are about $75).

try readybath shampoocaps/conditioner no water needed.
by medline the order number is msc095230 ask your
doctor or pharmacist

They have wax ear plugs that you can use during bathing. My son had tubes several times and that's what I used. Good Luck!

you mean penrose drains. Just have your child out of the tub. Tilt her head back when you wash and rinse so water runs down also try covering the tubes

Hello A.,
My son has tubes too... We use earplugs... The ENT that we went through has special earplugs that fit the ear just right. I dont have his number right now on me.. we just moved... but his name is Doctor Camilon and he is Orange California.. I'm not sure where u live but if you call information you can get his number and see if they can send you a pair.. however normally they fit your child for the ear plugs...Its funny I had the same ENT when I was a little girl and the same earplugs.. I've used them for over 20 years.. lol (different pairs)... They work great.. I can go swimming with them, shower ... all that... Hope that helps..

-D.-

Hi A.,

I am an audiologist and can help you with your ? You can do a few things. The old school recomm by MD's were to put a wad of cotton ball with vaseline on it to help it stay in. A better option is to go to the drugstore and go to the ear aisle. There are some plugs that are made out of a waxy material. They come in a round plastic container. They are pretty inexpensive :) They come in a pair, but each one can be pretty large so break it in half. Roll in a ball between your palms and put in ear at the entrance of the canal and gently spread the material to cover the entire ear. These are inexpensive and work really well. The other option would be to get custom made swim plugs from an office. You can probably ask your pediatrician who she refers to in this area. Good luck :) :)

H.

I can SO relate to your little one!! I had tubes in my ears for YEARS when I was younger and hated them. Finally, when I was 5, I had my tonsils removed and never had tubes, ear infections, or sore throats again!!

My only thoughts would be to agree with one of the other moms who mentioned those foam visors they sell. I used that with my son when he was younger just because he hated water in his face ... and now at 2 years old he sticks his face in the water every night to blow bubbles!! Aren't kids goofy :)

Try getting a shower head that disconnects. That way you can have her tilt back her head and you can be in charge of where the water hits her. Like in a salon.
*soapy wishes..hehe M.E.

There are foam visor-type hats you can buy that divert the water as you rinse your child's hair. I had one for my now 14 year old son when he was 3 , but he said it was too tight on his head. When my now 22 year old son was 4 and had tubes the doctor gave me ear plugs to use for bath and swimming.

About 35 years ago, my mom would put pieces of Silly Putty in my ears for swimming lessons and that kept the water out. It didn't obstruct my hearing during my lessons like ear plugs did. She would re-use the pieces. One little egg of Silly Putty went a long way.

Good Luck

My son's cousin who is 6 just had tubes put in his ears and the doctors made him custom ear plugs for swimming, showers, etc. Maybe this is something you can ask your doctor about. If not they sell ear plugs at any pharmacy, maybe they might help as well.
Good Luck!

Mack's silicone pillow soft earplugs

My son has had 2 set of tubes and now needs another. His ENT fit him for ear plugs. They are great, especially during swimming lessons.

Hi there! My middle daughter, who is 8 now also had tubes and we found a neat band that velcroed around her forehead and ears (we were able to pull her hair out of it to wash it)...we also used this for her to swim. Our ENT told us about it and we bought it in his office. Will she put her fingers in her ears to plug them when you wash and rinse her hair? I hope that maybe I helped!

My daughter had tubes put in about 10 months ago. The ENT said we didn't really have to worry about it. In fact, said she could swim!

My son had tubes put in his ears twice and his audiologist reccommended that we get custom earmolds made for swimming and showering. He got to pick out the colors and they fit his ears perfectly. Also, they were comfortable for him.
Good luck,
S.

we had special custom made ear plugs by our ENT. They were only like 20dollars. They fit so much better .

I invite you to consider looking into what is causing the underlying issue. www.mercola.com is a great free website and newsletter. Dairy and wheat are usually the main culprits. IMHO, as a Mom and a health practitioner it is much better to stop feeding the body foods that inflame it then it is to have tubes put in which many times lead to infection, etc.
C. Bliss, CBT

Hello -
My son is 3 with his 2nd set of tubes in his ears as well. Getting water in your daughters ears should not be a concern with tubes. My son takes baths and has swim class every week and we don't have to do any thing special to avoid water in his ear (per his doctor that performed the operations).

Good Luck!

My daughter had severe ear issues when she was younger including major surgery followed by a set of tubes. Our ENT recommended ear plugs - the waxy kind, not the foam kind - for any time that she would be in/near water. She wasn't crazy about it the first couple of times, but once she understood that it was a rule that wasn't going to change, she gave in and would even remind us if we forgot to put in her ear plugs!

Good luck!

Custom made ear plugs work excellent. My son who is now 8, also had 2 sets of tubes and we could not of survived without these ear plugs. The bath tub, the beach, the pool. He wore the same pair for about 4 years. They were about $125, but well worth the investment.

Hello - I have three boys, all of whom have had tubes. Our ENT said that it was ok to wash hair and bathe without earplugs, etc, since the amount of water actually getting in the ear was small. Of course, they couldn't go under water, etc, but anything that happened in the course of normal bathing was OK. None of them had any problems, including with showering. For swimming etc, we used generic wax earplugs that you can buy at any drug store. Ours were bright orange, and I think there are something like 12 in the package. These worked well for us. If you are really concerned though, you should be able to order custom plugs through you doctor that fit better and are a little more water tight. My friend loved hers! Anyway, good luck and I hope this helps!!!!

We've been happy using doc's proplugs during bathtime for our now 4 year old son, whos had tubes since age 2. If you're interested, you can get them on the internet - google doc's proplugs. They claim to be suitable for swimming too, but I use custom made earplugs for swimming.

Hi A.,
Maybe your daughter can hold wash clothes over her ears while you rinse her? And try to get her to look at the ceiling when you rinse so the water rolls backward and not on her ears.

Good luck.

L.

My son has had the same ear tubes since he was 13 months old and he is now 3 years old. He went swimming fully immersed under water at least 30 days this past summer and they never fell out or became displaced! I wasn't being careful because it was a non-issue at that point and he had stopped getting sick. However, I found it interesting that when I checked his ears with my otoscope in September when he cought a cold that they were both there! The doctor also commented on how perfect they looked a couple of weeks ago. Just my two cents- I am wondering if it even matters and I have read many articles on the issue of whether it is even necessary to be careful with the ear tubes.
Also, when he got that cold a couple of weeks ago one of his ears was indeed infected. I requested the antibiotic drops instead of the oral antibitic and 3 days later the infection was gone! You might want to look into that in case your daughters ears get infected- it is so easy- 4 drops twice a day and no stomach issues to deal with!
Good luck!
L.

we always used the same ear plugs that our son uses when swimming. just keep a box of them in the drawer in the bathroom. we liked the silicon "blobs" the best. find them at the drug store.

Hi A.,
I know that the ear tube thing is a pain in the butt. I had the when I was 4 years old. I was told at a young age not to get water in my ears because there was a danger that I would go deaf. The thing that helped me was any time I would wash my hair I had to put ear plugs in. I am now 29 and still have my hearing so it must have worked. I am sure they have many kinds now but back then they had ones with wax at the end so it would seal the ear cannal. I also used the regular ones that you can smoosh together, put in the openings and they regain shape to close up the hole. Make sure her ears are free of ear wax before putting them in because it might hurt a little when pulling them out, like a feeling of suction or pressure.
Good Luck!
M.

hi A.: my son's tubes just came out last year(after 2 1/2 years). he became quite the acrobat during bath time to keep his ears dry, and i, a little paranoid (smile). if you can find earplugs for kids, those work, and give the kids a little freedom to have fun in the tub. also,i sometimes put cotton puffs over the ear canal when washing his hair (you can use surgical tape to attach, and that absorbs much of the water too).

Our son also has tubes. His ENT had custom plugs made, so we use those and they work great. We've been using them for quite awhile and have had no problems. Good luck.

Years ago they said to use silly putty when kids swimming but my daughter got some stuck in her ear - I think she rubbed it and pushed it in. You could use that if you cannot use earplugs with tubes in place but only if you put it in and take it out after she showers.

Get some earplugs...they have them @ pool supply vendors. Or they make them for workers you can squish those so they fit tightly. Like memory foam!
That should make things easier.

my daughter is almost 2 & has tubes also ... the dr recommended cotton balls with a little vaseline & he also gave us a pair of plugs to keep the water out. i haven't actually tried either of these myself, we've just been doing what you're probably doing & "trying to avoid the ear area!" very challenging, but so far so good. hope this helps a little.

When my daughter had tubes, we bought special wax from the pharmacy to make ear plugs for the bath. It worked great.
You just roll the wax into a cone shape then put in ear and them it kinda molds to the right shape. It's not painful, it works great and it's very easy to do.
Good luck.

my daughter had custom ear molds made before her tubes were places and then we just put them in her ears before water play or baths. That seemed to work. Talk to the ENT and get a referral to an audiologist! Good luck!

A.,
You are really going to want to ask the doctor for some plugs. I have purchased special ear plugs for my daughter. She is older but these have been a big help. The plug actually fills the whole ear area opposed to having them go down into the ear canal - interferring with the tubes. GOOD luck. The plugs are silicone and shape to her ear area.

Hi A.,

My youngest son had tubes implanted when he was a year old. The DR directed us to buy some of the wax ear pugs that can be formed to any size. They are not very reliable for swimming, etc., but, they did help immensely when trying to bathe my son or wash his hair. Also, there are companies that can order customized earplugs for your child. From what I understand, the customize ear plugs are far better, as they can even be used for swimming. I was told that they are relatively inexpensive and that any local pharmacist can direct you on where to acquire them.
I hope this can be of some help. I remember the struggle. My son is now 16 years old, is the member of a rock band, and no longer has a need for tubes. He has done quite well. Best wishes to you and your child. =)

My 6 month old boy just got his first set of ear tubes in last Wed! I am not sure what your doctor advised you to do but he gave us little baby ear plugs and I purchased a cheap hair faucet that attaches to your shower head and it hasn't gone in his ears yet! The ear plugs are the magic touch I think! If your 3 year old doesn't want them in, they have them at drug stores in different cool colors so he may be more inclined to think it is fun! Hope that helps! I am new at this though! I should be asking you the questions :)

UCLA has a great Head and Neck department. Dr. Shapiro is good.