How to Clean Baby Ears

Hi K.-

I was always told NOT to clean a baby's ears with anything smaller than an elbow...

And many kids later (adults...and 'almosts') I have to say this is GOOD advice!

Best Luck!
Michele/cat

From the very beginning our pediatrician advised to NOT clean his ears, other than after bath use a towel to get excess water...have you been using q-tips? If so, this may by why he has so much wax...and no offense, but does your sitter truly know what a "clean" ear is suppose to look like...just a thought. I would take him to the doctor...I don't think this is something you should take care of on your own, regardless of how hard it is to get in to the office...make it a priority. Good luck! :)

DO NOT DO THIS YOURSELF. You can puncture, his ear drum.

TAKE him to the Pediatrician.

BUT, ears, do not have to be cleaned.
It is self-cleaning.

My son's Pediatrician, will clean my son's ears, because he got a lot of wax in there. But it caused him no issues.
It was just, wax.

Again, since you don't have insurance, DO NOT DO ANYTHING TO HIS EARS.

You do not have to, clean a baby's/child's ears.
I have never cleaned my kids' inner ears... and they are 4 and 8 years old. My Pediatrician, says the same thing.

ONLY wipe, the OUTER ear. The outside, only.

I just want to throw my hat into the ring with the Do Nothing approach. I don't know why your "sitter" has a scope, or what her credentials are, but she really should not be using that thing on your son unless she is specifically trained to use it on babies and children. She could hurt something just by looking. If she is trained to use it, she should also know what is an appropriate course of action. However, it seems like she just needs to back off and leave your kid's ears alone. My kids tug on their ears when they're tired. If your son has no other symptoms, leave it alone. If he has more symptoms (like a fever that might make you think he has an ear infection) take him to the health department or some such place where they will not turn a child away. But I assume your sitter is not a PA, RN or some other such alphabet soup...? Then tell her to back off.

We use an OTC product called Debrox. It's drops that you put in the ear. It softens the wax so it will drain out of the ear. I don't know if it's recommended for infants or toddlers. We do not put anything in our kids' ears other than the drops (no q-tips, etc). We'll use a soft cloth to wipe the very outside of the ear, but don't go into the canal.

Try to get into the Medicaid office to check the ears. Any cleaning at this age should be done by a doctor or ENT. Our middle daughter had tiny canals and her ears would not drain wax properly. She had to have her ears cleaned by the ENT several times, but not until she was at least 3 yrs old.

Good luck and don't stick anything in their ears!

Our pediatrician recommended a product called Debrox. You put it into the ears and just wait for it to soften the wax. The nasty stuff will drain out on its own then and you just wipe it off. You should not put a bulb sucker in your baby's ear.

My kids have a bunch of wax in their ears and their pediatrician told me to allow the shampoo to go into their ears during baths and sit for a minute, then rinse it out with water. He said that should do enough to keep the wax down and if the ears needed irrigation, that is to be done by a doctor.

Oh my, please DO NOT suction your baby's ears!!

Your sitter is correct... you can put a couple drops of mineral oil or baby oil in his ears and that will help the wax to loosen and come out on its own. You can use a cotton swab or tissue to gently wipe the outer ear, but never go into the ear canal, you will just push the debris further into the ear and possibly cause damage to the inner ear. If there is a lot of buildup, you may want to take him into the doctor to get looked at and get some help with cleaning them out. Some ear wax is normal, but too much can lead to earaches and such, so you'll want to maintain as best you can. Ask the doctor or nurse to show you how to do it, not just tell you, so that you will know how and nothing can be lost in translation.

If you plan on cleaning your sons ears, I would suggest that you buy Johnsons safety swabs with the ear safe bulb. This will ensure that you don't go farther than you should. They are really a great product!

I've always used Q-Tips.

Personally, I find the concept that I am incapable of operating a Q-tip safely and effectively more than a little insulting. Every doctor we've ever has, save 1, has completely agreed with me.

Not everyone's ears are self cleaning. Some people's are. Some aren't. My own will completely clog with wax in 48 hours if I don't clean them. That just sort of runs in my family. About 3/4s of us just have very "waxy" ears.

Updated

Only 'flush' when the Doc says to, after his bath just go around the ear part that you can see with a Qtip, don't try & go into the ear things will work them own selves out. If his ear becomes red and/or he gets a fever, pulls his ear & cries then it doesn't matter whether or not he has insurance, he NEEDS to see the Doc. If you qualify for Medicaid for your baby then get that appointment no matter how much of a hassle it is! If you don't qualify then find some insurance that you can afford, your son's health is the most important thing and it's not going to get any better the older he gets...

OMG I would fire my sitter STAT if she ever put ANYTHING into my child's ear. Unless she is a licensed healthcare provider she has no business even sticking a scope in your son's ear.
I have never cleaned out my daughters ear-canal and my ped made it very clear that absolutely NOTHING should go into her ear. You just use a soft wipe on your fingertip to wipe everything you can see with your naked eye.
If you do feel that he needs a cleaning you have to take him to see a professional... maybe you have a minute clinic you can go to? They are typically in pharmacies and take care of things like that for less than $100.
Good luck.