Cleaning Your Baby’s Ears
When you have water in your ears, or you feel that you need to clean them you will generally grab a q-tip and dig in. Many parents would think the same goes true for their baby. However the motto of many pediatricians now is, “If I can’t see in your baby’s ears, I will clean them out myself.”
86 the cotton swabs
Cotton swabs can be quite traumatic to the ear canal. More often than not the cotton swab forces old skin, wax and debris closer to the eardrum. The same goes true for other tools you could use to dig into your baby’s ear.
Your pediatrician will have a device that looks similar to a knitting needle that she uses in conjunction with her ear scope to gently pull out any wax buildup that your baby may have. This may be necessary to do during well-checks or if you take your baby in for a sick baby check up.
There are at home methods you can try as well after you get the okay from your pediatrician. A combination of half-and-half white vinegar and rubbing alcohol purges the old skin, excess wax and debris, and controls residual moisture.
You can apply the vinegar-alcohol solution while bathing your baby. Tilt your baby’s head to either side and apply two to three drops in each ear. After about two to three seconds, tilt your head in the opposite direction to empty the excess waste. Residual moisture will evaporate.
Be sure you okay this process with your baby’s pediatrician before you try it and make sure you only use a small amount of solution. If you have been told that your baby has a hole in his eardrum, don’t use the solution. Opt to let your pediatrician handle the wax.
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