Cleaning Kids Ears...

[meow_173]

So, how do you clean your kids ears?

Its like pulling teeth with luke to even put something in his ear and all i have is a light wash clothto clean them.

 

[Lissa]

I clean Oliver's while he's in the bathtub. I use Q-tips.

 

[kristakmj]

i use q tips and all 3 of my kids lay thier head in my lap and let me do it they all enjoy it

 

[Good Wolf]

That is what my mom used to do.

I had a doctor recently tell me that using q-tip is bad. I pushed the wax into the ear which will eventually cause blockage.

Q-tips are not unlike the plungers used to load cannon. They can pack softer wax deeply in the ear canal against the eardrum. By creating a formidable plug and preventing the eardrum from moving normally, it is quite easy to cause some significant hearing loss. Water can also be trapped behind these self-created wax dams and entertain you by constant sloshing around. When this happens, the ear will need to be lavaged -- washed out by a gentle stream of warm water. Or, you will need to see your medical provider, someone that CAN look inside your ear and remove the impaction professionally.

All Ears: Q-Tips - Weapons of Ear Destruction?

 

[Kaytee]

yep, no q-tips here either. I just use a washcloth when she is in the bath

 

[Lissa]

That is what my mom used to do.

I had a doctor recently tell me that using q-tip is bad. I pushed the wax into the ear which will eventually cause blockage.

Well you shouldn't push the Q-tip into the ear. They're used to clean the outside.

 

[Good Wolf]

That was a typo. It was meant to say "I had a doctor recently tell me that using q-tip is bad. It can push the wax into the ear which will eventually cause blockage. "

I've never had a problem with them, and I do dig up in there and get the wax out. I think most people probably do.

Your right though, as long as you just use it on the outside you should be good. I just can't stand the feel of wet wax in my ears after a shower, and it feels so good to dig around in there. Yeah I know that didn't sound right.

 

[daddyofone]

my ent says that you should never use anything smaller than your elbow to clean your ear canal. If you have a problem go to an ent and they can suck it out! as for children and adult think of you ear as a self cleaning oven, the wax you see is from deep down and slowly being pushed out. its doing its job. and like stated above qtips are for outer ear, makeup and car part detailing.

 

[AnKsMommy]

I use q tips. I'm lucky, Alenya loves it! She'll sit there perfectly still while I do it. Husband begs me to do it for him too...it's like having another child lol.

 

[Ari2]

I wait until after a bath so the wax is (theoretically) softer and then use a Q-Tip Safety Swab. It can't go too far into the ear canal, so it can't hurt the eardrum or push anything in deep. I tried just using a washcloth, but it didn't get the wax and my twins' ears got nasty.

 

[button611]

I clean Bailey's while she is in the bathtub, that way she doesn't mind it too much, but unfortunatly for her she got my ears so we tend to have an excessive amount of wax build-up. She was just at the doctor on Monday and they spent (I'm not kidding) 20 min. holding her down and digging wax out of her ears, my pediatrician reccomended ear drops that soften the wax and makes ears less painful and easier to clean-haven't tried it yet, figured I would give her a few days break before we start the torture again.

 

[HappyMomma]

I've tried those drops and my ears are so bad they just seem to stop them up.

 

[button611]

thanks for the warning, i haven't used them yet-she is still a little cranky from her shots, maybe over the weekend we will give it a shot.