How Do I Clean Out My Kid's Earwax?

How Do I Clean Out My Kid's Earwax?

So it was just a normal day meeting up with a friend at the park with our littles. My son ran over to ask if I could help him open up a pack of fruit snacks, and I casually glanced into his ear and just about FAINTED.

When did his ears have time to accumulate this much wax? And why haven't I noticed it until this moment? SO. GROSS.

Also how on earth am I supposed to get it out of there!?

So in case you have ever been in an equally horrifying situation and need some answers on how to clean out your little's nasty earwax then stay tuned, because I've done all the research for us!

Basics

From all of the things that I was able to read on the subject, every doc is telling me that ear wax is safe, and that it keeps germs from getting in through their ears, and really doesn't cause any issues to your little unless it's affecting their hearing or your doc needs to get in there to take a look and the wax is blocking the view.

With all of that said, I can't seem to let go of the fact that my kid has like massive amounts of yucky wax in his ears and I cannot stop thinking about it. There has to be something I can do to clean it out without hurting them right? Right!

Things to Avoid

You shouldn't ever use Q-tips or cotton swabs to clean out your child's ear wax because it can actually push it farther into the ear canal and cause an actual problem (and not just a hee-bee-gee-bee-mama-hates-it sort of thing). Also don't get in there with your fingers and try and pick it out for the same reason.

There is also a lot of talk all over the internet about ear candles, and if you don't know what that is then don't worry about it, but if you DO know what it is don't use it on your little. Plus the idea of lighting something on fire and sticking it anywhere near my child's head is just a little frightening.

Generally, you can avoid it unless advised by your doc or unless your little complains of it itching or hurting, but I'm taking it upon myself to apply this to when a mama sees an unusually hight amount of wax that needs to go. GO.

How to Clean Safely

Doctors will recommend that you use a washcloth or wipe to clean around the outer ear to get rid of dirt or wax that isn't directly in the ear canal, and is easily removable.

But the safest way I've been able to find to clean your littles' ears, without causing issues or causing anyone too much grief (your little, your doc, yourself), is to flush out the ear with warm water. Pretty much all that needs to be done is a simple wash during their normal bath time with soap and water and rinsing them out the same way you do the rest of their body. No special attention. No extra cleaning. Just clean it like any other part of your babe.

If your littles' ears seem to have hard wax buildup, and they ARE complaining about their ears hurting/itching/aching, then you should call their doc and they may recommend using drops to soften the wax up to help remove it, but make sure and check with your child's pediatrician before making any serious moves.

So after all my searching, and one bath and an easy ear wash later, I can happily report that there is no more yucky wax keeping me up at night, and I've been able to return to having the normal things like Instagram and soap cutting videos keeping me up late.

Long story short: it's important not to do drastic things with your kids ears given the fact that you could be doing more harm than good, but you can usually get rid of all the nasty wax just by washing their ears during bath time. So breathe a sigh of mama relief and get some sleep mama.

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