Does your baby have ear wax? Why do babies get wax in ears? Is ear wax safe for your baby? When does ear wax mean infection? Do you have all these questions in mind? You have arrived at the right place which takes you through the answers to your questions.
Earwax is a waxy substance secreted from the sebaceous glands in the ear. It can be soft, hard, or flaky. In most cases, Ear wax brings a lot of benefits to the ear.
This article discusses ear wax build up in babies. It presents the causes of Ear wax. The article provides ways to clean ear wax in babies.
What is Ear Wax in Babies?
It is important to keep your baby’s ears clean. While you bathe your baby, you need to clean the outer part of the ear and skin around it using a washcloth or cotton ball and some warm water.
If you notice earwax inside your child’s ear does not try to remove it with cotton swabs, which is not safe. Ear wax is natural and has anti-bacterial properties. It protects your baby’s ears by trapping dirt and repelling water. Ear wax forms the barrier against the passage of the water in the outer canal. Usually, it forms, dries out, moves slowly to the outer ear, where it falls out.
Coming to the question of Is ear wax normal in babies? The answer is Yes. But the degree of complexity varies from child to child. If your baby’s ear canal is filled with wax, they are most likely to experience the following issues.
- Poor hearing loss
- Earache
- Itching
- Noises in his ear
As your baby can not express pain or the feel of blocked ears, it’s you to notice and soothe the baby by pulling the ears or gently shaking head.
Symptoms of Ear Wax Build Up:
Some times build-up of the wax may block the ear canal.
In most cases ear wax build up is harmless and can be managed easily.
Here are the few discomforts that arise during wax build-up:
- Earache
- Dizziness
- Mild Deafness
- Ringing in the ear
What Causes Ear Wax Build Up in Babies?
Ears generate wax all the and are passed out of the ear by a small hair like structure called, cilia and by the outward growth of the skin inside the ear.
Some of the causes of the ear wax in babies include:
1. Cotton Swabs:
Cleaning the ear with cotton swabs may push the wax deeper into the ear canal. Cotton swabs are safe for external use only.
Pediatricians and Ear, nose and throat specialists have been saying for a very long time that ear wax is safe in normal amounts and we do not need to clean it with cotton swabs. Earwax is self-cleaning, it moves towards the outside of the ear in a slow and steady manner by the motion caused by chewing and the movement of the mouth.
Here are some of the side effects that cotton swabs cause to the ear:
Cotton swabs may puncture the eardrum and may eventually result in hearing loss(R)
Cotton swabs may sometimes damage the very sensitive structures behind the ear canal and lead to complete deafness.
2. Fingers:
Some children produce more max than others. It will usually come out if it is not pushed back by the baby fingers.
3. Ear Plugs:
Earplugs protect your ear from loud noises. Most of the people use earplugs frequently while sleeping to make their sleep noise free. Earplugs may push the wax back into the ear and lead to earwax problems in babies.
It’s not safe to use earplugs for babies all the time. Earplugs may protect your child from the earache during flight take off and landing.
Benefits of Ear Wax:
Ear wax is not dangerous. It is useful if present in small amounts.
Here are the few useful functionalities if ear wax is not blocking the ear canal.
- Ear wax protects the eardrum and ear canal from the germs causing infections to keep it dry.
- The smell of the ear wax keeps bugs away. Its stickiness Traps dirt, dust and other particles entering the ear canal to cause irritation.
- It is believed to be useful from preventing insects from creeping into the head.
- It is also antimicrobial. Earwax has substances in it that can stop infections entering the body. This way ear wax is regarded as the body’s natural antibiotic.
Without earwax, your outer ear may become itchy and flaky.
Ways To Clean Ear Wax in Babies:
Here are the few ways for cleaning ear wax in babies:
1. Cotton Balls/Washcloth:
- Wet the cotton balls or washcloth with warm water.
- Gently rub behind the baby’s ear and outside of each ear.
Never stick cotton ball or washcloth inside your baby’s ear which may cause damage to the ear.
2. Ear Drops:
You can use the ear drops prescribed by your doctor to soften the wax and let it out of the ear.
How To Use:
- Lie your baby with the affected ear facing up
- Gently pull the lobe down and back to open the canal
- Place the drops in the ear as recommended by your pediatrician
- Allow the baby for at least 10 minutes in lying posit
3. Olive Oil/Mineral Oil:
If you think your child has built up hardened ear wax, olive oil and mineral oil works well.
How To Use:
- Warm up the olive oil/mineral oil to the skin temperature.
- Use the dropper to apply the oil to the affected area.
- Allow your child to lie down with the affected ear facing up. Put 2-3 drops in the affected ear and allow it for some time.
- When your child sits, the wax finds its way out of the ear.
4. Alternative Medicine:
Note: Some people use ear candling, which is not recommended and dangerous to use.
Ear Candling:
In-ear candling, lit candle is placed in the ear facing the lighting side of the candle top and bottom of the candle towards the ear.
The theme of the ear candling is to draw the earwax and other dust particles out of the ear.
When To See a Doctor?
You should take your baby to the Ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist if
- You feel that the wax can not be softened with drops.
- You notice pus or blood coming from the ear.
- Your baby has ear pain or any change in hearing
- You notice baby ear clogged with wax
Before booking an appointment with ENT specialist. List down the questions that the doctor may ask:
- How long has your child been experiencing symptoms such as earache, difficulty in hearing?
- Has your child had any drainage from the ear?
- Did your child have continuous or occasional symptoms?
If your pediatrician notices any signs of infection, then he will prescribe antibiotics.
Treatment for Ear Wax:
A pediatrician may use a medical instrument called auriscope or otoscope to examine the baby’s ear.
Earwax usually moves out of the ear on its own. Treatment is necessary only if is blocking the ear canal or causing severe pain. In these cases, the doctor removes the ear wax.
There are several methods for removing ear wax. Here are the few:
Ear Drops:
- The doctor will prescribe ear drops to soften the wax.
- The wax will gradually soften within few days and comes out of the ear on its own.
Scooping:
- In this process doctors usually suction the wax out of the ear with a special instrument.
What Ear Wax Color in Babies Reveals About?
Earwax is a naturally occurring substance in the outer ear. Good ear wax is the combination of oil and sweat mixed with dead skin cells. This unappealing substance is good for the ear’s good health. Normal ear wax is sticky and smelly.
The color of earwax may reveal many things about your baby:
- Light brown, orange or yellow earwax is healthy and normal. Children tend to have softer, light-colored earwax.
- Dark brown or black colored earwax reveals that it is old. Its color came from the bacteria and dirt it has trapped.
- Dark brown earwax with little red color may be the signal of injury.
- White, flaky earwax indicates that your baby is lacking a body odor producing chemical.
Ear wax is not harmful and has many benefits if present in a small amount. Earwax blockage may cause ear infection and severe earache, which your baby can not express. You can recognize it by observing the baby’s movements like-tugging at the ear, shaking head. Consult the doctor to relieve the baby from earache. I hope this article has given you sufficient information on earwax build-up and ways to clean normal earwax in babies.
