The skin of our ear canal has many sebaceous glands that secrete oily, waxy secretion to keep the ear canal skin from drying out and to bind together flakes of skin and dirt that may enter the ear canal, preventing them from irritating the eardrum. Earwax can be dry, coming out in small pieces, or wet, being sticky and coming out in clumps. Both are normal. However, the skin of the ear canal is very delicate, so when cleaning earwax, it is important to be extremely careful and not to injure the ear canal or eardrum.
But what should we do if our baby has earwax? Below, the doctor provides the most professional advice.
1. If the earwax in the child's ear is visible to the naked eye and not very hard, you can use a damp cloth rolled up and slowly insert it into the baby's ear and rotate it to remove the earwax.
2. If the baby's earwax is harder, do not use a damp cloth. Instead, use a special cotton swab for children to clean the external earwax. Before cleaning, dip the cotton swab in a little baby oil and gently apply it to the ear canal to soften the earwax. Then gently rotate the cotton swab to remove the earwax.
3. Another method is to prepare a cotton ball soaked in a medicated solution and insert it into the baby's ear while the baby is sleeping. After about 2-3 hours, rotate the cotton ball and after a while, remove the cotton ball. This way, some of the earwax will be stuck to the cotton ball and removed. This method has minimal impact on the baby's ears.
4. When cleaning the baby's ears, be careful not to probe too deeply, as it can damage the baby's ear canal. Deep earwax actually has little effect. If you are not confident, do not clean the baby's ears casually.
5. When cleaning the baby's ears, it is best to do it while the baby is asleep. Otherwise, the baby may wake up and cry, making it difficult to clean. Parents should not force the cleaning if the baby resists, as it can be dangerous.
6. If none of these methods work and the baby has a lot of earwax and is crying heavily, it is best to see a pediatrician. The doctor will wear an ear microscope to conduct a detailed examination of the baby's ears, estimate the amount of earwax and the degree of blockage in the ear canal, and then develop a cleaning method based on the situation. Although the baby may feel uncomfortable, the impact on the baby's ears is minimal.
