How to Clean Baby's Ears: What frequently you should do

It is important to keep your baby’s ears clean. You can clean the outer ear and the skin around it while you bathe your baby. Earwax is not dangerous. It contains enzymes that help prevent bacteria and fungus from growing in the ear. It creates a barrier to protect the ear canal from water. It also traps dirt, dust, and other particles so they do not enter the ear canal and cause irritation or injury.

How to Clean Baby's Ears

When you look at how to clean infant ears, there are more don’ts than dos. Small ears are vulnerable and can easily suffer damage. Your baby's ears are naturally self-cleaning. Extra wax, usually an orangish or yellowish color, will eventually work its way out through the ear canal on its own.

Meanwhile, if you attempt to clean the canal with something like a cotton swab, you may do the opposite of what you want. You can force wax deeper into the canal and injure it or the eardrum, causing it to dry out and have more difficulty coming out on its own.

Some tips on how to clean baby ears are:

Don’t: Use earbuds or cotton swabs to clean your baby’s ears. If you insert anything into their ear canal, it will most likely push the wax further inside. Or even worse, puncture their eardrum. The mucosa that lines the ear canal is also extremely sensitive and can easily bleed, even from the friction of using a cotton swab.
Don’t: Use your fingers! Even your pinky finger is larger than a cotton swab and will likely cause damage.
Don’t: Use a baby ear cleaner unless recommended by your pediatrician

Normal earwax helps to keep your baby's ears healthy, so there is no need to clean it unless it is causing your baby problems. The best way how to remove baby earwax is with a washcloth. This method is not for cleaning the inner part of the ear. Instead, it will just remove some of the excess wax or dirt sitting on the outside.

How to clean baby ear wax at home:

Use a clean washcloth: Use one that is soft and baby friendly.
Wet it with some warm water: Make sure it is not too hot, without any soap.
Before proceeding: Wring out all the excess water. Make sure no water goes inside your baby’s ear.
Take the washcloth and wipe: Gently rub the surface around your baby’s ear. Wipe the corners and crevices, but do not try to insert the cloth into the ear itself.
When finished: Clean the washcloth before proceeding with the other ear. Dab the ear gently with a soft towel to make sure it is dry.

Some doctors may recommend using baby eardrops for how to remove baby earwax or to help soften it. Always use drops according to your pediatrician’s recommendation. Follow their instructions for how many drops and how often to give them to your baby.

Here are some tips you can follow while using eardrops:

Lie your baby on their side with the affected ear facing up.
Gently pull the lower lobe down and back to open the canal.
Place a few drops in the ear.
Keep the drops in your baby’s ear by keeping baby in a lying position for up to 10 minutes, then roll them over so the side with the drops is facing down.
Let the ear drops run out of your baby’s ear onto a tissue.

What causes earwax in babies

Earwax buildup in babies is rare. Usually, the ear canal makes the correct amount of earwax it needs. But in some cases, excess earwax buildup can interfere with hearing, or cause pain or discomfort. Your baby may tug on their ear to indicate discomfort. A small number of people do have too much wax build up in their ears. When your pediatrician checks your baby's ears, he or she will be able to tell if the wax build-up is problematic or not.

Some causes of earwax buildup include:

Using cotton swabs. These push the wax back in and pack it down instead of removing it.
Sticking fingers in the ear. If wax is pushed back by your infant’s fingers, it may build up.
Wearing ear plugs. Ear plugs can push wax back in the ear, causing buildup.

Do not try to remove earwax buildup at home. If you are concerned about earwax buildup, see a pediatrician to determine if your infant’s earwax needs to be removed. A buildup can become serious when wax traps water in the external ear canal or when baby's hearing becomes compromised. If your child is not responding to sounds appropriately or is experiencing pain, or if you see a lot of earwax coming out of the canal, seek medical advice about removing the earwax. A pediatrician may use a surgical baby ear cleaner called a curette to scrape and clean out the earwax. If the wax is too deep or too hard to remove, earwax-softening drops may be recommended.

Remember, not all baby earwax is harmful. Some of it is normal and good. But sometimes this may come in the way of your baby’s ears. Always check with your pediatrician if you have more questions about how to clean baby ears.

Please be aware that the information given in these articles is only intended as general advice and should in no way be taken as a substitute for professional medical advice. If you or your family or your child is suffering from symptoms or conditions which are severe or persistent or you need specific medical advice, please seek professional medical assistance. Philips AVENT cannot be held responsible for any damages that result from the use of the information provided on this website.