Cleaning Out Ear Wax from 11 Month Old's Ears

My son is 10 months and at his dr. visit last month she said he had so much ear wax she couldn't even see his ear drum. She then told me not to put ANYTHING in his ear because babies ear drums are not that far down the canal due to the fact the ear canal is so short (when their younger). She gave me a prescription for colace....weird I know because it's stool softner but it's broken up the wax and softened it which has made it easier to come out on it's own.

When my daughter, now 13 months old, had her first ear infection at 6 months, the dr told us to use the round end of a bobby pin to get the was out. We still do this a few times a week, when we can see the wax starting to drip on the outside of ear or when she pulls it, and we haven't had and ear infection in almost 4 months. Hope this helps!

Don't mess with it yourself. If you want to use a warm washcloth to wipe his ears as much as you can externally, you can, but you really shouldn't insert ANYTHING into your baby's ears.
My father, the audiologist, always said "don't put anything in your ear that is smaller than your elbow"
Weird, I know, but it is dangerous to mess with the inner ear, and ear wax is there to protect, not to be gross.

just put a drop of olive oil in his ears. it's totally safe, and it dissolves the wax and helps the ear drain naturally. (also works great for ear infections by the way)

I always use the safety q-tips after a bath, it seems to loosen up the ear wax when they have had a bath. By the way it is a good sign to have a lot of ear wax when you don't that is when the ears can be blocked and start all kinds of problems.

i would talk to my Ped about it.. when my DD was round that age they had a little hoop type thing they used to get it out of her ears
good luck

my pediatrician recommended using a few drops of mineral oil to dissolve the wax and then allow it to come out on its own. hope this helps!

K.

our ped actually told us NEVER to put anything in babies ears. including q-tips, fingers, or any drops. the wax is protecting their lil ear drums. if you think there is a build up then i'd talk to your dr. but when they are this young, the wax can line the ear even on the outside. my son is 12 months old and u've just used a warm washcloth at bath time and gently went along the outside of the ears. i worked for a peds office and we saw a lot of accidents when mom or dad is cleaning babies ears and the q-tip punctured the ear drum and made it bleed bad, or they'd try some drops and the baby would have an allergic reaction. i'd be super careful no matter what.

I would ask the doctor. We were told "never to stick anything smaller than your elbow into your ear." Q-tips could actually force the wax deeper into the ear and cause problems. I think the wax will work its own way out.

In your situation the best thing to do is take a baby cloth and wet it but do not drinch it. Then gently rub the cloth on the outter layer of your child's ear. Do not stick the cloth in the ear canal. This is the best way to clean your child's ears. If you are using q tips they may only push the wax further down into your child's ear canal which in return will cause ear infections and trouble hearing. I had alot of ear infections when I was little. The doctor is the one who told me about using a damp cloth and gently geting the wax out that way. :)

Hi there! Both of my children (now 14 and 10) have had this issue. Both of them have outgrown the problem. I remember that everytime I would 'clean' their ears it looked like 'oil' What are you using to determine the problem? I always used Qtips, but of course you know that's only pushing the earwax in more. I suggest talking to your pediatrician about this. When my 14 yr old was 2 we ended up having to have her ears irrigated by the dr. She hated every moment of it! And then it still wasn't cleared. . . There are otc methods of irrigating, but with a child that young, well I suggest talking to the dr. N

There is an ear wash product but I am not sure it's for children. Do they clean his ears at the doctors? My hubby has very very excessive wax anddd has to have them cleaned professionally . The take a long instrument that they wrap with cotton. It makes like a Qtip. I would be afraid to clean them myself. I had a child under my care once who had so much wax it ruppured his ear drum and we didn't even know it until I was cleaning the canal opening and it started to pour. His mother wasn't to keen on hygene.

I never had this issue with mine, but my sister did. She took her kids to the Dr, and they flushed my nephews' ears. I went with her. It was very gross, but it worked. I hear there are some home remedies and over the counters, but I wouldn't try it on one that young.

I bought some Qtips from Babies R Us that are shaped differently, more like a hat. Their shape makes it so the Q-Tip can't go into too deep. I love them. I use them for my daugther's boogies too! They're $2 or something. Totally worth it to me.

There is no harm in using Q-tips, just as long as you don't dig around. Just clean out the visible ear wax once a week or more if needed. My son has a lot as well and he doesn't mind me using Q-tips.

A.,
I worked for an ENT physician for 3 years amd my professional advice is to take hime to an ENT and let him clean his ears as often as you deem necessary. It will be done professionally and avoid the possibility of damaging his eardrum etc. It's better to be safe with their little ears at an early age. It may be a little more costly but it will certainly help his hearing in the long run.

J. N (Indianapolis, IN)

You can buy an ear wash that dilutes ear wax from the pharmacy. Just ask the attendant at the prescription counter where to find it. Otherwise, you can call an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor to prescribe it. It's pretty cheap.

Otherwise, you can use q-tips, just make sure you are only going around the outside of the ear canal and not inside the ear canal.

Hi,
There is something you can buy over the counter called Debrox it is for excessive ear wax in adults I am not sure if you can use it on babies you might want to check with your doctor but it works wonders I use it about every three weeks to a month.
P.

Our pediatrician's office recomends using a 1/2 & 1/2 vinegar and water solution. Make sure it is room temperature before pouring some in your child's ear. Let it work its magic for a minute or two and then tip the child's head over and let it drain out. You may want to make sure your doctor is okay with it first. Some have other tricks up their sleeves :) goodluck!

Jesus, any doctor that recommends putting something in your child's ear should have their license taken away. I new a deaf girl who lost her hearing to q-tips. Right on the package it says they are for cosmetic use only. A bobby pin?!?! Lordie...I've always hear you should never put anything in your ear smaller than your elbow. It's kind of sarcastic, but you get the idea. You can use the baby safety-tips to clean around the ear and lobe, but never insert anything in the canal. There are different things you can use to flush out the ear, check out some place like Whole foods for safe or homeopathic options. I've read that olive or mineral oil are good options, just a drop or two loosens the wax so it slips out.
Good Luck:)

Some of my children have very excessive wax too. I just clean out what is welling up right at the opening of the ear. I use a wet wash cloth. Very, very rarely do I use q-tips. The body produces ear wax for a reason, and it isn't necessary to clean it all out, and may even be a disservice. I would just clean what can be obviously seen draining out, and use a drop of sweet oil in each ear if it worries you that it's building up and not draining on its own.