How do you clean a newborn's ears?

Question

I have a 4 week old boy and I wonder if I should use a Q-Tip or if there is any other way it should be done.

Only serious answers, please.

Thanks in advance....

Answer 1

Johnson & Johnston makes safety Q-Tips...they're larger than normal, but only a small portion of the q-tip goes into the baby's ear so that you don't puncture his ear drum. I never used these. While my babies were newborns (and up to about 3 or 4 months) I just used baby wipes (or a wet wash cloth) and washed around the outside of the opening to their ear canal. Once they got a little older, I started using q-tips on them (yes people, INSIDE their ears) and nothing bad ever happened. I don't jab inside and dig way way down...just take the q-tip around the very very edge of the inside of the ear canal and clean out the wax that's accumulated there. Both of them (still today, at 27 and 11 months old) love having their ears cleaned. They see me with the q-tip and they both sit straight up and very, very still. You know how good it feels when you have an itchy ear and you clean it out...what makes you think it wouldn't feel good to them? :) Both of them get this look on their face like, "ohhh, ohhh...this is Heaven!" It's so funny. :) Every time I take them in for well-baby visits, the doctor checks their ears and says that they're perfect (as far as cleanliness). Your ears need some wax to prevent impurities from getting in, but you don't need it to become impacted. My boys' ears are always in great shape.

Answer 2

Don't use cotton swabs!!! They'll only push wax farther into the ear canal. This causes wax build up and temporary hearing loss, and he'll eventially end up at an ear specialist for a spring cleaning. Those instruments really hurt. There's a lot of picking and poking going on. Try to imagine that.

Those little cotton ends on swabs have been known to fall off and get lodged into the canal. How would you get that out? Ear specialist!!

Ears are self cleaning. Let them do their job.

My family dr told me years ago that the only thing you're supposed to stick in your ear is your elbow.

Answer 3

You can use a wet Q-tip of course (that's why they are made) but only on the outside of the canal. Never insert anything into the ear other than the very outside that you can see. Ears are designed to be self-cleaning in that regard. If you see lots of discharge that's a sign of an ear infection (also lots of crying and pulling on an ear). So keep up with your pediatric visits.

Answer 4

there really is no need to do that kind of cleaning. A wet cloth should do the trick but you don't have to worry about the ear canal or the wax this early. You really could do more damage then good so be careful. Wax may look yucky and you can of course clean what you can see on the outside with a cotton ball or wet cloth.

Answer 5

DO NOT use q-tips, even if you are just going to clean the outer rim of the ear canal, if your baby moves you could accidentally jam it in their ear and cause them pain and damage the ear drum. When the baby is in the bath tub, use a wet wash cloth and quickly rub the ear to get any wax that you can see but don't "dig" in there ear. You can even use your finger nail to scrape what's on the outside.

Answer 6

Do not use a Q-Tip! You are likely to push germs down into the ear canal causing damage or infection. Just take a warm cloth when you give him a bath and gently wipe his ear clean. The inside of his ear will take care of itself.

Answer 7

There are special Q-Tips for babies

They only allow you to go so far into the ear without damaging the ear drum.
They're cone shapped.

Still, doctors DO NOT recommend putting anything in babies or kids ears just for the fact that you could go to far and damage their ear drums.

Answer 8

DONT we tell our pts never stick anything bigger than an elbow in your childs ear, you can wipe the out side of the ear all you want, q tips can push the wax farther down in the ear(even the cute ones designed not to go too far in) and cause problems later on. You are probabally seeing fluid from birth dried up on/in the ear.

Answer 9

Get a q-tip and pull most (but not all) of the cotton off and clean around the outside of the ear. Once you done that get a warm rag to clean the rest.

Answer 10

oh hun no way dont clean babys ears if they need to be clean the docters office will do it my docter says unless they can sit with out moving not to wrry about it they can do it when baby goes in for there well child appoinments
babys tend to move and you can bust the ear drum