How to handle when baby's earwax is dry and clumps

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor II Le Thanh Cam - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital. He has 15 years of experience in the diagnosis & treatment of pediatric diseases, having worked at Da Nang Hospital and Da Nang Obstetrics and Gynecology Center. His strength is in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric pathologies, resuscitation, pediatric emergency.
Many people mistakenly believe that daily earwax removal is a measure of body hygiene. The reality is not so, normally parents do not need to clean the baby's ear canal. In most cases, the outer ear canal will be able to self-clean, and the wax will dry out and fall out. However, there are cases where the baby's earwax is dry and lumpy. So what is the effective solution to get dry earwax for babies?

1. How to remove dried earwax clumps

You absolutely should not use sharp objects such as nails or cotton swabs to remove dry earwax for your baby because this method makes the earwax go deeper inside, affecting the eardrum inside the ear.
To get dry earwax for your baby painlessly and safely, you should do the following:
Use a thin, soft, clean and slightly damp cotton towel to gently absorb around the earlobe for your child; Gently wipe the outer ear corners, then gently twist one corner of the towel, slowly bring it deep inside the ear and continue to twist. The earwax will follow the twist of the cotton towel and come out. Soft towels will not harm the baby's ear membranes and the earwax will still be cleaned. This will avoid touching the ear canal too much, stimulating earwax to produce more. In the case of dry, hard, clumped earwax for a long time, the way to get dry earwax for your baby is to buy a 0.9% physiological saline solution and then put it in your child's ear. 5 - 10 drops each time, 3 - 4 times a day. Salt water will make the earwax wet, softer, and disintegrating, making it easier for the mother to remove the earwax.
In case the earwax disintegrates a lot, parents should continue to drop the baby's ears for a few more days, until the earwax is completely disintegrated and completely pushed out of the ear canal. If the earwax just softens without disintegrating and remains in the ear canal, parents should take the child to see a doctor to remove or suck the earwax out.
When the baby's ear is scratched or especially when there is an otitis media, parents do not use earwax or other earwax tools to pick the baby's ears, it may cause pain and adversely affect the baby's ears. baby ears.

2. Some ways to get dry earwax clumps for babies

2.1 Dry earwax with olive oil Preparation:
A little olive oil; A small spoon or syringe without a needle (1ml disposable plastic syringe sold at the pharmacy); Once a day, proceed to put a few drops of olive oil in the ear to remove earwax, repeat within 2 weeks. Steps:
Step 1: Put the baby on his side, the ear to be cleaned is on the top. Let your baby watch TV or read stories to them; Step 2: Pour a few drops of olive oil into a teaspoon or use a plastic needleless syringe to suck a little bit of the oil; Step 3: Gently pull the baby's ear lobes; Step 4: Pour oil into the baby's ear canal; Step 5: Light the edge of the ear cup while still pulling the earlobe. Repeat this movement several times to allow the oil to move inwards and dissolve dry, lumpy earwax. After applying the oil, try to keep the baby in this position for about 5 minutes. 2.2 Dry earwax with hydrogen peroxide Preparation:
Mixture softening earwax: Mix warm water with 3% hydrogen peroxide solution bought at the pharmacy in the ratio 1:1; A syringe without a needle (5ml disposable plastic syringe sold at the pharmacy); Use the mixture to soften the earwax once a day, for 3-5 days. Steps:
Step 1: Put the baby on his side, the ear to be cleaned is on the top. Let your baby watch TV or read stories to them; Step 2: Use a needleless plastic syringe to suck up the prepared earwax softening mixture; Step 3: Put this mixture in the ear until the outer ear canal is flooded. Usually about 5-10 drops are needed. It should be used slowly, one drop at a time, so that each drop can go deep into the ear, softening the earwax. Keep your baby still for 5 minutes. If the child is uncoordinated, a shorter time may be accepted; Step 4: Tilt the baby's head in the opposite direction to let the drops flow out. Repeat this movement 1 time per day for 3-5 days. After the last day, you can proceed to wash your baby's ears. Sit your baby upright, tilt his head into the sink or basin, and gently inject a little warm water into his ear with a plastic syringe without a needle. Pay attention to make the water warm enough, too cold or too hot water can make your baby feel uncomfortable. At this point, you can see bits of earwax drifting out.

3. How to clean children's ears

Do not use cotton swabs or sharp objects to pick your ears because this can cause the baby's earwax to drift deeper, over time, it will form hard and dry earwax lumps; Do not clean the ears too often, usually you should only clean the ears 2-3 times / month for your baby; When experiencing any unusual signs, you should immediately go to the nearest medical facility for examination and appropriate treatment. The phenomenon of a lot of earwax will become worrisome if the baby's ear is blocked by dry or pus-filled earwax, causing ear pain, causing the baby to always pull the ear or cry, discharge with an unpleasant odor, and have poor hearing. more than usual. When this is the case, the mother should not arbitrarily clean the ears, remove dry earwax for the baby, but should take the baby to an Ear - Nose - Throat specialist to be examined and have timely and effective treatment methods.
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