How To Clean Ear Wax Out Of Infant's Ears

What causes earwax to build up in my baby's ear?

Earwax is a natural substance that helps to keep your child's ears clean and healthy. It traps dirt, repels water, and even has antibacterial properties to help protect your little one's ear canal (NICE 2016).

Usually wax builds up, then dries out and moves to your baby's outer ear, where it falls out. However, sometimes earwax collects faster than his body can get rid of it which is when you'll notice it building up in your baby's ear.

This doesn't mean that your little one's ears are dirty, or you're not cleaning them properly. A build-up of wax can happen to anyone, although some people naturally produce more earwax than others (NHS 2017).

If there's a large amount of wax, you may be able to see it just by looking into your baby's ears. There may also be some yellow, waxy discharge coming out of his ear (NICE 2016).

When is earwax a problem?

If your baby's ear canal is very plugged with wax, he may experience problems such as:

poor hearing
ear ache
itching
noises in his ear (tinnitus)
(NICE 2016b)

Your baby can't yet tell you if he's in pain, his ears feel blocked, or he's hearing ringing sounds. Instead, you might notice him pulling on his ear or shaking his head, and he may be generally irritable.

Your baby may be more likely to have issues with earwax if:

he often gets swimmer's ear
you use cotton buds to clean his ears
he uses a hearing aid or ear plugs
(NICE 2016)

Earwax problems are also more common in children who have learning disabilities or Down's syndrome (NICE 2016).

If your baby seems to be in pain, can't hear anything at all, or has other symptoms of an ear infection, such as fever, take him to your GP (NHS 2017).

How do I clean my baby's ears?

Normal earwax helps to keep your baby's ears healthy, so there's no need to clean it unless it's causing your baby problems. Cleaning your baby's outer ears gently, with a damp wash cloth, should be enough to keep his ears clean and healthy.

If you notice a build up of earwax, and your baby doesn't have any other symptoms, speak to your pharmacist about ear drops. These can help to soften the wax so it falls out more easily (NICE 2016).

Your pharmacist may recommend putting two to three drops of olive oil or almond oil in your baby's ears, three to four times a day. Try this for at least a few days, to see if this helps the wax to dislodge. If not, your pharmacist may recommend moving on to chemical drops (NICE 2016).

Don't poke anything in your baby's ear to try to remove the wax, as this could push it further into his ear (NHS 2017). As well as being uncomfortable for him, inserting things like cotton buds can damage your baby's ear and lead to infection (NICE 2016). Never use ear candles; they don't work, and are dangerous for your baby (NICE 2016).

Ear drops are usually very effective at clearing away excess earwax. However, if your baby's earwax doesn't go away after a few days of treatment with chemical ear drops, take him to your GP surgery. Your GP or nurse may suggest carrying on with the ear drops for a bit longer, or she may recommend trying a different type of ear drops.

If the wax is very solid and ear drops don't help, your doctor may suggest a referral to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist, who will advise you on the best treatment for your baby (NICE 2016).

You might also like:

Find out how to tell if your baby can hear properly.
Learn the signs of an ear infection to look out for.
Discover the easiest way to give your baby ear drops.

References

NHS. 2017. Earwax build-up. NHS Choices, Health A-Z. www.nhs.uk [Accessed April 2018]

NICE. 2016. Earwax. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Clinical Knowledge Summaries. cks.nice.org.uk [Accessed April 2018]

Polly Logan-Banks

Polly Logan-Banks is an experienced editor with a keen interest in producing evidence-based content. Polly is passionate about ensuring that every child gets the best start in life.