Learn about some of the many kids ear wax removal methods

Children’s ears may need to be cleaned if they experience a buildup of a substance called cerumen, commonly called earwax. It’s normal for your body to produce earwax, and it actually helps protect and lubricate your ears. If you didn’t have earwax, your ears would probably be itchy and dry. Earwax even has antibacterial properties, which means your ears are self-cleaning. Earwax is like a filter for your ears, keeping out harmful things like dirt and dust, and trapping them so they don’t go deep inside. If earwax does build up inside a child’s ear canal, especially if it clogs the canal, then you should remove at least some of the wax. Ear wax build up, and especially impaction, can cause impaired hearing, infection, poor balance, and other maladies. Ear wax removal for kids is an important element of raising a child that should not be ignored.

How to clean kids ear wax

Here is a list of kid ear wax removal home remedys to help anyone raising a child.

Ear wax drops for kids

Ear wax drops for kids are not always the same as for adults so make sure you read instructions. For instance Debrox is a popular ear drop, but it is not recommended for children under the age of 12. One recommendation is to use a 50:50 mixture of mineral oil and vinegar or a 50:50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and distilled water. Put a couple of drops in the ears once a day for about a week to help soften the earwax. Usually, once it is softened, it will fall out in the bath or shower.

Q grips

If you are seeking a safer alternative to cotton swabs, then Q Grips for ear wax might be the answer, but do Q Grips really work, or are they actually effective? In our experience, Q Grips can remove some ear wax, but they won’t remove it all and they don’t give you a good view of the inside of your ear canal so you can’t see how much ear wax is in there or where it is at.

Otoscopes

A modern approach to earwax removal is to use a digital otoscope with a wax removal attachment. ScopeAround makes a number of devices that are safe to use because you can see inside your ear the entire time you are using the device, they are even safe to remove ear wax in kids. Digital otoscopes have integrated LED lights to illuminate the ear canal and help the tip of the otoscope avoid your eardrum. The soft silicone-tipped spoon attaches to the end of the otoscope and that combined with the camera gives you the perfect tool to scrape out pieces of earwax. 

Kid ear wax removal home remedies to avoid

If you want to know how to clean kids ear wax, it’s also important to know what home remedies to avoid.

Cotton swabs

The first thing doctors usually tell you about ear wax removal for kids is to not use cotton swabs. Cotton ear swabs are good for cleaning your child’s OUTER ear - the part with all the folds including your ear lobes. Cotton swabs should not be used for cleaning inside the ear canal. Cotton swabs are a leading cause of ear injury due to eardrum trauma, especially in children. When you use a cotton swab you can’t see how close you are to your child’s eardrum so it’s very easy to bump into the eardrum - it’s also quite painful! Additionally, using cotton swabs to clean out earwax can be difficult, sometimes it just results in the earwax being pushed further down the ear canal.

Ear wax candles

Ear cleaning candles have not proven to be effective at removing ear wax and sometimes they have even resulted in burns to the person using them so we cannot endorse this ear cleaning method.

How to prevent kids ear wax blockages

Kids ear wax removal should actually be a natural part of their personal hygiene, and it isn’t difficult to do.  Earwax can build up in the ear and block the canal, but practicing general personal hygiene is typically sufficient to keep earwax at healthy levels, according to pediatricians. The wax will usually come out on its own during regular bathing, but an extra step parents can take is to wipe around the outside of the ear with a washcloth to remove any visible earwax.

Shop ScopeAround Otoscopes Today

Ear wax removal kids isn’t always a problem, but ear infections are more common in children than adults so it’s good to know how to manage these issues when you are raising a child.  Otoscope cameras are a handy and effective tool for looking in your child’s ear canals to see what is going on and if there is an ear wax clog. Otoscopes also are one of the safest ways to remove earwax from your child’s ear.

ScopeAround brought the first digital otoscope with camera for consumers to the market over five years ago so we have more experience and customer feedback to make the best digital otoscopes available. We make a complete range of digital otoscope products including free-standing models to USB-connected, Lightning cable-connected, and WiFi-connected devices with an otoscope camera app for your mobile device. Shop ScopeAround ear scope cameras now!

 

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