How to clean your baby’s ear

You should never insert a cotton swab or anything else into your baby’s ear canal. You can easily puncture the ear drum when you do that.

Earwax is nature’s way for protecting the ear canal. Mid to moderate  earwax buildup is common. Even though you can clean the external of the ear canal, it is recommended that you leave the wax alone. Inserting a tool or cotton swab into the ears can push the earwax further into the ear and lead to infection.

Instead of putting a cotton swab in the ear canal, you can simply use a soft washcloth with warm water  or a cotton swab moistened with oil or peroxide and use it to clean the earwax collected around the baby’s outer ear. Most of the time, any wax that is visible will fall out.

If you are worried about excess wax buildup in your baby’s ear, consult your pediatrician. He may use a tiny scoop to scrape them out or prescribe ear drops if he deems them necessary.