Seeing gunky brown earwax in your child's ear may make you cringe, but earwax is an important body product that protects your child's ears from dust, dirt and any other particle that may damage his ear drum. In most cases, the ears produce as much wax as they need so you probably won't have to take extra steps to remove it from your child's ear. However, if your child produces excessive amounts of earwax you might need to get some medical advice.
Signs of Buildup
You may not be able to immediately discern whether your child has earwax buildup, but you may be able to see the buildup and some yellow or brownish drainage just by looking in her ear, according to parenting resource BabyCenter. Your child may also have earwax buildup if she is tugging, digging or rubbing in her ears, if she says she has an earache or if she suddenly seems to have trouble hearing. However, many signs of earwax buildup also indicate an ear infection. A major difference between the two is that a child with an ear infection may also have a fever, sleeping troubles and drainage that is clear, bloody or milky looking.
Ear Cleaning
Wipe the outer portion of your child's ear with a wet washcloth if he complains of having an earache, but never use small objects such as hair pins, cotton swabs or even your finger to poke inside of his ear. By putting small objects in his ear you risk damaging his ear canal or eardrum and packing the wax farther into his ear, warns KidsHealth, a part of the Nemours Foundation.
Treatment
Although many over-the-counter products aid in earwax removal, KidsHealth recommends not using them before you talk to your pediatrician. Ask the doctor to examine your child's ear and she can tell you whether earwax buildup might be a problem. If necessary, she will soften and flush your child's ear with a warm liquid or use a small instrument known as a curette to scrape out the earwax.
Dangerous Symptoms
Call your pediatrician any time you believe your child has stubborn earwax buildup. According to MedlinePlus, you should especially prudent about calling the doctor if you believe your child has a blockage in addition to symptoms such as ear drainage, persistent hearing loss, fever, or persistent or severe ear pain.
Chronic Ear Blockages
The doctor may prescribe medication or recommend doing some simple rinsing procedures at home if your child has chronic earwax blockages. She might also recommend using over-the-counter oil and peroxide drops to help remove some wax. The directions usually involve using an eye dropper to carefully fill your child's ear with the drops and keeping your child's head tipped to the side for a few minutes to let the solution loosen the wax. Follow the instructions on the box carefully for best results.
