Children, for whatever reason, love to put small items in their ears, noses and mouths. If you have a child who frequently puts things in his ear, constant visits to the emergency room and doctor's visits can be frustrating. Because your child could rupture his eardrum or otherwise damage his ear by putting things in his ear canal, figuring out ways to stop this behavior is imperative.
Eliminating Small Objects
One way to stop your child from putting things in his ear is to put away all objects small enough to fit into the ear. Don't allow your child to have any toys with small parts, such as LEGO building blocks or other similar building toys. Under supervision, you can let him use pencils, crayons and other objects that he might poke into his ears. If you see him try to put anything into his ears, nose or mouth, remove the objects immediately.
Reasoning
Small children don't have particularly good reasoning skills. If your child is under 3, reasoning as a technique to keep him from putting things in his ear may not get you anywhere. Stress that putting things in the ear hurts and could hurt his ear. An older child will understand what you're saying, although the temptation to see if that little, tiny battery from Grandma's hearing aid will fit into his ear may still be too much to resist.
Looking for Causes
If your child frequently puts things in his ear, something about his ear may be bothering him. See his doctor for a thorough examination of his ears to check for infection, fluid behind the eardrum, irritation or other abnormalities that might cause him to poke things into his ear. A child with chronic outer ear infections put things in their ear more often than other children, according to the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.
Rewards
If your child has reached the age of 3, the age of minimal reason, a rewards system may help keep his ear object-free. If he goes an entire day without putting anything in his ears, nose, or mouth doesn't belong there, give him a star. If he gets enough stars at the end of the week, reward him with something that he wants, as long as it's not small enough to put in his ear.
Substitutions
If you have a child that just can't seem to resist poking things into his ear, give him substitute sources of gratification. Find toys where one object fits inside another; just make sure that you buy toys big enough that they won't fit in his ear.
