How Do I Clean My Son's Ears?

I don't have any suggestions, but I don't like to see wax in ears. My son gets a wax buildup right around the edge of his ear canal. It drives me crazy.

Why do you feel you need to clean his ears? Other than gently wiping the folds of his outer ear with a warm washcloth or a swab, ears don't need to be cleaned. Doctors advise that mothers NEVER pour anything into their children's ears, or insert anything smaller than an elbow, unless specifically advised by the doctor to do otherwise.

To actually answer your question: yes, people still use peroxide to clean ears. I do. I do on both of my kids and me. My youngest son has a ton of wax in one ear (it can't be wiped away w/ a cloth and it doesn't come off in the shower). I just fill up the cap and pour until it is to the rim of the ear hole. The bubbles will build up to fill the rest of the outer ear. Let it soak a little while then empty the ear out. Tada, all clean!

this is what the dr. told me to use for my kids who have a lot of ear wax. i fill the cap and fill the ear until it reaches the rim of the ear. i let them lay for about 30-45 sec. and then turn over. then i get a bobby pin and go around the upper part of the inner ear (while holding a flashlight) and get the yuck out. i was told to do this about 2-3x a week.

EDIT-my son especially has a bad wax problem. the drs. gave me an oil to put drops in his ears that didn't work and then the drs took a baster and blasted warm water into his ear (tramatic for him) and that didn't work either. when i was first told to do the peroxide and did it he didn't like it at all (it hurts the eyes when pouring it in) but now that he's a yr older he laughs while doing it because he says it tickles.

only the doc should clean your kids ears i have fought to many ear issues to do it myself cause their hearing is at stake.

Our pediatrician recommended that we put a couple of drop of mineral oil in our children's ears and let it soak their for a couple of hours before bathtime to get the wax all nice and soften and loosened. Then, when it is time for their bath, they can dunk their ears under water and this will flush the wax out without any effort or discomfort. Has worked for us.

My son has a lot of earwax, too, which I thought was weird because his earwax is sticky and gross (unlike mine, which is dry and not that bad). His earwax will actually kind of "leak" out of his ears and looks terrible until I wash it off (just with a warm moist washcloth, nothing else). I asked the doctor about it, and she told me not to worry about it because he didn't have an ear infection or anything. So I would say that unless the doctor says otherwise, just washing it with a washcloth would be fine.

Not knowing how old your son is, generally you can just very carefully clean his ears with a soft cloth over the tip of your finger or a cotton swab (don't go very far into his ear) - it's easiest after a bath when the ear is moist. Peroxide was something my mom often did after swimming to prevent swimmer's ear, and then only 2 drops. I've never needed to use peroxide in my kids' ears (they're 9 yo), even after swimming. Peroxide on a regular basis I think could really dry out his ears & make them at a minimum itchy - the earwax (cerumen) is there for a reason. Just clean away what you see on the outermost part of his ear canal. You shouldn't really need peroxide at all.

Why do you think you have to clean the ears? Other than wiping and cleaning the outside.....hmmm?...thats weird....

Good Luck anyway....M:)

My son has earwax that builds up in the left ear - we use debrox - just follow the directions - if its really bad the dr will clean it out. Good luck to you

Please take it from me, don't attempt to clean anything other than what you can see and easily get. My husband has a history of atrocious ear infections. We are talking vomiting-inducing, face-swelling ear infections as an adult. We finally were thisclose to having surgery for him and the doctor asked him to stop using q-tips or cleaning solutions for a brief period to see if it improved, and he's never had another infection since. The doctor said they do not recommend cleaning ears. Period. Clean the outer ear and if there's any buildup in the opening that can be easily removed without pressure or anything and the rest will come out on its own. It's not worth the risk. When you put something in the ear it will push wax back in, more wax than it will remove and that won't come out easily and can get infected. When he's older you can maybe try the cleaning thing, but for now just clean the outside of his ears daily and call it good.

I'd get the outsides with Q-Tips and let nature take it's course...the ears are self-cleaning!
If there is an abundance of wax--let the doctor do it.

I clean the outside with a q-tip and leave the inner ear alone. I think putting a small child through peroxide in his ears would be scary and unecessary. If the wax is a big problem, take him to the doctor.

I had what felt like an ear infection a year ago, some one suggested perioxide and i tried it, i just tipped my head level and pour a little bit in and it tickled while it bubbled. I felt lots better and thought i had found this miricale cure. I started to feel like i had an ear infection a few months later, and tried it again and I think i did some damage, my ear doen't hurt but if feels uncomfortable and i can't hear out of it as well anymore. So i would recommend NOT using it.
yes i should go to a dr.