Has anyone use ear buddies? A long shot, but I'm hopeful!

[Pinkflipflop]

I'm just wondering if anyone has used ear buddies for ear shape correction?

We currently have the splints in place and I think I'm going to need some support with perseverance for the next 8 weeks.

Would love to hear from others who have used them.

[sharond101]

We tried but gave in after 6 weeks of DS screaming everytime we went near his ears to change the tape it was stuck on with. It would have taken months to make a difference and his ears aren't that bad. He was 4mo when we tried.

[Sioda]

Yes we did it, from 4 months to 7 months. It worked really well on DD, hers are perfect now. Maybe they would have sorted themselves anyway, we'll never know, but people commented on them to me so I felt we had to try. They are a complete faff to get on but you get faster at it and get a routine going. We used industrial amounts of distraction, dummy etc with DD. In fact the first couple of times I think we did it when she was asleep which was nervewracking! 8 weeks is doable - you must have got it early. Also, with babies younger than about 4 months it's easier as they aren't quite as effective at thrashing around to protest and trying to pull them off. It's worth persevering if you can. Good luck! Oh and get lots of the proper Zoff adhesive remover wipes to take them off with - you really don't want to hurt them taking them off or they might get antsy when you go near their ears next time.

[Pinkflipflop]

Thanks for your replies!
Did you actually take the splints off at any stage? As in to clean his ears and replace the tape?

[Sioda]

Yes, every 2/3 weeks I think we did it. I think it was when the tapes had started to get really loose or might have gotten wet in the bath, or when her hair really needed a wash! We had a swim cap for the bath for her but water got through a few times. If the tapes get wet they can get red irritated skin so you need to change them to prevent that.

[Pinkflipflop]

I'm so sorry to keep bothering you but is it difficult to refit the splints after you take then out to change the tapes?

We had the splints fitted by a doctor but I think one end of the splint is poking out and I would like to secure it in place again.

Do you think it is easy enough for patents to do themselves? Oh I hope these work as I hate how dirty they are looking after only 3 days

[Sioda]

No problem! Yes to be honest it is difficult. It's fiddly and faffy and the baby wriggles and bats you away - it's great fun! But it is doable. It's a two person job. Whoever is more deft with their fingers does the splinting, the other has the distraction job. Keys were great for us. Parents can definitely do it themselves, most people do. It gets easier each time you do it and you get faster. Just read the instructions really carefully and think through the order of what you need to do beforehand and have everything laid out. Including scissors for cutting the tapes to the right size if you need to. They have instructions on the website too. If just one end is poking out you might be able to just fix that with an additional short strip rather than taking it all off. I used as many short strips as I needed to and covered it completely with the wide strips as dd investigated pulling them off every so often! Remember not to pull the tapes taut as you put them on - just roll them over from the back of the ear to the front and over the splint. You don't want their skin to be pulled.

Yes it is horrible to see the dirty tapes on your adorable baby and they get dirty so quickly that you can't just change them every time:( But you can cover them with cute hats out and about and for photos - dd had quite a collection. And to me it was worth it. It's a short time in their life if you think about it and since we did it everyone who'd commented on her ears has said they're totally perfect now. I know they don't work as well for everyone but it's worth the short term hassle because it's not something you can do later on. You're doing what you can to save him possible future bullying and a painful operation.

[friedtofu]

Help! I've lost one splint :( :( :( Anyone has got a pair/ an odd one that they no longer use??? It looks we need a couple more weeks to get the ears sorted...

[Sioda]

Think I do! PM me with your address and I'll post them to you. Will dig them out tomorrow and if can't find them will let you know.

[whereabouts33]

Hi mums!!!
I need some desperate help.. I started using ear buddies on my 5 month old daughter but had to take them out for a week since she got irritated skin. Yesterday I decided to put them back on when I realised I've lost one splint. Has anyone got a spare that no longer use? I can buy it off you.. Please do let me know. I'd be ever so grateful!