School run ear wax

OP if YOU are concerned then YOU should report to Children’s Services. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Don’t expect others to do it - do it yourself.

When I was a child in the 1970s, I had daily or almost daily baths and had clean, well-fitting clothes and shoes and tooth brushing was non-negotiable. However, I had frequent, very nasty ear infections that caused really unpleasant odours. My parents tried to keep my ear as clean as possible but it was impossible. How do you think it made me feel as a little girl, knowing that I had this problem that was visible to others? I had cotton wool in my ear to help keep it at bay. The only thing that worked was a mastoidectomy, which is a major operation, because the infection was at a dangerous level and literally eating away my middle ear. It might be that these children are suffering from frequent infections or it might be that they are not as clean as they should be. Either way, it is not their fault. If your own child mention it again, you could agree with them that, yes, it is rather unpleasant but they can’t help it and you trust them to be kind.

This is ridiculous. Kids do not need daily washing until they reach puberty. Maybe in the summer if they’ve been running around a lot and getting dirty. But a normal winter’s day when they’ve been in school uniform all day, why? My 5 yo has a bath or shower every 2 or 3 days. I wash her face every night though. She never smells, her hair’s never greasy and she never looks unclean. She gets clean tights & t shirt for school every day. Why does she need to have a daily shower? That seems excessive

My son has waxy ears. It runs out overnight and I have to wet wipe his earlobes every morning. There's nothing wrong with his hearing or anything, it's just the way he's built - GP says it'll improve with age as his ear tubes mature. His sister didn't have visible wax but had clogged tubes which necessitated a hearing aid, and it did improve when she was older. Its just one of those things.

I can see how it can be missed when you're rushing in the morning 🤷

Don’t do this. You don’t know how the parents would react and you’ll probably get a name for yourself as an annoying, interfering busy body. Obviously the parents know. What parent wouldn’t notice something on their own child that a stranger can see from a distance? It’s either a medical condition and they’re aware or they’re shit parents and they don’t care. If it’s the latter they’ll be other signs of neglect and the school will be dealing with it. I’d keep out of it if I was you. If another parent said that to me about my child I’d be seriously pissed off and probably defensive

When I was in my 20s/30s, I sweated, had underarm hair that needed regular shaving etc., so a daily shower was a must.

Now in my 60s, I don't seem to sweat anymore, I have more hair on my chin than my armpits and my skin integrity is changing as well. A shower every other day is perfectly fine, and it keeps my gas bill down.

Ugh I'm afraid that is just revolting. Kids have cuts and grazes all the time, if a bacteria gets in they could get really ill.

Theres no excuse for not washing your little one daily unless they're babies.

Washing doesn't mean covering them in chemicals, natural products work just as well. But not showering or bathing daily? No. That's setting them up to be that stinking teen, then adult, no one wants to be near.

Stop looking down on other people, and focus on your own life.

There's going to be a health cause as this isn't standard for ears and the school will be clearly able to observe.

You don't need to waste your energy judging.

My dd's best friend has this. Whenever she comes round to our house, I worry that it's going to fall out. It's really horrible!

Same and kids can see who the dirty kids are. I would be mentioning it to the school, especially as the kids are being bullied for it. It’s clearly gone past just parents in a rush and forgot to clean their child’s ears one day.

(I didn’t actually know this was even a thing as my kids ears are always clean - never seen any visible wax so they must be very unwaxy kids!)😁

My boy gets glue ear and produces a lot of wax, and hates having his ears cleaned. I do my best to ensure they are clear, both to be clean and to benefit his hearing. He also has an eye condition that can make them crusty, which we clean as often as medically appropriate. Both of these conditions are hard for him to deal with (painful and affecting hearing and sight). I would love it if other parents taught their children to be kind to others who might be a bit different to them.

Could be glue ear or allergies? Both affect my ears badly and I’ve got very waxy ears

sad if it is lack of care though

I would've been this child, I had horrendous ear infections and ear wax as a child. My mum would clean my ears before school, pick me up at lunchtime to clean them again and then they'd need cleaning again after school and before bed.
I hate to think that people thought my mum neglected me!

My youngest son has very waxy ears and needs his ears cleaned with a wipe every morning, so I clean them every morning before school. I mean I've forgotten very, very occasionally but that's just life. You're yanbu.

If ear wax is visible it's not on the inside. You're still supposed to clean your ears just not the ear canal.

You are horribly ableist. I don’t wash daily - I live in a cold country and I have an allergy which causes eczema every time I shower. Also showering day strips you skin of essential oils and it’s very bad for skin, especially kids. If the child has a cleft or another issue, they will produce more earwax. They could have sensory issues which prevents their cleaning. You incredibly judgemental and sadly seem to have not taught your kids any manners.

Grim
People stank in the past and infection was rife

@Mrmialoat
This is terrible, those poor children
Mine were bathed daily no I didnt scrub their skin off hair washed and combed through to check for nits, ears cleaned with a warm flannel

Mornings they had a hands, face and bum wash

Im afraid parents are very busy these days, both working and DC neglected
My SIL is a teacher and childrens hygiene is seen as optional

Back in the 80s kids had weekly baths, BUT.. you were exoected to "top & tail" at the sink each morning. Washing hair at the sink midweek was also common for teenagers.

I couldn't do without my daily shower now. The kids shower every other day, unless they've had sports. When i think about all the times i used to wash my hair in the sink, it makes my neck ache!

I’m an adult.

i have ear issues.

the medical advice (very strongly!!) is not to clean your ears especially with ear buds.

syringing can also be very problematic unless kept clean to medical standards.

i do clean the outside of my ears but cleaning the inside leads to more ear infections which I am prone to and are very unpleasant.

One of my DDs has very waxy ears, and I bought a Tvidler, which is a flexible silicone tipped spiral that scoops the wax out without damaging the ear. I bought a set years ago (it came with loads of replaceable tips), but the Tvidler site is now blocked by my antivirus software, although it still seems to be up. I've found a similar product on Amazon, if anyone's interested.

https://amzn.eu/d/0bkVMuEe

Or if you don't fancy clicking the link. google "Tvidler" and copycat products will come up (I wouldn't try the official site since my antivirus deems it dangerous!)

I'm obsessive about cleaning my ears everday due to having an ear problem as a kid. I had glue ear and persistent infections, my ears could get mucky each day but my mum and i cleaned them regularly. I've grown out of it, and one of my 3 sons had it for a short while, but i was on it like a hawk.

Even if these kids had an ear issue (which is fairly common, so likely the cause), they obviously need a bit more attention paid to hygene in that area. It should never be as bad as OP describes. I don't think on it's own amounts to neglect, but definately needs to be addressed.

When I was a teenager at high school there was a boy in my class who always had earwax flowing out of his ears but at times it was green!
He was such a lovely and gentle young man but I don’t think he had an easy life at home.
Maybe he didn’t notice it but there was so much of it.

Absolutely!! What does "daily, at least" mean? That ideal is more than once a day?? Bad for their skin, bad for their hair, and probably covering them in toxic junk. But still free to judge other people's parenting as neglectful. Sounds like she lives on privet drive.

No its not if it has a genetic cause.
Also some treatments for psoriasis makes ear wax appear worse.