Ear cleaning...

[Brangelina]

Maybe it's a stupid question, but am I supposed to be cleaning my 18mo DD's ears? Everyone from midwives to paediatricians have warned me of the perils of cotton buds so I've never gone near her with one and not really knowing what else to use I've just left her ears as they are, based on the theory that they're pretty much self cleaning (are they?).

However, yesterday a pea sized lump of hard wax fell out of one ear and I do wonder if I should be doing more. All I've ever done up to now is check her ears and whipped the odd blob of soft wax with the long ingernail on my little finger (have alas cut them all short so am now without "tools"). She has never suffered from ear infections or had any bother and her hearing seems to be OK (apart from that selective deafness that seems to afflict all children ).

What does everyone else do?

I never clean my dcs ears specifically - they just get rinsed clean in the bath. Sometimes ears do produce lumps of wax - it's natural and nothing to worry about.

And yes, they are self-cleaning - like every other part of the body.

I have a wipe around the outer bit with muslin or flannel as I find they get slightly oily.I never poke a bud in,that's reserved for my ears only

well as for self-cleaning,I have seen some gross filthy ears on kids,makes me want to vomit.

Phew, I'm not the only one then. I was just concerned as they are a bit gloppy at times (hence the fingernail whipping out) and I did wonder about them getting itchy, as mine sometimes do - and that's when I satisfyingly poke about in my ears with the forbidden cotton bud .

The internal bits are self-cleaning ggirl, the stuff comes to the surface and then gets swooshed away in the bath. Or flannelled. But the passages look after themselves.

You should never put anything inside your ear which is smaller than your elbow. Apparently.

I occasionally get a cotton bud to my dcs ears though, especially dd who seems to get very waxy when she's got a cold (for some odd reason). But a drop or 2 of lukewarm olive oil works just as well.