Baby's ears!

[waiting4bambino]

I know it sounds superficial, but my baby's ears stick out! I still think she is beautiful, and in fact, i think it gives her character, but i'm afraid she'll get teased in later years.
As her ears are still bendy and soft, they often fold when she goes to sleep, if she has leaned that way etc - will this affect how much they stick out? When will they harden like ours?!
Also, do you think they just stick out because she has no hair, or will they always appear this way?
Has any other parents had children who have had the ear pinning operation? This is not something i would choose to have done, but if she chose it herself in later life, then i would allow her to have it if the risks were minimal...

How old is she? They might change. My daughter had pixie ears when she was born (really pointed at the top) so we thought she was a changeling. But they're really normal looking now (she's just coming up to fifteen months).

They probably look like they stick out because she has no hair.

She's 8.5 months now. Saying that, on my baby pics, i looked like mine stuck out, but i wouldnt say they do now.
I just don't want her being teased, you know how cruel kids can be...

I would definitely not worry about this. Babies are not in proportion and it's most likely they'll look better once she's a bit older.

I think they can do something without surgery if you start young. Saw it on one of the baby channels.

I got mine pinned back when I was 21 but wish I'd had it done at 6.

Yes, you do get teased if they stick out. It can really affect your feelings about yourself. If hers still stick out when her hair is grown, please get them pinned back. It doesn't even need a general anaesthetic and I think the NHS will do it for you.

Gosh - I can virtually hear my childhood self pleading with you to do it!

I think you still have time to use something called 'ear buddies' if you like.

My Ds (24wks) has one sticky out ear. I asked the doctor about it and he said to tape it back with surgical tape as the cartalidge doesn't harden until about 18mths. Admittedly I haven't done it yet but maybe worth a try?!

Hi my daughter was born with only one ear, which is a different worry i suppose. Does anyone else have a child with this condition? Luckily I'm pretty well up to speed on this as I am the same! However, I still worry about her future - something she certainly doesn't. It doesn't affect her really - she's coming up to three and I guess because i am the same she thinks it's something mummys have!!

Oops, sorry to hijack the thread!

earbuddies are the thing, its like a bendy bit of plastic that sits around the inside edge of the ear (to keep its shape) and then you use 2 streri strip stitches (butterfly stitches) to stick over that hold the ear back, how long they stay on depends on childs age, if theyre 3 weeks old it stays on for 3 weeks etc, only works till about 5 months. easiest to do when they cant grab there own ear.

invented by the surgeon who pinned my ears back as an adult (Dr Gault) after a whole childhood never once wearing my hair up being called dumbo or fa cup let me beg you to do it if she's still young enough especially as no surgery is required!

Earbuddies didnt work for us but DD has one slightly folded ear and I've heard that they work best for sticking out ears. She is now 2 and it doesn't look any better but with girls they do have hair so they can be covered.

Yes, Kilty, I used to be asked where my friend Noddy was.

Pinning back my ears changed my life and this really is one cosmetic surgery that's ok to wish on your child - especially a daughter, let's face it.

God, i didnt realise there was much i could do about it! Will have a look into the Ear Buddies, although to be honest, i think she may pull them off! Plus, i know my husband is not keen on me changing her in any way. He thinks i am being daft! But she is so beautiful, her ears do add character to her!
DH thinks i shouldnt make an issue of her ears now, as then she will grow up with issues that she doesnt need to have etc.

Trust me, if her ears do continue to stick out, she will consider it an "issue" whether or not you mention it to her. And trust me that when a child on the playground raises it, it will be in far less life-affirming tones than those you would use.

I'm a bit late to this thread, but would love to hear if waiting4bambino tried the ear buddies?? My little one is 7 mo's and I,m a bit nervous its too late. I want to help her ears normalize if its something that can be done easily and non-invasively to avoid distress in the future. I'm located in the U.S. so very little info here on the ear buddies. I wonder if surgical tape would provide same results. Hoping waiting4bambino is still here?

Ive just started using earbuddies on my 5 month old daughter who has very prominent ears so would be great to hear from anyone who has had any success with these. Only just found out about them and am a bit worried she's too old and am wasting my time! She doesnt seem bothered by them but has pulled them once or twice which makes me feel awful. Please let me know if I should not continue with these - they sound too good to be true!!!

Stay away from earbuddies! They did not work for us and when I tried to get a refund because they were impossible to keep attached when breastfeeding - they were absolutely horrible to me!

bibblebobble - I'm breastfeeding and my DD has just been fitted with earbuddies - they seem to be staying in place just fine (or maybe it's just cause it's early days!) - did you have the big tape on as well? I'm worried now I've read what you've said! I hope hers don't start falling out. I do also put a muslin square on my arm to stop the heat from my arm irritating the tapes and making them hot for her.

I had this with my eldest son. I just attached surgical tape and stuck his ears to his head for a few months. I later found out that my mother put a bonnet on me and my brothers to ensure that our ears did not stick out. My son is now 14 and one of his friends has very prominent ears. My son often says that he is so grateful that I stuck his ears back when he was a baby so that they do not stick out now. Baby ears are very soft when they are young so now is the time to tape them back if you want to.

MY DH got the ears pinned back when he was about 6 and doesnt regret it for a moment. Before that he did get teased.

Hi, I just wanted to post that I used ear buddies on my daughter when she was 3 months old. They did help some. When she was first born, her right ear stuck out more (we figured it was due to her position in the womb since she was breech). Both ears started to really stick out beginning at about 6-8 weeks old. I bought ear buddies at 3 months and she wore them most of the time until 6 months. At the very least, I feel like they kept the problem from getting worse and did correct the ear prominence about 70%. Both ears are now almost even (the right doesn't stick out so far). They stuck out a tiny bit when we were finished, but as she is getting older she seems to be growing into the little bit of ears that were sticking out. I would definitely use them again..I would just do it as early as possible. A note: the tapes were a pain to use, but you have no choice. I only bathed her once a week and I pretty much had to change them out on a weekly basis as they would inevitably get wet during bath time. I would use baby oil to swab away the gummy adhesive from the tape. If her skin got red, I would take them off until there were no signs of redness.

Hi Haw77 - we've just started using EarBuddies on DS (he's 4 months exactly now). Was wondering if you always had to change the tapes after they get wet ? Have you ever left them on to dry ? Or that would inevitably mean inflamed and red ears ?

My main point is that the people running the company were horrible - nasty nasty people.