Guest guest Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Our ENT and audi both recommended over-the-counter ear drops. You drip in 10 drops, let them sit in there for a while and then rinse. As for how often you do this -- follow according to the directions on the package. We only do this in the evenings while Ian lays there watching TV and relaxing. We've never had much trouble wit wax. But a few times it's been suddenly bad. Like this past Sept we went in for the usual audi check-up and the wax was fine. By November we went in for new molds and one ear had so much that they couldn't successfully cast that ear. So, we did a week's worth of cleansing and viola, the ear was ready for casting. We try to do a cleaning every 3-4 months as a routine, but the truth is we do it when we remember. When he was about 10 we had a heavy wax time and we'd do it every other month like clockwork. After the wax issue this past Nov, we'll be doing a week of cleaning again this month just to be sure. I'd ask your audi.ENT about wax and what to use. I know that Ian HATED having the ENT clean his ears. It was uncomfortable at best and at its worst, it " hurt a lot. " The drops we use foam up, which is apparently dissolving some wax. This also loosens and softens wax. Sometimes pieces float up when I fill Ian's ear with water and we remove those floaters with a Q-tip or tissue I must admit I'm nervous about leaving anything in Ian's ear that fizzes or foams. So he lays there soaking the ear for at least a half hour with the drops in and then I use the little plastic bulb to fill the ear canal with warm water. He lays there for a few more minutes. Then I have him tip his head to drain the water. We do this a few times and then have him sit up for the regular (gentle) squirt-in-the-water style rinsing. It's all we usually need to do. Ian is very, very sensitive about anything being put into his ears. Some kids are good about having the doctor clean their ears -- not him. After having it done only once, with relatively soft wax being removed, he would scream at the prospect of the doctor doing it again. He really likes both his ENT and audi, he trusts them. But wax removal caused absolute panic, so we went a slightly different route years ago. On the few occasions when the build-up was severe, we would set up an appointment and do the drops for a week before the appointment. Then the doctor would use a water spray to remove the loosened wax. It took longer, was really gross as loads of wax came out, but it did not hurt nearly as much. Ian will still easily agree to go to " the ear wash. " I doubt he'd readily agree to any other kid of cleaning unless we offered to sedate him. (and I'm only half joking.) Best -- Jill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Now this is a good question. I would like to know this myself. My son seems to have an overabundance! chelsea9231998 wrote: Hi everyone, Can you tell me how your keeping your kids ears clean inside and free of ear wax buildup? I know a little wax is ok, but I'm having to take my daughter to the doctor monthly to remove the wax buildup because there's so much. Surely there's something I can be doing at home (within reason, I'm terrified of hurting her ears), or do you guys just go to the doctor as well? As always, thanks for any help, Sue All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to copyright restrictions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 We were told to use Debrox (?sp). I have very waxy kids and have to use it on all of them. I do it over the nighttime hours. It seems to be an oily peroxide solution. It does take a few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Sue, Hadley has her ears checked every 3 months by her ENT. Most of the time, there is something to be removed in each ear. Her ENT has suggested a small amnt (half a drop) of mineral oil in each ear after a bath to keep the wax soft and supple. We did that for a while, but stopped as it interfered with a good fit with her earmolds. Hadley's molds have pretty long canals on them, so they go deep in her ear. Most of the time, there is a significant amount of wax that gets pulled out of her ear each night at the end of the mold, so we don't get a ton of build up. While some people get concerned that this will push the wax into the drum, it actually has the opposite effect on Hadley; and, since she gets regular check ups for ear wax, we aren't concerned that there will be damage. Other than keeping an eye out for unusual amounts of wax, unusual color, or odor, I don't do anything with the inside of her ears, unless Hadley indicates that tehre is a problem. Kerry Keeping ears clean Hi everyone, Can you tell me how your keeping your kids ears clean inside and free of ear wax buildup? I know a little wax is ok, but I'm having to take my daughter to the doctor monthly to remove the wax buildup because there's so much. Surely there's something I can be doing at home (within reason, I'm terrified of hurting her ears), or do you guys just go to the doctor as well? As always, thanks for any help, Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Thanks! Kerry Dowling & Dan wrote: Sue, Hadley has her ears checked every 3 months by her ENT. Most of the time, there is something to be removed in each ear. Her ENT has suggested a small amnt (half a drop) of mineral oil in each ear after a bath to keep the wax soft and supple. We did that for a while, but stopped as it interfered with a good fit with her earmolds. Hadley's molds have pretty long canals on them, so they go deep in her ear. Most of the time, there is a significant amount of wax that gets pulled out of her ear each night at the end of the mold, so we don't get a ton of build up. While some people get concerned that this will push the wax into the drum, it actually has the opposite effect on Hadley; and, since she gets regular check ups for ear wax, we aren't concerned that there will be damage. Other than keeping an eye out for unusual amounts of wax, unusual color, or odor, I don't do anything with the inside of her ears, unless Hadley indicates that tehre is a problem. Kerry Keeping ears clean Hi everyone, Can you tell me how your keeping your kids ears clean inside and free of ear wax buildup? I know a little wax is ok, but I'm having to take my daughter to the doctor monthly to remove the wax buildup because there's so much. Surely there's something I can be doing at home (within reason, I'm terrified of hurting her ears), or do you guys just go to the doctor as well? As always, thanks for any help, Sue All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to copyright restrictions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 I am going to the drugstore this weekend to look for it. Or is it only by script? mariapamom wrote: We were told to use Debrox (?sp). I have very waxy kids and have to use it on all of them. I do it over the nighttime hours. It seems to be an oily peroxide solution. It does take a few days. All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to copyright restrictions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Thank you! I am going to just go to the drugstore and take a look and see what works best for him. My son is a little squeemish and sensitive about nearly anything that you put on or near any opening in his body ! lol JillcWood@... wrote: Our ENT and audi both recommended over-the-counter ear drops. You drip in 10 drops, let them sit in there for a while and then rinse. As for how often you do this -- follow according to the directions on the package. We only do this in the evenings while Ian lays there watching TV and relaxing. We've never had much trouble wit wax. But a few times it's been suddenly bad. Like this past Sept we went in for the usual audi check-up and the wax was fine. By November we went in for new molds and one ear had so much that they couldn't successfully cast that ear. So, we did a week's worth of cleansing and viola, the ear was ready for casting. We try to do a cleaning every 3-4 months as a routine, but the truth is we do it when we remember. When he was about 10 we had a heavy wax time and we'd do it every other month like clockwork. After the wax issue this past Nov, we'll be doing a week of cleaning again this month just to be sure. I'd ask your audi.ENT about wax and what to use. I know that Ian HATED having the ENT clean his ears. It was uncomfortable at best and at its worst, it " hurt a lot. " The drops we use foam up, which is apparently dissolving some wax. This also loosens and softens wax. Sometimes pieces float up when I fill Ian's ear with water and we remove those floaters with a Q-tip or tissue I must admit I'm nervous about leaving anything in Ian's ear that fizzes or foams. So he lays there soaking the ear for at least a half hour with the drops in and then I use the little plastic bulb to fill the ear canal with warm water. He lays there for a few more minutes. Then I have him tip his head to drain the water. We do this a few times and then have him sit up for the regular (gentle) squirt-in-the-water style rinsing. It's all we usually need to do. Ian is very, very sensitive about anything being put into his ears. Some kids are good about having the doctor clean their ears -- not him. After having it done only once, with relatively soft wax being removed, he would scream at the prospect of the doctor doing it again. He really likes both his ENT and audi, he trusts them. But wax removal caused absolute panic, so we went a slightly different route years ago. On the few occasions when the build-up was severe, we would set up an appointment and do the drops for a week before the appointment. Then the doctor would use a water spray to remove the loosened wax. It took longer, was really gross as loads of wax came out, but it did not hurt nearly as much. Ian will still easily agree to go to " the ear wash. " I doubt he'd readily agree to any other kid of cleaning unless we offered to sedate him. (and I'm only half joking.) Best -- Jill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 MIne doesnt complain at all! I just have hygiene issues ! Other than that, no complaints of any kind. He is cool with it so i suppose i should be huh? Kearns wrote: For those of you concerned about wax buildup and cleaning... what are you seeing that shows you there is a problem with wax? Does your child complain? Is it something you see when you look in their ear? Do you have to go looking for it? I ask because we have never cleaned 's ears for wax. I've never given much thought to it. I assume when the pediatrician looks in the ear during the yearly check up or the occasional audi visit they would mention if there was any issue with wax. In his five years I've never done anything special regarding wax. If there is wax, I don't know where it's going. I also don't clean his earmolds regularly. I probably should. K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Sue wrote: Hi everyone, Can you tell me how your keeping your kids ears clean inside and free of ear wax buildup? I know a little wax is ok, but I'm having to take my daughter to the doctor monthly to remove the wax buildup because there's so much. Surely there's something I can be doing at home (within reason, I'm terrified of hurting her ears), or do you guys just go to the doctor as well? As always, thanks for any help, Sue ** just had to have a bunch of gunk removed from his bad ear, immediately following an ear infection. Ugh. His problem is that the skin in the " bowl " of his outer ear gets dry very easily, and then flakes off. When the flakes fall into the ear canal, they mix with the wax to form a nasty cement-like blockage that's incredibly hard to remove. His brother has the same issue, and has also had to get his ears cleaned out at the pediatrician's office in the past. Our otologist doesn't want us using drops, but did recommend using a mild hydrocortisone cream on their outer ears (a small amount on the top of a Q-Tip, then massage in) twice to three times a week, depending on how bad the dry skin is (it varies with the seasons). That should keep the skin from flaking, which means no more cement factories in their ears. Hope this helps, Kris Mom to (7 y.o., Complete/Profound SNL - Left Ear) and Ethan (6 y.o., Hearing) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 > > Hi everyone, > > Can you tell me how your keeping your kids ears clean inside and free > of ear wax buildup? We flush Josie's ear during her bath time about twice a week. We use the nasal bulb, and the warm bath water. Her Pediatrician suggested it. And she actually seems to enjoy it, she'll lean her head over when she sees the bulb coming so that we can reach her ears easily. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.