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Oh, the Ear Wax!
Is Your Toddler's Ear Wax a Bad Thing?
By Shannon McKelden
More serious impactions may need to be scooped out by a trained physician, which can be uncomfortable for the child, as Ward and Wineteer will attest. Both of their daughters found the ear cleaning in the physician's office to be traumatic. Thankfully, there are ways to soften up the ear wax and get it flushed out at home.
"If a child has a plugged-up ear canal, there are several over-the-counter drops that help dissolve ear wax and encourage more normal drainage," Dr. Brenski says. "They usually contain some type of mineral oil or hydrogen peroxide. The one that I usually recommend is Debrox, a combination of mineral oil and hydrogen peroxide." The ear is then irrigated with the device included in the kit. "This should not be used with tap water. Distilled water with a few drops of vinegar is best," she says.
Mineral oil or the liquid found in stool softener (such as docusate sodium/Colace) capsules can also be dripped into the ears, which softens ear wax, encouraging it to move out of the ear.
Dr. Brenski does warn against using over-the-counter kits or drops if there is pain in the ear. "That should be seen by a physician," she says. "It could mean there is already a canal infection or a middle ear infection behind the ear drum. That may require medical therapy."
Lastly, a regular program of keeping the ear wax soft can help avoid most major problems in young children. "Normally, pediatricians will recommend an ear wax thinning agent used on a regular basis," Dr. Goo says. "This, combined with gentle irrigation of warm water with a bulb syringe, will take care of most problems. Make sure to use warm water, not cold, which can cause dizziness, nausea and vertigo, nor hot, which can burn."