What causes earwax to build up in my baby's ear?
Earwax is a natural substance that helps to keep your baby's ears clean and healthy. It is also called cerumen.
The ceruminous glands in the ears secrete earwax as a way of trapping dirt, dust, and other particles that could damage his eardrum.
Usually wax builds up, and then dries out and moves to your baby's outer ear, where it falls out. However, sometimes earwax accumulates faster than his body can expel it, and that's when earwax can build up. A build-up of earwax doesn’t mean your baby is dirty.
If there's a large amount of wax, you may be able to see it just by looking into your baby's ears. There may also be some yellow or brownish wax visible. This should eventually drop out on its own.
When is earwax a problem?
If your baby’s ear canal is very plugged with wax, he may experience problems such as:
poor hearing
ear aches
itching
noises in his ear (tinnitus)
You may want to give your baby ear drops to help clear his earwax. You can buy ear drops over the counter from your pharmacy. The drops work by softening the wax so it falls out more easily.
Give the ear drops to your baby by laying him on his side with the affected ear facing upwards, and pour a few drops in. After a few minutes, the drops will have soaked in and your baby can sit up again. Be ready with a tissue to catch any ear drops that dribble out of his ear. Repeat this three times a day for the next few days until the wax has cleared.
Don't poke anything in your baby's ear to try to remove the wax, as this could push it further into his ear. Inserting things like cotton buds can also damage your baby's ear and lead to infection.
Ear drops are usually very effective at clearing away excess earwax. However, if your baby's earwax doesn't go away after a few days of treatment with ear drops, take him to your doctor. After examining your baby's ears, your doctor may refer your baby to an ears, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon. The ENT surgeon will then clear your baby's ears via microsuction.
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Reviewed By :BabyCentre Medical Advisory Board
Source : http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a557533/earwax-whats-healthy-and-whats-not