(image from Johnsonsbaby.com, affiliate links may be included at no cost to you)
Is anyone else out there totally confused about the best way to clean ears, and more specifically, how to clean baby’s ears? I have to admit, I was skeptical about purchasing cotton Q-tips that were designed for babies. That just smacked of “Let’s see if we can make you pay more for the same item by stating that it is for babies.” In fact, though, these really are quite different from your standard Q-tip in some important ways.
If you look closely at the picture, you will see that it has a smaller tip, and then a larger bulb section. This larger section provides an actual barrier so that you can’t accidentally insert the swab too far into your baby’s ear. Any new parent can tell you that it can be terrifying to perform certain maintenance tasks on your baby (cleaning baby ears, nose, and trimming nails) for fear of accidentally injuring the child. I have found that these swabs really do a great job of building my confidence, because I know that I’m not going to hurt my baby. I also use these to wipe out my daughter’s nose, too!
These run about $5.25 for a package of 55, and they are totally and completely worth it, because they do their job of cleaning baby’s ears safely, and they provide peace of mind.
Great point, Heather. I think this is an issue that parents will just need to use their discretion on. And if you decide that you do want to clean your baby's ears, by all means DO NOT use a regular Q-tip, and do not try to get inside the ear. Use these tips to clean the outer part of the ear, only!
Me again. I have a two-year old and a four year-old and I have never in four plus years cleaned either of my baby's ears. My pediatrician recommended against it and hasn't given us the greenlight yet.
If there's an issue, she takes care of it at regular appointments. Just sayin…