Earwax

Earwax is awesome! It helps protect and actually helps keep the ear canal clean. Just because you see some earwax in the ear of your kiddo does not mean it needs to come out. Usually the only time I need to clean a kiddo’s ears out is when they are complaining of hearing loss or ear pain from the wax or a possible ear infection hidden by the earwax (also called cerumen). Impacted cerumen (wax that does not naturally come out of the ear by an innate skin escalator system the ear canal has) is due to families using Q-tips to clean out the ear when all they are actually doing is pushing earwax farther into the ear canal, allowing the wax more time to collect and harden. Sometimes humid environments in the ear canal, such as from wet hair blocking the ear canal for an extended period, will cause the ear to form more earwax as a protective and dehydrating measure. So make sure to keep that hair up after shower/bath time or swimming. 

If you see some earwax fall into the outer bowl area of the ear, have at it and wipe it away, but please leave the ear canal alone.