Advice for specific groups
Ear wax in children: advice for parents
Children make ear wax too, and it rarely needs removing. How to spot a genuine problem and what to do if your child complains of a blocked ear.
In short
- Ear wax is normal and protective in children, and most never need it removed.
- Clean the outer ear with a damp flannel. Keep cotton buds, fingers and everything else out of the ear canal.
- Muffled hearing in a young child is more often glue ear or an ear infection than wax, so have the ear looked at before treating it.
- Ask a pharmacist, health visitor or GP before using any ear drops, particularly for babies and young children.
- Go to A&E straight away if your child may have pushed a button battery into their ear or nose.
Children make ear wax just as adults do, and in most cases it looks after itself and never needs removing. The most helpful thing you can do is leave the inside of your child's ears alone and clean only the outer ear. Wax is only a problem if it blocks the ear and affects hearing or causes discomfort. Even then, muffled hearing in a young child is more often glue ear or an ear infection, so it's worth having the ear looked at before you treat it as wax.
Is ear wax normal in children?
Yes. Children's ears make wax for the same reasons adults' ears do. It keeps the skin of the ear canal from drying out, traps dust and helps keep water out. The canals also clean themselves, carrying wax slowly towards the opening, where it dries and falls away.
What you see can vary a lot. Some children have soft, sticky, orange-brown wax that's easy to spot at the entrance of the ear. Others have dry, pale flakes. Both are normal, and our guide to ear wax colours and textures explains the differences. Wax at the opening is on its way out. It isn't a sign that the ear is blocked or that it needs cleaning.
A few children are more likely to have wax build up, including those with narrow ear canals (common in children with Down's syndrome) and those who wear hearing aids. If that applies to your child, their audiology or ENT team may suggest regular ear checks.
Signs your child's ear might be blocked
Young children rarely tell you an ear feels blocked. You're more likely to notice a change in how they behave:
Things parents often notice
- Not answering when called from another room
- Asking for the TV to be turned up
- Saying "what?" more than usual
- Rubbing, pulling or poking at one ear
- Saying an ear feels funny, full or "popped"
- Talking more loudly than usual
- Seeming distracted or inattentive at nursery or school
These signs are worth taking seriously, but none of them is specific to wax. Glue ear is the most common cause of hearing loss in young children, and ear infections cause many of the same signs. Ear-pulling on its own, when your child seems otherwise well and hears normally, is often just tiredness, teething or habit.
Ear wax, glue ear or an ear infection?
You can't tell these apart from the outside. A clinician needs to look at the ear canal and eardrum with an otoscope, a small torch with a magnifying lens. What you notice at home still gives a useful clue:
| Ear wax | Glue ear | Ear infection | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A plug of wax in the outer ear canal | Sticky fluid behind the eardrum, in the middle ear | Usually a middle ear infection, often after a cold |
| Hearing | Muffled, often in one ear | Muffled in one or both ears, and it can come and go | Muffled while the infection lasts |
| Pain | Usually none, or mild discomfort | Usually none, though some children get earache | Earache, often coming on quickly |
| High temperature | No | No | Common |
| What usually happens | Often clears on its own; drops or removal if it doesn't | Clears up within 3 months in most children | Gets better within about 3 days |
Timings for glue ear and ear infections are from NHS guidance. Children with glue ear are usually monitored, and some are referred for hearing tests, grommets or temporary hearing aids.
Ear infections are the ones to act on quickly. Most clear up within about 3 days, and paracetamol or children's ibuprofen can ease the pain. In England, pharmacists can assess and treat suspected ear infections in children aged 1 to 17. See a GP if your baby is under 12 months old, earache lasts more than 3 days or your child keeps getting infections.
For other causes of a blocked ear, see telling ear wax from an infection. Ears also often block after bath time or a swimming lesson, for reasons explained in swimming and ear wax.
How to clean your child's ears
Less than you might think. At bath time, wash the outer ear, the folds and the skin behind it with a flannel, dry them gently and leave the ear canal alone.
Do
- wipe the outer ear and the skin behind it with a damp flannel
- dry the outer ear gently after baths and swimming
- keep cotton buds, hairgrips and small objects out of reach
- teach older children not to put anything in their ears
Don't
- use cotton buds inside the ear, even "just at the entrance"
- try to scoop out wax you can see
- use ear candles, suction kits or camera ear picks on a child
- put oil or drops in your child's ear without advice first
Cotton buds cause the most trouble. Children wriggle, and a bud pushed too far, or knocked while it's in, can scratch the canal or damage the eardrum. Even used carefully, it packs wax deeper. There's more on this in why cotton buds make ear wax worse.
Treating a wax blockage in a child
If a GP, nurse or pharmacist confirms that wax is the problem, softening it is usually the first step. Ask which drops suit your child's age and check the leaflet, because some pharmacy ear drops aren't meant for young children. The technique is the same as for adults: warm the bottle in your hand, put the drops in with your child lying on their side and keep them there for a few minutes, perhaps with a story. Our guide on how to use ear drops walks through it.
Wax that drops haven't shifted can be removed. Some GP practices and community services still do this for children, and others refer on. Many private clinics also see children, though each sets its own minimum age. Microsuction is often used because nothing wet goes in the ear, but it's noisy and your child will need to keep their head still for a minute or two at a time. If a child is too young or too upset to manage, a good clinician will stop and suggest another plan, such as more drops or a referral to an NHS ENT clinic.
Getting your child ready for wax removal
- Ask when you book whether the clinic sees children of your child's age.
- Explain the noise beforehand. Microsuction makes a loud whooshing sound, a bit like a small vacuum cleaner close to the ear.
- Agree a stop signal, such as raising a hand, and tell the clinician what it is.
- Bring something to hold or watch, and book a time of day when your child is usually at their best.
Our guides to what happens at an ear wax removal appointment and choosing a clinic cover the questions to ask.
Objects in the ear and other urgent problems
Children put things in their ears: beads, bits of crayon, food, small parts of toys. If you can see something, don't try to hook it out, because it's easy to push it further in. Take your child to a GP, an urgent treatment centre or A&E so it can be removed safely.
When to get urgent help
Go to A&E or call 999 if:
- your child may have put a button battery in their ear or nose
- blood or clear fluid comes from the ear after a head injury
Contact NHS 111 or your GP urgently if:
- your child has ear pain with a high temperature, or seems generally unwell
- there is swelling, redness or pain behind the ear
- fluid or pus is coming out of the ear
- your child suddenly can't hear in one or both ears
- your baby is under 3 months old and has a temperature of 38C or higher
When to ask for a hearing check
Newborn babies are offered a hearing screening test, and some children have another hearing test when they start primary school, depending on where they live. Between those points, it's usually parents and teachers who notice a problem first.
Ask your GP or health visitor about a hearing test if you're worried about your child's hearing or speech, if a hearing problem hasn't cleared within 3 months, or if it keeps coming back. Children's hearing tests are adapted to their age, with games and toys for younger children, and the results are usually given at the end of the appointment. A blocked ear should be cleared first, or the results can look worse than your child's real hearing. Ear wax before a hearing test explains why, and ear wax and hearing loss covers how much difference a blockage makes.
Common questions
Can I put olive oil in my baby's ears?
Check with a GP, practice nurse, health visitor or pharmacist first. Babies rarely need anything put in their ears, and a baby who seems bothered by an ear is more likely to have an infection, which oil won't help. If a clinician confirms wax and suggests drops, they can show you how to give them safely.
At what age can a child have microsuction?
There's no single rule. Each clinic sets its own minimum age, and what matters most is that your child can keep their head still for a few minutes and cope with the noise. Ask when you book. For very young or anxious children, a GP may suggest a referral to an NHS ear, nose and throat (ENT) service instead.
Why does my child's ear wax smell?
Ear wax has a faint smell of its own, which is normal. A strong or unpleasant smell, especially with discharge, pain or itching, can mean an infection in the ear canal or fluid coming from behind a perforated eardrum. Don't clean inside the ear. Take your child to a pharmacist or GP so it can be looked at.
Can ear wax affect my child's speech?
A short-lived wax blockage is unlikely to. Hearing loss that lasts for months can affect how young children learn to talk, which is why glue ear that doesn't clear is monitored and sometimes treated. If your child's speech seems behind, or they struggle to follow what is said, ask your GP or health visitor about a hearing test.
Are home ear wax removal kits safe for children?
No. Bulb syringes, suction devices and camera ear picks all rely on a child keeping perfectly still, and it is easy to scratch the canal or push wax against the eardrum. Our guide to home kits and ear cameras explains the risks. If your child's ear needs clearing, have it done by a trained clinician.
Treatments mentioned in this guide
Microsuction
Gentle suction under magnification
