why children lose their hearing and what we can do 199
For ear wax
If there is no pain, fever, or discharge from the ear, too much wax or a wax
plug can be removed by washing out the ear with warm water.
1. First, soften the wax by putting several drops of warm, mild vegetable oil
into the ear. Keep the child lying down on her side with her ear up for 15
minutes.
2. Next, wash the ear well by pouring several cups of clean,
warm (not hot) water into the ear with a spout.
If this does not work, use a syringe with no needle
(preferably 20 ml size) or a rubber bulb syringe to
squirt the warm water into the ear.
Warning: Do not squirt water in the ear if
there is fluid draining from the ear!
• Remove the needle from the syringe and
fill the syringe with warm water from
a cup.
• Gently pull the ear away from the head. Carefully squirt the water into
the ear canal. Do not point the syringe directly down the ear toward
the ear drum. Point it sideways toward the back wall of the ear
canal. Stop if your child starts to feel dizzy.
With a bulb syringe, do not put the tip far or tightly into the ear canal. Try
to keep the tip steady in the ear while squeezing the bulb.
Repeat this 3 times a week for 2 weeks and then once again after
1 or 2 weeks. Doing it more often can damage the ear.
Get medical advice for a hard plug of wax that does not dissolve easily.
Insect in the ear
Signs:
• The child may say he can feel or hear scratching,
crawling, or bumping in the ear.
• Fluid or pus may drain from the ear.
• A child may hear less well than usual in the affected ear.
For an insect in the ear
Fill the ear with clean mineral or vegetable oil. The insect may drown and
then float out. If this does not work, try to wash the ear in the same way as for
removing wax.
Helping Children Who Are Deaf (2004)