My daughter (age 3) had ear tubes placed 3 months ago. She has not had any problems or infections since. I am wondering about using ear plugs while bathing or swimming. My doctor said not to worry too much while giving baths, but if she goes swimming then definately use ear plugs. My best friends child also had ear tubes and her physician said not to worry about ear plugs during swimming, but definately use during bath time. I am not sure what to do. I guess always use ear plugs, but I can't seem to find any that fit really well, especially if we go swimming. What has worked well for your child?
We've had really good luck with the silicone press-in, mold style... it doesn't go into the ear at all, it fills the space on the outside and seals out sound and noise. My daughter hasn't had tubes but we use them at the air show and they work great.
http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/mack's-soft-moldable...
Use it for both bathtime and swimming. Use cotton balls covered in vaseline. Cheap, and works awesome!
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We were able to find a headband that was made out of some type of wetsuit material at a swimshop - designed for children who have problems w/swimmer's ear. It was a true godsend b/c we were told that we couldn't get ANY water in her ears at all - even during bathtime - it fit snug it it didn't bother her at all. You may want to check into something like that. Good luck!
i'm surprised he hasn't helped you out with that. my kids' ear doctor made them custom-molded ones so that they could swim. we didn't bother with them much for baths, but they always used 'em for swimming. the press-in kind didn't work well at all, but their custom ones were great.
i suspect i still have them around somewhere.
:) khairete
S.
Kos/Danchak Audiology makes custom ear plugs for your little ones. They
do a great job! They are located in Arlington ###-###-####.
I agree that it depends on the Dr. Our pediatric ENT said not to bother with them at all (swimming or bath time). He says he has kids on swim teams that are fine without them, and that's it's really hard to get water all the way in the ear during bath time anyway. So, no ear plugs for us and DD is doing just fine 6 months after her surgery.
I have always had to wear ear plugs when swimming. My dr when I was young suggested Silly Putty and I still use it to this day. You just break off a piece big enough to cover the outer ear space, roll into a ball and press onto the ear. It molds perfectly, keeps the water out and is inexpensive. Good luck!
we always used them for swimming and never for baths. We never had any problems
My daughter had tubes and I was told there was no need for ear plugs. I was told that if my daughter was going to go swimming in any body's of water such as the ocean or lake, to give her ear drop afterwards just to prevent an infection.
I did that when we went on a cruise the first couple times she went into the pool (they are salt water) and then I stopped with the drops. She was just fine.
My dd uses these and they are amazing. She feels really secure. We don't use them in the bath though as she is in for so short a time. Our doc said its really just if they spend prolonged time under water and my dd is a fish!! :-)
My daughter got tubes in her ears over thanksgiving. Our ENT said she only needed ear plugs if swimming in a lake because they are so full of bacteria. Baths, swimming pools and even oceans were fine. Guess it just depends on the doctor...
We never used them for baths but used them for swimming. The problem we had is that they would fall out, and before I could stop him my son would shove them back in his ears. He ended up with several infections over the summer and with the constant suctioning the ear tubes came out very quickly. Luckily his problem was related to his adenoids and since they were removed he hasn't had ear infection since. I know some docs that say not to use the plugs at all. I guess it depends on who you go to. If you get them, get a good pair that stays in the ear.
I heard both (had both my kids get tubes from two different doctors in one year). I never worried about plugs in the bath until my daughter was 'practicing swimming' three days in a row in the tub. Sure enough, she got an inner and middle ear infection (swimmers ear). So after a very painful week (couldn't brush her hair or lay on that side), I make her wear plugs anytime she goes under water. Most of the time, she opts to not go under, but at least she knows she has to wear them. So my suggestion would be to have her wear them. That case of swimmers ear was the most horrible thing I've ever seen...honestly I've never seen her more pathetic and in more pain in her 3.5 years. Avoid it if you can!
My eldest had tubes in his ear, and I asked about plugs. The pediatrician at the time said not to worry about them, but he would CRY (and he was a very tough little guy!) when we went swimming and we had to put swimmer's ear drops in, which he said burned. :( He had no problems at bath time, but then we washed his hair and backs of his ears without submerging them anyway. My youngest is getting tubes in his ear on June 30 and we WILL be purchasing the plugs that juliebean mentioned.
My son had tubes and we were never told anything about ear plugs. I never used them at all.
Your ENT should be able to give you specially shaped ear plugs for the little one. Other than that I would not recommend putting any other foreign body in the ear.
