Parents are concerned about cleaning of baby's ear and nose. They do not know how to clean. Read on to know.How do I clean the wax from my baby's ears?
Sticking a cotton swab into the infant's ear canal is an absolute taboo. Clean just the outer ear with a wet washcloth instead. Newborn wax also comes out of the ear on its own accord. So cleaning the outer ear will take care of the wax discharged from the ear.
How do I clean my baby's nose?
When you clean mucus from a baby's nose, use the corner of a wet washcloth, rather than a cotton swab. If the baby's nose gets uncomfortably stuffed from a cold you can use an aspirator. (If the congestion persists, take your baby to the paediatrician.). As a home remedy for congested noses, you can also steam up the bathroom and then take the baby there. As a precaution, turn off all hot water taps before you take the baby in the bathroom.
Newborn are anyways born with very narrow nasal passage, which calls for the need of frequent nose care. Nasal congestions can hinder daily life and activities like sleep, feeding and bear negative effect on the overall wellbeing.
Thus, it is important to gently clean the nasal passage if you feel it is disturbing her.
Cold and cough can make a baby miserable, but the good news is it usually does not have any negative effects on her health. However, if not treated in the initial stage, it may result in infections,
pneumonia and influenza.
Though there is not much cure available for the normal cold, you can try some simple steps at home to ensure she is comfortable. When you take basic care of her, the chances of her developing serious conditions shall also lessen. You need to ensure she gets adequate rest. If you think she has a stuffy nose do consider using saline drops which are prescribed by a paediatrician.
How to take care of baby’s ears?
When it comes to caring for the ears, you need to remember the more you do, it shall seem less. You should pay serious attention to her ears before the ear drums are affected. Even though the ears tend to be self-cleaning, you need to take care if any special attention is necessary.
You must clean behind the ears of your baby and take a look around the corners. Using cotton swabs or buds for
cleaning baby’s ears can cause harm to her ear drums and they also tend to push the ear wax inside. So, it is better not to use them.
How to handle ear infections?
Ear infections are very common among children. Repetition of the infections can result in permanent damage. Apart from it, your baby may also have to suffer a lot of pain when infections are not taken care of on time. Here we shall take a closer look at the
ear infections to keep you better informed.
Most of the infections are common in the centre of the ear. Viral or
bacterial infection results in Otitis media at the back of the eardrum. Most of the ear infections are caused by bacteria.
Eustachian tubes are another cause behind ear infections. This bacterium affects the middle ear. Infections in the middle of the ear are more common during the winters. This often ends up with the baby suffering from fever. It is important to get the treatment started to avoid the long term consequences.
Children, who suffer from recurrent infections in the ear, should be observed closely, as in the long run the chances of suffering from hearing loss increases in these cases.
Glue ear is another condition that children may suffer from. This is a condition when you can see discharge of glue like thick substance from the middle of ear. This generally occurs when the baby is suffering from repeated ear infections.
It is important that you get in touch with your doctor at the earliest when you find any white discharge. The discharge may be result of any hole in the eardrum.
What are the symptoms of ear infection in babies?
Here are some of the symptoms you can look for in case of ear infection. However, you need to remember the symptoms tend to vary from one child to the other.
- Discharge of yellowish or whitish fluid from ear
- Pulling or grabbing of ears
- Fever
- Diarrhoea
- Vomiting
- Poor appetite
- Drowsiness
- Unpleasant smell
There might not be any symptom in many children and the problem may surface only when it gets chronic. It is important that you act the very moment she complaints of pressure or pain in her ears.