What should I do if water gets into my baby's ears while swimming? How can I prevent water from getting into my baby's ears while swimming?

The hot summer has arrived, and many people will take their babies swimming to cool off. However, during swimming, it is easy for water to enter the baby's ears. If water enters the baby's ears, what should parents do? The following will introduce the solution to the problem of water entering the baby's ears.

What to do if water gets into baby's ears while swimming

When water flows into the baby's ears, the baby's head should be tilted toward the side where the water enters, and the water should be gently absorbed with a sterilized cotton ball (stick) and wiped clean. Generally, cotton swabs can only wipe the outer periphery of the ear. Be careful and gentle when doing these actions to avoid injuring the eardrum. If water enters the ear during bathing, it will be discharged on its own in most cases. Once there is water accumulation in the inner ear, go to the hospital immediately for specialized treatment.

You can use a soft cotton swab, hold the cotton in a fluffy shape, gently insert it into the ear and rotate it, but not too deep. The premise is that the baby's head must be fixed and cannot move; if there is still a bad smell after wiping it dry several times, you should go to the hospital for ear drops. If the baby cannot cooperate, please do not easily clean the baby's ears, otherwise there is a risk of perforating the eardrum.

How to prevent water from getting into your ears

1. Let your child wear earplugs when swimming, and the swimming time should not exceed 1 hour.

2. If water enters your nasal cavity while swimming, do not pinch both nostrils at the same time to squeeze out the water to prevent the water from flowing into the middle ear.

3. When bathing your child, press the ears against the face from back to front to prevent water from entering the ears.

4. After washing, wipe off the water around the ears in time to prevent it from flowing into the ears.

When should you seek medical attention immediately?

In fact, if water enters the ear, tilt your head to the side of the ear with water, and do a single-leg hop with the foot on the same side. The water will drain out after a few jumps. Using cotton swabs or ear picks to remove residual water from the ear after swimming can easily damage the ear canal. Because the ear canal skin becomes soft and fragile after being soaked in water, once the ear is picked too hard, it will damage the external auditory canal. In particular, there is a lot of dry earwax in children's ears. After being soaked in water, it swells and is pushed deep into the ear after repeated digging. After pressing the paper-thin eardrum, it affects the vibration of the eardrum, causing pain or even inflammation.

If your child has ear pain but the symptoms do not seem to be caused by water in the ear, you should take your child to the hospital as soon as possible for diagnosis. If it is confirmed to be an inner ear infection, you must receive oral antibiotics.