A 23-year-old female asked:
when i wash my 3 mounth old baby i let the wather go into his ears is it bad?
2 doctor answers • 2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Gerald Mandell answered
Nuclear Medicine 52 years experience
Probably keep dry: Allowing dirty water into ears is probably not advisable. Young infant can be susceptible to ear infections.An infant's ear canal is angled differently than an adult's (or even an older child's). In an infant, the angle is such that it is more prone to collecting water, which can sit, stagnate, and eventually lead to ear infections.
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Dr. James Ferguson answered
Pediatrics 46 years experience
Unlikely to be pbm: Water from bathing can easily be drawn from the canal by putting the edge of a dry cloth at the opening. Infants create wax that coats the ear canal walls and bathwater seldom if ever creates any problems.I have not seen an infected canal from bathwater in decades.
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Last updated Jul 29, 2013
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