New Mom Secrets: I Clean Her Ears With a Q-Tip

on January 27, 2010 at 11:00 AM

mom secrets It's hard being a new mom (or even an experienced mom to a new baby) and sometimes we do things we know we shouldn't, despite what all the experts say. But this is a safe place to share your secrets (PM me)—we'll never tell.

This Week's Secret:

I clean my baby's ears with a Q-Tip. I've heard that you're not supposed to do this, but how else are you supposed to clean them? I can't stand for her to have dirty ears. I gently clean it and am careful I don't go too far in. — anonymous

We all have secrets and opinions—so thanks to this brave mom for sharing her honest thoughts, and thank you for keeping this conversation nonjudgmental!

If you have a new mom secret you'd like to share anonymously, PM me.

Past confessions:

I Microwave My Baby's Bottle

I Let My Young Child Watch My Baby

I Hate When People Hold My Baby

I Don't Sterilize My Baby's Bottles

I Go to the Bathroom to Get "Me" Time

I Wash the Pacifier Off in My Mouth

I Turn Up The Volume When My Baby Cries

I Hate Breastfeeding

I Put Cereal in My Baby's Bottle

I Thought My Baby Was Ugly

I'm Breastfeeding But I Crave Beer

I Sometimes Use Breastmilk for Cooking

My Baby Annoys Me

I Took My Baby to a Bar

I Drove My Baby Without a Car Seat

I Forgot My Baby's Name!

I Leave My Twin Babies Home Alone

I Let My Baby Wear a Dirty Diaper

I Wish I Never Had a Baby

Filed Under: mom secrets

Comments (10)

JessecaLynn

on Jan 27, 2010 at 3:52 PM

My son has really thicky dark ear wax. It is disgusting, so occationally I will use a qtip to clean what I can see.

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ethans_momma06

on Jan 27, 2010 at 6:06 PM

I only cleaned the outermost part of his ear canal. Seriously this is one of those things that you have to exhibit extreme caution with so you don't rupture an eardrum. Also cleaning in to far can interefere with the ears natural cleaning process so....

while I do it, it's not everyday and it's done with caution.

nmmama09

on Jan 28, 2010 at 2:13 PM

I use baby qtips to clean the outer part of their ears but I don't put it inside. The wax that is inside usually moves to the outside anyway, where it is easier to remove without having to stick the qtip inside.

Pollymom

on Jan 29, 2010 at 10:10 AM

Yes I use Qtips to clean both my kids' ears...it's not very often and I never go in too deep. I just sort of swipe the visible stuff out.

miraclebabysmom

on Jan 29, 2010 at 7:02 PM

Ok, I'll confess everything...

I use the baby safe q-tips on my son

I put his bottles in the microwave (nipple off)...shook and tested it

I didn't sterlize the bottles, binky's or anything unless you count the dishwasher

I RUN to the bathroom for me time

I wash the binky in my mouth when we are out

I put cereal in my son's bottle, GI doc told me to due to reflux...didn't work...turned out GI doc sucked anyway

I clean nasty crusty boogers out of my son's nose with a q-tip (the tip of his nose!)

I used the controlled crying method for sleep...freaking worked too!!!

I basically suck as a Mom I'm sure

nicolelynn86

on Feb 28, 2010 at 9:21 PM

J&J make special "Safety bulb" q-tips that are designed to stop you from actually going into your childs ear. I've used those since my dd was born.

on Feb 28, 2010 at 9:22 PM

Miraclemom - you don't suck as a mother! You have to remember that all of that was standard when we were babies and look at us. We're just fine! Just find a groove that is healthy for you and baby and stick with it.

NettaKay24

on Mar 13, 2010 at 3:16 PM

I've used these special Q-tips that are called Safety Swabs. The tip is the same size as a regular Q-tip, but the rest of the cotton is bigger around so you can't go very far into the ear canal