So your child stuck something in her ear
‘LITTLE things come with huge risks’ perfectly describes one of the most common childhood accidents that parents have to deal with — children putting foreign bodies such as small toys, accessories, and food items in their ears.
Because of the frequency of these accidents, many parents believe they are experts at handling them. But associate lecturer at the University of the West Indies and consultant otolaryngologist at Facial and Oral Surgery Associates, Dr Francis Barnett, said parents should seek medical attention because they could risk not noticing an infection or causing damage to the ear.
“Children between two and five years often, in exploring their bodies, end up putting foreign bodies inside the ear. This, especially if parents do not realise early enough, could lead to severe ear infection,” he said.
“Organic foreign bodies cause an inflammatory reaction, leading to an infection sooner than inert foreign bodies. A good example of this is peas, because they deteriorate over time,” Dr Barnett explained
He said that inorganic materials such as watch batteries can also be very damaging to children, and the longer they remain, the more damage they could cause.
“Small watch batteries may cause severe caustic injury to the ear canal. The scarring from this may lead to narrowing of the canal which could lead to hearing loss,” Dr Barnett pointed out.
For this reason, Dr Barnett encourages parents to examine their children daily and look out for signs of discomfort. Also look to see if the child seems to be sticking their fingers in their ear constantly.
He said another common occurrence is small insects getting inside the ear.
“Especially for small children, this can be quite a frightening experiencing. Not only that, but it can be painful as well because the insect may be moving in the canal.”
He said that as a home remedy, parents could use warm olive oil to kill the insect. Make sure to test the oil against the skin to ensure that it is not too warm for the child. And even after this procedure, parents should take the child to see an ear, nose and throat specialist for the ear to be checked.
The doctor encourages parents to be more conscious of their children’s play environment and remove all small objects that they could swallow or put in the nose or ear. He cautioned that in trying to remove foreign bodies at home, parents risk damaging the ear drum and canal.
