Firstly, it should be noted that for children without skin diseases in the external auditory canal and with intact tympanic membrane, is safe for tap water to enter the external auditory canal and will not directly cause damage.
The external auditory canal is filled with amniotic fluid for the ten that the fetus is immersed in the mother’s uterus, and after birth, as the head position changes, the amniotic fluid flows out, and the external audit canal gradually dries naturally.
The normal tympanic membrane has a blocking effect on the inflow of liquid, and daily water cannot pass through the tympanic membrane into middle ear, and naturally will not cause otitis media.
If the child has a perforated tympanic membrane due to acute suppurative otitis media after, this blocking effect no longer exists, and at this time, it is necessary to strictly avoid water entering the external auditory canal. Secondly, children of low age often have earax blockage in the external auditory canal, which is a common physiological phenomenon in childhood and generally does not require deliberate treatment.
However, a small number of children’ earwax in the external auditory canal softens after contact with water, forming a secretion-like substance that flows out, which can easily cause panic in inexperienced parents. such cases, it can be temporarily observed. If it is only a small amount that flows out once, and it does not continue to flow out subsequently, there is no major problem and it can be left to dry naturally.
If the child can cooperate and has no obvious symptoms of otitis media previously, the remaining earwax can also be cleaned the irrigation method.
If the child cannot cooperate, it is better not to force it, as forced handling can easily cause damage to the external auditory canal, and in few months, the child’s external auditory canal will still have earwax accumulation, which is not worth the trouble.

Again, a small number of young children will have persistent ear canal discharge, the most common of which is eczema of the external auditory, and only a minority of them are due to effusion in the middle ear, and there are obvious differences in the nature of the discharge between the two.
The discharge eczema of the external auditory canal is clearer and mostly translucent, and can form a thin, dry shell on the skin near the external auditory canal orifice the discharge of purulent otitis media is thicker and turbid.
The causes of eczema of the external auditory canal are complex, and various factors such as’s diet and contact with special items on the skin of the ear may be possible, while otitis media is more related to upper respiratory tract infection, and there is not much between the causes of the two and the domestic water used in life.

To distinguish between the two, an endoscopic examination of the ear is of course best, but it is often difficult for children to cooperate with an in-depth examination of the external auditory canal, and it is usually up to the doctor to make a judgment based on experience.
Finally, in dealing with children’s ears getting wet in practice, it is strictly forbidden to wipe them with cotton swabs. The external auditory canal of children is naturally than that of adults, and it is easy to damage during the wiping process with cotton swabs, and it is also possible to push the existing earwax into the depths the external auditory canal, which will be more troublesome over time.
At this time, you can let the child tilt his head to one side, so that the external auditory canal is facing the ground, and keep it for few minutes to let the water in the external auditory canal flow out naturally under the influence of gravity.
If the child has a continuous discharge of fluid from the external auditory after that, or if he expresses ear pain, he should be examined by an otolaryngologist, and should not be blindly overused with ear drops


