Let your child know you can help. Calm your child
Do not poke the insect with a cotton swab/ hair pin other probe. This may push the insect further into the ear & damage the eardrum.
Use gravity to try and dislodge the insect in the ear. Tilt your child’s head to the side & gently shake it. Don’t hit your child’s head.
If your child has tubes in his/ her ears or has a history of ear problems, call your child’s ENT doctor right away. The doctor can tell you what to do.
If your child does not have tubes or ear problems, follow the below mentioned steps
If the insect is alive and is not coming out with gentle head shaking, pour a small amount of vegetable/ mineral oil or baby oil into the ear canal. The oil needs to be warm, but not hot.
Try to float the insect or drown it. As you pour the oil, assist the entry of the oil by straightening of the ear canal. This will usually kill the insect.
If you think the insect is dead and is not come out with gentle head shaking, pour a small amount of warm water into the ear canal to flush it out.
If you aren’t sure the object is an insect, don’t put water in the ear canal. If the object is a tightly wedged seed or bean, water may cause the object to swell.
