Being a parent means being on the lookout for things that could harm your child. Whether you’re holding their hand while crossing the street, teaching them not to touch a hot stove or letting them know that peas don’t belong in their ears, your job is never fully done. One thing you can do to ease your worries is to know how to respond in the event that they do something potentially unsafe.
Let’s go back to that third example—your child shoved something in their ear—and look at some things to keep in mind during removal to prevent damage to their tiny ear canals.
Use Tweezers
You should only use tweezers if the object is visible and easy to grab—if you can’t nab it on the first try, it’s probably too deep. Don’t use tweezers if your child is very young or has trouble holding still. If you’re using tweezers, avoid metal tweezers with pointy ends.
Washing It Out With Water or Oil
You can use water and a rubber-bulb syringe to wash out an object if your child doesn’t have ear tubes or a torn eardrum.[1] Place the tip of the syringe near their ear canal opening and gently flush out the substance. You shouldn’t use water if they have stuck a battery, plant part or food in their ear.
If they have an insect in their ear, you can use mineral, olive or baby oil to wash it out. Like water, you shouldn’t use oil if your child has a torn eardrum or ear tubes.
Don’t Try To Pry Out the Object
Trying to pry or wiggle the object out with a cotton swab or bobby pin is more likely to push the object deeper and damage the eardrum or ear canal.
When in Doubt, Call ENT for Children
If you feel hesitant or underconfident that you’ll be able to safely remove the object, don’t try. We’ll use special tools or suction to remove it safely in our office. Call ENT for Children to have the object professionally removed. If we’re out of office hours, call their primary care physician.
If your child is in severe pain, you notice blood draining from the ear, or the object stuck in their ear is a small battery, call us or take them to the emergency room if we are not available.
[1] Cleveland Clinic. (2025). Ruptured eardrum: Symptoms, causes & treatment. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15581-ruptured-eardrum-acutely-perforated-tympanic-membrane