? re: earplugs and swimmer's ear

[Finally_Talking]

Just wondering if anyone's children use earplugs when swimming. My children swim a lot at home (without earplugs) and seem to do fine. The last time we went to WDW in the summer, at the end of the trip, my daughter woke up with very bad ear pain. After drops from the gift shop and Motrin, she was able to go home ok. I took her to the dr. and she needed antibiotics. I don't know if it was from all the swimming or not.

Do earplugs seem to help your kids avoid swimmer's ear? Do they mind wearing them - are they uncomfortable? Is there a certain kind that seem better/more comfortable than others? Thanks for any info. you might have.

 

[weirdpaintballr]

I am a very frequent swimmer and to prevent getting ear aches at home, we have always used drops after we get out of the pool. The recipe for the drops is to remove 3 tablespoons from a pint of rubbing alcohol and replace it with 3 tablespoons of white vinegar. MY only warning is that if you ear is raw or is getting infected, it will burn a little.

 

[jennifer293]

My DD had tubes put in back in January and she is a little fish so we had her fitted for special plugs at her ear dr. they allow her to hear just fine but do not let water in. They were just like 6 or 7 dollars a pair. Maybe try your nearest ear dr. and see if you can get some.

They also make an OTC swimmer's ear drops,and my DH used them all the time when he was on the swim team.

 

[tiggersthebest]

My daughter also uses earplugs because of tubes....she too had them fitted at the doctors. In addition, because she is so prone to infections, we found a waterproof headband that goes over the ears. She looks silly but it is worth it for her not to get ear infections during vacation time.

 

[Deb & Bill]

My husband always uses Mack's - silicon ear plugs since he often gets water in his ears when he goes swimming.

 

[ribbot]

I am a very frequent swimmer and to prevent getting ear aches at home, we have always used drops after we get out of the pool. The recipe for the drops is to remove 3 tablespoons from a pint of rubbing alcohol and replace it with 3 tablespoons of white vinegar. MY only warning is that if you ear is raw or is getting infected, it will burn a little.

How many drops per ear do you use?

 

[isla bonita]

We also have the alcohol and vinegar solution but ours was 50/50 and it is 3 drops after the swim and an hour later.

 

[weirdpaintballr]

You use as many drops as you want, and you can use them right after you get out of the pool...It's always my first stop before I change clothes.

 

[kathi29]

We use a mixture of equal parts alcohol and white vinegar. At the end of the day I have my daughter lie down and I use a medicine dropper to fill the ear canal with the solution. We let it sit for a couple seconds, then she shakes out what is left (using a washcloth held to her ear).
This was on the advice of our pediatrician, and if we are diligent we don't have any problems with swimmers ear.

 

[ellenmiele]

For traveling it might be easier to buy drying drops rather than make your own. There are brand names and some drugstore chains have their own brands. We usually get the Swim-EAR brand - I think it's $4 or $5 and basically is just alcohol but the dropper bottle is very convenient for travel. They work very well at preventing swimmer's ear when used on a regular basis but once a (painful ) swimmer's earache develops then rx antibiotic drops are usually needed. For families who swim ALOT on vacation it may be worthwhile asking your family doc for a rx or samples to travel with, just in case.

and re: plugs - for kids with ear tubes they can be helpful keeping out water but sometimes they just trap a lot of moisture (and bacteria) in the ear canal and make swimmer's earaches more likely.

 

[ntburns22]

http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/earbanearret.html

I bought my DS3 earplugs and the band from this store. Last summer we had problems all the time with his ears. His Dr. recommended this site to us since we have our own pool and he is in the water almost daily. We have yet to have a problem yet.

The plugs are easy to put on and he doesn't have any issues wearing the head band. He thinks he is cool because he has the only one with one.

 

[Finally_Talking]

Thank you all for your replies. I really appreciate the advice/tips and will definitely put a few of them to good use. Thanks again!