Why do babies grab their ears?
If your baby or young child is pulling at their ears, it might be a sign that they’re tired or that their ears are blocked with ear wax.
Ear pulling or tugging can also sometimes be a sign of a middle ear infection or an outer ear infection.
Do babies grab their ears when teething?
Teething is often blamed for ear grabbing or pulling, but it isn’t clear whether teething causes this behaviour. The nerves for the back teeth and the ears are connected, so your child might feel ear pain if their molar teeth are coming through the gums.
Does your baby need to see a doctor?
You should take your child to the GP if they:
- show signs of an ear infection, including earache, fever, trouble hearing, itchiness or ear discharge
- are unwell and have a fever for no apparent reason
- might have put a foreign object in their ear.
What should you do if your baby is pulling or grabbing their ears?
Ear pulling or tugging usually isn’t anything to worry about.
Tiredness
If you think your child is pulling their ears because they’re tired, you could try settling your child for sleep or giving your child some quiet time.
Ear wax
To get rid of a build-up of ear wax, you could try ear drops that you can buy from your pharmacy. You can also use a few drops of olive oil.
Ear infection
If your child has an ear infection, they might need antibiotics. Your GP will talk about this with you.
Teething
If you think your child is in pain from teething, you could try giving your child paracetamol or ibuprofen in recommended doses.
Don’t try to clean your child’s ears with things like cotton buds. This can damage the ear canal or drum. If you do need to clean your child’s ear – for example, because of discharge from an ear infection – gently use the twisted corner of a tissue.