It’s summer – and that means pool season! Yay! My 2 little fish children are ALL ABOUT THE WATER… as is their mama! So much pool time means plenty of sunscreen, snacks and new freckles from the sun, but plenty of “Mama, I’ve got water in my ear again” complaints once we’re home – I mean, I get it… Practicing all those tricks and flips leads to water in the ears, which never feels great later on. Water stuck in the ears can also lead to infection sometimes – which is where this awesome recipe comes in.

 

In a dropper bottle or a hair dye bottle (really any bottle that you can make drops come out of!), combine 3 parts rubbing alcohol to 2 parts white vinegar. Shake to combine and store. Drop 2-3 drops in the ear, let it sit for 10-15 seconds and tilt head to drain.

 

My kids report that this “makes a funny noise and kind of ruffles” when it hits the stuck water and then is super warm coming out. I always do a quick check to make sure the fluid coming out is clear and all good.

 

The backstory here is that my mom used to make this when I was a kiddo a millionty years ago. (Shoutout – Mom, you’re pretty rad!) As a little fish kid myself, I remember how not awesome trying to clear water out of my ears felt and how it sometimes just would not come out, dang it. Enter the simplest remedy that’s so so effective. The rubbing alcohol breaks the surface tension of the water in your ear – and also acts as a drying agent, while the vinegar acts as an antibacterial agent. So, dry ears + less chance of infection = happy kiddos.

 

Just a quick disclaimer and note – this is absolutely NOT to treat an active infection, nor should it be used when there’s ANY suspicion of a ruptured ear drum. Holy ouch. For infections, we have a few tricks – garlic and mullein oil, oil of oregano, adjustment, salt sock, etc – but this quick solution is not one of them. Always get things checked out if you’re concerned at all. And trust your mama/papa bear gut!

 

Happy summer! Happy swimming!

 

xoxox

Dr. Jamie