How to prevent deafness in babies and children

One of the first tests that babies do at birth is hearing, to detect if the baby can hear. However, parents are the first who can detect a hearing problem in their child, as they can detect if they are startled by a noise or if they look at the place where a sound is produced. How to prevent hearing

One of the first tests that babies do at birth is hearing, to detect if the baby can hear. However, parents are the first who can detect a hearing problem in their child, as they can detect if they are startled by a noise or if they look at the place where a sound is produced.

How to prevent hearing loss or deafness in children

LaDoctora Gracia Aránguez, D.R.L. is a member of the Expert Committee of the Early Detection of Hearing Loss in newborns of the Community of Madrid. Coordinates the cochlear implant program of the General University Hospital Gregorio Marañón. Here we talk about the prevention of deafness and how parents can prevent future hearing problems in their children.

1. What can parents do to prevent deafness in children?

Parents should observe their child to really see their hearing situation, if they really hear well, if they hear well by season ... Observe and play. It is very important to play with a child and to stimulate him, to talk to them continuously. When we walk with a baby in the stroller, we have to talk about what he sees in his environment. When a child also looks at a tree, a dog or anything that surprises you, we must explain it to you. Then it is very important that when we are doing activities with him, everyday activities, we force him to have a rhythm, even a song, something that in the same activity makes him associate something that is musical, a sound environment, to stimulate all that sound environment.

The father is the first to know, if he observes well, that his son suffers from hearing loss. While it is true that today in many countries there are neonatal hearing skin systems, the father has to take him to the pediatrician to confirm a diagnosis.

2. Should the baby's ear be cleaned?

The ears should be cleaned only very superficially. It is very important to know that the wax that children have protect them from otitis, so we will only clean and it is recommended to always do it in the baby's bathroom with a damp cloth, clean well the duct from the outside that we see and the pavilion earphone, the "little ear" following all the edges it has but never put any element of the conduit, not even a swab, because that could cause us to plug the baby with the wax it has, or many times the milkweed comes off and it may be retained in the conduit.

3. From what age is it appropriate to clean the baby's ear?

We will always have to have the same pattern that we have said with babies. Never, never insert anything into the external auditory canal and only what is coming out. If we suspect that a child may have a wax stopper, it is advisable to confirm it to a pediatrician, we should never put a few drops to dissolve a stopper if we do not have the absolute conviction that there is no otitis behind it. If we put any droplet to undo that plug, if it had an otitis behind, we would be causing a greater infection. We must be very cautious.