Why is my baby pulling their ears?

Your baby is growing and discovering new things every single day and it may seem like you are constantly playing catch-up and trying to figure out if everything is okay. So, of course your alarm bells might be going off if you notice your baby suddenly pulling, tugging or scratching their ears. 

The good news? Most ear pulling or touching is completely normal behavior in kids under age 2 or 3 - provided it’s not associated with crying, pain or other symptoms. 

Your baby may be pulling their ears because they are:

• Discovering their ears!

  • Your baby is growing up and may have just realized that there are ears attached to their head! Of course that is fascinating!

• Self-soothing.

  • Some babies suck their thumb or their pacifier and some may touch their ears to help them relax.

• Itchy.

  • Soap or other irritants may get trapped in the ear canal and can make them feel itchy.

• Full of earwax.

  • Buildup of earwax is the main cause of ear pulling in older kids and most commonly caused by using cotton swabs to clean the ears, which actually just push the earwax further back.

• Infected.

  • Pain from an ear infection often cause babies to pull their ears, but usually you will notice your child acting sick too with increased crying, irritability, fever, cold or flu symptoms. 

• Teething.

  • This can actually look a lot like an ear infection and your baby may be just be really upset about it! 

Call your doctor if the ear pulling is accompanied by a fever (100.4F), there are other symptoms, or if your child looks or acts sick. Of course always seek care if you think your child needs to be seen. Our mommy/daddy instincts are there for a reason!

This stuff can be very confusing at times which is exactly why health care professionals are here to help! 

Your PediPals