Is it harmful for a baby's ears to get water in them?

Question

My 7-week-old daughter enjoys baths, but I'm unsure about how often and how cautious I should be regarding water in her ears. The pediatrician recommended bathing every other day without mentioning the need to prevent water from entering her ears (although it seems obvious since her head needs to stay above water). I'm concerned if it is really a significant issue if water does get into her ears. She tends to turn her head, and unless I make an effort, some water ends up inside, especially when washing her hair. Can this lead to ear infections?

Answer 1

We not only used to bathe the kids in such a way that their ears were definitely under water when rinsing their hair, but took them swimming from a couple of months old.

If the water is from a source which could contain infection - eg the sea, or a public swimming pool - you just give the ears a good rinse when they get out and then dry.

When children are older they can learn how to tip their heads to help water escape, but for now you can easily wick up any water in their using the end of a tissue - nothing dangerous, just get the corner folded up enough that you can reach into the ear and the water will wick straight into the tissue.

Answer 2

My baby girl has been taking swimming lessons from the age of 3 months, with her head or at least ears most of the time in the water. She's been doing that for 2 years hitherto with a lot of other babies or children without any illness or so, so I guess this is definitely not a big deal. We were also never invited, was it by the teacher or even a MD to be careful about that.

Now some children will be more subject to ear infection or so, for sure, but I wouldn't say as a general advise that getting water in the ears is somtehing to avoid...