Summer season is here, and that means trips to the lake, the swimming pool down the block, or grandma’s backyard. Do your kids love the inflatable pool you bought last summer, or enjoy running through the sprinkler? It’s time to talk about swim ear plugs, and how to protect your children’s hearing in or out of the pool.

Why Wear Swim Ear Plugs

Hold on. Aren’t ear plugs just to protect your hearing from loud noises? What’s that got to do with swimming? Swim ear plugs aren’t designed to protect your child from sound, but from ear infections. As a parent, it’s a struggle to watch your child in pain, and you would do anything to save them from experiencing discomfort. A common source of ear infections is your local community pool, and a pair of swim ear plugs is a simple solution to this painful problem, saving you days of worry and trips to the doctor’s office. Does your child suffer from recurrent ear infections like swimmer’s ear, or other infections that target the outer or middle ear? Then a pair of swim ear plugs is your ticket to an infection-free summer.If your child is currently fighting an ear infection, they should not be swimming without ear protection. Water will further aggravate the condition, leading to a worse infection and greater pain. Even the changes in pressure, as your child swims and dives in the deep end, can cause severe pain for a child with an ear infection, and will make the infection worse. If your child has an infection or has recently recovered from an ear infection, talk to the doctor about swimming, and don’t allow your child in the water if the doctor says it’s not a good idea. The doctor will tell you that swim ear plugs are the best way to protect your child’s ears.

How Swim Ear Plugs Work

Swim Ear Plugs are designed to keep your child’s ears dry and clean, blocking water from entering the ear, and minimizing changes in pressure in the inner ear. The pool down the street or in your backyard can often contain harmful bacteria that cause ear infections, so keeping the ear dry stops the infection before it even starts. Since they have to be completely sealed to keep all the water out, swim ear plugs are often custom made to fit.

Which Swim Ear Plugs are Right for Your Child?

Custom Swim Ear Plugs

Custom fit swim plugs are designed to provide ultimate protection for your child’s ears. Made to fit perfectly, your child can wear these swim ear plugs for hours on end with no discomfort or irritation. The high-quality plugs last a long time, and are easily cleaned for the best in hygiene and safety. For custom swim ear plugs, we’ll take a mold of your child’s ear, and special order unique plugs made specifically for your child. We recommend a swim head band be worn along with the ear plugs. Custom ear plugs are hard to replace, so a head band can be used to secure the earplugs and prevent loss.

One Size Fits All Swim Ear Plugs

As the name implies, one size fits all plugs aren’t designed to fit one particular child. Instead, these swim ear plugs, available at your local drugstore, can fit into any ear and are easy for the kids to put in themselves. They’re made of silicone or putty, and often come in bright colors your children will love. They’re readily available and quite inexpensive, so you don’t have to stress about losing them. The downside is that they’re not washable, and therefore not very sanitary. Most parents treat them as disposable ear plugs, and throw them out after just one or two uses since the buildup of wax and dirt can’t be cleaned off.

Visit Us for More

Parenting is stressful enough without wondering if you’re doing the right thing to protect your child from ear infections. For advice you can trust, visit us at Arizona Balance and Hearing to get all the information you need to make good decisions for your child’s hearing health. Use swim ear plugs this pool season to keep your child’s ears dry, clean, and free of infections to enjoy a hassle-free summer!