What about my baby's ears?

Children with cleft issues often have issues with their ears, and with their hearing.  This is something you should speak to your E.N.T* Specialist about as it is vital for children to have the best care in this area, not just for their hearing future, but to help them with their speech as well.
 

The main concern with children, be they cleft-affected or not, is Glue-Ear (formally known as Otitis media).  It's reported that this situation occurs in as many as 1:3 young children, causing mild hearing loss.

Glue-Ear is when there is a build up of fluid behind the eardrum.  This fluid - which is gluggy, hence the term 'glue'  - makes it difficult for the drum surface to vibrate, the bones in the ear to move, and the hairs to bend - and the sound isn't 'heard' by the child as it should be. Refer to the image below. I imagine it's like us hearing through a glass placed over our ear.

 

The most common reason for Glue_Ear is that in small children the Eustachian tube (pron: You-Stay-Shun) is too parallel, is shorter or too narrow to drain properly. You can see this tube in the image above, going down from the ear between the drum and the bone section. 

In most cases, the situation is managed by antibiotics, so you should see your own GP if you feel your child has this condition as soon as you can for the medication.

In many cleft-affected situations the cause may be underlying differences in the shape of the middle ear or the inability for the ear to drain as it should due to differences in the Eustachian tube.  As I mentioned earlier, your E.N.T is the guru in this matter so seek their advice. 

The treatment for Glue-Ear, if medication fails to alleviate it, is to have tubes, or Grommets, inserted into the ear drum. This is usually done under general anesthetic but, again, speak to your E.N.T Specialist.

 

 

Once grommets have been inserted it is vital that you keep the ear dry when the child is bathing, showering or swimming.  Easier said than done, in most cases! Getting a child to remember to put in their protective plugs can be a battle sometimes - especially if out with friends. 

As a child, I recall going and having special rubber-like substance inserted into my ear that, when dry, formed a perfect 'fit' into my ear. Whilst I knew it was for my own benefit, it set me apart from my peers and I disliked having to wear them when swimming.  My child has never had the fitted ear-plugs offered to him.  In fact, he's had several products in our attempt to keep water from travelling into his ears as he splashes madly about in his bath, drenching our floor and soaking our bathmat, or jumps wildly into swimming pools, drenching everything (and everyone) around it.

Recently his GP told me that simple 'blu-tac' is okay to use as an ear-barrier.  Whilst it is not something I'm prepared to put into my son's ear (I just think it's oily and full of chemicals) even this site recommends it. 

Personally, I stick with the Speedo swimmers putty, but it tends to tug my son's ear to make the fit tight.  Something I recall using as a child as well is good old cottonwool and vaseline, for form a barrier.  There's a huge selection of ear plugs. Speak to your local Chemist for some advice.

* E.N.T - Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist.                

some research and images from:

http://mydr.com.au   and   http://familydoctor.org/