In This Article
If you think your child has something in their ear
Do not try to take it out. If an object is firmly lodged in a child’s ear, NHS guidance says to leave it where it is and take the child to A&E or a minor injuries unit. A known or suspected button, coin or hearing-aid battery in the ear needs an urgent hospital route without delay. [1]
This page explains the safest next step for a parent or carer. It does not diagnose why a child put an object in their ear, and it is not a home-removal guide.
Why might a child put something in their ear?
Children learn through play, exploration and investigating the objects around them. [2] That broad developmental context can help explain why a bead, a small piece of toy, paper, food or another object sometimes ends up near an ear. It does not tell you the exact reason in an individual case, and it should not be used to label or blame a child.
The immediate priority is not working out why it happened. It is avoiding an attempt that could push an object further into the canal or make the next assessment harder.
Keep the message simple: do not probe, do not use cotton buds or tweezers, and do not add water, oil, drops or another object to the ear.
What to do next
| Situation | Safest next step |
|---|---|
| You know or suspect that a button, coin or hearing-aid battery is in the ear. | Use an urgent hospital/A&E route now. Do not wait for a routine appointment or try to remove it yourself. [1] [3] |
| An object is firmly lodged in your child’s ear. | Leave it in place and take your child to A&E or a minor injuries unit, in line with NHS child-accident guidance. [1] |
| There is bleeding, fluid or discharge, swelling, a sudden or worsening hearing change, dizziness, significant pain, or your child is unwell. | Seek urgent NHS advice. NHS 111 can help you choose the appropriate route; call 111 for advice about a child under 5. [4] |
| You believe there is a known object but none of the urgent features above are present. | Do not try a home removal. Read the clinic’s foreign-object decision page and call first to discuss whether an assessment may be appropriate. |
| You do not know whether there is an object at all. | Do not put drops or tools in the ear to find out. Use the blocked-ear symptom guide or NHS advice instead. |
Why a routine earwax booking is not the right first step
An object in the ear is different from a possible earwax concern. A blocked-ear feeling, earache or a hearing change does not prove what is causing the problem. The clinic’s routine children’s ear care service begins at age 10 and is assessment-led; it does not make a foreign-object concern suitable for a routine booking.
For a known or suspected external-ear-canal object without urgent warning features, the clinic may be able to discuss whether a case-by-case assessment is appropriate. That conversation does not guarantee a procedure or removal. The object, its position, the child’s symptoms, any previous attempts and the child’s ability to tolerate assessment all matter. [5]
What not to do at home
It can be tempting to act quickly when you can see something near the entrance of the ear. However, without knowing the object, how far it has gone, or the condition of the ear, a home attempt can introduce more uncertainty.
Do not insert a cotton bud, tweezers, a pin, a finger or another tool. Do not try to flush an object out with water. Do not use earwax drops, oil or household suction. These pages deliberately do not provide a list of exceptions, because those decisions depend on the object and the ear examination.
If someone has already tried to remove the object, do not make repeated attempts. Use the appropriate NHS route if there are symptoms or uncertainty, or call the clinic first only where the situation is clearly non-emergency and a C06 assessment can be discussed.
A calm conversation can help
If your child will talk about what happened, you can note what they say, whether the object is known, when it may have happened and whether anyone has already tried to remove it. This information can help an NHS clinician or the clinic understand the situation. It does not replace an assessment and does not mean a parent or carer needs to look into the ear.
Avoid restraining a child to inspect or retrieve an object. If the child is distressed, unwell or has an urgent warning feature, use an urgent medical route rather than trying to make a home attempt possible.
Prevention without blame
Small loose items, toys with accessible button batteries and damaged battery compartments deserve particular care around younger children. Great Ormond Street Hospital advises keeping button batteries in their original packaging, out of children’s reach, and securing battery compartments where possible. [3]
This is not about fault. It is a practical way to reduce access to small high-risk items while children are learning through play and exploration.
Related guidance
For a general adult or carer first-aid overview, read Something Stuck in Your Ear: Safe Next Steps. For a possible non-emergency external-ear-canal object, use the foreign-object decision page before any booking. If the concern is routine earwax rather than a known object, the children’s ear care page explains the age-10+ assessment-first service.
Sources
[1] NHS: What to do if your child has an accident
[2] Department for Education: Development Matters
[3] Great Ormond Street Hospital: Button batteries – using them safely
[4] NHS: Earache
[5] Earwax Removal Devon: Foreign Object Removal from the Ear
