How to prevent ear infections when swimming

Prevention of swimmer’s ear requires an understanding of how infection occurs in young children and making sure that we carefully dry their ears after each swimming session. Please note that this does not involve placing anything (such as ear cleaners) into the ear canal as this can actually cause infection. 

First we have to make sure that water drains from the ear. We can teach children how to do this - by asking them to turn their head and gently pulling the ear in different directions helps to drain water out of the ear. We will also show them how to dry the opening of the ear very carefully as far as they can reach with a towel as this will help drain water.

For parents who have additional concerns, particularly for children with eczema or seborrhoea or who suffer from recurrent ear infections,   we can put a few drops of white vinegar in each ear each time the ear becomes wet, to facilitate drying. The acetic acid inhibits the growth of bacteria in the skin.