Comments on: How do I get rid of the stink around my 5 month old's ears?

Question: How do I get rid of the stink around my 5 month old's ears?

Chuck Cheeze — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 19:01:07 -0800

How do I get rid of the stink around my 5 month old's ears?

I am not sure if it is from inside or behind the ears, but we bathe him every night and we don't bathe him in garbage...so I am not sure why there is a faint stink near his ears. We clean them every few days with baby sized Qtips, but they aren't dirty at all when we are finished. We do see a little wax (or whatever it is) on the Qtip when we clean around the outside of his ears (as in, not the ear canal, but the outer ear).

Any ideas? He smells baby fresh everywhere else.

By: acoutu

acoutu — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 19:04:22 -0800

Are you using formula? Maybe you tip him back when you feed him and milk goes into his nose and ears and then spoils. I know that babies bottlefed formula have a higher likelihood of ear infections (since the milk may pool in the ears). So I'm just taking a wild guess.

Why not ask your community health nurse?

By: subatomiczoo

subatomiczoo — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 19:10:08 -0800

babies often have a cheesy smell around their necks and ears, it's from milk dribbling back there probably. i don't know. both my kids had it, it's not disgusting, part of the nice baby smell!

your baby is so cute!

By: shinynewnick

shinynewnick — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 19:11:50 -0800

We actually have the same exact thing with our 4 month old. As far as we can tell, he has a little valley behind his ear that collects milk when it comes down from his mouth when laying back. It's fine right after we clean there, but before too long its funky again. Let me know if you find a solution!

By: joeblough

joeblough — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 19:25:15 -0800

our first baby had stink-ear (as we called it) and we never really figured it out. it went away on its own.

By: eve harrington

eve harrington — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 19:46:56 -0800

He's making cheese. When my second baby, oh-so fat, started reeking faintly of Gorgonzola in spite of daily ablutions, we started investigating really closely and found, no lie, a rashy fold in his rolypoly neck that was harboring a little breast milk cheese-to-be. NASTY. It was summer, he was moist and warm and had lots of hidey places for the milk that was flowing. Corn starch in folds helped but when he started walking (and stopped being interested in stopping to nurse or even to take a bottle with him), the cheese stink ended. (Your little Charlie looks like an adorable character.)

By: firstdrop

firstdrop — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 19:56:59 -0800

Cute kid. Can't smell him from here so it can't be that bad. I doubt if it's ear infections - he'd be sick as well as smelling. I think it's probably the sugars in the milk he drinks (or rather doesn't drink and which collects in his neck creases) feeding a mild yeast infection. My kid smelt like best stilton for a few months and only stopped doing so when he was able to sit up and stretch his neck out a bit. The pure fresh air killed off the bugs. You could google for a solution or just tough it out til he grows out a bit. On preview - what eve harrington said.

By: docpops

docpops — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 20:03:59 -0800

Yeast infections can fester in even the smallest crevices, i.e. the fold behind the ear, and give off a funk. A little swipe of clotrimazole (ask your doc) and some diaper cream once a day as needed ought to fix his social disease.

By: Emperor Yamamoto's Eggs

Emperor Yamamoto's Eggs — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 21:01:09 -0800

Boy, do I feel your pain; my 6 month old son has folds under his neck that formula get trapped in and dries... I thought it was his ears originally but its the fat neck :) It seriously knocks your socks off if it is there for too long. I just run a soapy washcloth under there between baths and rinse; that usually works. I have also had success with putting a little of this powder under there too, just to make it a little drier.

By: acoutu

acoutu — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 21:05:39 -0800

Our community health nurse told us to wash the folds and then dry them with a cloth. Cornstarch and baby powder are no longer recommended, since they can cause damage if the particles are inhaled.

By: Emperor Yamamoto's Eggs

Emperor Yamamoto's Eggs — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 21:42:04 -0800

It is permissible if the poweder does not contain talc, as per my pediatrician.

By: Dasein

Dasein — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 00:30:28 -0800

(Wait, talcum powder is now BAD for babies? When did this happen?)

By: Gungho

Gungho — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 04:27:28 -0800

Could be an ear infection. Some kids show no outward signs like crying or rubbing their ears.

By: Biblio

Biblio — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 06:57:37 -0800

I concur with the cheese thesis. In my experience, formula cheese has a funkier smell than breastmilk cheese, tho maybe I tolerated the latter since I helped make it? Your baby probably doesn't smell as funky to other people, it's just that you're used to him and know what he's s'posed to smell like!

Dasein, when my eldest was born, I told my older relatives that talc was out, corn starch in. There was a little war between my grandmothers to see who was the best Nana that culminated with them presenting me with the biggest containers of corn starch powder they could find. I still have some, and said child just turned 11.

By: jefeweiss

jefeweiss — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 07:45:49 -0800

He's probably putting his finger in his mouth and then putting it in his ear. The bacteria in his saliva are making the stink. As far as what to do about it, I have no idea. Babies are constantly doing stuff like that.

By: selfmedicating

selfmedicating — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 12:23:44 -0800

Second what docpops said about clotrimazole. It's the same stuff in many athlete's foot creams (2%). Our doc told us to use it in the diaper area to fix a mindbogglingly painful-looking yeast infection of the scrotum. I have already told you more than you want to know. Call your pediatrician, and I bet the advice nurse can set you on the road away from stink.

By: acoutu

acoutu — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 17:47:43 -0800

Inhalation of talc is dangerous. Just Google for it. But my community health nurse (and the handouts from the government) told me that cornstarch is dangerous because babies may inhale the fine particles. Babies breathe more rapidly so they inhale more in a shorter period than you would. It can cause lung and aspiration problems. An article from the University of Toronto says, "Cornstarch reduces friction and may absorb moisture. It does not absorb moisture to the extent that pastes do and it does not wick moisture away from the surface of the skin. It has been argued that it also serves as a culture medium for C. albicans, the organism responsible for candida diaper dermatitis. Aspiration of cornstarch may also lead to respiratory problems. All factors considered, the use of cornstarch should be avoided"1

By: stilgar

stilgar — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 05:24:53 -0800

can i just say its shocking how many people's kids get this cheese stink, i should ask my mother if i was one of these stink children..

By: davejay

davejay — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 13:11:47 -0800

I've got seven-month-old twins, and here are all the places that the cheesy formula nastiness hid from us untli we got the hang of this whole parenting thing:

1. Folds under the chin, very hard to clean on a squirmy baby, and you've got to keep 'em clean pretty much after every feed (use a little Aquaphor after you've cleaned with a dry cloth, if there's redness and irritation);

2. Creases behind the ears, you'll probably need to pull your child's ears outward to see/clean 'em, same thing with the aquaphor applies.

If you're sure that the neck and ear crevices aren't the cause (and remember, if it's red and irritable, the smell will persist for a day or two after the cleaning), take 'em to the doctor. Also, if you find "the spot" and it looks infected, call the doc.

By: redhead

redhead — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 18:33:24 -0800

According to my pediatrition, many children put dried beans, peas, raisins etc.. up their noses. They swell up, get stuck and start stinking. The beans can even sprout.

By: cookie-k

cookie-k — Sun, 16 Apr 2006 09:45:18 -0800

Yes, but at five months, I doubt he has the run of the pantry yet. Most probably the milk.