Parents can take many steps to help prevent ear-related conditions from afflicting their children. These steps include:

• Eliminate exposure to tobacco smoke. Children exposed to smoke experience more ear infections.
  
  
• Breastfeed babies. Breast milk passes along an immunity that helps prevent ear infections.
  
  
• Feed babies in an upright position. This prevents milk from getting into the eustachian tube.
  
  
• Teach children to blow their nose gently. Encourage them to wash their hands after blowing, which will help prevent the spread of infections.
  
  
• Never insert anything smaller than the pinkie finger into the ear canal. Never insert cotton swabs, pens, bobby pins or other similar objects into the ear.
  
  
• Take warm showers and wash the outside of the ears with a warm, moist washcloth. This can help prevent the buildup of earwax.
  
  
• A drop of mineral oil or baby oil in a child’s ear before swimming can help prevent swimmer’s ear.