Babies who have not been born for long will always behave strangely, and ear tugging is one of them. There are six possible reasons why babies pull their ears, and parents should pay close attention to whether they are related to diseases. 1. Curiosity about the body: During development, babies are curious about various parts of their bodies. For example, he will stare at his little hands and also pull his little ears with his hands. It is normal for babies to get their ears when they are sleeping or awake, especially when they are having fun, so parents should not be nervous. 2. Teething: more with drooling When babies are teething, the eruption of milk teeth will stimulate the gum nerves and surrounding tissues, making them feel uncomfortable with their gums and a lot of drooling. When babies lie flat, this feeling can be transmitted from the gums to the ears. Therefore, they will keep rubbing their ears. If your baby’s ear pulling is caused by discomfort during teething, there is no need to worry too much. You can give your baby some clean teething gel to relieve the discomfort of their gums during teething. 3. Eczema of the external ear canal: common in babies with allergies Eczema of the external ear is common in small babies with allergies. Babies shake their heads and tug their ears because they feel itchy and irritable on the skin of the outer ear. Therefore, if you find that your baby has had eczema on his or her face or elsewhere and is shaking his or her head and pulling on his or her ears, you should take your baby to the hospital for an examination and apply anti-allergy medication locally under the guidance of your doctor. 4. Foreign objects in the ears: Large foreign objects can affect hearing. Young children are active by nature and may stuff small objects into their ears while playing; occasionally, small insects may get into their ears while playing outdoors. Small foreign objects in the ears can cause ear discomfort, while larger foreign objects can cause ear pain, ear canal infection, and even affect hearing. Therefore, if a foreign body enters the ear, parents should promptly send the baby to the ENT department of the hospital to deal with it, and do not pull out the foreign body on your own, which may lead to deeper and deeper pulling. 5. Earwax: It is not recommended that parents help their babies pull out their ears “In general, babies’ ear canals have a self-cleaning function, but some babies may scratch their own ears because of the secretions (cerumen) on the side.” In this case, it is not advisable for parents to pull out their baby’s ears to avoid damaging the baby’s tender skin. Parents can use a soft cotton swab to clean the outside of the ear canal or rub the ear to help remove the cerumen. If your baby has a lot of ear discharge, or liquid discharge, or if the discharge smells bad, you need to take your baby to the doctor. 6. Ear infection: mostly accompanied by nasal congestion, sore throat, and nighttime crying “Among the causes of ear tugging in children, parents need to be most alert to ear infections, such as otitis media.” Here we are reminded that the characteristics of the eustachian tube and nasopharynx in children make it easier for bacteria from upper respiratory tract infections to enter the middle ear and cause otitis media. In addition, inflammation from upper respiratory tract infections can easily invade the middle ear along the eustachian tube and cause otitis media. Acute otitis media in children can cause perforation of the eardrum, hearing damage, progressive deafness, brain abscess, meningitis, etc., and even life-threatening conditions if left untreated. In addition, incomplete treatment of otitis media as a child will most likely lead to otitis media again as an adult, resulting in hearing loss and even recurrent infections and perforation of the eardrum. Older children may complain of “ear swelling and pain, buzzing”, but for young babies, they are unable to clearly express “ear pain” to their parents, so they are often more likely to be ignored by parents, which requires careful observation by young mothers and fathers. If your baby suffers from nasal congestion, sore throat, nighttime crying, ear scratching, head rubbing against the pillow or unexplained fever, or if he or she has a runny nose or snores at night, beware of otitis media and go to the hospital as soon as possible for examination and treatment.