When I graduated from my pediatric residency 11 years ago, I knew there would be questions from parents daily about their child's growth, development, illness, behavior, etc. 

"What’s this new movement?"

"Is this behavior normal?"

"What should I be doing about this rash?"

But there are seriously some things I get asked about that make me chuckle every day – not because they’re silly, as no question for your doctor is unimportant – but because I never knew I’d be answering them so often!

Here are seven of the most uncommon, common questions asked by parents: 

1. "Is this much earwax normal?” – The answer is probably yes. We make earwax daily, some of us more than others, and in all types of colors and textures. Earwax protects our ear canal and prevents infection.
2. “Is my baby’s teeth grinding normal?” – Yes! When they get those fun new chompers, it’s really common for them to click and grind them as they explore that new feeling in their mouth. I remember it setting off my baby alarm sometimes at night because it was so loud…
3. “Why does my baby have rosy cheeks?” – Sometimes babies get rosy cheeks. It’s often due to dry skin or cold weather. But sometimes, babies just have beautiful, well-circulated cheeks. And 99% of the time it bothers parents more than the baby.
4. “What is this little bump at the bottom of my baby’s skull?” – Okay, I know this is oddly specific, but there are two little lima bean-shaped/sized lymph nodes on the back of the skull, top of the neck area. They are called occipital lymph nodes and nearly everyone feels them on their baby’s scalp at some point, especially after that first bath and shampoo. They’re normal and as long as they’re not growing or more are showing up, you’re okay to just observe them.
5. “Every time I pick up my baby, her shoulder/hip/arm joints pop! Is this normal?” – Yes. Growing joints mean popping joints. As long as your baby isn’t crying in pain, totally fine.
6. Toenails. Toenails. Toenails. Baby toenails are weird. Some have wings. Some are flat. Some are curved. I never knew I’d dedicate so much time to toenails in check-ups!
7. And finally… “Is his penis color normal??” – Baby penises are different from adult penises, including the color. Some are blue. Some brown. Purple, pink, orange. As long as your baby does not appear in pain and that color hasn’t changed recently or suddenly… just go with it.

And yes folks, that means Q-tips. Look at what our medical director of Emergency Services has to say:

“Q-tips and cotton-tip swabs cause numerous ER injuries we see at Cook Children’s,” Corwin Warmink, M.D., medical director of Emergency Services said. “I know people hear this all the time, but children should not be putting cotton-tip swabs in their ears. They can cause damage and sometimes the damage can be severe.”

Natalie Roberge, M.D., an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist at Cook Children’s, says problems from placing cotton-tip swabs in the ear can include:

1. Pushing the wax further into the ear canal causing impaction.
2. Laceration/bleeding of the ear canal.
3. Increased risk of otitis externa from the trauma. It's called swimmer's ear, but really any trauma to the ear canal can lead to otitis externa.
4. Perforation of the ear drum. Some will not heal and require surgery. Rarely the middle ear ossicles will also be damaged.

So how do you get earwax out of your child's ear? 

Well maybe you don't.

Earwax is a normal, protective coating to the ear. Some kids make more than others.It doesn't need to be removed except in extreme circumstances and should not be removed by parents.

If you can see some earwax on the outside, it's OK to clean it off but there's never a need to place something in the ear canal to remove it.

Even if I see a lot of earwax during a checkup, I don't clean it out unless there is a concern for infection, a problem with hearing or there is discomfort from the wax.When it is time to remove it, we have a few options:

1. Drops to break down the wax. These can be bought over the counter but should not be used in patients that have a history of tubes or who might have an ear drum rupture.
2. Ear flushing - In the office, we can use a flushing of fluids to remove the wax from the ear.
3. Ear curettage - The most common and my preferred method is to use an ear currette to pull the wax out of the ear. This is done with extreme care because the child must be older or held properly to make sure they are safe.

I get asked a lot about earwax from parents. I hope this advice helps. 

Related to this topic:

• What's Earwax?
• Let's Learn Something: Ear Infections and Tubes
• 7 Ear Infection Myths Every Parent Should Know
• Another Ear Ache. Is It Time To See An ENT?